Music Monday (Spring Break Edition)...

 "The Walker" by Fitz and the Tantrums

*This is one of my new favorite songs.  

*I wanted to use it with my students for Music Monday, but there is one part of the video I can't use.

*The music, the words, and the beat just make me happy.

*I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do.

*Happy Spring Break!   

"Applause" by Lady Gaga
*This song is dedicated to my two awesome teenagers.

*Again, I wouldn't use this with my class, but since this is spring break Monday; why not!

*My son and I took my daughter/sister back to UNL after her week at home for spring break.

*The drive is about 5-6 hours and we had lots of time to listen to music.

*Each time this song came on the radio, we cranked it up and all sang and danced along.

*I have two of the greatest kids and cherish these "fun" moments with them.  

"Happy" by Pharrell Williams 

*I posted this song several Mondays ago.

*Spring break is a very happy week so I thought I would re-post it today.

*Even though we are not traveling this week, I'm very happy to have some time off to relax and read.

Music Monday Selections 2013-2014 (so far)...

Week Number One:  What I Am by Will.i.am

Week Number Two:  Proud by Heather Small

Week Number Three:  Roar by Katy Perry
Week Number Four:  Dreamer by Chris Brown 
Week Number Five:  What Does the Fox Say? by Ylvis 
Week Number Six:  The Rainbow Connection by The Muppets 
Week Number Seven:  Good Time by Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen 
Week Number Eight:  Thriller by Michael Jackson 
Week Number Nine:  Hall of Fame by The Script and Will.i.am 
Week Number Ten:  Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka & Glee 
Week Number Eleven:  One Day by Matisyahu
Week Number Twelve:  Count on Me by Bruno Mars
Week Number Thirteen:  Louder by Charice 
Week Number Fourteen:  Do They Know It's Christmas by Band Aid
Week Number Fifteen:  Do They Know It's Christmas by the cast of Glee
Week Number Sixteen:  What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Week Number Seventeen:  Shooting Star by Owl City  
Week Number Eighteen:  Happy by Pharrell Williams
Week Number Nineteen:  Everything Will Change by Gavin DeGraw
Week Number Twenty:  The World's Greatest by R. Kelly
Week Number Twenty-One:  The Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson
Week Number Twenty-Two:  Home by Phillip Phillips
Week Number Twenty-Three:  Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Sharkira
Week Number Twenty- Four:  Surfin' USA by The Beach Boys

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (3/31/14)...

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

                

                 http://www.teachmentortexts.com/

**Today is the first day of spring break.  I'm hoping to finish all three of these books while I'm home on break!

Books I Read this Past Week…

Books I Will (continue to) Read this Week...

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

*Our BBC (Boy's Book Club) selection.

*My adult novel

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

*My young-adult novel which I'm just loving! 

By the Grace of Todd by Louise Galveston

*My middle-grade novel which is my current selection for "Breakfast with Books." 

Friend Friday #36...

Hi!  I’m Megan and I'm reading the book called Cardboard written by Doug TenNapel

I think this book is sad, but good because it is about a poor boy and his dad.  In the story the dad buys his son a cardboard box for his birthday...   

My favorite part of the story is when the boy becomes friends with a rich boy on the street  because the rich boy was very mean to him before.  

The character that I liked best is the rich boy because he looks funny and he is a funny person.

I think the author wrote this book because he wanted to write a sad/happy story.

I would recommend this book to my friends because it is a moving story.

Reading to me is great because it is nice to curl up with a great book.


*I love watching Megan pick books from our classroom collection.
*She has such a wide variety of interests and picks out all sorts of different books to read.
*This book was pretty popular at the beginning of the year, but Megan just got around to reading it.
*Her perspective on the story is quite different from my other readers. 
*Megan really looks at things in a story on quite a deep level.  

40 Picture Book Vote (Round FOUR) - Books 81-120...

 

40 Picture Book Vote - Round FOUR 

*This year I started something new by keeping track of our picture books that I read (or students) to the class.

