Finishing Up Wordless Books

We've been studying wordless picture books for the last month or so in kindergarten through 2nd grade. The kids absolutely love having to "read" the pictures and figure out what is happening in the story. This week, we will vote for which book was our favorite.

We've read some great books including:

Flotsam, by David Weisner
Owly & Wormy, by Andy Runton
One Scary Night, by Antoine Guilloppe
Chalk, by Bill Thomson
A Ball for Daisy, by Chris Rashka
The Lion & the Mouse, by Jerry Pinkney
Where's Walrus?, by Stephen Savage
Chicken and Cat Clean Up, by Sara Varon
Bow-Wow Bugs a Bug, by Mark Newgarden
Beaver is Lost, by Elisha Cooper
The Last Laugh, by Arianne Dewey



Here is our first grade telling of Owly & Wormy: Friends All Aflutter using Voicethread:




To close out in 2nd grade, we read some Owly & Wormy shorts and wrote what was happening beneath. We hung those as a display in the hallway. Then the kids looked at some Garfield comics, and some from Bubba World. Their "reading" isn't perfectly accurate, but some of them are just super cute and some use their most expressive voices and crack me up. Here are some 2nd graders "reading" their comic strips:

Lit Circle Roles Posters

These are the posters I created for each role in our 4th grade lit circles. I don't have one for Summarizer done yet, but we've practiced that a lot, and kids generally know what to do. We are using Edmodo to communicate between sections, so that's why everything is posted into Edmodo. We just finished discussing all of the jobs, but we're off to a good start.

Here are some screenshots from the Edmodo groups:

Holiday Spirit!

A delivery of new books!

I'm not sure what happened, but my desk ended up covered in sticky notes!

Our cute little book tree, thanks to Pinterest & Mrs. Yoder!

One & Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is easily one of my favorite books ever.

Based on the true story of a gorilla named Ivan, this book will make you cry, laugh and really think. All the things a good book does.

What I love most about this book is the depth of the characters. Ivan, Ruby, Stella, Bob, Julia & Mack all have their stories woven into it, bound together in their relationships with each other. The depth of these relationships is what makes the book so beautiful and so heart-breaking at times.

This is a book that I could read over and over. I read it aloud to two 5th grade sections this Fall, after reading it myself last Spring. I still cried both times I read it, and both classes cheered at the end, but were very sad that it was over.

What a perfect book.



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Bigger than a Breadbox

Bigger than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Where to begin with this book....

1. Magic--I'm not crazy about books about magic. Fantasy isn't really "my thing." However, though the magic was important in this story, as Rebecca (main character) says in the end, the story isn't really that different with the magic omitted. There were times I forgot that the book was even partially fantasy, because I connected with the main character so deeply that it just seemed like realistic fiction. There was just enough magic, but not too much.

2. Characters--At one point, I literally stopped reading and thought, "Wow, I care so much about Rebecca." I was truly feeling the emotions she was feeling. As an adult, reading a book about a kid who is mad at adults, that wasn't an easy feat. I also enjoyed her connection with Lew and her grandma as the story went on.

3. The ending--I love the ending. I won't give it away, but it just fit perfectly with the rest of the story. The plot took several different changes and I wasn't able to guess what would happen next. Rebecca was on a great adventure. The author's note at the end made me connect all the more. Hearing Laurel Snyder's connection to the story made me understand how she was able to write in a way that pulled me in.

4. The balance--The heartbreaking, the funny, the sentimental, the happy...all the moments just fit so well together.

This is the first book I've read in awhile that I've truly felt a connection to--and I never even went through a similar experience to the main character. The writing was just phenomenal.





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Fall New Books

Apps!

It's getting to be crunch time for me downloading apps to the iPads! There are a few really cool apps for free today. The one that I was most excited about is called Pocket Zoo HD. It is only free for today! It has a lot of great information about animals, plus videos and live webcams from zoos around the world. I was watching sharks in Gothenburg this morning--how cool is that? It is usually $4.99, so free is a total steal! This is the first app that I've signed in and out of every student iTunes account we have in order for all the students to have it. It was worth that 20 minutes of my life!

Also for free today is Frosby Early Learning Teacher. This includes basic games about shapes, colors, counting and the alphabet for preschool and kindergarten kids.

Pre-K prep is another app that is free today. It has activities for parents to do with toddlers to prepare them for preschool. Some of them are interactive on the iPad, but there are "real life" activities, too, such as visit the local library or cutting up cardboard into shapes.

Snowflake station is also free today. We could all use some snow right now to cool us off! This app does what it says: creates snowflakes!

There is also a fun free game called KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese "Dinner, Not Art" where you use noodle shapes to create artwork. Super fun!

