June 12, 2017

Today is the first day of our #CISDLitCamp and we are talking about how teachers must be passionate about reading and writing themselves if they are to impact their classroom. And then I look at the last time I've posted to this blog and it has been almost 3 months!  Eek!!
What is the cause of this lapse in time? Is it that I'm too busy? Too distracted by technology? Don't have anything to write about? I think it could be a combination of all 3 things. I am about to embark on two writing challenges for the summer; Teachers Write 2017 and A Slice 0f Life 2017. Hopefully this will be the kick start that I need to get back into writing.
Currently reading: Book Scavenger
Currently writing: Working on an idea for a children's book :)

March 28, 2017

How is it that my writing on this blog ebbs and flows like the mighty Mississippi? I always have the best of intentions to write daily; weekly; ok, even monthly would be great at this point!! As a reading and writing teacher, I value the importance of daily reading and writing with reflection time. Except that if I'm totally honest, it just doesn't happen.  So, how do I encourage my students to do the one thing that I myself find difficult to do? We set a goal, we try to muster through and then we accept that we can only do our best. So for today and moving forward, I am going to try to post a couple of times a week. We'll see how it goes!!

Teacher's Write 2016
June 30, 2016

Quick Write- Saying More with Metaphors: Using the Element of Surprise to Say Big Things

Today we are challenged to put words together to create a vivid metaphor. I decided to play with worry and a forest fire.  Worry can start out as a single thought, an idea or concern. It takes only one match to start a fire. As we worry and fret over what may or may not happen, we fan the flames. A small fire might burn only one twig but if left unattended, it soon engulfs the entire forest. If we continue to fret and worry, we are soon consumed just as the forest fire licks each branch and mighty oak!!

Teacher's Write 2016
June 28, 2016

Today's assignment: 100 Steps

I modified my assignment so that it landed me at a Starbuck's that I don't normally frequent. So for 10 minutes, I am just going to observe and record...

Music playing overheard
Customers ordering fru fru drinks
A person bent over their drink, earbuds wrapped around their ears- either deep in thought or quietly asleep
An iPhone signaling someone has a new message or text
Baristas dropping dishes
Silly laughs resulting
Animated conversations between friends


This picture is in front of me at Starbucks.  And I think it captions what I saw and heard.

                       Seconds, Minutes, Hours, It's Life

           The music blares from some speaker overhead
She is bent over her drink, is she deep in thought or asleep?
      "I'll have a Frappuccino, please, light on the cream."
Drop, crash, laughter all around, what a sight, seeing coffee on the ground...
             "But then you know what I said to him?"

Everyday people. Everyday events. Putting their heart into their job and into their lives. And just because I chose to sit back and observe I got to see it unfold in front of me!! How much more we could see, when we put our heart into it...

Teacher's Write 2016
June 27, 2016 What's In Your Notebook?

Let me start off by saying that I have been looking forward to participating in Teacher's Write since last summer! I encouraged people to join me and be a reader who writes and a writer who reads. So what happened? Why am I over a week late to the party? Because I took my yearly vacay with my sisters and this year's cruise was nothing short of spectacular!! And I have had a hard time re-entering the real world!! I have taken a nap. every. single. day! I have yet to finish unpacking my suitcase! And I am counting the days to my next getaway!!

So with that me being said, I decided today, I have to take the plunge and dive in!! I will be behind for a couple of days, but, I really want to be present in this writing camp!! So as we said in Jamaica, "No problem, mon!!"

What's In Your Notebook? asks the age old question- electronic or paper and pencil? Each year I struggle with way I want to record my summer musing and thoughts. I always start with paper and pencil, because just like books, I like the feel and smell of paper. Then I will transfer to digital so that I can share and collaborate with others. I love how it is suggested that we need to make sure that for our learners the notebook belongs to them and that it is for them. Too many times as teachers, we feel the need to tell our learners what to write or how to record it. What if this was truly of collection or a house for their thoughts, their dreams, their wonders? I've bookmarked this blog entry so I can revisit it early August before school starts.

Day 7 of Our Poetry Challenge

Day 7 of Our Poetry Challenge

Today we learned about the poetic device of similes and metaphors and we are trying to write a poem using them.

Dew on the Grass

by Mrs. Cook

In the early morn I walked 

Across the dewy grass

My toes scrunched up

The cold bit them hard

They were blocks of ice!!

4-6-16 Day 6 of our Poetry Challenge

4-6-16 Day 6 of our Poetry Challenge

A Smashup of Trees and Onomatopoeia

by Mrs. Cook

A peach tree was bought

But I think it was for naught

It sits in the pot

While the weather gets hot

And I am about to go

Kapow!