Readers are LEADERS...

Readers are Leaders.
This is what my mom has always and I mean always preached!
Well, as I get older I have found that it is SO true.

After the end of this past school year, I remember speaking to my students about the upcoming Summer Reading Olympics! We discussed the different levels of success and how reading just a little a day and make our brains EXPAND dramatically....and if we don't, well than as one of my students said "Our smart brains will shrink!" Too cute. :)

With that in mind, I thought, "WHY aren't teachers part of this challenge? If we are encouraging our students to be reading leaders, WE should do it too!" So here is my reading progress so far this summer. I know, it's all over the place, but I tend to read several books of different kinds at a time to stay engaged. :)

What I'm Currently Reading....

1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Umm...can I say keep me on the edge of my seat? This is the second book in the Divergent Trilogy. The first book was AMAZING and had a Hunger Games feel, so I had to go for it. The second book so far is nothing short of thrilling and I'm reading it every free chance I get. Looking forward to the third book coming out soon! This has been my summer "non-school related" reading!

2. The High-Trust Classroom by Lonnie Moore

I whipped through this fantastic book right after school got out! It literally only took me a day to read it because it was so relevant to the 7 Habits Leadership philosophy that schools are implementing. Lonnie Moore lays the truth out in an honest way that makes you want to be the type of teacher he describes! I highly recommend this book for educators of all ages and grade level. It's a must read! :)

3. Lean In-Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

I heard about this book through the grapevine and bought it right away. Just the title itself oozes leadership! The author takes the reader through her life's journey and takes opportunities to empower women in leadership through her own struggles and success. One common theme throughout the book is that of Risk Taking, which for women is often a scary thought! I'm only about half way finished, but so far I feel encouraged to dream bigger, work harder, and leap into the unknown more often. A great refresher for sure.

4. Pathways to the Common Core-Accelerating Achievement by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth and Christopher Lehman

I have to be honest and say that while this book is FILLED with valuable information, I only read a little bit a day. It provides a deep analysis of the Common Core Standards and really challenges teachers to move away from centers and worksheets and really TEACH students how to read, and read for long periods of time. This book validates everything I believe about Readers Workshop and proves to be a phenomenal resource to anyone looking to take that leap!

5. Teaching with the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen

I'm going Text Book style on this one, but WOW. There are so many little nuggets of truth within these pages that educators can totally implement into their classrooms. It discusses everything from the brain and different times of the day to energy levels and when the best time is to teach certain subjects. SOOOOOO Interesting and helpful. I always learn something new after just reading a page or two.

1. The Core Six-Essential Strategies for Achieving Excellence with the Common Core 

This little gem of a book was introduced to me by my previous school's literacy coach. We started this as a grade level book study, but did not finish due to end of the year craziness. I really want to try and read the rest of this before the end of summer! What we learned from the beginning of the book was so intriguing and I can't wait to learn more! Hello new strategies!!!! 

2. It's Not Us Against Them-Creating the Schools We Need by Raymond McNulty 

My mom returned from a Model Schools Conference in Washington D.C. and this book was the Hot Topic! It focuses on the power of relationship building with students and families and delves deeply into the work of Bill Daggett! The 3 R's (Relationship, Rigor and Relevance) are of particular interest to me and I look forward to learning more and hopefully transferring that into my classroom! Model Schools Conference is in Orlando next year...who's in??? :))) 

Okay, so now that I have revealed my "nerdiness" I will leave you with a quote my husband and I always relate back to. 

"A Leader can only take his/her people as deep or far as he/she is willing to go himself." 

If we challenge our students to be lifelong readers, we need to lead by example and do it as well. :)) 

Happy Reading! 

-Mrs. Hunter 

Final Non-Fiction Tid-Bits!

WOW. It's been a while and I've realized that I have so many topics to blog about it's pretty much insane. So, I will start by explaining the final days of our Non-Fiction writing unit! :)

After the students received their envelope from the publisher approving their rough drafts, it was time to get to work! Now, because the books they would be writing in were pre-made, we had to plan out what would be on each page and work on it one part at a time!

To begin with, each student designed a front and back cover. I then scanned the drawing onto large labels which fit perfectly!

 

 

It was so cute to see how different their covers were.

Next, the students wrote their dedication and inside cover. :) Most students drew a picture on the inside cover, but this student is so NOT into drawing. Ha.

 



 

 

We then learned about Copyrights and added them to our books along with the Table of Contents. The pages in the book were pre-labeled so this helped ALOT!

 

 

 

To start the actual text of the book, each student wrote their own introduction to "hook" the reader! We looked at several examples in our National Geographic Science series which was so helpful!

 

 

After the introduction, the first two chapters were copied. What Does it Look Like and What Does it Eat. Each student had the same chapters but on the animal of their choice! It was a great way to stay organized yet still foster student choice and ownership.

 

 

 

 

The students printed off four pictures of their choice from the Internet to add to their books. They then had the option to add to the illustrations! It was cute to see how some were SOOOO detailed and colorful and some were just not into it! :)

 

The final two chapters were Where it Lives and Interesting Facts.

 

 

 

 

If you are looking at the map above and think it's upside down, that's because it is. Hmmm...it's a good thing we were in the middle of our Maps unit as well! Too funny!

 



To close the book, each student created a glossary with two words of their choice, an index, a references page including their sources and an About the Author Page. I took pictures of each student to put in the back, but this one had not put his in yet. Sorry! :(

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this point, the students were ready to show off their product to their parents and families!