*After each 40 books (40 days), we start voting for our favorite.


*We just finished our 120th day of school which meant our 120th picture book.

*This is the third time we have voted for our favorite picture book from the last set of 40.

*Here is a list of the books we covered over the last 40 days and the results of the four (Narrowing it from 5 books to 3 books) vote…

Pick Your Top THREE Favorite Books...

Kitten's First Full Moon	19	22%
The Man Who Walked Between Towers	22	25%
What To Do If An Elephant Stands On Your Foot	14	16%
The Frog Prince Continued	12	14%
Don't Make Me Laugh	20	23%

Lesson Thursday #24...

Life Lessons in Room 113 - Writing

*Each Thursday we watch a short video clip that I title "Life Lesson".

*After the video we have a class discussion about the content.

*My students then spend time writing about the video which could include their reactions, thoughts, feelings, or connections.

Lesson #24 - Be Springlike

*We have had a long winter here in Minnesota.  Like many places in the country.
*Today is our last day of school before our much-anticipated spring break.
*To get my students in the mood for spring and their vacation, I thought this was the perfect choice!

Lesson Thursday Videos (So Far)...

Lesson #1 - Be Brave

Lesson #2 - Be Kind

Lesson #3 - Be Courageous

Lesson #4 - Be Motivated

Lesson #5 - Be a Buddy, Not a Bully

Lesson #6 - Be Inspired

Lesson #7 - Be Spooky

Lesson #8 - Be Kind (Part Two)

Lesson #9 - Be Happy
Lesson #10 - Be a Reader

Lesson #11 - Be Power

Lesson #12 - Be a Team

Lesson #13 - Be Merry 

Lesson #14- Be Giving 

Lesson #15 - Be Brave (Part Two)

Lesson #16 - Be Positive

Lesson #17 - I Can Do This

Lesson #18 - Be a Friend

Lesson #19 - Be Kind (Part Three)
Lesson #20 - Be Courageous (Part Two)  
Lesson #21 - Be Fearless
Lesson #22 - Be Fearless (Part Two)
Lesson #23 - Be Creative  

Trailer Thursday #36...

Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff by Robert Paul Weston

*A new book that I bought recently that I know my readers will enjoy!  

By the Grace of Todd by Louise Galveston

*Another book I previewed at the book store and loved right off the bat.

*I'm thinking of picking this title for my next "Breakfast with Books."  

This Is Not a Good Idea by Mo Willems

*One of the final four books in my Picture Book March Madness voting!  

Otis by Loren Long

*Another picture book that is in the final four (on the other side of the bracket)

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

*This is the book I'm currently reading for my BBC (Boy's Book Club).

Wonder Wednesday #36...

Picture Book March Madness - The Final Four

*We have been having a great time with our Picture Book March Madness.

*During February we read 32 picture books.

*The readers then ranked all the books and I put them in their "seeds" on our class bracket.

*When we voted the first week we narrowed the books from 32 to 16 books.

*The second week we narrowed the 16 books down to 8 books.

*The third week we narrowed our list from the elite 8 to the final 4.  

*It is getting harder and harder for the readers to pick the books they want to make it to the final two!

Which of These Books Is Your Favorite? *

•  Storm Is Coming
•  This Is Not a Good Idea

Which of These is Your Favorite Book? *

•  Do Not Open This Book
•  Otis
•  

  Which of These Books Is Your Favorite?

  

  Storm Is Coming	8	27%
  This Is Not a Good Idea	22	73%

   

  Which of These is Your Favorite Book?

  

  Do Not Open This Book	22	73%
  Otis	8	27%

Treat Tuesday #36...

 Treat Tuesday - Caramel Brownie

 

*Nothing quite like a delicious brownie (with caramel) while enjoying a great book! 

 

 

Ingredients...

