Our Camp Read-A-Lot

Last Great Race on Earth... part 2

2012-03-01T16:39:00.000-06:00

It's only days away from the start of the Iditarod! I am so excited and know that my excitement will help spark interest and motivation in my first graders. I started sharing some ideas a few weeks ago with this post but wanted to share a few more thoughts before the race gets underway this weekend!!

On Friday, we'll each be choosing a musher/team to follow. Because there are so many teams in the race, I do some research beforehand and try to give the kids a listing of mushers that either have an interesting story or who will most likely do well in the race. I am a mushing junkie, so I have lots of resources that lead me to my choices! :) You can find my picks at Mushers 2012 and Mushers 2012 part 2.

We'll use our giant wall map (that I drew with the help of my handy-dandy overhead projector) to cut out those musher cards and physically move them along the trail.

Students do some research at home to complete their musher poem. This is always a family favorite! They'll write a draft at home and rewrite their "fancy copy" and publish here at school. My mind is racing with options for how we'll do this! It could be the "old fashioned" paper way... but there are so many incredible tech tools that might help, too!

During the race, we'll also watch video clips from the trail, check our musher standings on the official Iditarod page, and seek out other information from online sources. I have already gathered lots of Iditarod and sled dog books for our classroom library, so our days will be filled with reading lots of those, too. It's a great time to teach map skills and the history of how things "used to be."

Each year, I have families telling me how much they enjoyed learning about this historic race. Last year, I was able to bring in a famous musher (Hugh Neff) to speak to our first graders. While I don't know that I can make that happen again, I'm thrilled to be able to share this race with another class!

Slice of Life #1

2012-03-01T16:14:00.000-06:00

After saying repeatedly (and perhaps vehemently) that I am not participating in the Slice of Life challenge, here I am. I've read several posts from Twitter friends today (Nicole, Michelle, Cathy, Katherine, and Tony, to name a few!) and absolutely feel like I have to rise to the occasion! So here we go...

What's on my mind today? Growing.

My first graders are growing, both physically and mentally. They are growing as readers and writers. Soon, they'll be growing as Iditarod fans. Lately, I've noticed their independence growing as well.

My niece is growing and is now 8 weeks old! It's hard to believe she will be 2 months old on Friday. Never in a million years did I imagine I would love her this much!

I'm growing. Professionally, that is. I'm constantly seeking out more information and more connections. My knowledge is expanding and making me question even more. Writing is one area I've been thinking about a lot lately, both for myself and for my first graders. I guess this challenge came at a good time!

My global PLN is growing. I was absolutely thrilled to be at the Dublin Literacy Conference last weekend. My thoughts and reflections on that might just be an upcoming post. But for now, I can tell you I was so happy to be able to reconnect with Twitter friends I'd met at NCTE 11 and just as happy to finally meet more Twitter friends in real life.

My library is growing. My professional TBR pile is way out of control right now! I love that my Twitter and Goodreads friends have helped my classroom libary to grow as well.

Growing. Today is all about growing.

It seems like just yesterday...

2012-02-29T09:50:00.000-06:00

It seems like just yesterday that I was student teaching in a 2nd grade classroom of 38 children. Twelve of those little ones were limited English speakers, and one of those had literally just arrived here from Mexico. I remember those faces, those crowded spaces, the challenges we faced... but most of all, I remember my cooperating teacher.

Marilyn pushed my thinking. She stretched my thinking so that I could learn. She taught me about people like Krashen, Goodman, and Clay. She made me read professionally. She made sure I knew the school work wasn't just magically done every day at 3:00.

Back then, I struggled with all of the work I was doing, especially as I watched my fellow student teachers breezing through their experience. But now, 18 years later, I am 100% sure that I was given the absolute best cooperating teacher for me!

Seeing her recently meant so much to me! She invited me back to the school to "guest speak" to a team of new teachers that she is mentoring. I had an opportunity to show her just how much I've grown, learned, changed... and the foundation of all of that was the time I spent with her.

Mother Goose Monday

2012-01-30T09:40:00.002-06:00

Because it seemed like my first graders were coming to school with very little background knowledge of traditional nursery rhymes, I implemented "Mother Goose Mondays." Each Monday, we highlight one nursery rhyme to add to our poetry/song binders. Then, throughout the year, we also go back and revisit the ones we've already added. I've been doing this with my classes for the past four years or so... and it's always a favorite activity!

Nursery rhymes tend to be rich with vocabulary, full of material for phonemic awareness lessons, and are the basis for so many other stories and poems. I could go on and on as to the benefits of sharing nursery rhymes with children!

My favorite teacher resource book for nursery rhymes is probably this one, Mother Goose Brain Boost: Using Music and Movement to Teach Cognitive Skills by Steven Traugh and Susan Traugh. There is a CD to go along with it, and it contains a song and/or movement activity for each nursery rhyme. I haven't used a lot of the paper activities that are in the resource book, other than the actual copy of the nursery rhyme, but there are tons of ideas given!

My first graders get SO excited when we get to play along with the CD! It allows us to get up, move, be silly, and learn. Just this morning, we added Hickory Dickory Dock to our poetry/song binders. There were cheers and spontaneous clapping when I started the song on the CD!

In a time when we are so driven by numbers and data and fidelity, I think it is crucial to continue to bring JOY into our classrooms! This is just one small way in which I do just that.

~Komos :)

Let's Read S'More!!

2012-01-27T17:41:00.000-06:00

Our S'More Reading Bulletin Board

Each week, my first graders vote on our favorite read aloud. This has been a growing bulletin board as the year has progressed! We enjoy looking back and seeing which books we loved. It's a great way to look back and see our class reading journey, too! These books are then kept in our "favorites" basket for a while for all to enjoy!

We were really excited to add a chapter book to our board today. It's always fun to vote on Friday and see what makes it on the board!

I credit Cathy Mere (@CathyMere) for this idea! I decided to try it after reading her book More Than Guided Reading.

How do you keep track of "favorites" in your classroom?

~Komos :)

Last Great Race on Earth

2012-01-20T15:35:00.000-06:00

Me and 4-time Iditarod champ
Lance Mackey!!!!

A few years ago, I was chatting with two of my podmates and they suggested that we teach our first graders about the Iditarod. In typical Komos fashion, I jumped on board... and then asked what it was. :) I will tell you that, in general, I've moved away from "themes" in my classroom and focus more on strategies using a variety of topics. I teach "nonfiction studies" which help children learn to use nonfiction books and occasionally, a "theme" or topic will emerge through that study.

For those who don't know, the Iditarod is a 1,000 mile sled dog race through the wilderness in Alaska. It is based on the original "race" in 1925 to bring medicine to children in Nome who were dying from diphtheria. Because of the blizzard conditions at the time, the only way to get the medicine across Alaska was by dog team. The Iditarod race celebrates the history of that original Serum Run.

Because of that conversation with Baughman and McCoy, I have become ~~obsessed~~ passionate about the sport of mushing! I follow many, many races each year including the Iditarod. As I write this, I have already followed training season and many races that have already taken place this season in Alaska! I have had the good fortune of meeting a bunch of mushers and camping with them up in Michigan. What passionate, down-to-earth, dog-loving people! I just can't get enough. I am an Alaska/mushing junkie!

Prior to the race, we take a week or two to in our first grade classroom to learn about Alaska. Understanding life in Alaska helps children understand the extreme conditions of the race! One of my first graders' favorite books every year is always Recess at 20 Below by Cindy Lou Aillaud. We also read nonfiction books that talk about the land, animals, and weather in Alaska. This is also a fantastic way to focus on map skills!

During the race, each child picks a musher to follow. Because I tend to read a lot and follow the mushing events, I first pick 25 or so mushers who I think can be contenders in the race. I might also choose mushers who have a "special story." For example, Rachel Scdoris is a blind musher who we followed one year. Pat Moon was a musher from Chicago, close to our hometown. I also make sure my kids always follow my friends who are racing (Lance Mackey, Ryan Redington, Hugh Neff, DeeDee Jonrowe.) Children then draw musher names out of a hat to decide who they'll track. We track each of their musher's progress throughout the race until they finish the race in Nome. I have also subscribed to the Iditarod Insider so that we can watch videos from the race and follow the GPS trackers. Every year, I have parents complimenting me on how much the whole family has enjoyed this experience!

The Iditarod doesn't take place until early March, but I am writing this in hopes of sharing some resources so that you might consider teaching your students about this "Last Great Race on Earth!" I will post more information as the race draws near but wanted to give you time to gather materials.

Here are some "must haves!"

*Access to official Iditarod website; subscription to Insider is a plus!
*Giant wall map where kids can track their musher's progress (maybe on IWB?)

Books to share with kids!
*There are quite a few books about sled dogs and mushing, but these are a few of my favorites.*
Dogteam by Gary Paulsen
Recess at 20 Below by Cindy Lou Aillaud
Miki's Challenge: One Sled Dog's Story by Jackie Winkowski
Sled Dogs Run by Jonathan London
Wiggle-Waggle Woof! Counting Sled Dogs in Alaska by Cherie B. Stihler
The Incredible Life of Balto by Meghan McCarthy

Books for your information and entertainment!
Winterdance by Gary Paulsen
The Lance Mackey Story by Lance Mackey
The Cruelest Miles by Gay Salisbury

If you have questions, ideas, or want to know more, I'd love to hear it! I'll be posting more thoughts and ideas as the race draws near. Happy Trails!
~Komos :)

All but 3...

2012-01-10T16:46:00.003-06:00

As is required at the end of each quarter, I completed running records on all 22 of my first graders in the past two days. I was astounded by what I discovered!

All but 3.. yes, All. But. 3. of my little friends have already met or exceeded our grade level benchmark/reading level for first grade! Our exit level benchmark is F&P is I/J. I have 19 out of 22 students who are reading at levels J, L, N, and R! Even more importantly, I can see their reading lives unfolding before my eyes.

(Background: My kids ranged from levels A-M in September, with the majority being in levels C-E.)

I no longer believe this "level" is the foundation of my reading instruction, but I have made some HUGE changes this year and was hoping this would happen. I have been reflecting on what I've done this year... or more importantly, what we've done. Here are the things I believe have helped us get here:
*sharing amazing books with children through read alouds
*sharing my reading life with my first graders
*discussions about books (whole group, small group, partners, individually)
*conferring with individuals
*time to read independently EVERY day
*CHOICE about what they read

It goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that my professional reflections, my blog and my Twitter friends have helped me become much more intentional and thoughtful about what I'm doing and why. I intend to continue to stand on the shoulders of the literacy experts, too!

Here is what really gets me... I have not met with a single guided reading group since September. Almost 5 months. Instead, I've focused my time on conferring with individuals. When I mentioned this to a colleague today, she was taken aback. She couldn't believe that I had abandoned guided reading! She had lots of questions about what I was doing and why I think it's better than the traditional guided reading we have done for years. I did some explaining, but I think it would be more powerful coming from others!

Please help me by commenting and explaining your rationale! If you are conferring with individuals, why are you doing it? Why do you feel it benefits your readers more than the traditional guided reading format?

~Komos :)

Living in "the cloud!"

2012-01-09T09:53:00.000-06:00

I've been told that I'm a dreamer, but lately, I really feel like I am living "in the cloud!" We hear a lot these days about saving work, music, and more to "cloud" types of storage spaces. Now, I'm not even sure exactly what that means... but I have made some changes this year that have helped me tremendously. All of these tech tools are web-based and have apps that I can access as well. Because they are housed this way, I can access them easily from any device! Fabulous!

