Friday, February 27, 2015

SNOW!!!!!



We have had too much fun watching the flakes dance around the playground and gather on all the surfaces!  We just had to take some construction paper outside and catch some!  We found some beautiful flakes!







Slice of Life


The promise of snow caused me to take a hard look at my Wilson shirt collection.  Should I wear short sleeves with a long sleeve shirt under it?  Would long sleeves be enough?  Did I have the right color combination for short and long together?  Then, without warning, the tips of my fingers grazed a vivid green sleeve.  I new instantly, that I had found the one garment that would make me feel comfy and ready for the day!  My green Wilson sweatshirt was the perfect selection for this snowy Friday!



My Top Ten Favorite Books

1. Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish  - My mother loved Amelia.  The idioms always made her laugh.  The book is written with idioms, and mom and I always thought it was hysterical that Amelia would take the idiom literal and completely mess up her chores.
 

2. Dead City by James Ponti- I was hesitant to read this book because I don't typically like scary or zombie characters.  However, this book was fantastic.  I love it.  This book opened my eyes to the wonderful worlds of different genres.

3. Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd- the words are delicious and this book is written in a way that makes my heart sing:

     "As the thunder growled louder, Toast pounded the piano keys harder, and the song changed from something lonesome and haunted to a peppy tune that belonged on a Broadway stage.  The soung sounded bright, and happy.  It reminded me of sunlight and wildflowers, leaps and kicks.
      Suddenly, the thunder stopped rumbling.
      The rain squiggling down the windows paused midway.
      The shy September sun peeped its bald head through the clouds and shone through my kitchen windows.
     My heart kicked in rhythm with the plucky piano music:
          Yes and
                     Yes and
                              Yes, yes, yes!
     By the time the music died down, the storm was over."

4.Go Dog Go by P.E. Eastman - I love this book so much!  I have read it hundreds of thousands of times!!!  It delights my heart!

This is my very favorite page of this book because I loved seeing what the dogs were doing when they made it to the top of the tree.




5.  Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein - I have memorized, loved, laughed at, and read these poems over and over.  I have gone to UIL competitions with them.  They are truly a part of my childhood and now my teaching career as I read them to my students.

One of my favorite poems is "Sick"

6.  Fish In A Tree by Linda Mullaly Hunt - I just read this book this week, and it is already one of my top ten favorites!  I think everyone who feels different should read this book.  Which is all of us, right?  I think every teacher should read this book!  It is fantastic!  I think everyone who loves to read should read this book.  I think everyone who has ever struggled to read should read this book.  Gosh, I guess EVERYONE should read this book!  I love it!  I want to be a teacher like Mr. Daniels!

7.  James and The Giant Peach by Roald Dahl - This one is on my list because I love the way my students laugh, enjoy, and experience this book.  I usually assign parts and we read it like it is a play.  They love it!  I seriously doubt they would read this if it wasn't part of our classroom.  I love it.  Another reason that I love Dahl's work is because of the similes and descriptive language!!!
"They were like a couple of hunters who had just shot an elephant and were not quite sure whether it was dead or alive."
"It felt soft and warm and slightly furry, like the skin of a baby mouse."
"But it was a magnificent affair, and the stuff that it was made of shimmered like silk in the pale light."


8.  Scott Kelby books about photography, Lightroom, and Photoshop have helped me so very much.  I keep them very close to my computer so I can refer to them whenever I am working on editing pictures.

9.  Little Golden Books - I read these as a child!  I love them so much!  They are a part of my learning to read and my childhood!!  


I am especially excited about a project that I want our class to do in May to rewrite a Golden Book!  We are going to study Scieszka's Battle Bunny which is changed from the original Golden Book!  



10.  Charlotte's Web by E.B. White - Is there any friendship that is any truer than Charlotte's and Wilbur's?  I adore sitting with the two of them in the barn listening to the animals, smelling the fresh hay and wondering what Timpleton is up to.  Every time I come to the end of this book, I tear up and morn the loss of precious friends and moments that are still and wonderful!
 

Activities for Friday, February 27th


Assignment for February 27th

Good Morning!!

This week, you have several things to do on your blog. 

  1. You must blog about top ten favorite books....these can be ANY books that you have read in your WHOLE life. You MUST explain WHY you picked EACH book to add to your list.
  2. Check your blog to see if you made a list or actually described your favorite books. (I bet you can imagine which one I want you to do!)
  3. Comment on this post when you have finished your blog post.
  4. Go to our school website and click on the two classmates' blogs that are ABOVE yours and comment on their post about their favorite books.  Remember to be respectful with your words! (I would also love for you to comment on mine!)
  5. Your second blog will be about a small moment from this morning.  Remember write LONG about a small period of time!
                   Write about the moment that answers one of these:
                         What is a decision you had to make before school? 
                         What event or words affected your mood before you got here? 
                         Did you interact with anyone before walking into our classroom?
                         When you walked into the room, what did you think and feel?
or think of your own....


6.  If you have time, you can blog about your reading!!


Saturday, February 21, 2015

What It Takes to Be a GREAT Blogger!!

I found this awesome site that had great tips on how to blog!  


