Help?

Anyone familiar with the American Girl books? I am working on a project for one of my classes and I am just wondering what reading level those books are appropriate for? I read online that their Lexile level is somewhere in the neighborhood of between 500 and 700, but I am not really familiar with Lexile scores. On another site they were listed as being appropriate for ages 7 and up, but they seem like they would be too hard for most first graders.

If you are familiar with these books and can tell me a little more about what age level, grade level, or reading level they are appropriate for, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks!

Celebrity Stories

I have noticed that quite few celebrities have written children's books in the past several years. Maybe it has been going on for longer than that, but I feel like it has become more of a trend lately.

For a list of books written by celebrities click here.

I wonder whether these books get published because they are truly good books with strong messages/information for children, or if they get published simply based on the fame and connections of the celebrity authors. I have to admit, I have not read a lot of them. I guess I get somewhat annoyed when I see that yet another celebrity has written a children's book because I kind of feel like celebrities can do whatever they want simply because they are famous. They do not have to jump through the same hoops that a typical "regular" person would have to. Also, for some of the celebrity authors, it seems that writing a children's book is just another project they want to do in order to gain more fame from larger audiences or something that their name gets attached to, yet that was not truly created from their own personal hard work and inspiration.

I do think however, just from browsing on the list linked in above, that some of these books seem pretty terrific. Many of these stories emerged from celebrities as they embarked on the world of parenting and contain solid content about experiences and lessons to be learned in life. One example is Mr. Peabody's Apples which was written by Madonna.

About the book:

Description: Mr. Peabody is the beloved elementary school teacher and baseball coach, who one day finds himself ostracized when rumors spread through the small town. Mr. Peabody silences the gossip with an unforgettable and poignant lesson about how we must choose our words carefully to avoid causing harm to others.

Despite my initial eye roll when I come across yet another book written by a celebrity, I think that all books deserve a chance. Celebrities certainly have interesting lives and can offer perspectives that are quite different from my own, or those that my students/children would have. They too, are people with histories, talents, ideas, stories, and experiences. Surely, there are big differences between books written by various celebrities, so I would not want to base my decision to purchase or not to purchase only based on the fact that a book's author is famous. Surely, some of these stories are examples of rich literature and I hope to find some of those. I do think that a celebrity's credibility would affect my decision to purchase/read their book as I might not want to purchase a children's book written by Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears, however, I am sure I would be taken by surprise (in a good way) by some of the celebrity authored books out there.

What do you think? Are children's book written by celebrities credible or just another way for celebs to get more attention??

Teacher Swap

This is the last installment of Jen's Back to School Teacher Swap.

I usually like to share this book with my first graders during story time at the end of the first day of school. It's called The Night Before First Grade and has the same rhyming structure of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas. The story itself is not the greatest story ever written, but the kids always enjoy that it's about getting ready for first grade, which is exactly what they just did the previous night! I like that it has a familiar pattern that they recognize and it's a quick, light read to enjoy after a long first day!

I also found this similar story, again with the same rhyming structure as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, only this one is read on the last day of school. This one is called The Night Before Summer Vacation. I kind of like that the first story of the year and the last story of the year are similar. It makes me feel like things have come full circle.

It would be fun to experiment with this familiar story structure and have students try to create their own stories at some point during the year (or write a shared story) with a similar format.

Some ideas:

The Night Before Field Day

The Night Before Picture Day

The Night Before Parent Conferences

The Night Before Halloween

The Night Before Valentine's Day

I would probably start with a paragraph frame and have the students come up with some creative rhyming words to make the story complete and then let them write their own once they better understood the process and had better independent writing skills (for first graders that would be more towards the end of the year!)

Reptile Show

Right before leaving for Germany, I went to a reptile show sponsored by the local library's summer reading program with a few of my students. I invited all the students who were in my class this past school year, but only a few came. I tried not to take it personally--I know the summer is a busy time for many families. My favorite "Little Miss" (I will call her Hannah b/c she loves Hannah Montana) was one of the kiddos that came, so I was a happy camper to hang out with her and see all the reptiles.

There was a "petting zoo" portion of the show where kids could touch a huge snake and an alligator, but she wanted none of it. She did, however, want me to touch them all. Fortunately my terrible fear is of amphibians and I am okay with most reptiles.

At the end of the event, Hannah and her mom walked me to my car. I got good hugs from both of them, and just as I was about to shut the door, Hannah called out, "I love you!"