Planbook
I switched from keeping a paper log of my lesson plans to using Planbook. I. Simply. Love. It. I love that I can access it from my home computer, school computer, iPad, cell phone... any time! If I think of something I've forgotten, I can log on and quickly enter it in. I was able to set up each of my "subject" areas as well as "specials" classes. From there, I can then enter specific lessons, ideas, mentor texts, and more. I can even link to standards or create a printable PDF of my plans. I was a little worried at first because it looked as though the only schedule option was to have a Monday-Friday type of schedule. After a little more investigating, I was able to enter our A-E schedule. The best part about this comes when we have a day off of school and our schedule then changes. Simply enter the day(s) off and Planbook shifts the schedule for me! So easy!!

Evernote
I have blogged a little bit about how I'm using this site/app to help me with my reading conferences. More and more, I'm finding how much better this has been than my old paper binder method! It's fantastic to have my notes at my fingertips any time I need it. I'm still learning how to use it to its full potential, but I love it so far! When I confer with a student, I take notes directly in the Evernote app on my Droid phone. I still keep a paper calendar to schedule conferences, but all of my notes appear in Evernote. Handy to have it with me any time I need it!

Booksource's Classroom Organizer
This is the newest tool I've "discovered!" My Twitter friends at Booksource have been advertising this tool for a while, but I only recently started looking at it. This offers a website and an app for logging in your classroom library. Not only can I manage my enormous library, but there is an option for having a check-out system if I so choose! I love that there is a barcode scanner attached to it so I can grab a book, scan it, and BOOM! It's saved to my library! Because I have a ginormous classroom library, right now I am just using the Classroom Organizer to keep track of my read aloud books. I am so excited to get more of my books scanned in! I actually just sent an email to them about some suggestions I have and heard right back. Now THAT is good customer service! :)

What new tools have you discovered this year?
~Komos :)

One Little Word challenge

2012-01-02T16:13:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Mandy and Katherine for posting their one little word challenges! I would've missed this one if I hadn't seen their thoughtful posts. The idea originally comes from the Two Writing Teachers blog.

I've thought about my word for a while now... and I think I have to go with my initial word.

STAND

I do love my "why" philosophy for this school year but have to add "stand" to help focus myself.

*Stand up for what I believe in.
*Stand strong when faced with tough challenges.
*Stand firm when asked to do things I don't believe to be best practice.
*Stand proudly as a member of the #nerdybookclub.
*Stand alone when necessary.
*Stand up for my students and what I believe to be best for them.
*Stand next to my first graders as they discover who they are as readers.
*Stand my ground as a believer in authentic learning experiences for children.
*Stand true to who I am.
*Stand up when trying new things, new ideas, and new learning.
*Stand back when I need to.

What would you choose as your one little word?
~Komos :)

Divergent by Veronica Roth

2011-12-05T13:19:00.002-06:00

I'm a first grade teacher. But I can't help myself... I love so many young adult titles! I am truly a member of the #nerdybookclub. While I can't share these books with my little friends, I can share my thoughts here!

So let me just get this out of the way... I loved Divergent. More than the Hunger Games trilogy. There, I said it. Yes, I craved more when I finished reading the Hunger Games book. I couldn't wait to download Catching Fire. And I was curious how the trilogy would end in Mockingjay. Looking back, I realize that I enjoyed reading those books because they were so different than anything I'd read before. Much like the Twilight series, I questioned whether or not I would like them. And I did love Twilight and Hunger Games.

When I read Divergent last Wednesday, I literally couldn't put it down. It only took me a few hours to devour the book. The whole idea of a society based in the Chicago area, which is no longer the Chicago I know, was hard to imagine. What would it be like if the familiar landmarks were no longer recognizable? Or maybe they are recognizable, but they no longer serve the same purpose as they do now. Places like the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier and the ~~Sears~~ Willis Tower. Wild.

Then there is the whole concept of belonging to a faction. And there are only five of them. If you don't belong, you are then deemed Divergent. I couldn't help but think that I'd be divergent... although I loved the adventure of the Dauntless faction. How could one choose to leave behind the family they know and love?

After I finished, I realized just how much I struggled with the whole premis of the Hunger Games, which I think most readers would struggle with. It was very dark... and definitely sad. While I also struggled with the premis of the factions and a dystopian society in Divergent, it carried all of the action without so much of the sadness of the Hunger Games.

I'm so curious to get ahold of Insurgent to see if my initial reactions hold true. I can't believe I have to wait until May!

~Komos :)

Following their lead...

2011-12-02T08:43:00.001-06:00

As my friend Cathy taught me, it's important to honor our students' voices. Through the years, I've also learned the importance of following their lead! I thought of Cathy today as I worked with a small group during our Team Read time. While I struggle philosophically with the concept of this program, it gives me an opportunity to spend a solid 25 minutes with one group of readers from my classroom.

My group of four first graders read the book The Giant and The Frippit (from Rigby) on Wednesday (with my substitute, as I was at a meeting.) So, as I sit down at the table, one little friend asks if we're going to read the book the way the sub made them read. Unsure of what she meant, I asked for clarification. She carefully explained how she read a page, then friend two reads the next page, followed by friend three reading a page, then friend number four... and then they started all over. "I didn't even get to read the whole book! And I really wanted to hear my voice when I read the part that said, 'BUT HE DID!'." My other little friends chimed in and explained how horrible it was that they had to wait their turn. In their minds, what made it even worse was that she made them read it that way again, but they started with a different person (so they all read a different page that time.) They were quite concerned with how they were going to practice reading if they only got to read one page! By this point, I was glowing. I could hear my voice, my lessons coming through in what they were telling me.

After explaining that some teachers used to do that "Round Robin" style of reading, we talked about why it was better when we all read the book ourselves. Then friend two says (with all of the attitude a first grader can muster,) "Yeah, and we didn't even get to talk about what a frippit is!" Friend three asks if we can just Google it and find out. Meanwhile, discussion began on what we think a frippit is. Turns out, we think it's a combination of bear, rabbit, monkey, lion, and human. After we came up with an answer to that question, the conversation turned to what the group wanted to do with the story. There was a lot of interest in acting out the story, so I asked what that might look like. Friend three tells me they'd read the "talking parts" in their best giant and frippit voices... and uses his best giant voice to explain this to me. As we started running out of time, we decided to save this for tomorrow's Team Read time. Before we could leave...

Friend number one drops the biggest surprise. She tells me she's been thinking about how this story reminds her of I Want My Hat Back. (spoiler alert!!!!) I immediately see where she's going but ask her to explain it to us. "Well, you see, the frippit makes a bad choice and steals from the giant. But the giant helps the frippit and forgives him for stealing. And then they're friends. Not like the bear, who eats the rabbit when he knows the rabbit stole his hat." Oh, how I love that Hat Back book!

Today was a proud day for me. I don't always have to ask the questions or provide the answers. Shoot, I don't always have to provide the lesson! Hearing my readers have these engaging, question-filled conversations shows me that they are becoming thoughtful, deep readers. What more could a teacher ask for? :)

~Komos :)

Connecting and Reflecting - NCTE Convention 2011

2011-11-30T08:47:00.000-06:00

For the first time in my 17 year teaching career, I attended the annual NCTE (National Council for Teachers of English) convention. This year's convention was held in Chicago, so when I first heard about it, I knew I had to go. Chicago is only about 65 miles away from me. It was a no-brainer. I also heard lots of my Twitter friends chatting about the convention (starting way back in June!) which made it sound even more exciting.

Now that I've had some time to think about my experience, I can sum up my thoughts in two words. Connecting. Reflecting. But of course, I'll elaborate...

For me, the most powerful parts of the convention came in the way of connecting. Connecting with Twitter friends that I'd never met before. Connecting with Ohio friends and making plans for the Dublin Literacy Conference. Connecting with literacy leaders whose books have transformed my teaching and thinking. Connecting with new picture books and new professional reads. Connecting with sessions that affirmed my beliefs, as well as sessions that expanded my thinking. Sitting down at a table and connecting with Ken Goodman (the "father" of the whole language movement.)

Reflecting has become so much a part of me lately. NCTE 11 provided another time for listening, learning, and reflecting. Reflecting on how inspiring it was to have people recognize me because of Twitter. Reflecting on how fortunate I am to have connected with Joan and Gail. Reflecting on how I must, MUST continue to fight the good fight in the name of what is right and what is best for my students. Reflecting on Ellin Keene's thoughts on how it's always the best teachers who are in the most trouble. Reflecting on what the sessions I attended had taught me and what they had affirmed for me. Reflecting on how this experience would change me.

My NCTE "connections" wordle! :)

I sincerely apologize if I left anyone off of this! I wrote down everyone I could remember meeting and hope I didn't accidentally leave someone out!

Here are a few of the quotes from the convention that moved me.

"Scientifically proven instruction translates into prescriptive programs in which teachers have no decision-making power." Whole Language Umbrella session

"So much of what we're hearing now are just new words for old ideas that didn't work!" Whole Language Umbrella session

"There's power in teaching with real books." Kathy Short

"Schools have become so frantic. It is hard to 'be there.' Slow reading means having a sustained, attentive relationship with text. Pay attention." Thomas Newkirk

"Term 'research-based' has become de-based." Thomas Newkirk

"Nothing is more helpful than thinking aloud for kids." Ellin Keene

"Inspirational teaching in this time of core standards is vital." Anne Ruggles Gerr

"We need to make things simple so kids can do big things." Ann Marie Corgill

"We have to acknowledge who kids are as readers and help them grow." Cathy Mere

"Our students deserve same depth, variety, and richness that we want for our own reading lives." Stephanie Parsons

"A 'just right book' is so much more than being a 'level M.'" Stephanie Parsons

"Fluency is all about how to read a piece beautifully." Kathy Collins

"Reading and writing float on a sea of talk." James Britton

I left the convention feeling exhausted and exhilarated. Being surrounded by so many people who share my passion and beliefs on teaching, learning, and books was astounding. I can hardly wait to do it again!

~Komos :)

What's the BIG idea?

2011-11-09T13:22:00.001-06:00

I had the pleasure of attending a Day at Judson University with Debbie Miller a couple of weeks ago! I have to say that I am already hoping to be able to attend another workshop there. What a warm, welcoming community! Not only did we get to hear Debbie speak, Dr. Steven Layne is also a professor there. His enthusiasm is contagious! I'm adding his book to my TBR pile. :) I'm so happy I was able to finally see Debbie in person and have a conversation with her. I'm hoping she'll take my advice and join Twitter!

The day was filled with so many "Aha" and "Amen" moments for me! I've read two of Debbie's books and have always been impressed with her knowledge and ideas. What struck me most over the course of the day was how she kept coming back to the "big idea." As we work with our readers and writers, we must always keep in mind the "big idea" of why we're teaching these skills and strategies. I think it's essential to share the "why" with children. We're working on contractions; why? How is that going to impact their reading and writing life? As we learn to visualize while we read, what purpose does it serve? Especially now, as I hear more and more about interventions and more programs to help us teach our readers, I think we must remain focused on the big picture here which is influencing the reading/writing lives of our students. Without a knowledgeable, mindful teacher, these programs, skills and interventions do nothing more than make reading a choppy, meaningless process.