Here is a list of digital books reduced to free today:
Miss Priss & Cabby (friendship theme)
Miss Priss (great for girls)
Jeff the Mis-Fish (about fitting in)
The Icky Mr. Fox (fairy tale)
What Grows on Trees? (a reading zone 1st grade reader)
The Story of the Three Little Pigs - Read Aloud Edition (marked down from $2.99)

Again, stocking up on as many quality digital storybooks as you can is a great idea. Reading is the thing I do most on my iPad, and students should feel comfortable and be motivated to read, as well, if we give them great book choices.

Apps for Sale!

Current apps for free--

Snowflake Station--fold and cut your own snowflakes
The Amazing Adventures of Eco Boy--an interactive ebook app about ecology (volumes 1 & 2 are currently free)
Draw a House--use blocks to build a house; would be great for younger kids learning about communities in early elementary
Dabble--a word game for older students; build words on a graduated bleacher when given a set of 20 letters
Jambalaya--another word game similar to Boggle
Family Games Fun HD--a collection of games, such as battleship, tic-tac-toe, hangman and others
Zoola Card Match--a matching game with 3 different levels
Bingo Math--practice math facts on a BINGO card
Finger Fun--fine motor skills for PK-1 students
Apples and Pairs--a matching game using either opposites or same meaning words; has advanced levels


iBooks on sale--
Place Value from the Ground Up--textbook about place value for grades 1-3
Grandma Gets Grumpy--can read to self, or use read to me option, has questions at the end (usually $3.99)
Chemistry from the Ground Up--middle school chemistry book
My Book of Colors--a fun way to learn colors and shades for PK-K students
Medieval Diggers and Dump Trucks--a great story for anyone who loves diggers, construction or castles
Edwin the Super Otter--based off of the animals at the Seattle Aquarium
Sweet Pickles: Very Worried Walrus--a series that has one book for each letter of the alphabet (usually $4.99)

I would encourage you to "buy" as many free books as possible. In the same way that you build your physical classroom library, it is important to load the iPads with as many books and stories as possible to encourage reading and listening.

Appy Independence Week

I bope you've had a great independence week--mine has been full of patriotism: I visited lots of monuments and museums in Washington DC, saw historic Philadelphia and watched fireworks over the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic City.

Here are some apps that are currently free:

Edgemates US Capitals--a puzzle game to learn/practice state capitals
Pre-K Spell HD--early childhood spelling game
Rocket Speller--a spelling game for K-1 students
Nighty Night HD--a bedtime storybook
Zoola Opposites--a game practicing opposite words
World Explorer--an app that shows monuments and places around the world (usually $3)
App Star Picks--an app that tells which kids apps to download and includes reviews

Another fun free word game I found this week is called Hooked on Words. It is similar to Boggle but there are different ways to play. The only downfall is that there are short advertisements between games.


All of the board games are on sale this week for $.99, most of which are usually $10. This includes Where's Waldo, Monopoly, Life, Scrabble, Yahtzee, Battleship, UNO and Boggle. The LEGO Harry Potter games are on sale down to $.99 from $5.

There are also many free iBooks that you download in the iBooks store. You have to first install iBooks if you don't have it. It is free in the app store. The free iBooks are listed on this website.

Enjoy!

More Free Apps!

(H)appy Saturday!

Here are some fun free apps:

Cut da Cheese --basic geometry
Coin Catcher --a game about coins and needs vs wants
Flock da Sheep --a sorting game
Animal Smarts Re-mixed --a puzzle game
Draw Along with Stella and Sam --a drawing app
Piece me Circus --an educational game about the circus, has literacy practice

Free Apps!

I'm writing this using the free Wi-Fi at McDonalds in Mount Pleasant while waiting for my train to take me to the east coast! That being said, just writing this just about took down their Internet, so I haven't tested any of these apps like I normally do. I do have most of them in queue to download though, when I have better Internet. Here are a few apps that are free for a limited time: Coop Phonics --highly rated iapp store Grimm's Frog King The Dnow Queen --interactive musical book Sea Stars Match Animal Opposite Match Three Little Pigs, a play HD Roly-Poly (interactive fairy tale) PINOCCHIO: HelloStory Cloown Dress Up (interactive story) Hansel & Gretel Learn ABC's Kids Maths Fun 1 OWL with Numbers Super Shapes (aligned with common core) Math Play Shop (practice spending money/budgeting) [MV]Children’s Songs Also, Google just released their Chrome browser app and a Drive app which is the new Google Docs. Score!