Another moment with Miss Hannah that I will never forget.

Sometimes certain students that we teach touch our hearts and our lives in a way that we will cherish forever. Miss Hannah is one of those students.

Bloggy Award!

Thanks to Heather from Adventures Across a Sea of Blue for giving me the "Honest Scrap" award! I love getting comments from readers and get extra excited to find out that my readers want think my blog is worthy of awards! How fantastic.

The rules for this award are as follows:

• Thank the award giver
• Link back to the award giver
• Name 10 things about you that people may find interesting
• Nominate and link up to 10 other blogs for this award
• Comment on each blog to tell them about the award

10 Interesting things about Sneaker Teacher

Ready, Set, Go!

1. I moved to Germany 10 days ago with my husband.
2. I speak spanish (well enough to do some parent teacher conferences with spanish speaking families, but would love to become more fluent).
3. When I was born the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck.
4. I want to write a book (soon!)
5. I was accepted to a doctoral program back in the US and am trying to figure out a way to still make that happen from Germany.
6. I love to read but have terrible reading comprehension.
7. Since graduating college I have been a nanny, a preschool teacher, and a first grade teacher. I am now a TA in third grade at an international school.
8. In college, I worked at a store called Hope's Cookies in PA and ate my fair share of free ice cream.
9. I broke my husband's heart in college, but I married him so I think I redeemed myself!
10. I am terrified of amphibians, but not reptiles.

Because of the name of this award, I would like to pass it to the following blogs written by homeschooling moms. These creative mamas post about some pretty cool projects and activities.

Milk & Cookies

Passport Academy

1 + 1 + 1 = 1

Knowledge House Academy

Our Homeschool Fun

Moving Forward

After waiting for a long time, I finally heard back from my doctoral program advisor with regards to whether or not I can continue with the program from Germany. For those of you who are new readers, here is the brief background:

I applied for a doctoral program back in January of this year (before my husband was offered a position in Germany). I was accepted and had plans to begin my coursework this fall in Oregon. Around March/April, my husband got a call from the global office indicating they wanted to bring him over to Germany for a position on their global team. At first, was I devastated at the thought of having to give up the program, but then I began thinking of alternative ways to make it work. I submitted a proposal to the program coordinator asking to remain enrolled and to use Skype in order to participate in courses from afar. I have been waiting since July to hear back.

So, the short answer is that the faculty members were not keen on using technology as a means for me to participate in the courses, however, I did have support from a few of the faculty members (mostly my two advisors) so it is possible that I can continue and somehow make this work!

I just need to figure out the details with my advisor to see where I go from here and what the next steps should be!

Hopeful

By crazy coincidence there is a first grade teacher at my new school who will be taking a maternity leave this winter. In Germany, a woman can take up to three years for maternity leave while her position is held for her. I was hoping that something like this would happen, so I applied for the leave position as soon as I got home. Right now it is posted as 8 months with the possibility of being lengthened. Wouldn't it be great if she decided to take all three years??? I know there are a few other applicants, but I am hoping that my experience of having taught first grade for the past three years will bode well for me. I think that the principal and director will interview applicants and they would also like to see sample lessons.

Fingers crossed!

Just a quote today

"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand."

~Chinese Proverb

First Day of School

Today was my first official day of work at school with kids!

Because it was the first day and the school day only went until 11:50, I did not get much face time with the third graders today as I know their teachers need time to get organized and to get to know them before they jump into the curriculum for the year. I spent the first hour in the work room doing some labeling, copying, and laminating for the teachers. It was funny because I realized that those types of projects are one part of teaching that I love, but don't ever really get to appreciate because of all the other responsibilities that come along with being the classroom teacher. I am usually too busy with other aspects of the job to have the energy at the end of a long day to spend time standing next to the hot laminator or to get caught up on making cute games for my kiddos. Now, that I am a TA, those projects are my job in its entirety! Okay, not really...Once the kids get settled in their routines, I will be working in the classrooms helping students for the most part rather than copying and laminating. For the time being (the first week of school or so) however, I get to bask in the glory of organizational teacher projects and embrace my inner perfectionist! I have the TIME to go slow and complete things in a neat and organized manner which is fantastic and fun!

I did get to meet the students in both classrooms and they seem great. As far as "not having any discipline problems" which is what I was told by the principal, these groups of kids seem like any other typical group of kids--they are chatty, smiley, wiggly and don't all keep their hands where they belong. I do think that they are well behaved and well spoken (English is a second language for most), but I also think that they are more "normal" than I was expecting--which is a good thing!