This year, I have a few struggling readers in my first grade class. We're working on learning our letters and sounds and basic sight words... but we also have great books in our hands! Anchoring this knowledge to books has remained at the forefront of our work. I am also careful as to how much I work with my emerging readers. They are being pulled for reading support, interventions, and more. Often, I think the best thing I can do for them is to let them enjoy reading! That may come in the way of rereading favorite read alouds, singing from our poetry binders, or discovering the new books they've put in their individual book tubs.

A few of my favorite quotes from the day...

*Fidelity: Are we pledging allegiance to a program or pledging allegiance to children?
*From what Debbie is saying, her teaching is very intentional... but is also very responsive to children's needs.
*Making learning WHOLE. This drives instruction
*Independent practice: Is it just "stuff'"? Is it more important than just having a book in their hands? Is it to keep them busy?
*Ask kids, "How is that helping you become a better reader today?
*When kids are struggling, they are the ones who need to have their hands on books more than anyone else!*Conferring is the only way to individualize and differentiate instruction for kids & work from where they are.
*When thinking aloud in front of students, be authentic, be in the moment... and it's ok!
*Important to ask ourselves, "What did I learn about myself as a teacher today?"
*Be clear about what you're doing and why you're doing it. It can make a big difference.

You can find the archive of all of the tweets related to A Day at Judson with Debbie Miller right HERE. (In case you aren't familiar with reading an archive or Twitter feed, you'll need to start reading from the bottom up!)

As I continue to reflect on what I learned that day, Katie Keier and Pat Johnson's posts on Catching Readers (part 1 and part 2) on fostering independence remind me that our ultimate goal really is to create those independent readers, writers, and thinkers! A great (quick) read! I've also gone back and have started rereading their book, Catching Readers Before They Fall.

How do you keep the "big picture" in mind?
~Komos :)

New Read Alouds :)

2011-10-28T17:02:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my Twitter friends, I've picked up three new read alouds that I just had to share! :)

The House That Witchy Built
What a fun interactive read aloud at this time of the year! The House That Witchy Built by Dianne De Las Casas was a hit with my first graders. Not only did we love the story and being able to add the sound effects, but I particularly enjoyed the illustrations by Holly Stone-Barker. It follows the traditional "House That Jack Built" type of format (which I know my kids are familiar with!) The first time through the story, I just read it aloud, minus the sound effects. Then my first graders started noticing the sound words on each page and reading them. After we finished the first reading, we talked about the sound effects for each page and agreed to go back through the story. This time, though, I did the reading and my first graders supplied the sound effects! What I found particularly amusing is that my first graders were grossed out by the dad "smooching" the mom... but the little boy picking his nose didn't bother them much! Oh, how I love first grade!

Fairly Fairy Tales
I haven't shared this one with my class yet, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Fairy Fairy Tales by Esme Raji Codell is a bedtime story to help a little boy who doesn't want to go to sleep. Well, maybe... It is a story for other little children who don't want to go to sleep! There are many (what should be familiar) fairy tale characters throughout the story, but Codell adds a modern day twist to the way those characters and stories are presented. And I swear, one of the illustrations HAS to be a picture of John Travolta. :)

**Update! I read Fairly Fairy Tales to my first graders today... and they loved it! We had such a fun time making the connections to the fairy tales that were presented in the book. It's definitely a book I'll use again!

I Want My Hat Back
I remember grabbing this one at Barnes & Noble recently, only to be distracted by Chick 'N' Pug (another HILARIOUS read aloud!!) Recently, there have been all sorts of hysterical conversations on Twitter about I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. After following the conversation (and reading the spoilers!) I had to buy it and see for myself. I love the simplicity of the story and how Bear attempts to solve the mystery of his missing hat. But what I REALLY love is his realization of what happened to the hat and the steps he takes to resolve the situation. I read it aloud to my first graders as soon as the Amazon box arrived today, and we laughed and gasped our way through the story together. It led to a fantastic discussion on who was right and who was wrong, as well as how react to people who have been mean to us. I stand with the Bear on this one. :)

I'M GIVING UP!!!!!

2011-10-05T16:48:00.002-05:00

That's it. I've had enough. I'm giving up. I refuse to continue on this way. It's time for a change. Here's what I'm giving up this week...

1) Telling my students where to sit every day. I have tables in my classroom and switch their nametags every morning. My little Gina asked me oh-so-sweetly the other day why I have to tell them where to sit each day. Well, doggone it, I just didn't have an answer that I was happy with! I asked her what we should do instead. We met as a class and talked about how we could do this differently. Their voices assured me that they would do just fine with choosing their own spots. I was skeptical, but we tried it for the past two days... and it went better than I could've imagined!!

Ignore the mess... I'm working on it!

2) My kidney-shaped Guided Reading table. As trivial as it seems, it's become a road block instead of a road map for me. It collects junk all day long, has to be cleaned before I can meet with kids, and is humongous! Mr. Greg kindly came in and removed it this morning but replaced it with a much smaller trapezoid table. I LOVE IT! Allington tells us "small groups" should be no more than 3 children. This trapezoid will force me to stick to that!

Waiting for the next group...

3) My old ideas for what math instruction should look like. After reading Kassia O. Wedekind's book Math Exchanges and blogging about it, I am ready to take the plunge! I know I still have a lot to learn but am making changes already. (One idea Kassia gave me that I already used is "counting around." We all sit in a circle, one person says a number, and each person says the next number. My kids BEGGED to do this again today!)

4) I'm giving up doing things that I've always done... just because I've "always done them!" I am forcing myself to stick to my WHY question and ask if what I'm doing is making a difference for my first graders. Just because it's a tradition or what people expect me to do doesn't mean it matches what I believe in! In this day and age of tighter schedules and higher expectations, I am rethinking what matters most... and WHY.

That's it. That's what I'm giving up this week! :)

What are you giving up?

~Komos

Math Exchanges Blog Tour Stop - October 4th

2011-10-04T05:54:00.000-05:00

I'd like to thank ~~the Academy~~ Kassia Omohundro Wedekind and Zsofia (from Stenhouse Publishers) for including me on this blog tour! I'm thrilled to be a part of it! Make sure you check out the whole Blog Tour!

Monday, October 3rd at Catching Readers with Katie Keier and Pat Johnson
Tuesday, October 4th at Camp Read-A-Lot with me (Laura Komos)
Wednesday, October 5th at Reflect and Refine with Cathy Mere
Thursday, October 6th at Elementary, My Dear, or Far From it with Jenny Orr
Math instruction has been weighing heavily on my mind in recent years, so when Kassia tweeted about her new book, I knew I just had to have it! I can honestly say it's been years since I've read a book about math instruction. I've basically been following our Everyday Math curriculum with little regard to individual student needs. Yes, I'd scaffold my instruction and questioning, but I knew that wasn't enough. Forty pages into Math Exchanges, and I was hooked! I was excited about math instruction for the first time in... well, ever!

"Community, rigor, and joy are at the heart of the workshop approach to teaching and learning." (p. 2) What struck me right from the beginning was the connections Kassia makes between literacy instruction and math instruction. She references many Literacy Leaders who have deeply impacted my learning (and teaching.) She also explains the similarities between reading/writing workshops and her Math Exchanges. This is what made it all start to click for me! I love the framework Kassia suggests for Math Workshop, but I also love how she gives many examples and possibilities! She explains how there is no one "right way," which is what I already believe to be true with Literacy Workshops.

"We can make a shift from mathematics as something we simply "do" to a way in which we live our lives, relate to each other, and wonder about our world." (p.3) Starting with statements about what mathematicians do, Kassia describes her math exchanges and how it brings math to life for her students. As the teacher becomes more of a facilitator and coach, students learn to express their ideas, share strategies, and use their mathematical thinking skills to problem solve. Kassia goes on to explain CGI (Cognitively Guided Instruction) and how she groups students so their thinking will change and grow over time. There's a handy-dandy cheat sheet in the Appendix which I'm sure I'll use often! :) I know I'll go back to her "Try it out" sections over and over as well!

Two packages of Post-it flags later, I finished reading Math Exchanges! I know that I will keep it close at hand as I begin implementing Math Workshop and Math Exchanges with my first graders. As any good reader does, I asked myself lots of questions before, during, and after I read Kassia's book. Lucky for me, I also got to ask Kassia! Here's our Q&A session!

Me: Over the past 5 years, we've found children in our building are lacking in basic math fact knowledge. What do you think of math fact practice such as Mad Minutes or Rocket Math?

Kassia: I think it is important to question the message that these kind facts programs send to our children about math. Math is only about spitting out quick answers. Math is about how quick you are at facts. Math is a race. This simply is not true. Some of the greatest mathematicians of our time (and past) do not excel at fact recall. They exceed at problem-solving, innovation, creativity. This is where I think we should be spending the majority of our focus in our math workshop.

Additionally, there is actually some interesting research on this kind of fact practice program that shows that it has no effect (positive or negative) on math skills, but has a very significant negative effect on how children view themselves as competent mathematicians.

That being said, automaticity (not memorization) of facts is important. But I don’t think skill and drill leads to the accomplishment of this goal. Facts memorization practices treat each fact as separate and unconnected from the next fact—a sure success for failure for many people. Fact automaticity, on the other hand, is a longer process that occurs as children have work towards more and more efficient strategies for solving problems (one of the most efficient being use of facts). As children start to think about the relationships between numbers, they start to become more automatic with fact knowledge. They realize that if they know 5+5=10 that they can use this knowledge to help them with near-double facts like 5+6=11 or 4+5=9. They use what they already know to become automatic with more and more facts as they expand their understanding of numerical relationships.

Me: I'm going to be the only one in my building doing Math Exchanges (right now, anyway.) What kinds of changes/difference will it make for my first graders?

Kassia: First of all congratulations on starting this journey! It takes a lot of courage to swim against the current or be the first one to try something different. I admire you for this.

I think one major shift you will see is in your first graders is how they view themselves, not just as do-ers of the work their teacher assigns them, but as mathematicians. In a math workshop kids feel ownership over their thinking and work. They feel a sense of pride when talking about the strategies they used to solve problems. They take on challenges and see themselves doing the real, authentic work of mathematicians.

I think you’ll notice that your students become more process focus, rather than simply looking for the correct answer. When you, the teacher, value not just the correct answer, but how students solved it, how they chose their strategy, how their strategies have changed over time, children will also take on this value in themselves and others.

Also, I think you’ll notice that when a math workshop is based on problem-solving, students’ number sense and understanding of numerical relationships grows exponentially.

Me: My BOE and district is big into "data, data, data." What kind of data can I gather to help explain why Math Exchanges will make a difference for my students?

Kassia: I think a lot of people out there are struggling with how to quantify problem solving data, which is more difficult than say, math facts. Sometimes the most important understandings are the most difficult to quantify. Data is a big point of discussion in my school and district as well. The kindergarten team at my school decided to come up with a rubric for problem solving. At certain points in the year we’ve decided to score different kinds of problems on a 0-4 rubric. Here’s how we broke it down:

0—No attempt, or plays with materials.

1—Incorrect strategy (a strategy that doesn’t make sense for problem type), incorrect answer.

2—Uses a strategy that could result in correct answer, but either 1) doesn’t get correct answer or 2) cannot explain answer

3—Uses a modeling strategy that results in a correct answer and can explain what he/she did.

4—Uses multiple strategies or uses a more sophisticated strategy (counting, facts, derived facts, invented) to solve the problem.