1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

2 eggs

1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)

25 caramels, unwrapped (from 14 oz bag)

2 tablespoons milk 

 

Directions...

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, pouch of chocolate syrup, oil, water and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan. In small bowl, combine nuts and chocolate chips; sprinkle half of mixture over batter in pan. Set remaining nut mixture aside.

Bake 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place caramels and milk in small microwavable bowl, microwave uncovered on HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes, stirring every minute until caramels are melted.

After removing pan from oven, immediately spoon caramel mixture over brownie to within 1/2 inch of sides; sprinkle with remaining nut mixture. Return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes until toothpick inserted into brownie 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. For brownies, cut into 8 rows by 5 rows. Store covered at room temperature. 

Treat Tuesday - Adult Novel

The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha

*This was the novel that kept me up until the early morning hours.

*A must-read!  

Treat Tuesday - Middle Grade Novel

 
Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff by Robert Paul Weston

*A recent new purchase and is already in the hands of my readers.

*Hopefully I can grab it before spring break and take home with me to read.  

 

 

40 Picture Book Vote (Books 81-120) - Round THREE...

40 Picture Book Vote - Round THREE

*This year I started something new by keeping track of our picture books that I read (or students) to the class.

*After each 40 books (40 days), we start voting for our favorite.


*We just finished our 120th day of school which meant our 120th picture book.

*This is the third time we have voted for our favorite picture book from the last set of 40.

*Here is a list of the books we covered over the last 40 days and the results of the third (Narrowing it from 10 books to 5 books) vote…

This is Not My Hat	13	10%
I Want My Hat Back	11	8%
Don't Make Me Laugh	18	14%
The Frog Prince Continued	15	11%
What To Do If An Elephant Stands on Your Foot	15	11%
The Man Who Walked Between Towers	15	11%
So You Want to Be President	11	8%
Kitten's First Full Moon	14	11%
Three Little Pigs	8	6%
Press Here	12	9%

Music Monday #24...

"Surfin' USA" by The Beach Boys

*To celebrate our last week before our much anticipated spring break, I chose this song.

*I wanted to pick an old classic and "go back" in time.

*This song still appeals to my young listeners and it is fun to tell them how far it goes back.

*The music, the words, and the images get us all in the mood for a spring break.  

Step One:  Watch the video

Step Two:  Class discussion about the video and what the message is

Step Three:  Watch the video again

Step Four:  Listen to the music as we write our reactions in our writer's notebooks

Music Monday Selections 2013-2014 (so far)...

Week Number One:  What I Am by Will.i.am

Week Number Two:  Proud by Heather Small

Week Number Three:  Roar by Katy Perry
Week Number Four:  Dreamer by Chris Brown 
Week Number Five:  What Does the Fox Say? by Ylvis 
Week Number Six:  The Rainbow Connection by The Muppets 
Week Number Seven:  Good Time by Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen 
Week Number Eight:  Thriller by Michael Jackson 
Week Number Nine:  Hall of Fame by The Script and Will.i.am 
Week Number Ten:  Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka & Glee 
Week Number Eleven:  One Day by Matisyahu
Week Number Twelve:  Count on Me by Bruno Mars
Week Number Thirteen:  Louder by Charice 
Week Number Fourteen:  Do They Know It's Christmas by Band Aid
Week Number Fifteen:  Do They Know It's Christmas by the cast of Glee
Week Number Sixteen:  What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Week Number Seventeen:  Shooting Star by Owl City  
Week Number Eighteen:  Happy by Pharrell Williams
Week Number Nineteen:  Everything Will Change by Gavin DeGraw
Week Number Twenty:  The World's Greatest by R. Kelly
Week Number Twenty-One:  The Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson
Week Number Twenty-Two:  Home by Phillip Phillips
Week Number Twenty-Three:  Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Sharkira

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (3/24/14)...

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…

Books I Will (continue to) Read this Week...

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

*Our BBC (Boy's Book Club) selection.