It was interesting to listen to them tell what they did on their "holidays" as the outings consisted of trips to Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, and China among other destinations. I guess I still have to get used to this international setting! The students I will be working with are from at least 10 different countries including Germany, Italy, Greece, France, Holland, India, and the US. I can already tell I am going to learn a lot working at this school.

I have to say, it was nice being able to go home at lunch time! Working three hours/day might not be so bad! :) Now I can head outside for some much needed exercise!

Spelling Development

Did you know that students go through stages of spelling development? I loved reading about these stages in the class I am taking because it really helps to clarify what skills students have and where they are in their spelling development.

The Stages:

Pre-phonetic spellers use letters or letter-like symbols to represent language. Random stirngs of letters, numbers, and other "markings" may also be used to represent words. These students typically are not yet readers and do not make the connection between print and oral language.

Phonemic spellers have discovered phonetic principles of spelling and attempt to capture the sounds of words in their own writing. They typically represent only some of the sounds in the words they want to write, most often initial and final sounds.

Letter Name spellers typically represent all of the sounds in the words they want to write, but do so on the basis of letter names. An example would be "babe" for "baby."

Transitional spellers begin to notice the differences between their way of spelling and the way words are spelled in books and begin to incorporate some traditional spellings in their writing. Students at this phase often overgeneralize some of the rules that they observe, for example writing "eet" for "eat."

Correct spellers are students who regularly employ words that are spelled correctly according to standard English spelling. This does not mean that they do not still misspell words, rather that they correctly spell most words most of the time.

I learned that it is actually a good idea to give students spelling words according to their developmental levels rather than using 1 list for the entire class. I have never done this, but it does make sense. I know that the spelling program used at my new school is leveled for different groups of students, so I am interested to see how it works!

Predictable Books

"Predictable books make use of rhyme, repetition of words, phrases, sentences and refrains, and such patterns as cumulative structure, repeated scenes, familiar cultural sequences, interlocking structure and turn-around plots. These stories invite children to make predictions or guesses about words, phrases, sentences, events and characters that could come next in the story."

-- Mary Jett Simpson, in Reading Resource Book

Predictable books and stories utilize some important text features that help children become familiar with language and how it can be used and/or played with!

Types of predictable books

• Chain or Circular Stories-Plot is interlinked so the ending comes back to the beginning such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and others by Laura Numeroff
• Cumulative Stories-Each time a new event occurs, all previous events in the story are repeated such as Mr. Gumpy's Outing by John Burningham or The Little Red Hen told/written by various authors
• Familiar Sequence-Organized by a recognizable theme (counting, days of the week) such as Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendack
• Pattern Stories-Scenes are repeated with some variation such as the Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise
• Question and Answer-The same or similar questions are repeated throughout the text such as Whose Mouse are You by Robert Kraus
• Repetition of Phrase-Word order in a phrase or question is repeated such as Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman
• Rhyme-Rhyming words, refrains, or patterns are used throughout the story
• Songbooks-Familiar songs with predictable elements, such as repetitive phrases such as The Farmer in the Dell

Click here, here, here or here for great resources that list a number of great predictable books to use in your classroom!

These types of books are perfect for young learners and especially for students who are acquiring English as a second language. The repetition, patterns, and predictable nature offer great support for students who are still becoming familiar and comfortable with the English language. Many predictable books are those that become childhood favorites because they are fun, kid friendly, and must haves for your classroom library!

Teacher Swap

The theme of this week's Teacher Swap hosted by Jen from Following the Footsteps is to show pictures of our classrooms.

I have pictures from both my classroom in Oregon and the classrooms I will be working in here in Germany. It is interesting to see the differences.

I started last school year off with the desks in a U formation. I really liked it, but it was a bit tight for space in my room. I rearranged the furniture in that room so many times because I could never get it just the way I wanted it. Finally, at the middle of last year, I arranged it in a way that I liked best of all.

This was a my carpet time area where I did most of my instruction. The wall showing was my calendar wall and to the right was my large whiteboard. The colored rectangles had sight words written on them. I made a "rainbow trail" of words written on craft foam and velcro-ed to the carpet so that my students would have to hop on the trail and read the words on the way to the carpet each day.

