Trailer Thursday #138 (The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker)

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

(Adult and/or Young-Adult Novel)

Life Lesson #30 (Pay It Forward)

"Pay It Forward"

*It is Thursday and that means it is time for another "Life Lesson" video clip.

*There is nothing better in life than "paying it forward".

*In my opinion, young people have a hard time paying it forward.  They seem to get stuck on what they can get and how it benefits them.

*Throughout the year I try to teach them and show them all the positives they can receive by paying it forward.  This is one of my favorite clips for Life Lesson Thursday.

*I'm always trying to find ways to help my students reach their full potential.  

*Each Thursday I feature a different video with a "life lesson" in it.  

*After viewing the video once or twice, we chat a bit about it as a group.

*I then have the writers record their thoughts in their writer's notebooks.

*They can write their thoughts, reactions, connections, wonderings, learnings, or whatever is on their mind regarding the video.

*Encouragement is also given to reflect on the "message" of the clip.

*After about 5-10 minutes of writing, we listen to a few of the students share what they wrote.

*It is my hope that through these "life lessons", my students can become the best young people they can be.

Life Lessons (2015-2016)...

Lesson #1 - Be Courageous 

Lesson #2 - Be Kind
Lesson #3 - Be Courageous (part two)
Lesson #4 - Be Motivated
Lesson #5 - Be a Buddy, Not a Bully
Lesson #6 - Be Inspired
Lesson #7 - Be Spooky (Halloween Edition)
Lesson #8:  Be Kind (Kindness Retreat)
Lesson #9:  Be Shoutful
Lesson #10:  Be Happy
Lesson #11:  Be a Reader
Lesson #12:  Be Powerful
Lesson #13:  Be Merry
Lesson #14:  Be a Team
Lesson #15:  Be Giving
Lesson #16:  Be Brave (part two)
Lesson #17:  Be Positive
Lesson #18:  Be Dance Like
Lesson #19:  You Can Do It
Lesson #20:  Be a Hero
Lesson #21:  Be a Friend
Lesson #22:  Be Kind (Part Three)
Lesson #23:  Be Brave and Courageous
Lesson #24:  Be Fearless
Lesson #25:  Be a Sportsman/Sportswoman
Lesson #26:  Be Different
Lesson #27:  Thinking Outside the Box
Lesson #28:  Live Your Dream and Share Your Passion
Lesson #29:  You've Always Had the Power

Wonder Wednesday #138 (Skype Visit for The Map to Everywhere)

Wonder Wednesday - Skype Visit

*Last Thursday, April 28th my class had the opportunity to Skype with Carrie Ryan.

*She is the author, with her husband John Parke Davis, of The Map to Everywhere.

*I had the opportunity to hear them speak last fall during NCTE15 here in the Twin Cities.



*They discussed this book and the series.  By the time the presentation was over, I was heading to the exhibit hall and purchasing book #1 and book #2.

*I shared the story with my fourth grade class as our fourth read aloud.  It took awhile to get through because of the length, but we enjoyed the story and the adventure of the two children.

*Carrie was gracious enough to spend time with my class via a Skype visit.

*My readers had the chance to ask questions and share comments about this novel.

*We had such a great time, enjoyed the visit, and many of the readers are ready to get their hands on the second book in the four-book series.

*Here is a look at our Skype visit...

Picture Wednesday #32 (Tree Camping)

"Tree Camping"

*Years ago I team taught with a co-worker during our language arts blocks.

*That was the year we started our "Picture Wednesday".

*She sent me several links with multiple images in each link.

*This link was called "Things Not on My Bucket List".  I thought it would lead to such great writing!

*Each Wednesday we write in our writer's notebooks about a particular image.

*They can record their thoughts, reactions, connections, likes/dislikes, reminders, noticings, or anything else they would like.  

*Some of the writers choose to write a fiction story based on the picture.

*We write between five and ten minutes and then do a quick share at the end.  

*The photos always lead to lots of conversation and the sharing of ideas.  I try to get them to write first and then we can share what we wrote and what we were thinking.