We’re still finessing the rubric and how we want to use the data, but having a conversation about a way to quantify problem solving data that you might collect from an assessment or your anecdotal notes after a math exchange is another way of informing your instruction.

Me: I've already established some routines for math time (free exploring, games, etc.) We're constructing our statements for what mathematicians do. I love that you don't have a "scripted" moment-by-moment way of conducting Math Exchanges but do offer the great chart on page 44. That being said, I tend to jump in with both feet and get into deep water! I have a few ideas (from what I read in the book,) but how would you recommend starting Math Exchanges in first grade?

Kassia: Last year as a math coach I had the opportunity to work with an amazing teacher, Christy Hermann (she’s in the book!) and really deepen my understanding of first graders’ mathematical thinking. We began our year by offering students counting collections. These collections were things we had around school or our houses (shells, rocks, pencils, marbles, etc). We kids collections to count (choosing collections with numbers of items we thought we appropriate for the student) and record in a journal how they counted them. At first students counted by ones and often lost track of their counting. However, some students grouped items into fives or ten and ten counted the total. We used math exchanges and whole group conversations to highlight some more efficient counting and recording strategies. Counting collections is about counting, but it’s also about so much more. As children began to group by tens, we took a look at the collections. “62 toy monkeys. So, you counted that 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 61, 62. How many groups of ten did you count? How many extras? Where do you think that six groups of ten is in the written number 62? Where are the extras?” You are introducing the foundation for place value with counting collections without imposing a system they don’t yet fully understand yet. My book offers some more information on counting collections, the original idea for which came from an article by Angela Chan and Julie Kern Schwerdtfeger.

I would also suggest starting with some of the problem-types suggested in the book. Choose one with which you feel comfortable. In first grade, students usually are using a combination of modeling and counting strategies. Write one problem like “Marie has ___ shells and her friend, Sam gives her ___ more. How many shells does Marie have now?” Choose some numbers you might give to different groups. Let’s say you choose the numbers five and ten for one group. Some students might make a pile of five cubes and a pile of ten cubes and count them all from one. Some students might count on from five because it is the first number in the problem. Some students might count on from ten because they understand informally that a + b = b + a. Some students may know that how ten combines with other numbers and see 10 + 5=15 as a fact. Explore these strategies together. Highlight some of the more efficient strategies with your math exchanges.

Me: If the goal is to focus on the problem type, you suggest using easier numbers. If the goal is to focus on numerical relationships, you'd use a problem type students will understand. (Did I say that right?! Yes, I think that's right most of the time! J) Would you ever include time, money, or fractions in the numbers part of the problems?

Kassia: Absolutely! I think you can apply these problem-types to most of the kinds of math you focus on in the primary grades.

Actually fractions are some of my favorite types of problem solving. It can start as simply as a problem like “Four friends have a brownie. How can they share the brownie equally between them?” Or get into answers that involve an answer that is greater than one. Two friends have three brownies. How can they share the brownies equally between them?” There’s a PHENOMENAL new book out, Extending Children's Mathematics: Fractions & Decimals: Innovations In Cognitively Guided Instruction by Susan Empson and Linda Levi. They offer problem types for fractional understanding and what this would look like in the primary grades.

Me: What do you think of the traditional daily "calendar routine" being used in many first grade classes? (date, weather, counting days of school, reviewing days of the week/months, etc.)

Kassia: I used to do a traditional calendar routine, but in more recent years I have really been asking myself “what’s the purpose?” of each part of my practice. Sometimes my only answer for parts of my calendar routine were “because I’ve always done it that way.” I don’t think that’s enough of a justification. This summer I read Jessica Shumway’s (my former colleague) book Number Sense Routines. She really offered some great thoughts on calendar and this year, with my kindergarten class I’ve implemented some of the routines she talks about in her book. This is what I’m doing this year:

1) Using a desk calendar to look at the date every day. We use the calendar just as adults do—we mark important dates (birthdays, field trips, the day our monarch caterpillars will emerge from chrysalises). I also will tear off each page as we go so they can see the whole year as it unfolds instead of just thinking of a single month at a time.

2) Counting tape. Borrowing a routine from the Everyday Counts Calendar Math program, we’re making a post-it for every day we’re in school. The color of post-it is different for each ten days and then it repeats. Some kids are starting to notice this and talk about which color they predict will be next, so it’s getting interesting now after 18 days in school.

3) Rock jar. We add one rock for each day of school to a jar. I ask questions like, “How full do you think our jar will be on the 100^th day of school?” How many rocks do you think will fill the jar?” How many more rocks do you think we’ll need to cover the whole bottom of the jar?”

4) Unifix cube. We’ve been adding one cube each day to a long stick of Unifix cubes. We’ve been in school 18 days now, so it’s starting to get long. The kids are starting to wonder, “What will we do when the stick of cubes gets very long?” I’ll be following up on this line of thinking asking them how we could organize the cubes (when we have a bunch of them) in a way that would be easy to count.

I’ll be reassessing these routines as the school year goes on and asking myself, “Is this something I should continue to do with my whole class? Or is this something that a child could do in as a job in the morning?” I’ll ask myself “Are there other important routines I can incorporate.

Jessica’s book is also available from Stenhouse and you can preview it (just like mine) in its entirety over on the Stenhouse website.

If you're interested in hearing Kassia talk about Math Exchanges, you should check out this great video posted by Stenhouse! :)

I highly recommend Kassia's book if you want to be inspired to change your views (and your students' views) on math! I look forward to continuing this conversation with all of you. Please feel free to comment and/or ask questions! One lucky reader from each blog will receive a copy of Math Exchanges (or another Stenhouse title if you already have it) at the conclusion of the book tour. Thanks for visiting!

~Komos :)

Cork & Fuzz

2011-09-20T09:51:00.001-05:00

My Cork & Fuzz collection

While visiting Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville over the summer, I stumbled upon the beginning chapter book readers about Cork & Fuzz. The front cover caught my eye, with the campy looking font for their names. I picked up one of the books and instantly knew it would be a good fit for some of my readers who are just beginning to creep into early chapter books. Much like Frog & Toad, Henry & Mudge, and Poppleton, the chapters are simple and relatively short.

Upon further investigation, I now know that Cork is a muskrat and Fuzz is a possum. Never in a million years did I ever think I would find a possum "adorable," but Fuzz definitely is! Muskrat holds his own in the cuteness category, too. Their antics remind me a lot of Frog & Toad. I'm sure their silliness will help them worm their way into the hearts of many of my readers!

With titles like "Best Friends," "Finders Keepers," and "Short and Tall," I think young readers will find many topics with which they can relate. I found myself giggling along with Fuzz and his buddy Cork as they try to problem solve and learn more about being friends.

I'm already thinking about which readers I'll introduce to Cork & Fuzz this year! I know they'll grow to love these two critters as much as I have.

~Komos :)

Math Exchanges Blog Tour

2011-09-19T09:56:00.001-05:00

I'm thrilled to be one of the four blog stops on Kassia Wedekind's Math Exchanges blog tour! I have my copy of her newly released book, Math Exchanges, and will be reading it over the course of the next few weeks. My blog will be "featured" on October 4th!

Additional details can be found at Kassia's site or Stenhouse's site.

I will give you a teaser on my thoughts though... I'm almost 40 pages into the book now, and I'm excited. ABOUT MATH. I don't think this has EVER happened before!! More thoughts, reflections, and questions to appear right here on October 4th!

**Updated info!! A copy of Kassia's Math Exchanges will be raffled off on each blog featured on the tour!! All you have to do is leave a comment or ask a question for the blog host or Kassia!**

I'm a Versatile Blogger!!

2011-09-18T13:41:00.000-05:00

After a late night at my cousin's wedding, I slept in a bit and awoke to an email saying that Cathy Mere of Reflect and Refine had commented on my blog. When I investigated further, I read that she had included me in her "Versatile Blogger" award!

I cannot say enough good things about Cathy. Over the last 6 months, I've gotten to know her via Twitter, and my thinking has been pushed in so many ways due to her questions, comments, blog posts, and her More Than Guided Reading book. Cathy and I also co-hosted this summer's #cyberPD (along with Jill Fisch) based on Patrick Allen's Conferring book. Thanks, Cathy, for including me in your Versatile Blogger award list!

After accepting the Versatile Blogger award, there are three things that I'm supposed to do:
1. Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Nominate 15 other blogs that you've discovered.

So, 7 things about myself that you may or may not already know...
1. I am a huge fan of Twitter (and just might be addicted!!)
2. I bleed Cubbie Blue. I've been a die-hard fan since 1984.
3. I'm an outdoorsy girl who loves fishing, camping, water, and being in the mountains.
4. This is my 17th year of teaching in my district, and 16th year of First Grade.
5. I might also be addicted to following the Iditarod and sled dog mushing.
6. I'm passionate and opinionated about teaching!
7. 98% of my recent adventures in education came about because of Twitter! (starting a blog, co-hosting #cyberPD, co-moderating the #daily5 chat, connecting with my kindred spirits in teaching, hosting a day of Kassia's Math Exchanges blog stop, using Evernote, just to name a few...)

And now... which blogs have I "discovered?" (One more thing about me... I'm not so much of a rule follower, so I chose some blogs I know haven't been nominated yet. However, I could not resist including some amazing blogs that I read but have already been nominated!) These blogs may or may not fit the traditional description of "versatile" but they have helped me become more versatile in my teaching... so that counts, right?! :)

1. Christine at MissYarzabek.com
2. Melody at MrsWatson.ca
3. Dawn at Teaching with Picture Books
4. Reading Teach at A Teacher on the Edge
5. Alyson at KidLitFrenzy
6. Jen at Jen Robinson's Book Page
7. Thinking of Teaching
8. Kassia at Math Exchanges
9. Nicole at Nicole's Book Nook
10. Michelle at Literacy Learning Zone
11. Jill at My Primary Passion
12. Katie and Pat at Catching Readers
13. Mr. Schu at Watch. Connect. Read.
14. Franki and Mary Lee at A Year of Reading
15. Lori at Lori's Lessons

Ugh, I'm struggling to not include so many of the fantastic blogs I find each day... but I have to stop. There's more to do in my busy Sunday afternoon! :)

~Komos :)

WE LOVE BOOKS!

2011-09-13T17:09:00.000-05:00

A major theme throughout the year is creating excitement about books. Each year, I enjoy sharing many titles with my first graders that have to do with why reading is important and creating excitement about reading. Some of my favorites include:

How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills

Read All About It! by Laura Bush and Jenna Bush

Miss Brooks Loves Books (And I Don't!) by Barbara Bottner
Charlie Cook's Favorite Book by Julia Donaldson
We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems
Born to Read by Judy Sierra
Reading Makes You Feel Good by Todd Parr
How to Teach a Slug To Read by Susan Pearson
The Best Book to Read by Debbie Bertram

It goes without saying that I share my genuine love for books and reading with my first graders, too! They hear stories about my real reading life and know I truly am a reader.

Brand New Books bin

One of my favorite ways to build excitement for books is to have a special place for new books being added to our classroom library! I've added a "Look! Look! Brand new books!" bin to our window ledge to draw attention to new titles.

Generally, I try to do a book talk about the books before putting them in the bin, too. Today, I showed my kids all of the new books we got through our Scholastic book order. They were most excited about the three new Elephant and Piggie books! You can guess that this was the first place they all flocked to when it was time to read!

We love new books!