Do you have to do lots of writing to be a good blogger? Do all blog posts have to be very long? What’s an easy way to create a blog post when you don’t have much time?
Here are some ideas for the kind of blog posts you could create – and some of them don’t involve any writing at all. If you’re working on a new blog, it might be fun to see how many different types of posts you can create:
  • Reviews
    A review can be your thoughts about anything, seriously! – the last good book you read; movie you saw or place you visited. Write about the good and the not so good parts, what you liked and what you would change.
  • Top tips
    These sort of posts are very popular online, especially if you give it a number such as ‘Top 5′ or ‘Top 10′. Do you have a hobby or sport that you could think of some tips for?
  • Opinions
    What’s happening in your life or in the news that you feel strongly about?
  • A picture post
    Either take a photo with a camera or phone, or draw a picture and scan it in to the computer
  • A video post
    You can find some ideas for easy ways to make films for your blog here. Or you can upload one of your favourite videos from Youtube – look for the embed code and add it into the HTML section when you’re writing the post and it will appear.
  • Audio only
    Turn your blog into your own radio show with sound-only posts. Audioboo is a great site for recording audio posts.
  • Interviews
    An interview doesn’t have to be long or with a celebrity – it could be an interview with anyone you find interesting. You could interview a fellow blogger or a member of your family.
  • A ‘How To’ post
    Posts like this are incredibly popular because people are always searching on the internet for information about how to do things. So what do you know how to do that you could tell people about?
  • A craft or activity post
    It’s a good idea to take a lot of pictures with posts like this so you can show how you did the activity. Let the photos tell the story and then fill in any extra information.
  • Recipes
    Make sure you write these in a very clear way so that anybody can follow. If you’re basing this post on an original recipe then link back to that but say what you did differently.
  • Stories and poems
    It can be really fun to write your own original stories and poems and share them on your blog.
  • A cute picture of a cat
    EVERYBODY likes those. Don’t they?????





Above all remember that it’s your blog so you decide what the posts are about – it’s like being the boss of your own online magazine. So even if you normally write book reviews or fashion posts, you can always mix it up with an interview or video post.

Aren't these awesome ideas?!?!?  I love this post!  Thank you Kids Blog Club for helping our class become better bloggers!!!!!!!

Friday, February 20, 2015

A Few Of My Favorite Things

This week we were challenged to write a blog about our ten favorites!  So, here we go...

1.)  My family is my most favorite thing!  I am honored to be a wife, a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, and an aunt.  These people fill me with love and help me to see all of the good in the world!



2.)  Another favorite thing is my class!  I love teaching!  These kids delight my heart, and I am always so excited as they grow and change and learn!!!  It is a joy to be their teacher.

(Ladies and Gentlemen, I need a picture to put here!  We MUST take one soon!)

3.)  This one is NO surprise.  Texas A&M University is one my most favorite places on earth!  I am super proud to be a Texas Aggie!!  WHOOP!!


4.) I love to read!  Getting lost in a book is one of my most favorite things ever!!   A Saturday afternoon with the windows open and a good book is heavenly!


5.) I love the seasons!  Fall is one of my favorites because I love football, sweatshirts, and comfort food.  I love the winter because I get to enjoy holidays, festive parties, and colorful lights.  I adore the spring because I love tulips, Easter, and warm sun.  I also love the summer months because swimming, vacations, and coconut oil delight my soul.  See, I love them all!!!  Every one is precious and fun.

6.) I love to create.  From my photography to watercolors to spools of yarn all of them make beautiful creations.  Creating things is one of my favorite things.  I love to get lost in art.  I also love to buy new art supplies.  They delight my heart!


7.)Coffee!!!  One of my most favorite treats is a Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha!!!  I try to limit myself to just two a month, but I love them so much!!  Another of my favorite things is to go to Starbucks, order my coffee, and read for a while.  I love the environment so much!!  It is cozy and wonderful.

8.) My favorite color is pink.  I think!  I change it a lot because I love colors!  I love how your mood will change depending on what color is surrounding you.  I my

9.)  Galveston is one of my favorite places.  My husband and I always have so much fun down there.  We love the beach and seafood.  We enjoy the Strand, shopping, and finding new places.  Every time we go we ride the ferry to watch for dolphins.  It is a wonderful place that is full of fun memories.   Did I mention that we love the seafood!?!?!    It is a favorite place for sure!!!



10.)  My last favorite for today is laughter!  I love to hear people around me who are happy and enjoying life!  Laughter makes everything better.  My brother, sister, and I have always made each other laugh.  My favorite memories involve lots of laughter!

What are a few of your favorites??

Fresh Topics


This morning, I asked you to journal about topics you would like to blog about.
Comment below with your ideas!!!

Assignment for February 20th

Good Morning!!

This week, you have several things to do on your blog.

  1. You must blog about your ten favorites....these favorites can be objects, feelings, places, people, days, etc...
  2. Check your blog to see if you made a list or actually described your favorite things. (I bet you can imagine which one I want you to do!)
  3. Comment on this post when you have finished your blog post.
  4. Go to our school website and click on the two classmates' blogs that are below yours comment on their post about their favorites.  Remember to be respectful with your words!
  5. Your second blog will be about your reading this week.  
                   Why are you reading the books that you have?
                   Would you suggest them to others?
                   What books do you think you want to read next?

6.  Go back to Mrs. Nabors' Blog.  Comment on the post about topics you would like to blog about.