My classroom library

I definitely acquired a lot more books over the course of last year because there were buckets lining that whole shelf by the end of the year. When I get my own room again, I would like to more thoroughly organized my library by levels and themes so the children would be able to easily identify what books they were interested in/were appropriate for their reading levels and they would be able to put them back where they came from.

Room 3S- Germany

Room 3K-Germany

I have seen some major difference between the classrooms at FIS in Germany and other classrooms I know from the US. In Germany, there are no built in cabinets for storage, just free standing bookshelves and the classroom "libraries" pale in comparison to those of my previous school. One of the rooms I am going to help in had only two very small bins for the entire library! In Germany much of the furniture/bins come from Ikea and the classrooms seem bare. At FIS, some walls are painted in very bright colors like lime green and orange, but overall the classrooms look pretty stark. Surely teachers decorate, but the rooms just seem different to me and not as inviting. Additionally, the teachers have an office/workroom where their desks and computers are located so they do not have as much "stuff" in the classroom itself. There are smaller teacher desks and phones in the classrooms, but their work and planning is done elsewhere. The children also store their items in the hallway. The rooms do not contain cubbies rather there are hooks outside the classroom for jackets and backpacks. I guess that is part of the reason why they seem less cluttered, there isn't as much stuff in them!

I always enjoy getting my room ready at the beginning of the year and although I have been helping the third grade teachers prep their rooms, it's just not the same!

Cooking Challenge!

We are currently staying in a hotel in Germany which is our temporary housing until we find an apartment we like and can move in. We will most likely be here for a month or so. We have a little kitchenette space and I just ventured to cook our first meal last night. I found many different varieties of packaged fresh pastas, like ravioli and gnocchi, at the grocery store that only take two minutes to cook once the water has boiled. Combined with some different sauces, I have enough for about 3 meals, but we are getting pretty sick of pasta with sauce!

I need your help!

What kind of meal would you prepare given these conditions/supplies:

(It's like a Top Chef Quick Fire challenge!)

• very limited refrigerator space (it's about the size of a dorm fridge)
• no freezer space
• 2 burners
• 2 small pots
• 1 small frying pan
• 1 spatula type utensil
• 1 small cutting board
• 1 small knife

So far it seems that the grocery store has most products/foods that we have in the US. Not the same brands of course, but pretty similar. Some brands are even the same (I saw Snickers, Red Bull and a few others).

I would love to incorporate more meat and vegetables/salads into our meals because I feel like I have not eaten enough vegetables since we arrived and I can't remember the last time I ate meat!

If you have an idea, post it in my comments! Thanks!

Blogaversary!

Today is my one year blogaversary!

I remember when I started blogging and did not have any followers and never got any comments. I still enjoyed writing and posting about teaching and instruction, but I have to admit it is a LOT more fun now that there are people reading what I write. I remember being so excited to get a few fans and now I am up to 34! It is so fun to connect with other teachers and other bloggers and I feel like the world of blogging has brought a lot of joy into my life in the past year. I did not write as frequently during the school year, but I have a feeling this year will be different.

Thanks to all my readers and fans, especially the ones who leave comments! I love to hear feedback on what I write and I hope to continue gaining followers!

Special Day

Today is my second wedding anniversary. On August 18, 2007 John and I got married in Southbury Connecticut. Athough we were living in Portland at the time, we chose CT as our wedding destination because I grew up there and my parents and brother and his wife live there. Both of our options involved destination weddings (John wanted to get married on the beach in Hawaii) but ultimately I won (doesn't the bride alwyas win?) because at least I had my mom and my sister-in-law to help me with planning in Connecticut. My mom went to see the venue and booked it for us and I chose the same DJ and photographer that Shari used. The time difference between CT and OR made it difficult to get in touch with venders and such because by the time I got out of work, places on the East Coast would already be closed. I actually got the most accomlished on one particular snow day because I was free to make phone call during the day. One drawback to being a teacher is that you cannot have any kind of personal life during working hours! It is impossible to make/take personal calls.

I like to think I was a very simple bride. When I came across something I liked, I went with it rather than agonzing over the details of each and every choice. I bought the first dress I tried on and do not regret that. I tried on three total, but #2 and #3 just confirmed that I loved the first one. I chose bridesmaid dresses from Ann Taylor online because my girls lived in different states and we could not go shopping together because they were all on the East Coast. My husband's grandmother loves yellow roses so that is what I chose for our table arrangments, cake, and boquets. I tried to keep in mind that a wedding day is very special, but it is just a day. All the details are not as important as the relationship and the love that are being celebrated.

