A Picture of My Classroom These Days

 Our character wall! I just loved building it because it brought so much color and livelihood to our classroom! My kids also used it frequently as a quick reference tool once they started writing...

 Making relational connections between characters

Yes, I bought all those colored index cards. 

 

Student Work up close

 Oh, and Happy Birthday to me (and Jamie)! I hope my kids remember to bring cupcakes...

"How To" Paper Gone Wrong

This is exactly as written – very funny – even funnier if it weren’t  so sad.

“How to write an paper”

Haven’t you ever waned to write an good paper? Just for the fun of it or because you needed to, but you just couldn’t?

  Well writing a paper is not that hard at all, in fact is very easy to write one! All you need is your brain, a pencil and allot of paper.

  When you have all that all you need to do is start to think of what you want to write about, you can write about anything you want like for example you can write about a time you when to the Zoo or a birthday that you really like or even about your regular day in school or at home. You can write about pretty much anything you want.

  To start writing a paper is very easy when you know about what you want to write.

  The first thing you want to do is make up an title that would get every one’s attention, some thing that sound’s smart but at the same time not boring.

  With the title chose go ahead and start writing your first paragraph, this paragraph should be the “Introduction”, here you write about what you are going to write about or some times its the very beginning of the story.

  Then you move on to the second paragraph which is the paragraph in where you write all the story but the beginning and end in other words you write the middle of your story but don’t forget that this part can be more than one paragraph.

   Now that you have wrote the “beginning/introduction” and the “middle” of your story you are ready to write the last paragraph is this part you write about the end. Here you say the parts that need to be clear down or questions are answer.

  But don’t forget to make an draft and then write an final copy. And ALL WAYS do crammer check and read your work to see if it makes sense.

Robert Billings

My students recently did a Facebook project as part of a character analysis for a book they just finished reading. Here's one of my students' work. Please note the final "Activity" listed. Hee haw.

"People know me."

So begins my reign as the Class of 2013 sponsor...

Volleyball Banquet

I loved celebrating our girls' efforts at the Volleyball Banquet! A few pictures to share with y'all:

A few little gifties I put together for our girls

Coach Garcia, I, and Hunt

My girls munchin' on their BBQ

Reading Aloud

Pulled this from the NY Times Education section; the bold words are mine: 

In “Heard Any Good Books Lately, Zelda?” an article about “Gatz,” a seven-hour performance focused around a reading of “The Great Gatsby,” Charles McGrath reminds us that “listening is how we begin our acquaintance with books, as our parents read them to us.” (Read the rest of the article. It's awesome.) Reading aloud recreates the early magic of reading for both our students and ourselves, and is valuable in classrooms at all levels and in all disciplines, as well as at home. (Not to mention, anything Shakespeare was meant to be read aloud, not as a novel).

Teachers might try a few of the following techniques to engage their students:

• One New York teacher uses a technique he calls the “Spirit Read” in his classroom. Students take turns reading when “the Spirit” moves them, taking turns as they see fit. [Try and tell me they didn't rip this idea off from charismatic churches]
• A variation on this, which helps keep student readers on their toes, is the ever-popular “popcorn read” — one student begins reading and when he tires (or reaches the end of a paragraph, or whatever ground rule you set), he yells “popcorn” to get everyone’s attention and calls out another student’s name. The “popcorn” gets everyone’s attention and the named student takes over reading. This means everyone has to be following along, as anyone’s name could be called any time.
• To increase student participation in reading aloud, try an Interactive Read-Aloud, a technique from the National Writing Project. Read aloud, stopping every few paragraphs or pages depending on your goals and the density and level of your text. Then, ask either classic literacy skills questions like “What predictions can you make about what happens next?” or mix those up with more whimsical questions like “If this character could say what he really wanted to say right now, what would he say?” or “Draw a quick illustration that could accompany this part of the text.” Invite students to turn to a partner and share what they’ve written or drawn, then have a very brief whole-class share before you continue reading.

The March issue of Parenting magazine offers more ideas for how to make reading fun and engaging. If only I could send a copy to every parent at Northbrook.

Do you trust me?

1st period moment just now:

Ms. H: Soooo we're missing Maricruz and Vanessa this mornin'?

Idalia: Miss, we need to call Vanessa to wake her up.

Ms. H: Does her Mom not wake her up? 

Idalia: Nah, her Mom works early.

Ms. H: Well how is she going to get to school if her Mom's not there?

Idalia: Miss, you have a car, right?

Ms. H: Mmm hmmm. 

Idalia: Do you trust me?

BAHA YEAH RIGHT.