 

 

 

 

We came up with a Non-Fiction Trail Mix! We listed what our animals ate and then tried to come up with "human food" that was similar! :)

 

 

 

While we were in the process of writing the books, I also had a volunteer work with each child to create a simple power point. They typed a bit, chose pictures and backgrounds, etc. That night, each student stood up and gave their Power Point Presentation! With the continued focus on technology, this was a great way to expose the students to tools they will use in their future!

 

Here is an example of one of my Firsties! I'm tellin' ya....they did an AMAZING job. I was so impressed!

 



 

Finally, the parents had an opportunity for their child to walk them through their books and the entire process!

 

 

The parents filled out a quick survey and they were PRECIOUS!

 

 

 

All in all, this was a very LONG process, but well worth it! We learned SO much and incorporated several standards to achieve our goal! I would do it again in a heart beat!



 



Enjoy!

 

--Mrs. Hunter











Shhh...

Before I blog about my AMAZING students I have GOOD NEWS!

My little brother is Engaged! Our family is stoked! I'm thrilled to have another fabulous sister and throw awesome parties! Yep. Totally pumped!

Anyways...

Ever feel like you can't get a moment of silence? :)
Ha. Well, I don't know about you but SPRING FEVER has arrived and my little ones are definitely feeling and showing it!

With that in mind, we played a little game of "Silent Talking" to review capitalization and punctuation...while being silent. That's right...the best of both worlds!

Each pair of students shared a white board and eraser. They each chose their own color of dry eraser marker and had a conversation via white board.

There were only 2 rules:

1. No talking! :)
2. Start your sentences with a capital letter and end with the correct punctuation!

They LOVED it.
  


Earth Day snuck up on us this year! Thankfully we had time to read Michael Recycle, create an Earth Day Promise, and write a poem!

 

 

 

 



Before I end it for the night, I have to brag on one of my fellow First Grade teachers! She made an adorable unit for learning "aw" and "au!" I encourage you to check it out HERE!

 

The students used "automobiles" to ZOOM around the room and find "au" and "aw" words! One of my students said, "Wow..these cars really help me find more words!" Who would have thought?! :)

 

  

 

They couldn't get enough! :

 

Hope you have an AWsome night!

 

--Mrs. Hunter





 

Playing Catch Up!

I'm in a groove at the moment jammin' out to the Pitch Perfect channel on Spotify after a great workout! Gotta love that movie....it has easily made it into my Top 5. Crazy I know. I'm weak when it comes to capella singing or music in general. :)

 

Anyways, there have been a few cute/fun activities other than non-fiction that have been happening!

 



My amazing practicum student recently read Something Beautiful and incorporated Blooms Taxonomy into her questioning. The students then write about what their something beautifuls were. They were each very attached to the main character in this story and had so much to say. :)

 

 

 

 

 



 We have also begun our focus on Fractions. Before we jumped in we discussed equal and unequal parts. The students then got to choose a piece of folded paper and then cut it on the fold. They had to decide whether the parts were equal or not, and of course write about it! :)

 

                    

 

 

Finally, we put our third layer on our progressive maps today! It was all about our Fabulous State of Florida!

 

 

 

We reviewed our state flag, symbols and more and made our final Florida projects with a compass rose and legend! So cute.

 

 

 



 

 That's all for now! Have a fabulous evening!

 

--Mrs. Hunter

 



 

Non-Fiction Fun!

Last time I blogged about our non-fiction we left off with turning their notes into paragraphs! Since then, we have worked SO hard in completing the official, "published" book! Here's how we feel and where we are now!....:))) Haha!

 



After the original paragraph writing, we edited and then re-wrote the four paragraphs (What does it look like, What does it eat, Where does it live, and interesting facts) on "fancy publishing paper," aka...college ruled notebook paper! The students thought this was SO exciting.

 

 

From there, each child write an About the Author Page!We looked at a few different examples in books and charted what we noticed. Then I taught them how to not use I or me they turned out SO cute! Don't have a picture...:(((

 

Finally, after all of the re-writing with changes, each student wrote a letter to the Publisher. My teammate Ms. Breslin had the genius idea to come up with a fake publishing company/address to write to! Brilliant. We also taught them how to write an official letter that answers three important questions: Who are you? So what? Who cares? Abrasive sounding...maybe. Did it help the students explain their books? Yes!

 

 

Based on the chart, here is what they came up with!

 

 

 

 

Okay. Now here's where the fun begins.

With the letter and all four chapters plus their about the about the author page, the students stuffed a large envelope. We taught them how to address envelope and all of the different parts. Their "drafts" were then officially sent off to the publisher for approval!

 

 

 

 

While the books were at the "publishing company," we worked on writing our introductions! Basically, we wanted each student to hook their reader and explain what the reader would read/learn in their book.

 

 

 

 

Friday came and so did the return envelopes from the publisher! I had a few students who were SO funny! They talked about it all morning..."Mrs. Hunter, what if the publisher says no?" I told them of course not to worry!

We all met at the carpet for Writers Workshop and I passed out each envelope. The students waited for each other and we opened them at the SAME TIME! :)

 

 

 

When they opened the envelopes, there were three important documents.

 

 

 

First, a letter of approval from the Legacy Book Publishing. :)

 

 



 

Second, a hard covered book! :) Props to Crookshank for purchasing these for the ENTIRE school!

 

 

Third, a printed copy of each chapter of their book. We didn't want the students to see changes in our handwriting! They found this very official.

 

 

Needless to say it was difficult calming them down after each student was approved, but it was one of those moments that savored and enjoyed the moment!

 

We are now in the middle of writing our official hard copy! I will have to do a whole separate post for that soon with pictures of our Non-Fiction Night next week! Ahh. So much to do, yet so much fun to have!

 

--Mrs. Hunter