Before sending book orders home, I also take the time to go through each flyer and mention titles I think they may be interested in. We give silent cheers for books we'd like to buy. This encourages them to go home and talk to their families about ordering books.

By building excitement and good reading habits, I know I'm helping to build a strong foundation for the rest of our year together! How do you do this in your classroom?

~Komos :)

"I was just there..." Reflections on September 11th

2011-09-11T14:11:00.000-05:00

I have been glued to the TV this morning. How is it possible that it has been 10 years since that unspeakable tragedy impacted our lives? It feels like just yesterday, and yet... so much has changed. As I watch the families of the loved ones who lost their lives or gave their lives on that day, I can't help but think back to where I was and how I handled the events of that day in 2001.

I'd arrived at school about an hour before my first graders would be there. As we often did, my friend Cathie and I were sitting in my room, chatting about our lesson plans and our lives. Just before 8:00, my friend Christa came in to the room and told us her husband had just called to tell her a plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York. We grappled with the news of the tragic accident, but all I kept thinking was, "I was just there." A few minutes later, Christa returned to tell us that yet another plane had hit, this time striking the South tower. Now, we were beginning to realize that this was no accident. As the events of the day unfolded, we were under a lockdown and were told not to use our computers or phones. As you can imagine, we were all struggling with trying to understand what had happened while working with very limited information. I remember secretly calling my parents to make sure they were ok and to reassure them that I was fine. But what kept going through my head was the fact that I was just there.

You see, in June of 2001, my friend Hanns and I set out on a three-week road trip that would take us from New Jersey to North Carolina (and many places in between.) On Tuesday, June 26, 2001, we were on the last day of our visit to NYC. We'd already visited the studios of Good Morning America, taken the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, and watched Rent on Broadway. On our last day, we were visiting the boroughs of Greenwich Village, SoHo, and TriBeCa. We walked for what seemed like miles as we visited Wall Street, the Financial District, and the World Trade Center. I distinctly remember it being a hot, hot day in Manhattan. As we walked toward the World Trade Center's twin towers, there was a beverage cart outside that was selling Mountain Dew... a perfect cold drink on a sweltering hot day. Hanns and I both grabbed a drink, and we stepped inside of the North Tower to take advantage of the air conditioning for a few minutes. Because we had so many places we were trying to see before we left NYC, we didn't go up into the tower. But I did manage to get a picture of the flags inside the building as well as one of Hanns outside (with his Mountain Dew.) Looking back on those photos now, the ones that strike me the most are those taken from the ferry... of the skyline that is now forever changed.

In the days that followed 9/11, I struggled to reassure my first graders that we were safe and that I'd be able to take care of them. I cannot imagine the horror that the folks of NYC, Washington DC, and the flights of that day endured. It will be a day I will remember... forever.

The Big Picture for 2011-2012

2011-08-30T13:04:00.000-05:00

After my amazing summer of Connecting and Collaborating, I've been thinking and rethinking my goals for this school year. I know these goals will grow and change, but here is what I am currently planning to focus on this year!

1) Thanks to Nicole (@ohionicole,) I've made the question "Why?" a huge part of my thinking for this year. Why am I doing what I'm doing? Why are the kids doing this? Why do they need to learn this? Why is this important? By keeping the "why" in mind, I hope to be more thoughtful and aware of what is going on in my classroom so that I can make positive changes.

2) Small group Math instruction has been on my mind for quite some time. I started playing around with the concept last year but never jumped in with both feet. I know the Sisters are coming out with their Math Daily 5 book sometime in the near future, but I want to start before then. Thanks once again to Twitter, I was able to connect with Kassia Wedekind (@kassiaowedekind) who has just written Math Exchanges. I'll be reading, reviewing, and reflecting on this book very, very soon! I know it will be extremely helpful in improving my math instruction.

3) Conferring with readers will play a much larger role in my reading instruction this year. With the help of an amazing group of educators this summer (#cyberPD,) I've realized just how powerful and integral those one-on-one conversations are for reading instruction. I'll use my Readers Workshop time to meet with individuals and keep my Daily 5 time for small groups.

4) Even though it is coming out of my own pocket for the most part, I am dedicated to participating in more professional learning conferences this year. So far, I'm signed up for a Debbie Miller workshop in October, the Sisters' Cafe workshop (again) in November, and NCTE11 in November. I have a few more ideas in mind, too!

5) I was nominated by my principal to be our school rep for the district Curriculum Committee. We'll meet monthly. I'm hopeful that this will be a great opportunity for my voice to be heard! Those who know me well know that I have a few opinions... :)

For years, I have found amazing inspiration through Garth Brooks' song The River. I am deeply moved by the phrase

"Choose to chance the rapids, and dare to dance the tide!"

That is (and hopefully always will be) my motto. I am not afraid to take a chance, go out in the water, and try something new! As a matter of fact, the link I provided is not even Garth... it's a new version by Scotty McCreery. :)

Off to explore the river...

~Komos :)

Ready or not...

2011-08-19T15:40:00.000-05:00

Looking in from the hallway...

Ready or not... here they come! We will officially kick off the 2011-2012 school year on Monday. A day full of meetings, followed by our traditional "Open House" (Meet the Teacher) night. I have almost everything put away now (I'm a pile person, so some of my mess got shoved into my cabinets!)

First Impression

I have almost everything put away now (I'm a pile person, so some of my mess got shoved into my cabinets!) I love stepping out into the hallway and looking at what first impressions my new families will get when they arrive on Monday night.

Cozy Corner

I love that one of the first things that will catch their eye is the Cozy Corner. It's kiddy corner from the door and provides a great spot for growing readers to curl up with their Book Tubs each day. The lamp provides just enough light to add a glowing touch to the area!

"Front" of the room

On Open House night, families will see lots of information stored here. The bulletin board on the right currently houses my summer reading list but is ready to host the winners of our weekly vote as to our favorite read alouds! Below the board, Book Tubs are filled and anxiously awaiting the young readers' touch. They'll use these books until we gain some stamina and learn more about picking our own good fit books.

Built-in Teacher desk & Cabinets

Children will quickly learn that, while this area was supposed to be for me, it becomes yet another work space available to my budding readers and writers. You can't see it, but there is a "cave" under that comfy teacher chair. Always a favorite spot for first graders to squeeze into! The back corner is now home to my second "Listen to Reading" spot. It was always an underutilized space (a place to pile "stuff,") so this change will help!

Books, books, books!

This is a better glimpse of that Listening Spot, as well as a good place to see just a few of the baskets of books that are found in my classroom! At last count, I believe I had over 30 baskets around the room. Might be time for a few more!

Small Group Instruction

While I do use this space quite often to meet with small groups (for reading, writing, or math,) it is also a spot where groups of children can gather around for their own purpose. I'm also working on leaving that chair when I confer with students this year!

Calendar & Listen to Reading

Each day, my two "Hoppers" will update our calendar and weather before reporting it to the class. This is also a Listen to Reading spot. It's located in the Book Nook area.

Book Nook

Here is where most of our group time is spent! Fabulous conversations take place throughout the day. My CAMP (Cafe) board is located here as well, placed in the area where I know we can all see it and refer to it often.

Student Tables

Tables are pushed together to maximize sharing and collaborating! Students don't spend a whole lot of time here during the day, unless they choose to sit here. New spots are "assigned" daily, but as with many things, I'm searching for new ways to arrange seating!

Oh, how we love books!

As families leave my room, I'm hoping this will catch their eye. I've already overheard so many great discussions on favorite books and characters found here!

So, that's it. Camp Read-A-Lot is ready for 2011-2012. Now to work on those lesson plans...

~Komos :)

My Summer of Connecting and Collaborating

2011-08-17T12:23:00.000-05:00

Before school got out in June, I came up with a pile of professional resource books that were going to provide my summer professional development. Little did I know that would change quickly! By the end of June, I had created my own blog and was moved to take my summer learning in many different ways! I'd even go so far as to say most of my summer learning begins and ends on Twitter.

My Summer PD plan included that original stack of books, plus a few other items. Then, I "met" Cathy Mere and Jill Fisch on Twitter. Through our conversations, we found we all had Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop by Patrick Allen on our summer TBR pile. Alas, #cyberPD was born! Cathy and Jill asked me to join them in hosting an blog book chat centered around this book. Being the adventure gal that I am, I enthusiastically said yes before I even knew what a blog book chat was! You can see the results of our efforts on our Jog! So many great thinkers and educators joined us in the conversation. I thought deeper, reflected longer, and planned for how I would accomplish my goal of conferring with students about their reading.

Through connections on Twitter and #cyberPD, I "met" Nicole (@ohionicole.) Nicole teaches K in Ohio, and we are both thrilled to have made this connection! We have found that we really do think a lot alike, whether it's regarding teaching philosophy, classroom libraries, working with our teams, or remembering favorite read alouds with our kids. While our teaching circumstances are different, I know we'll be learning a lot together this year.

The more I think about it, many/most of my summer learning, connecting, and collaborating took place through my PLN on Twitter! Here are a few of the things I accomplished this summer:
*After following #allwrite tweets, I signed up for a Debbie Miller conference, Cafe conference (again!,) and NCTE conference in Chicago.

*Facetime/Skype with Sarah (@soltauheller) ... my first video chat!

*Creating my own blog... x 3 !! (One for professional reflection, one for Daily5/Cafe, and one for my class!)

*#cyberPD co-host and participant

*co-moderator of #daily5 chat, along with Melody (@soingirl) and Mitch (@Mr_Mitch_Hughes)

*participated in weekly #1st chat (hosted by @CYarzy)

*Investigated tools like Evernote, planbook.com, SignUpGenius, Primary Wall

*Professional reading included Conferring, More Than Guided Reading, First Grade Readers, Preventing Misguided Reading, and Teaching With Intention

What I've decided is that, not only have I learned some very interesting tools and techniques, but I've also become much more reflective and connected this summer. It's going to make for a much more focused school year for me and for my first graders! I truly appreciate all of the connections I've made on Twitter and look forward to further conversations.

~Komos :)

#pb10for10

2011-08-10T06:03:00.000-05:00

I. Love. Books. I have an extensive classroom library. I buy books constantly. My friends tell me I need therapy. Amazon loves me. So when Cathy (@CathyMere) and Mandy (@MandyRobek) suggested that I pick my 10 favorites, I thought, "Sure... no problem!" HA! Only 10? For real? It was way harder than I thought! But if I had to only survive with 10 books, here are my picks!

My number one pick is a surprising one. The Monster at the End of This Book But I stand by it! It is usually one of the first books I read to my class. Now you may be thinking... "Really? Sesame Street? How cheesy!" However, if you read the book the way it's intended to be read... complete with yelling, whispering, whining, and groveling... I can pretty much guarantee you will love this book! What really makes me love this book is how children fight over it after I've read it aloud and mimic the way I read it! And if your students love this one as much as mine do, you can always follow up with Another Monster at the End of This Book, starring Grover AND Elmo!

Chester is another favorite. You have to love the egocentric cat who gives Melanie Watt a run for her money! He's hilarious! This book inspires a lot of writing with my first graders. After I've read the three book series to them, I tend to see a lot of red colored pencils coming out for their own version of a Chester story!

Being a huge fan of the North Woods, I have to have One-Dog Canoe by Mary Casanova. In the spirit of The Mitten, all of these woodsy animals want to join in on this little girl's canoe ride. It provides a great story for predicting, reading along, rhyming, and learning about onomotopoeia. Truly a fun book!

