Workshop Anchor Charts

I thought it might be helpful to share two mosaics of some of the very important learning we have done so far to get us ready for a year of Reader's and Writer's Workshop.  Both Reader's and Writer's Workshop units begin with minilessons that "set the stage" for a year of learning.  Many of the routines, procedures, and habits we discuss can be useful at home too.  We often develop an "anchor chart" meant to be a useful student resource for students to refer to as needed.  Here are some of the anchor charts from the start of our year!

Reader's Workshop and Reading Center

Writer's Workshop
and Writing Center

Scholastic Book Orders

Each month I will send home Scholastic Book orders.  Please do not feel obligated to order books, but if you are interested, it's a great way to increase your child's library at home and reading interest!  Please follow the directions stapled to the orders.  If there are books your child would like but are not included in the order, please check out the many options on-line!

Here are the directions for ordering:

If you are interested in ordering books from the Scholastic catalogue, please return your book order with a check made payable to Scholastic Book Clubs by September 13, 2013.  If you prefer to order your books online with a credit card, use the following directions.  Go to the Scholastic Website (http://pcool.scholastic.com/parentordering/login.jsp) to place your book order.  Create an account to use for the entire year or log on to your previously created account.  Our classroom activation code is: FZHYL. 

It's Tuesday...What Are You Reading?

Better late than never! Today, we discussed independent reading by brainstorming what it means and how it is done. We also discussed our silent reading rubric. It guides students on how to best utilize their independent reading time. Ask your child what it means to effectively read independently!  I then shared the book, Have You Filled A Bucket Today? with the class. This book sets the tone for our school-wide bucket-filling theme. It encourages all students to be "bucket fillers" rather than "bucket dippers!" Please check out additional information on the bucket filling website!  


Great first week!

We had a great first week together!  Thank you!  Today in Reader's Workshop, we talked a lot about ways readers choose good books.  We watched and listened to the "I Pick" youtube video to learn how readers choose good books.  We also discussed and brainstormed how to choose a good book from our library, shown on the anchor chart here!  Please remember to keep these strategies in mind when choosing a good book to read at home too!  Have a great long weekend!  See you Tuesday!

First Day!

Welcome!  What a wonderful first day of school we had!  The students were very busy...and learned a lot about 3rd grade routines, procedures, and expectations!  We talked about many expectations and routines that will happen throughout the entire school year!  I loved introducing our Poetry journal today, which will be our daily morning routine.  We also got to know one another better with our activity "Find Someone Who..."  Lastly, please look for many important papers tonight in your child's Thursday folder.  Please sign and return page 45 of our handbook as well.  Thank you for a GREAT first day!  These are some photos of our classroom!  Enjoy!

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Today was the teacher's first official day back to work.  We were eagerly catching up with one another, chatting about our summer, and busily preparing for our upcoming year!  What a day!  While I spent most of my day reading about upcoming changes to our school, I did fit in time for a few good reads.  I continue to read teacher books this week, including my new favorite Notice and Note.  From this book, I have learned about new "close reading" strategies that we will implement in Reader's Workshop!  Be sure to check them out on our Reading Wall at Meet-N-Greet tomorrow!  I also read some great books tonight with my daughters, including Alice the Fairy (again, one of Brooklyn's favorites!) and Good Night Ocean.  We love the 'Good Night...' series, which includes books like Good Night Farm and Good Night Connecticut.  On that note, good night, tomorrow will be another busy day at school!  I'm off to catch some Zzzzzzz's...

Summer Mosaic

Summer 2013

My Summer Mosaic!  I had a wonderful summer with my girls.  We started each morning with a long walk with friends through our neighborhood.  Then, we often went to the park, swimming at friend's pools, or just playing in our backyard.  We also got to spend 2 week at a beach cottage in Waterford, CT!  We were with lots of family members, including grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles!  We had a blast swimming, finding hermit crabs, and building sand castles.  Aside from my one week at UConn to complete my 6th year certificate, I cherished all my moments with my daughters!