Reader's Workshop Add-On

So, I'm pretty book crazy.  I love reading books to my kids (in fourth and when I was in Kindergarten).  Read aloud is my favorite part of balanced literacy.  It's a time for me to show my students how to think about what they are reading.  One thing I've added to my classroom's balanced literacy program is reading a book for fun.  I think it is so important to analyze books and truly learn from them, but I also think it is important for students to develop a passion for reading just for fun.

At the end of the day we have reader's workshop, so I use the time for pack up and dismissal as another opportunity to share books with my kiddos.  They can use bean bags and sit on the carpet, and I (or a guest reader) reads to them for the last 5ish minutes of class.  They LOVED it.  I was actually stunned by how much.  I ended up using it as a reward (kind of) for pack up.  They had 60 seconds to pack up, put their book bags at their desks, and find a comfy spot to listen.  We didn't begin until everyone was at the carpet, so they held one another accountable for packing up quickly.  I would read until everyone was dismissed.  I loved it because it was all for the love of reading.  I allowed them to make comments and ask questions (a huge no-no in read aloud) and it was treasured time out of the day.  I also judged whether we earned this "free reading" by how we operated during workshop.  If we can't read what we're supposed to when we're supposed to, we don't just get to read for kicks and giggles at the end of the day.  I tried not to take it away unless it was just an all around awful day in workshop though, which may have happened twice over student teaching.

I'm thinking of starting the year off with Harry Potter and seeing how far we can read through the series to the end of the year.  Our school also has read-ins and I'm thinking to have brain breaks when they come and sit at the carpet for short time slots during those days as well.

On the subject of books, my first Scholastic order came in today and I am so pumped!  I'm trying to figure out how I want to label my personal books for my classroom, because I want it to be something I think I will like for a long time.  

Here's my new stash of books for my fourth graders!  15 brand new books for $19!  I am ecstatic!  Now to read all of them before school starts....

The Flexible Teacher

A New Job!

Well blogging world, as always it has been over a year since my last post.  Things got extremely hectic this year with grad school, a new house, a new church, and student teaching.  So many exciting things happened in my life though, so I'm excited to catch you up!

• My other sister had a sweet baby girl in November!  We are pretty much besties.  She's at the fun age where she smiles when you smile.  I'm not gonna lie, she is the cause of my sporadic baby fever.
• I completed my student teaching!  I was placed in a fourth grade classroom at my first choice school.  I loved every minute with my class, and tried to persuade the principal to loop me up to fifth grade with them at the end of the year.  I was hired out of my student teaching to fill an open Kindergarten position for the remainder of the year.  Talk about culture shock!  It was soooooooooo different.  There were so many great positives to the little ones though.  They were so sweet and eager to please.  However, my heart was truly in upper grades.
• I found out that I will be a fourth grade teacher at the same school, working with my awesome cooperating teacher from student teaching!  I'm super stoked because we, along with the other three fourth grade teachers, all get along well and are really productive together.  I am so thrilled.  
• Hubs and I celebrated our second anniversary.  Time is flying.  We are still so in love, and the Lord has really been working in my heart so I am more servant-minded when it comes to my spouse.  I feel like I'm always trying to improve something I do in our marriage, and I know Hubs does too.  It's really important that we always try to continue it because we will never be the perfect spouses to one another, but we can try our best :)
• I went back to work for the summer for the business I used to work for and everyone has been wonderful.  It makes me miss it a lot, but I know I'm where God wants me in Education.

That pretty much sums up what's gone on in my life over the past year.  It's been a busy one for sure but that's how I like it :)