In my 16 years of using this book, I have NEVER made it through without crying. The Rough Face Girl by Rafe Martin and David Shannon tells a Cinderella-type story about the Algonquin Indians. She is faced with hardships and cruelty, but she is the one who can see the Invisible Being. (Just writing that, I have the chills!!) It's a beautiful story with amazing illustrations. It fits nicely with comparing and contrasting, making text to text connections, and teaching about Native Americans.

Winter's Gift by Jane Monroe Donovan is another tear-jerker! The illustrations are gorgeous, and so is the message of this book...about always having hope. I love using this book for talking about the author's message, as well as for pointing out interesting words.

Another book I use to inspire young writers is Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer. After the initial shock and discussion about how Winter is NOT the warmest season here in Illinois, Stringer convinces children that indeed, it is! Children love to write their own versions of this story. Last year, my first graders also enjoyed writing about how Summer is the coldest season!

Jingle Bells by Iza Trapani is a must-have for me as we celebrate our differences during the Holiday Season! While it doesn't cover every single country or celebration, it gives us a lot to talk about as we learn how our classmates celebrate with their families. Plus, it's a fun sing along!

Oh, how I love Straight to the Pole! Kevin O'Malley hooks the reader into following this little guy's journey to the Pole. It's a fantastic book for talking about voice and organization if you are doing the Six Traits. After the initial read, kids INSIST I go back and read it again so we can use our clues to see where the little boy is really going. This one is another book that students will read again and again on their own!

Who doesn't love a good monster book? I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll is a fresh take on the usual scared-of-monsters-under-my-bed story. Kids loved to be creeped out by all of the monsters featured in the book! This is another one that fits well with teaching kids about voice and making connections.

Last, but definitely not least... Dogteam by Gary Paulsen. I am ... let's say... "passionate" about following the Iditarod and sled dog racing. I have friends who are involved in the sport, and I enjoy teaching my first graders about it. I found Dogteam after reading Gary's adult novel about the Iditarod, Winterdance, the Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod. (Incidentally, that is one of my favorite books!) Gary is a musher who has raced in the 1000 mile sled dog race, so he brings an authentic voice to his book. I use this book early in March when we follow along with the historic race, pick mushers to track, and get excited about the Last Great Race on Earth!

That's it! I did it! My Top Ten, Must Have, Can't Teach Without #PB10for10! Thanks again to Cathy and Mandy for hosting this book-loving event!

-Komos :)

It's about "More Than Guided Reading!"

2011-08-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

Have you ever thought that there might be too much emphasis placed on Guided Reading? Are you doing Guided Reading just so you can say you're doing Guided Reading? Have you wondered if Guided Reading is the best way to read and teach every first grader? Ever tried to figure out how else you can get books into kids' hands? These are the kinds of things I've been thinking about for a few years now. The beginning of Cathy Mere's More Than Guided Reading book affirms many of the concerns I've been having! But her book doesn't stop there...

When I finished reading the book, I felt incredibly liberated and inspired. Liberated from feeling guilty that I no longer do guided reading the way I used to. Inspired to reach more readers by conferring with readers one-on-one and putting children in flexible small groups only as needed.

Cathy talks about how students learn to "talk the talk" of guided reading by decoding words and being able to figure out the main idea of text, but they weren't "walking the walk" and developing their own reading lives. She talks about how guided readING, not readERS, was the center of her reading instruction. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I've thought that! I really, truly feel like this book was written just for me. It's exactly what I needed to push me in the direction I so desperately wanted to go!

When Cathy talks about how teachers are doing most of the work in Guided Reading (picking books, choosing the focus of the lesson, providing levels of support, asking the questions,) I really started thinking about my lessons. I was doing all of those things. My first graders have been doing well enough to pass through the levels, but I have been doing most of the work! Besides that, within that "leveled" group, I've got a very diverse group of six readers who all have different needs. Breaking away from what I've known to be as a "traditional guided reading group" (for the past 16 years) seems like a very logical step... but a step I've hesitated to take. Not. Any. More.

If you are using the Daily Five and/or CAFE in your classroom like I am, I found a lot of what Cathy said to affirm my reason for using this structure in my classroom. In order to become the readers I want them to be, students MUST be engaged in real reading opportunities every day. Providing a focus lesson, sessions of independent work time, and sharing time all fit with what I believe we need to do in our daily literacy routine.

Not only does Cathy provide reasons and research for looking beyond Guided Reading, but she also provides concrete examples and ideas. I went through two packs of Post-it flags (my favorite!) while reading the book!

In our current state of being all about data, data, data, I loved Cathy's practical approach to gathering and using assessment data. The first full paragraph on page 117 really made me ponder how I gather information about my students. I admire the way she truly weaves her assessment into her day... from informal conferences to read alouds to shared reading. She also reminded me of the value of sitting back, listening, and watching.

I've taken this next part directly from my notes that I typed into Evernote. :)
Page 142 THIS IS IT!!!!!!!!!! FAVORITE QUOTE!!!!!!!!!!! "If our schools looked beyond the pressure and short-term goals of testing and standards to encouraging life-long readers, our classrooms might look different yet still accomplish these goals. Reading makes readers." <----YESSSS!!!

I would highly recommend Cathy's book to anyone who works with young readers. That liberating, energizing feeling is going to help push me in new directions this year! Thank you, Cathy!

Mayhem in the Mountains, Conferring, and #cyberPD...

2011-07-23T20:39:00.002-05:00

Snowmobiling in the mountains is breathtaking. Literally. Especially when it's 20 degrees below zero. It is also beautiful. Majestic. Adventurous. Magical. Risky.

What does this have to do with #cyberPD?! I'll get to that...

My friend Jason "called" New Years. So 11 of my closest friends and I made our way to Salt Lake City this past December. Because that's just what we do. In the months leading up to our trip, it was my mission to find a place to go snowmobiling. In the mountains. After doing some research, I found that Chad and Lisa were also super excited to do it, too. I found a number of places, each with their own perks. We decided on a place (Lofty Peaks) which offered a 2 hour guided snowmobile tour. Our enthusiasm was contagious, and everyone ended up joining us! We had varying levels of snowmobile experience. I've ridden snowmobiles since I was a little girl. A few others had tried it a few times. Keelie had never ridden or driven one. But off we went!

Tom was our tour guide that day. He gave us directions on how to operate the snowmobile, what to do if we cornered too quickly, and how to stop. Tom made sure he told us about the hand warmers on the handlebars, too. Crucial on a frigid day like this one! We started off, each on our own sled, riding at our own pace but trying to keep up with the 10 other snowmobiles. Two minutes into our ride, we stopped. Seems that Sue had a hard time keeping up... and met up with a tree instead. She was fine (unlike her snowmobile,) so she hopped on with Bill, who became her driver for the rest of the trip. Tom guided us up, up, up. Feeling confident, I stuck to the front of the pack. At one point, I looked down only to realize I was doing 85 m.p.h. And I was falling behind. Poor Keelie, on her rookie snowmobile ride, was way in the back. Luckily, Chad was bringing up the rear and didn't mind sticking with her. The rest of us continued along at our own pace, just making sure we were on the right trail and could see the pack.

The Bowl at Lofty Peaks

About 45 minutes into our ride, we came to a huge open area way up in the mountains. Tom referred to this as "The Bowl." It's where my picture was taken. He gave us some safety instructions (ride up on the left, come down on the right, watch for other snowmobiles, look out for moguls.) Then, he set us loose. It took all of five seconds before three of us took off. Full speed ahead. Throwing caution to the wind, I gripped as hard as I could. Tried to keep up with the boys. Hooted and hollered on my way up. Giggled and screamed on my way down. HUGE jumps. Almost falling off. But learning as I went. When I reached the bottom, I tried to convince the others to join in. Give it a whirl. A few did. Others just watched. Keelie and Jacquie tried to defrost their fingers unsuccessfully in the heavily falling snow. After spending some time playing, Tom led us back down... but not without incident. Ben had no headlights. Jason was being Jason and didn't listen when Tom said not to veer off the path or you'll get stuck in the snow. As I rounded a turn, I watched Jason plow into the almost 8 feet of snow. I inched forward. Ever. So. Slowly. No, not to help. To take pictures to document his stupidity, of course! People pitched in and dug him out. We came down off the mountain in the dark, overlooking the lights of Park City. What a day. What an adventure.

Still... what does this have to do with #cyberPD? Well, you see, earlier this summer, Cathy Mere and Jill Fisch discovered that all three of us had Conferring by Patrick Allen on our summer TBR pile of professional books. After talking more, they came up with the idea of a blog book chat. They asked me if I'd be willing to join in the craziness, which I readily accepted! Once we got going, others joined the ride. Some, like Cathy and Jill, had experience with conferring. Others, like me, had tried it once or twice. Still others will be embarking on their rookie ride with conferring. We've even had friends watchiing from afar and "bringing up the rear." And Patrick... Patrick has served as our tour guide. He's given us pointers, directions, and has lots of experience with the conferring ride. During the next school year, I expect we may encounter some "trees" blocking our path. "Snowbanks" of which we have to help dig each other out. "Headlights" that aren't working and needing help from others to see the light. Maybe even someone to take pictures and record things so we can look back on our mishaps. :) And along the way, I know we'll all enjoy the risks, the beauty, the adventure of our conferring journey. Together.

A far fetched idea? A forced analogy? Maybe. Maybe not. I was so incredibly moved by our Mayhem in the Mountains, just as I have been so incredibly moved by the connections and learning that has taken place during our #cyberPD. Both experiences fed my adventurous spirit. Both adventures left me laughing. But mostly, I'm happy I got to enjoy each journey with friends.

~Komos :)

P.S. Names have NOT been changed to protect my friends' identities. Ask Chad and Lisa if they'd do it again. If you talk to Jacquie, ask her if her fingers have defrosted yet. If you ever meet Sue, mention the tree. Go ahead. I dare you. ;)

Our Snowmobiling Crew

Jason's Mishap

Two more pics,

per Jacquie's request.

You need a mint ! ~ Conferring Part III

2011-07-19T23:23:00.009-05:00

Welcome back to our third and final week of our Conferring blog bookchat! For those just joining in the conversation, you can see our previous discussion on Cathy Mere's Reflect and Refine (week 1) and Jill Fisch's My Primary Passion (week 2.) Links can also be found on the Conferring Jog, thanks to Cathy! So far, we've learned and reflected on what brings about a good conference and the essential components of conferring. This week, we look at what exactly emerges from reading conferences... hosted right here at Our Camp Read-A-Lot!

My Thoughts...

Humor gets me every time. I'm drawn to people and things that make me laugh. For that reason, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how "CONFERRING AIN'T EASY." (p. 175) The premises listed made me realize that amazing literacy leaders like Patrick (among others) have struggled with conferring. It gives me hope that, while I may struggle, I know I can (and will!) do this.

Many smiles as Patrick was honest with these little quips....

*Shut up and listen (We've already learned how important this is!)

*Conferring is teaching, not fault finding (Oh, how I struggle with this!)

*What did we talk about? (Keeping notes and USING them is key!)

*Help, I'm drowning! (I will rely on my #cyberPD PLN if this happens!)

*You need a mint (Hahahaha!!)