Free App Friday

It's free app Friday! Here are the free apps you should check out today:

Toy Story Showtime --an interactive book
SoundingBoard --a great app for students who have a hard time communicating through speech
Marble Math Junior --preschool through 2nd grade math skills
iLuv Drawing Monsters --a app with step-by-step drawing instructions
Agnitus --preschool & kindergarten math, alphabet, colors, fruits, shapes, counting and animals
Spy Mouse --a game that gets progressively harder as you go, working on critical thinking skills

Check these out ASAP, they won't be free for long!

ICCA #3

I Survived #3: I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 by Lauren Tarshis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I can see why boys like this series--action packed on every page! Plus, the book is a fast read, at only 95 pages.

The main character's name is Barry, and his family gets stuck in New Orleans after trying to evacuate but being stuck in miles of traffic with a sick toddler, Barry's younger sister Cleo. They move to the attic, then on to the roof. While on the roof, Barry gets swept away. This story is about his time being trapped in the flood away from his family.

It was hard for me to read this book because I went to New Orleans about a month after the hurricane. I saw the destruction and talked with people who were there. While this story is entertaining, its not very believable. Things were much, much worse--especially in the 9th ward. Too many coincidences for me, but I see why elementary boys like it.

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ICCA #2

Neil Armstrong is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Honestly, I didn't really understand this book. The characters are fairly well developed, but there isn't much of a plot. There are a lot of things that happen, but they don't tie together very well and I didn't ever sense that there was a problem. I didn't really care what happened in the end. The historical parts of this book are somewhat interesting, which is about the only part that held my interest.

I'm hoping the rest of the Iowa Children's Choice Award books get better from here!

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Born to Fly: Book 1, ICCA

Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'd really like to give this book 3.5 stars, but I couldn't quite justify giving it 4.

Bird is a 10 year old girl who loves flying. Her dad has been teaching her how, though she isn't very good at it yet. Her best friend has just moved out of town, she doesn't get along very well with her mom, but she is very close with her dad. Unfortunately, World War II is upon them, and Bird's dad is sent off to fight in the war.

One day at school, a new boy shows up: a Japanese boy named Kenji. He is an instant target for the school bully, Farley, because he is Japanese. It is assumed that him and his uncle are rooting for the Japanese, and are maybe even spies.

Kenji and Bird end up friends, and when Kenji's uncle is accused of killing Farley's dad and blowing up the factory, they find out a hard lesson in friendship that almost gets both of them killed.

Once I got "into" this book, about 1/3 of the way through, I loved it. There were a few too many references to bras, though, for an elementary book (subtract those and my rating would be up to 4). A lot of action, explosions, flying, strong female character, murder, mystery...a little bit of everything here!

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April Things

Our "Poet Tree" (get it?) sprouted some famous poets' names this week. Next week, I have the feeling it will be sprouting some famous poems!

I'm obsessed with Titanic. Everyone knows it. That excitement has definitely fired up our students about the ship, as well! Everyone loves learning about it. This is the bulletin board of facts I put together. Its really one that you have to stop and look at and really spend some time at.

These kids love reading about Titanic and learning by looking at pictures! Its contagious, I tell ya!

Doing a little light reading while I enjoying breakfast.

Listening to kids read their books to each other (and their stuffed animal buddies) is always the best part of my day. 

The least best part of my day--a messy desk after Spring break, and a long to-do list after Spring break. Don't worry, I got a lot more boxes crossed off by the end of the day!

2 Weeks in Review

The past two weeks have been crazy busy. And the next 2 months are going to be equally busy! Here are a few pictures to sum things up.

Lunch of Champions

Green Eggs & Ham iPad Story

2 options for tech next year: iPad 3 or Lenovo ThinkPad

1st grade made crazy creatures like Dr. Seuss did!

Serving green eggs & ham

Yum!

Green eggs & ham

Nerdy Things

I learned how to play Magic today. Well, I know more about it than I did before anyway!

I also took an IQ Test that one of the students who attends Kirkwood Academy learned about in his Psychology class.

Talent!

We have some very talented music students here at CC. I went to the Variety Show on Saturday night and had a great time!

Thursday/Friday

Thursday and Friday the 1st graders used buildyourwildself.com to create creatures. We've been learning about Dr. Seuss and he made up all sorts of wacky creatures, so we did too! The kids were rockstars on the computers, as well.

Wednesday

We read the cat in the hat & played a fun rhyming Promethean activity in 1st grade today!

Typing Club

I am in love  with Typing Club, a sweet website that teaches kids (or anyone else) how to type correctly. The lessons are fast, but effective. The website now has a login for teachers and you can easily create classes. You can make it competitive by allowing the students to see each others' progress. Another nice thing is that students can redo lessons if they aren't happy with their score. And the "scoring" gives you stars, just like Angry Birds--which kids love.