John and I met in college at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. We lived in the same dorm freshman year, but we actually both disliked each other at first. We really got to know each other sophomore year and kind of dated, but it was not until fall of junior year that we truly became a couple and fell in love. I remember that John surprised me by taking me to New York City to see 42nd Street and that was when I realized how much I really cared about him. He put in so much effort to take me on a special date and he has not stopped spoiling me since.

We grew up with very different lifestyles and are polar opposites in many ways. John is American, but was born in Hong Kong and before high school he lived in Australia, Mexico, Korea, and Switzerland. His dad worked for Hewlett Packard (I bet you thought he was an Army brat, huh) and has a passion for international business which is why they moved around so much. John is outgoing, loves adventure, and is always willing to try something new.

I, on the other hand, lived in the same small town from when I was two until when I left for college. I am pretty shy in new situations, hesistant to try new things, and hold on to what is comfortable and familiar rather than gravitating towards the new and unknown. I love that I grew up with strong roots in a town that my parents had grown up in, in two different houses that my dad build with his own two hands (and mom helped design).

Needless to say, the saying that opposites attract was true in our case. It is blatantly obvious by the fact that I am writing this on my laptop from a hotel room in Germany, that John's pension for adventure has rubbed off on me. Never in a million years would I ever have imagined that I would live in Europe, yet here I am...and loving it so far. John has influenced my life in so many positive ways that I cannot even imagine where I would be without him. He always pushes me to go out of my comfort zone, to not be the turtle that hides in its shell, and to embrace what life has to offer. He is not only my husband, but my best friend, and my lobster (lobsters mate for life).

Here are a few photos from our wedding day.

Bloggy Awards!

It's always special to receive blog awards because that means people are reading (and liking) what I am writing! I love blogging and would do it even if no one was reading, but I do love that other people take interest in what I write about and want to honor Sneaker Teacher with awards!

Thanks to Ashli from Chasing Today for The Uplifting Blogger Award

I am passing this award onto:

Jen from Following the Footsteps because of her strong faith and positive words

Vivienne from The V Spot because of her humor

Thanks to Heather from Oswald Cuties for The Adorable Blog Award

I am passing this award onto:

Pineapple Princess at The Love Shack

because she is creative, posts beautiful pictures, and has adopted the most preciously beautiful little girl who she refers to on her blog as "Beach Bunny" all of which make her blog adorable.

Oral Reading VS Silent Reading

Last year, I taught a reading group consisting of about 17 "approaching" first graders. The label approaching was derived from the fact that they did not meet benchmark scores on the fall DIBELS assessment which is a series of assessments that came out of the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!). My students began the year reading between 0 and 3 correct words per minute (the end of the year benchmark for first graders is 40 correct words per minute).

I will preface by saying that, I do think I did a good job teaching this group. By May, every student had increased his or her Oral Reading Fluency score (which is very important for the data loving literacy specialists at my school who track their progress on a weekly basis). I think the highest score achieved from my group was 56 correct words per minute and 5 or 6 students made benchmark by the end of the year. All of my students were identified in the lowest 20% of the grade level, which meant that they received Title I services for additional reading support and interventions. The students were skill grouped at my school, based on their initial scores, which is why my entire class was in the same range. I know that my class was successful and I was successful in the approach I took to teach them, however I do question some of the structures that I used, especially in light of some of my recent reading.

Readers and Writers with a Difference: A Holistic Approach to Teaching Struggling Readers and Writers. By Lynn K. Rhodes & Curt Dudley-Marling. Take a look here at amazon.com.

I am taking an online course right now called Teaching Reading to Students with Special Needs. Rather than focusing on direct instruction, our text offers a more holistic approach to literacy, asserting that in order to become better readers and writers, students (especially students who are struggling) need to actually READ and WRITE for the majority of their time rather than practice discrete skills and read words in isolation. I spent a lot of time last year focusing on decoding skills and teaching sound spelling combinations because these are necessary skills for reading accuracy that lead to increased reading fluency. This text/class have given me a new outlook on what is best for the types of students I taught last year.

One issue the book addresses is reading orally in a "round robin" fashion versus reading silently. The book definitely supports the benefits of having students read silently and I will sheepishly admit that I did a lot of round robin oral reading with my group. Sometimes I want to hit the bottom of my palm to my forehead ala Homer Simpson while uttering a loud "DOH," but I recognize that part of being a strong teacher is continuously learning, re-evaluating, and figuring out what works best, so I try not to be too hard on myself.