The Conferring Walk-Aways sum up so many things that can emerge from a conference. As a first grade teacher working with many beginning readers, I tend to focus on assessing miscues and strategies. I need to open my mind to all of the other possibilities! My favorite walk-away was how attention is fully given to each reader. This is something that is nearly impossible to do in small group instruction. Even in a group of 3 readers, their needs are incredibly different! While I know I will still provide small group instruction of sorts, I know that I can do a much better job of meeting my students' needs by conferring one on one.

I really appreciated the Q & A section when Patrick answered "What do I do about small groups?" It makes perfect sense to me to pull groups based on needs rather than levels. I have been teaching guided reading by levels for 16 years, so it is taking me some time to make the switch! I think that conferring with readers will help me to see when the switch is necessary. I especially tuned in when he talked about being in a place where small groups are mandated (which I am.) He suggests keeping the groups flexible and purpose driven. As Debbie Miller says, "when our practices match what we believe, and when we clearly articulate what we do and why we do it, people listen." I am confident in knowing why I'm doing what I'm doing, so if it should ever come up with my admin team, it will be a conversation I'll welcome.

My favorite, favorite paragraph is the first full one on page 181. It encompasses exactly what I believe and what I need to stick to!

"We need to slow down and get back to the business of knowing children, of knowing readers. If we want children to remember, understand, extend meaning, and make their reading experiences memorable, they have to be in a classroom where there's time for that to happen."

I'll let you read the rest for yourself, but I am so moved by this! For so long, I've fought to get books in children's hands... especially for those children who are pre-readers or struggling readers. With all of the RtI initiatives and data-driven instruction today, I still firmly believe the most powerful tool I can use with a child is providing him/her with good books.

This quote from Patrick (p. 156) sums up exactly why I think conferring is essential.

"Perhaps we could build something grand and long lasting -

independent and engaged readers

who walk away from conferences with strategies and tools

to help them become confident, effective, and deeper readers."

I'm inspired and excited to begin really conferring with my new first graders!

As I closed the book after finishing it, it felt like the conversation with a mentor was over. But knowing that I'd be able to continue the conversation with all of you made me smile. I am excited to read your responses and reflections!

Remember, to participate, you can...
*Comment on my post!
*Post your reflections on your blog and place a link in the comments below so I can add your link here!
*Visit other blogs and continue conversations
*Comment on Twitter using hashtag #cyberPD.

~Komos :)

The conversation continues...
*Karen from Literate Lives talks about bravery in being a reflective teacher in Conferring - Walk Aways (Part 3)

*Jill at My Primary Passion shares her Walk Aways including making her small g guided reading have more of a conference feel.

*Michelle from Literacy Leraning Zone shares her idea for an "exit slip" to use with students to help extend learning in her post CyberPD - Conferring Part 3.

*Tony from atychiphobia shares his quest for organic reading and conferring in this era of data, test, data, test (puke!) through his entertaining post, Crunchy Granola!

*Cathy at Reflect and Refine makes the case for the value of conferring. She also shares her walk aways and links her thoughts to take aways from David N. Perkins' book Making Learning Whole. Find her supportive thoughts in her post "Conferring Ain't Easy."

*Chris from Reading Amid the Chaos shares her thoughtful plans for incorporating conferring into her resource room in Conferring Part 3: Walk Aways.

*Barbara at Love to Teach reflects on slowing down and digging deeper while conferring in her post Conferring Ain't Easy - Part 3 Conferring.

*Nicole from Nicole's Book Nook reflects on Patrick's role as a mentor. She realizes she needs to slow down and reflect on the journey in her post Conferring Reflection Part III: It's time to start ploughing.

*Carol of Carol's Corner hits home when referring to Don Graves question, "What's it for?" She stresses the importance of giving kids time to practice in her Conferring CyberPD post..

*Julie from Raising Readers and Writers takes us with her on her "authentic learning soapbox" and talks with us about building a foundation with students in My Walk Aways.

*Mandy at Enjoy and Embrace Learning reflects on how her Kindergarten students will be "tinkering" with literacy as she guides them with her conferences. Read her thoughts at Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop Part 3.

*Deb from ~~Island Beaches~~ Primary Perspective makes her case for creating authentic readers in Conferring: Keystone of Reader's Workshop by Patrick Allen reflection III..

*Tara from A Teaching Life joins in the conversation this week with her honest look at her teaching practices and plans for improving her Reading Workshop in her post Conferring in Reading Workshop.

*Shelley from Thoughts of a Teacher shares her memories of growing up with "programmed reading" and how it impacts her beliefs on conferring in Reflections on Conferring - Part 3.

An Open Mind and a Listening Ear ~ Conferring Part II

2011-07-13T10:35:00.001-05:00

This week, our Blog Bookchat revolves around Part II of Patrick Allen's book Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop. The links this week are hosted by Jill Fisch at My Primary Passion. Hop on over to check out thoughts by the many amazing educators who have joined in on our July #CyberPD! If you're just joining us, be sure to check out the conversation from last week at Cathy Mere's Reflect and Refine.

I have to start off with the concept of an open mind and a listening ear. When I read that, it really encompasses what I need to repeat to myself over and over again this year while I embark on my conferring journey. Enter each and every conference with an open mind. Be ready to listen. If I con focus on that, I think my conferences will be the more natural conversations that I want them to be.

While reading this section of the book, I found that Patrick's model for conferences (RIP) was very similar to the Sisters' model and Cathy Mere's idea for conferences. Starting off with taking a few moments to review notes and listen to the child read while recording observations. Providing instruction and insights before setting plans for future conferences and reading. I really appreciated Patrick's examples for Teacher Language during conferences! It seems like very natural, conversational language that "real readers" would be having. The language also really puts the ball in the reader's court and allows time for them to share, rather than digging for bits of language the teacher implanted earlier.

For the past few years, I've really struggled with guided reading in my classroom. (More on this later, especially after I finish Cathy Mere's book!) When Patrick talks about "rigor," I feel like that is what's missing during my guided reading time. Although students are grouped by same reading levels, students still have very unique needs and strengths. I think conferring with readers will help me to provide that rigor and bridge the gap for what I feel is missing. I do love the quote by Dana Berg on page 103: "Every child deserves that moment of an intimate personal conversation that can open and grow his or her worldly understandings and conceptions." Maybe that will help me!

Utopia. Ah, utopia. Patrick's hilarious, yet eerily familiar, description of himself with his "perfect" way of keeping track of his notes This is exactly how I imagined myself with my Pensieve. It is beautiful. It's sparkly. It's filled with good intentions and good forms. And there it sits. On my bookshelf. Used only a handful of times. After reading this section of the book, I'm convinced more than ever that paper isn't the way to go (at least for me.) I know I need to find a way that I can be consistent with my note taking and record keeping. Through conversations with my amazing Twitter PLN, I am leaning towards using Evernote. I love Patrick's honesty about his original reason for taking notes (simply because someone told him he should take notes when conferring with students.) Honestly, I think that's part of what I do. If I had my notes in an easily accessible, portable place... I am sure I would use that information more often. And after all, the goal is to confer not to collect. Right, Patrick? :)

SOAPBOX ALERT!!! Patrick hit a nerve (but in a funny way) when he mentions that D word. Data. I cringe just typing that. I will admit that I had a minor (okay, maybe not so minor) breakdown towards the end of this last school year when I was attending yet another meeting that involved numbers, test scores, and graphing data points. I believe my rant went a little something like this. Ahem. Are we ever going to have a chance to share the amazing books our first graders are reading? Will we ever get to talk about picture books that lead to deep conversations with our readers? When do I get to tell you that my kids knocked my socks off when they read for over 14,300 minutes at home during the month of May? Is there a meeting when I get to tell everyone about the conversation Kaitlyn and I had to have with the rest of the class when she recommended a book to me and that book made me cry... a lot? When do we get to talk about what really matters? I think you get my point. END OF SOAP BOX RANT.

Just like with my guided reading lessons, I agree that conferences should be short meetings to give the reader just enough to move forward. I have always been of the mindset that I have to keep it simple and focused. Otherwise, my readers are walking away on overload! I know that this will carry over to my conferring time, too. My former principal (and mentor) taught me to focus on just one MVTP (Most Valuable Teaching Point) when meeting with a group of readers. That keeps instruction focused, short, and to the point. That always weighs heavily on my mind when I meet with students. Just one MVTP.

When Patrick talked about "impromptu exchanges," I started thinking about my whole group read alouds. In my classroom, this is a time when very natural conversations, language, and reactions take place. It's all centered around a book I'm sharing or that children have requested. Throughout the story, we pause and reflect on our thinking. We laugh. We ask questions. We make connections. In fact, these conversations are the very reasons why I choose particular books for reading aloud. A teammate of mine starts her read alouds by telling her class that it is her job to read the book to them, and it is their turn to look and listen. I can't imagine not having the occasional outbursts of "OH NO!" or "That reminds me of MY sister!" while we're all sharing a story. This is the same vision I have for my conferring time. I want to be able to have these conversations with individuals. That is what is driving me... creating those joyful, purposeful, voracious readers.

I'll admit it. I shed some tears when I read the quote by Bev Bos. "What your children take home in their hearts is far more important than what they take home in their hands." I will be posting this in my classroom and referring to it often.

Overall, this section of Patrick's book affirmed my thinking that I need to just jump in and start conferring with kids. What I've been doing for the most part is "Touchstone Conferences," as he calls them. I'm already pumped about incorporating conferences into our daily routine!

More to come next week (July 20,) hosted right here at Camp Read-A-Lot, on what emerges from our reading conferences. This will be followed by our wrap up Twitter chat!

~Komos :)

Conferring, not conferencing! Conferring Part 1

2011-07-06T16:31:00.000-05:00

This week, our Blog Bookchat revolved around Part 1 of Patrick Allen's Conferring book. The links are hosted this week by Cathy Mere at Reflect and Refine. Hop over and check out other blogs and reflections on this week's reading!

My overall reaction to the first part is a feeling of relief and optimism. Relief that Patrick says the art of conferring takes time; optimism that I can (and will!) be able to do this! That being said, here are my "A-ha" moments for Part 1 of our Conferring #cyberPD.

*I have noted the difference between "conferring" and a "conference." I love Patrick's explanation! I never thought about this before, just simply used the words interchangeably. I now know and vow to use the correct term. Conferring = verb. Conference = noun. Noted. :)

*"Learning to confer is an art; we know that. It's not easy; it takes practice. But it's one of the most important and beneficial instructional moves I use with my students." (Allen, p.8) I believe this! I need to post it somewhere where I will see it often to encourage me to keep going.

* I need to do more exploring with the Confer app for iPad. I've attempted to use all sorts of recording tools while I've conferred with small groups and individuals, but I haven't found anything that works well for me! One challenge for me is going to be to use the Confer app for iPad to hold me accountable for information I gain from my conferences.

*The Don Graves quote on page 21 really struck me. "If you have even one colleague with whom you can share ideas, readings, and questions, you can draw from that enough energy to maintain your motivation and ability to grow professionally." I cannot say enough about the power of Twitter in doing just that! I have hundreds of colleagues that have stretched my professional thinking and have taught me about tools I never would have considered!

*Patrick talks about his four ultimate goals for his students. I think they are very powerful and would definitely agree with them. In my first grade classroom, I need to think about the beginning readers I'm entrusted with. Ultimately, yes... I want them all to be thoughtful, deep readers. My challenge is to get them to that point! For me, I think I'd have to go back to the Cafe model by the Sisters. I've adapted it to fit my style so it has become CAMP! I think my goals to create those thoughtful, deep readers would start with the components of camp. Those would be:

Comprehension (I understand and remember what I read.)