*The writers are really enjoying writing and talking about these photographs.

Treat Tuesday #138 (Book Release Day)

Treat Tuesday:  Chicken Pot Pie Soup

*This was found on Facebook.

*I'm a lover of Chicken Pot Pie so we are going to try this soup!


INGREDIENTS…

• 1 pound potatoes (yukon gold or red), diced
• 3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 cups milk
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 3/4 cup mushrooms, diced (button, crimini, etc.)
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste

PREPARATION…

1. In a large stockpot melt butter over medium-high heat, and stir in onions, carrots and celery.
2. Saute until veggies start to soften, about 5 minutes, then add garlic and mushrooms and saute an additional 2-3 minutes.
3. Add flour, and stir until evenly combined with veggies, then slowly add in chicken stock and milk, then chicken, potatoes, corn, peas, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes, salt and pepper; stir well to combine.
4. Once soup begins to simmer (not boil!) reduce heat to medium low, cover and continue to simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the soup from sticking to the bottom of pot.
5. Once potatoes are tender, remove from heat, serve immediately, and enjoy!

Treat Tuesday:  Middle-Grade Novel

Treat Tuesday:  Young-Adult Novel

Treat Tuesday:  Adult Novel

Music Monday #28: The World's Greatest by R. Kelly

"The World's Greatest" by R. Kelly

*I enjoy using new selections throughout the school year.

*It is also my practice to use "old standards" that have proven successful with my listeners.

*This is one such song.  Great music and incredible lyrics.

*This was our 28th Monday where we featured a musical selection.

*Each Monday I highlight a piece of music to share with my writers.  

*We begin with showing a video that goes along with the musical selection.

*The class will watch the video between 1-2 times.

*After the second viewing, the writers begin to record their thoughts in the notebooks.

*As they write, I play the music in the background (minus the video).

*My fourth graders can record their thoughts, ideas, connections, likes/dislikes, or reactions to the song.  They can also write about the message of the song.  

*I have my students write between 5-10 minutes.  At the end of our writing time, I see if a few of the writers would like to share what they wrote.  

Music Monday Selections (2015-2016)…

Week #1:  What I Am by will.i.am
Week #2:  Proud by Heather Small
Week #3:  Dreamer by Chris Brown
Week #4:  Live Like a Warrior by Matisyahu
Week #5:  Sunshine by Matisyahu
Week #6:  Better When I'm Dancin' by Megan Trainor
Week #7:  Thriller by Michael Jackson
Week #8:  Hopeful by Bars and Melody
Week #9:  Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammar
Week #10:  The Rainbow Connection from The Muppets
Week #11:  What Does the Fox Say by Ylvis
Week #12:  Hall of Fame by The Script
Week #13:  Clouds by Zach Sobiech
Week #14:  Do They Know Its Christmas by Band Aid
Week #15:  What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Week #16:  Am I Wrong by Nico & Vinz
Week #17:  Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw
Week #18:  Today's the Day by Pink
Week #19:  Hold My Hand by Jess Glynne
Week #20:  Fireflies by Owl City
Week #21:  Superheroes by The Script
Week #22:  Happy by Pharrell Williams
Week #23:  Waka, Waka - This Time for Africa by Shakira
Week #24:  Candyman by Zedd and Aloe Blacc
Week #25:  Something New by Axwell/Ingrosso
Week #26:  Broken Arrows by Avicii
Week #27:  Rise Up by Andra Day

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (5/2/16)

Thanks to Jen and Kellee for hosting this idea on their site.  Here is a link to their site...

                

 http://www.teachmentortexts.com/

Books I Read this Past Week… 

Dead Wake by Erik Larson

*Adult Novel (For BBC - Boy's Book Club)

*3 STARS out of 5 Stars!

Books I Will (continue to) Read this Week… 

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

*Adult/Young Adult Novel (Listening on audio)

Far from Fair by Elana K. Arnold

*Middle-Grade Novel