What I learned is:

• Round robin reading does not allow participants as much time to read--Some students process little text unless it is their turn to read. (I had a group full of wigglers who had a hard time paying attention--what did they actually gain from round robin reading?)
• The entire group may read a story, but each individual may only read a page or two--Consider that it may be the only page or two he or she reads all day.
• Round robin does not lend itself to the development of effective, efficient, and independent reading strategies--Aren't these exactly what we want to develop?
• Round robin reading typically focuses on correct pronunciation which can interfere with comprehension.

This information made me reconsider what my reading block should look like. Working within an adopted program, I did not have a ton of flexibility and I could not really conduct a reader's workshop type reading block, however, in the future I would want to think long and hard about procedures being used. For the immediate future, I get to see how two really great teachers do it with third graders at FIS in Germany!

One question I always had was, if students are reading silently, how can I ensure that they are indeed reading? The text offered a great list of conference questions that can be asked to investigate what skills are being employed by students as they read to themselves.

1. What would you like to tell me about what you've read?
2. Do you have any confusions about what you've read?
3. What have you been wondering about as you read this?
4. How did you decide to read this?
5. What kinds of things have you been wrestling with as you read this? How have you solved the problem(s)?
6. If you had a chance to talk with this author, what would you talk with him/her about?
7. What do you plan to read next? Why?
8. Does this make you think of anything else you've read? (text to text connection)
9. Why do you suppose the author gave this book this title?
10. What parts of this book have you especially liked? Disliked?
11. Do you like this more or less than the last thing you read? Why?
12. Is there anybody else in our class who you think would enjoy reading this? Why?
13. Did you skip any parts of what you have read? What? Why?
14. What is the main thing the author is saying to you?
15. Why do you suppose the author began the way he/she did?
16. Would you like to be one of the people in this? Who? Why?
17. What other texts by this author have you read? Are the other texts similar in any way to this one?

All of these questions may not apply to all grade levels, but they can be altered to fit whatever age group that you teach. I love to read professional development materials that challenge the way I think or teach. It always feels good to know that I am improving my critical thinking skills as well as my teaching skills.

Teachers

Bouchra, the very nice woman who works at the front desk at our "temporary housing" hotel, called me this morning to let me know that some of the other new teachers from school were downstairs having breakfast. Wasn't that nice of her? She is very cute and petite with short dark hair and dark skin--beautiful! I think she said she is Arab.

I met 3 teachers and one other TA. One of the teachers staying here is one of the third grade teachers I will be assisting this year. Her name is Christina and she is from Canada. She looks like Jenna Dewan from Step Up and she just spent two years teaching at a private school in Honduras. Christy, also from Canada is a 7th grade English/Social Studies teacher. The other two are a British couple (didn't really catch their names). The man is a high school Physics teacher and his wife is going to be a teacher assistant but doesn't know where she is placed yet.

They were all so nice and have been staying at the hotel for about 10 days so far. I am so glad to know some of the people I will be working with, especially since John has to go back to the US next week for the U.S. Open in NYC. I was worried about being all alone, but at least now I have some people to eat meals with and hang out with.

I am still working on one final online course so I need to get some work done today. Sunday is a day of rest and relaxation in Germany, so hopefully I can get everything done. Stores are closed because it is an official day of rest for merchants as well. Germans typically use it as a day to spend time with their families. Last time we were here in June, we went to the mall on a Sunday and the building itself was open, but the stores were closed. I guess people can go in and walk around if they want to, but shopping is not an option. I will definitely have to get used to the fact that I cannot grocery shop on Sundays.

Wednesday is my first meeting at school with all of the other teacher assistants. I am looking forward to meeting them. I have met both of the third grade teachers now, Christina from Canada and Jill from Oregon. I think working with them is going to be great. They seem like fantastic ladies!

MckLinky Blog Hop

Welcome blog hoppers!

I didn't think I was going to post today because we are in the middle of moving (to Germany). Just thought I would add that for any newcomers, but frequent readers have already been acquanited to the fact that my husband and I are relocating to Germany this week.

Since the theme was favorite photos, I thought that was simple enough. I chose this photo because it was taken when we first bought the house that we are now moving out of. Not exactly a favorite photo, but a fond memory and a photo that fits the bill since we are getting ready to move again. I can remember the excitement of that day and I am looking forward to finding our next place!