Accuracy (I can read most of the words.)

Make reading fluent (I can read accurately with good expression.)

Practice new vocabulary (I can find and read interesting words.)

By sticking to the menu I created and the format, I think it will help drive my conferences and will guide my conferring in the right direction.

*Patrick asks us to take a deeper look at our classrooms. I really do love the layout of my classroom! Now, that's not to say I won't change or improve things, but overall, I am very happy with the image it portrays. I love walking in to my room when the lamps are casting off a soft glow, the main llghts are off, and the nature music is playing. Seeing twenty-something first graders curled up with good books in my classroom puts a smile on my face. When Patrick talks about significant physical aspects of the environment, I loved the part about personal touches. This is what has led me to create my "Camp Read-a-Lot." Not only does it create a warm, friendly, comfortable environment, but it also portrays something that I love and enjoy sharing with students (reading AND camping!) I have stepped outside of my classroom and tried to see what a newcomer would see if entering Camp Read-a-Lot for the first time. I think they'd like what they see!

*I love the idea of charting what stamina means. We do talk about this at the beginning of the year when we're practicing the Daily Five. But I never considered defining exactly what stamina looks like and feels like, as Patrick suggests. Talking about what builds and what breaks down stamina might help to put it into more definite terms for my firsties. I do love the book Superdog: The Heart of a Hero for talking about building stamina. A good fit for first graders! Then, following up that discussion with the term "endurance" would just bring it to a new level and make my students more aware of what exactly we need to be doing during D5/RW.

*Patrick suggests recording a conference that we have with a student. What a great idea! I think I would see growth in my conferring skills if I did this at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. I wonder if there's a way to do that on my iPad. VoiceThread maybe? Might need to investigate!

*I absolutely LOVE Ellin Keene's quote on page 81. It reminds me of a quote my dad often said which was, "Good, better, best. Never let it rest till you're good is better and your better is the best." That is what really drives me! Yes, what I'm doing is good. But how can I make it better? Is this the best I can do for my firsties? This, to me, is the key to why I'm reading this book and working on my conferring skills.

*I really liked Patrick's planning guide for strategy studies. I like the way in which it really focuses on the gradual release of responsibility. Too often, I tend to introduce a skill or strategy... and then just come back to it sporadically. There isn't a rhyme or reason to what I'm doing. I think I need to update my CAMP (CAFE) menu and plan more effectively.

More to come next week (July 13) for Part 2, hosted at Jill Fisch's My Primary Passion! We'll be reflecting on the Essential Components of Conferring.

~Komos :)

"Conferring" Blog Bookchat

2011-06-29T09:20:00.000-05:00

I'm thrilled to announce a new, exciting adventure for me here in Cyberspace! Cathy Mere, Jill Fisch, and I will be hosting a Blog Booktalk (a.k.a. A Linky Party.) Everyone is welcome to join in the learning, reflecting, and discussing of Patrick Allen's book Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop. The three of us will take turns hosting the weekly blog chat throughout the month of July. Participants can reflect along with us on our blogs, post links to reflections on their own blog, and look for updates on Twitter with the hashtag #cyberPD. Even if you don't have your own blog, you are welcome to comment and/or write your reflections on the host blog.
I've heard phenomenal things about Patrick's book and his insight into the world of conferring with children. Plus, there's a foreword by his friend and colleague Debbie Miller (who ends it with her signature "Happy reading!")

The book is divided into three sections. Blog discussions will take place on the following:

July 6th
Part 1: What Brings About a Good Conference, Anyway?
Hosted at Reflect and Refine

July 13
Part 11: What Are the Essential Components of Conferring?
Hosted at My Primary Passion

July 20
Part 111: What Emerges from our Reading Conferences:
Hosted here at Our Camp Read-A-Lot

July 21
Twitter chat using hashtag #cyberPD for final reflections and more connections

The best part of all of this is that it is FREE professional development (other than the cost of the book!) You can learn and reflect right along with us from your favorite comfy spot! What an amazing way to share and learn from each other!

I hope you'll join us!
~Komos :)

Welcome to Camp Read-a-Lot!

2011-06-26T11:30:00.000-05:00

Over the years, I've grown and changed so much as a teacher! One thing I've been very proud of in the past couple of years is the set-up of my classroom. I've always loved nature and the woods. I find so much peace and inspiration there. I wanted my classroom to reflect that! So, a tour of my classroom seemed like the perfect place to start for my brand new blog! (Insert cheering here!) These photos were taken before school started in August of 2009. A few things have changed, but for the most part, this is my home away from home! Let the tour begin...

This is the view you'll get when you first walk into my classroom. (Notice that it's pitch black outside. I'm a bit of a night owl!) You can't see it in the picture, but immediately to the right is a whiteboard which is technically the front of the room. Out of view to the left is cabinets, countertops, and my built-in teacher desk.

The front of the room will hopefully have a SmartBoard someday! Below the board are shelves where we keep our individual Book Tubs, as well as books for Read to Someone. Materials for Word Work are also kept there.

This is our Book Nook area where a lot of whole group instruction takes place. Off to the right you see our Cafe menu board (which for me has transformed into our Literacy CAMP board. In keeping with the woodsy theme, I adapted the Sisters' Cafe into Comprehension, Accuracy, Make reading fluent, and Practice vocabulary... spelling out CAMP!)

Small group and guided reading instruction takes place here. I'd like to say I sit on the floor with the kids for conferencing, but more often than not, this is where we end up! My students sit under the tables, in tiny little corners, or sprawled out on the floor. Their choices for comfortable work spaces aren't always ideal for adult bodies! :)

Quite possibly the best feature of our room! This is our Cozy Corner, which serves as another place where we can curl up and enjoy our reading. (Old couch cushions were donated by my mom and work perfectly as comfy seating areas!)

Supplies are shared at the tables. In the background, you'll see just a few of my 30+ book baskets! These are sorted by topic. I also have a library of leveled books for the kids to "shop for books" for their individual book tubs.

Fantastic purchase from Really Good Stuff ! They were a bit pricey, but these colorful plastic book tubs have lasted me a few years already. Before the year begins, I use the end-of-year information from kindergarten teachers to put books in each child's book tub. This becomes very important as we start Read to Self and learning how to pick good fit books.

One thing I've added since these photos were taken is lamps. Lamps add so much to the cozy atmosphere of our room! I found woodsy themed lampshades at Meijer and bought five of them! They're located in the four corners, as well as on my built-in teacher desk. When the main classroom lights are off, there is a peaceful glow about the room. Bliss!

So, that's it! That's my classroom! I feel like it captures the essence of who I am and how I teach. I hope you'll join me for my next post... coming soon!

~Komos :)

Summer Reflection and PD

2011-06-26T11:28:00.006-05:00

Every year around the beginning of May, I start my hunting and gathering. This year was no exception! It was easy for me to gather a giant pile of professional books to read over the summer. Whether I finish all of them or not... well, that remains to be seen!

I've actually added one that wasn't on my original pile but is written by a Twitter colleague, Cathy Mere (@CathyMere.) I'm super excited to read this one and have chosen it as my first summer professional read! I'm only a chapter into it but am loving it already.

Thanks to conversations with Cathy and Jill (@jillfisch, another favorite Twitter colleague) and reading their thought-provoking blogs, I was inspired to make a list of things I hope to accomplish this summer for my PD.

Professional reads, starting with More Than Guided Reading
Continue to build my PLN on Twitter and learn from conversations there
Start my own blog and post at least once each week
Search for blogs I'd like to follow
Become more tech savvy with things like Evernote, Flickr, Skype and Dropbox
Find workshops or conferences to attend (online courses, webinars, or f2f)

I'm already signed up for an online course titled "A Dash of Wonder," thanks to a suggestion by @happycampergirl! The course is designed to help teachers figure out what they value and are passionate about in their teaching. Sounds magical to me!

There will be plenty of rest and relaxation going on for me, too! What are you planning on doing this summer to refresh and re-energize yourself for the next school year? I'd love to hear what you're learning!

~Komos :)

The house that built me...

2011-06-23T15:29:00.001-05:00

I absolutely love Miranda Lambert's song "The House That Built Me!" Through the years, there have been people and things that have influenced the teacher I have become and the teacher I am still becoming. Here's my "Top 13!"*

13) First and foremost, I have to mention my Twitter PLN. Until the past few months, I was not a believer in using Twitter for professional development purposes. What. A. Mistake. I have learned so much and made so many incredible connections because of Twitter! Thanks, Tweeps!

12) My students over the past 16+ years have taught me so much! Looking back at photos of former students reminds me over and over again about just how much I've learned from my 6 and 7 year olds.

11) My colleagues over the years have been a powerful force in influencing what I do in my classroom just as much as what I don't do! It's amazing how colleagues can show you who you want to be as a teacher and who you don't want to be.

10) Mr. Madalinski was my 4th grade teacher, and I will never, ever forget the enjoyment and laughter he brought to the classroom! He laughed, sang, played, and learned right alongside of us.

9) Janean Hansel was my principal for over 10 years. She was an incredibly talented speaker and reading teacher. I would not be the teacher I am today if she hadn't challenged and encouraged me in so many ways!

8) Marilyn Meyers was my cooperating teacher when I student taught many, many moons ago! Through her, I gained my desire to read professional resource books and know what is going on in the field of education.

7) Donalyn Miller (author of The Book Whisperer) taught me to share my reading life and really talk to my first graders about books they're reading. She also validated my enormous classroom library!

6) "The Sisters" Gail Boushey and Joan Moser have brought serenity back to my classroom! Implementing the Daily Five and Cafe has been incredibly powerful for me and my little friends. I would HIGHLY recommend looking into it if you haven't already!

5) Ok, I have to say... there are probably a lot of other author/teachers that have influenced me as well. People like Debbie Miller, Regie Routman, Franki Sibberson, and so many more have each left their imprint on who I am as a teacher.

4) Northwest Illinois Operation Snowball was a leadership group I joined in high school. I would not be the person I am today without NIOS! The people I met are my best friends to this day. The lessons I learned there made me a better person and are watermarked on my soul.

3) My all-time favorite teacher was my first grade teacher, Mrs. McCamman. One thing that sticks out in my mind is how Mrs. Mac was right by my side during our weekly presidential fitness runs (that I dreaded!) Her loving encouragement has stuck with me in my teaching.

2) Without the loving support of my family, I'd be lost! Whether it's laughing about my latest "Oh, you have to see this!" moment, shaking their heads at my huge pile of TBR books, or visiting my classroom, I know they love me and support what I do. I also have so many wonderful memories of my incredible childhood out in the country. My life wouldn't be the same without my family by my side.

1) The Chicago Cubs. Yes, you read that right. The Cubs. The only team that hasn't won a World Series in over 100 years. I bleed Cubbie blue. My die-hard love of the Cubs has taught me to never, ever, ever, ever give up. I believe that with my students and with my teaching, too. Even when things seem impossible and can't get any worse... there's always next year. :)

*I have to laugh when I use a "Top ... List!" No matter how many or how few numbers I gave my kids this year, inevitably they would need to add lines to finish their thoughts. It led me to realize that it doesn't always have to be a neat and tidy number. Sometimes a Top 10 just doesn't fit nicely!

Thanks for reading!
~Komos :)