*My adult novel

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

*My young-adult novel

By the Grace of Todd by Louise Galveston

*My middle-grade novel

Looking for Alaska by John Green...

How I Heard About It:   One of my reading highlights last year was reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  I told all my friends about it and passed my copy on to many people.  I decided to give his other books a try so I thought I would begin with his first book.  

What It Is About:  The story revolves around Miles "Pudge" Halter who begins his first year at Culver Creek Boarding School.  His roommate Chip Martin (the Colonel) and Alaska Young become two important people to Pudge's introduction to the boarding school.  As he navigates his way through the ins and outs, he becomes more and more fascinated by both of these young people.  His first year at school is divided into two parts.  Everything that happens to Miles "before" an incident and everything that happens to him "after" the incident.  He learns a lot from Alaska about life and living it to the fullest with risks and all.  As the year progresses, Miles becomes quite close to both Chip and Alaska, but there will be consequences to these growing relationships.  

What I Thought Of It:  For me the book can be broken down into two parts.  As I mentioned earlier, the story is cut into two sections.  The first half of the book is the events leading up to an incident that takes place in the middle of the story.  The second half of the book is all the happens after the incident and how the characters deal with it.  I liked both halves, but really thought the book took off during the second part of the novel.  It was at this point that I couldn't put the book down and raced to the end to find out what would happen.  I don't think this novel was as good as The Fault in Our Stars, but I certainly did enjoy it.  

Who Should Read It:  Being a young adult novel, I think this would be the perfect novel for any high school readers all the way up to mature adult readers.  This is a wonderful coming of age story and the reader can relate to all three main characters in the story.  If you are a fan of any of John Green's novels, then you will certainly enjoy his first book.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars

40 Picture Book Vote (Books 81-120) - Round TWO...

40 Picture Book Vote - Round TWO

*This year I started something new with keeping track of our picture books that I read (or students) to the class.

*After each 40 books (40 days), we start voting for our favorite.


*We just finished our 120th day of school which meant our 120th picture book.

*This is the third time we have voted for our favorite picture book from the last set of 40.

*Here is a list of the books we covered over the last 40 days and the results of the second (Narrowing it from 20 books to 10 books) vote…

Pick Your Top TEN Favorite Books From This List

Three Little Pigs	15	5%
The Giving Tree	13	4%
Dizzy the Mutt with the Propeller Butt	14	5%
Kitten's First Full Moon	15	5%
So You Want to Be President	16	6%
The Man Who Walked Between Towers	19	7%
Starwars (Darth & Son)	15	5%
Revenge of the Dino Trux	16	6%
What to Do If An Elephant Steps on Your Foot	19	7%
Rhyming Dust Bunnies	7	2%
Stone Soup	14	5%
The Frog Prince Continued	18	6%
I Wanna Iguana	11	4%
Don't Make Me Laugh	20	7%
Pete & Pickles	12	4%
Goldilocks Returns	13	4%
Press Here	10	3%
Shark Train	14	5%
I Want My Hat Back	13	4%
This Is Not My Hat	15	5%

Friend Friday #35...

Hi!  I’m Will and I'm reading the book called The Mark of Athena written by Rick Riordan.

I think this book is AWESOME because it has so much action and it is very adventurous.   

My favorite part of the story is when Annabeth and Percy fall into taruarus  because it was really cool but it makes the fourth mole.  

The character that I liked best is Percy because I've known his since book one.  

I think the author wrote this book because he REALLY wanted to entertain the reader.  

I would recommend this book to my friends because we are all ready it together and it has been so much fun.  

Reading to me is good because I don't have to waste my energy on speaking out loud.  

*It has been so much fun watching Will and his buddies in class reading as much as they have this year.
*They started with the Percy Jackson series and then moved on to the Heroes of Olympus series.  
*The boys that were reading these books would stay in the same place as each other.  They set reading goals.
*The exciting part is how they keep moving on to another series once they finish.