And I have to add this photo. I brought Alyssa that shirt when I was visiting my family in CT. What a doll! She looks ready to work out with mama!

Back to School Treats

How cute are these?

Teacher Goodbyes

Tonight I got together with many teachers from the staff at the school I taught at for the past three years. I invited everyone on staff to a final goodbye get together and I was surprised by how many people showed up! Considering it is summer and it's a great time to go out of town and have some fun, I was really honored that so many people made time to come and hang out and say goodbye. It made me realize how much the staff cares for me and what a valuable part of the staff I was.

It was so nice to sit and chat and hear about several blooming pregnancies. There have been several changes in teaching placements, and a few just recently, so everyone was sharing updates on what grade level/position they are now assigned to.

Everyone was so excited for me and supportive, wanting to know all about our move and what I will be doing in Germany. They said they were excited to follow my blog and read all about it

This photo was taken after several 7 or 8 people had already left. I felt very loved!

The movers are coming tomorrow to pack and take all the items that are being sent to Germany in our 40 foot container. We will stay in our empty house until Thursday morning when we catch our "moving flight." Our car is getting shipped too, so we will have a rental car for our last day here and get another rental car once we are in Germany. Today was a crazy day of packing, making trips to our storage unit, and organizing. We still have more to do, but taking a break to spend some time with good friends was a necessary event!

You may not hear from me for a few days, but thankfully the hotel we will be staying at for our "temporary housing" has 24 hour free internet, so I will be able to begin blogging again once we arrive. My job is only for 3 hours a day, so I will have plenty of extra time for posting details about the excitement of living in Germany!

Teacher Swap

I was supposed to post this yesterday, but we were packing all day, so I am a bit late. I am very excited to participate in Jen's idea of a teacher swap because I think one of the best things about being a teacher is collaborating with other teachers and sharing ideas!

Something I usually do at the beginning of the year is called a People Search.

People Search is a strategy designed to promote collaboration among the students in your classroom. It uses an interview technique for implementation and helps create interest in one another as it increases students' motivation to learn more about each other. Additionally it supports social interaction and helps foster positive attitudes towards learning. This interaction among students is a source of enjoyment and is an excellent way to begin a new year!

I do this with my first graders by providing them with a sheet of paper that has the words "Find Someone Who..." written at the top. Below that, there is a list of several (about 6-10) statements relating to first grade kids.

It might look something like this:

Find someone who......

Can tie his or her shoes _________________

Can count by 5's to 100 _________________

Can sing the alphabet _________________

Went on a vacation this summer _________________

Knows how to say "how are you?"

in Spanish _________________

Has an older brother _________________

Has a pet _________________

The idea is that the students mingle and use the statements to ask each other questions. If they find someone who can/does/has whatever the item is, that person writes their name on the line. Because most first graders are not yet reading, I use a picture to go with each statement and we review all of the statements in a whole group before they go off to ask each other and get signatures.

After they have about 10 minutes to circulate, I call them back to the rug and we have a discussion about what they learned about other people in the class.

This can be altered to fit any grade level and can also be used for content area as well. At the end of the unit students can use a list of questions related to what they learned, finding out who knows the answers to the questions.

Some other great activities to do at the beginning of the year are biopoems and I am from poems which I have posted about before. Each of those is a great way to get to know your new students as well as a way for them to get to know each other. They can be adapted for younger students and work great for older students who can write independently!

Visiting the Fam!

I just got back from a wonderful trip to the East Coast. I flew to Washington D.C and spent Friday night hanging out with my best friend Cristina. I will post about that later because she needs to send me the pics from her camera!

My brother and his wife were in D.C. on business, so we met up with them on Saturday and they drove me back to my parents' house in CT. It was so good to see my family and my beautiful niece! My mom and I did some major shopping at the outlets and we got in some good walking time as well. Growing up, my mom and I always went on long walks together which is one of the reasons we are so close. I always spilled my guts to her which kept us close even when I was a teenager and some of my friends were hating on their moms.

Here are some pics from my trip!

Alyssa loves her Grandpa!

Alyssa with her Glam-ma! (my mom)

Alyssa with Aunt Katie

So cute!

The girls at lunch (Alyssa, my mom, my sister-in-law Shari, & me)

The whole fam- my parents, my brother Dan and his wife Shari, and Alyssa!

(minus John who couldn't make it to CT with me this time)