Late...Wednesday WOW!...oops!

Happy Halloween!
Did you go out tonight?  I walked around with a mermaid and a Spider-Girl.

Did I mention that it was pouring...wait...POURING!  We got a little soaked.  But that just makes for a very memorable night.

So, moving on...I completely forgot my own linky party!  Oh my!  It is late, but I'm rollin' with it. :)

I have two small WOWs this week.  First one-Aimsweb.  We just adopted Aims as our progress monitor for math and reading this year.  We did math last year but not the reading component.  I have been working hard to understand the "rate of improvements," growth lines, trend lines, etc (should I keep listing?)  I did figure out many things but then we had some training yesterday....and...AHA! I finally get it.  I finally get it.

Second up...home.  I have been feeling a little overwhelmed lately (anyone else?)  It is my fault.  I look around my house, or think about school, or think about blog-land and just start to feel overwhelmed with all the things that need or want to do.  So much cleaning, so many toys, so many student needs, ( I shouldn't go on.)
That leads me to home.  We went to my parent's house for dinner this week (they just live next door).  And I realized (well, forgot) how nice it can be to just be at home.  To just relax.  To not need to clean.  No laundry for a little while.  It was needed.  It was nice.  We probably all have a place that is calming to us.  But I seem to forget that my place is just next door.

Hope you can link up to share something WOW about your week.

 

Super Sleuth Blog Hop Stop #11

The Case of the Missing Nursery Rhymes

Calling all young detectives!!  My nursery rhyme objects got all mixed up and I need help matching them to the correct rhyme!

This activity asks students to read through 8 different nursery rhymes with you.  Then they must look at clues and decide which rhyme the clues match to.  It is a great way to get our younger students to think critically about the text. It forces the students to do more than read on the surface.  They must think critically and problem solve! This is also an excellent activity that can be used for a Family Literacy Event.

This detective bundle includes:

• Classroom and Event ideas
• Family invitation
• Nursery Rhyme book
• Detective Notebook
• and A Powerpoint to display the rhymes

Grab this Blog Hop FREEBIE by clicking on the image below.  

Now that you've learned a little about the missing nursery rhymes, you're ready for my clue.  On your form, you can record the letter. (If you don't have the form--head back to stop #1.)

If this is your first stop, you can start at stop #1 with Comprehension Connection.
Thanks for visiting today.  I hope you'll enjoy my activity with your students, and if you'd like to keep informed of upcoming events from our group, please click the button below to follow us on Bloglovin'.

 Hope you enjoy your detective journey! Now, on to the...

  

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1. Comprehension Connection

2. Dont Let the Teacher Stay Up Late

3. The Reading Tutor/ OG

4. Learning Fundamentals

5. Reading and Writing Redhead

6. Ms. Ds Literacy Lab

7. Conversations in Literacy

8. Teacher Mom of Three

9. A Day in the Life of a Title 1 Teacher

10. Luckeyfrog"s Lilypad

11. Curious Firsties

12. All Four Reading

13. Thinking Out Loud

14. Ms. Jordan Reads

15. Big Time Literacy

16. Read with Me ABC

17. Teaching With Nancy

18. This Little Piggy Reads

19. The Literacy Minute

20. Book Units Teacher

21. Reading Toward the Stars

22. The Literacy Garden

23. Im Lovin Lit

24. Ripper Resources

25. Teachers Take-Out

26. Sweet Integrations

27. Reading is Elementary

28. The Rungs of Reading

Five for Friday....just a little early

Wow! What a quick week it has been (could have been because I was out of town for part of it).  But happy Friday to all!  I saw my first snowflakes of the year this evening...this means...it is school sweatshirt and jeans for me tomorrow!  The cold just makes me want to bundle up and feel comfy :)

Linking up with Doodle Bugs for 5 for Friday (but a little early this week).

1.
Friday starts the weekend Super Sleuth Blog Hop!  We are stop #11.  There are 28 stops and each has a FREEBIE for you!  Plus....there is a chance to win 30 bucks to TPT at the last stop.  Woot! Woot!

 2.
One of the highlights of my week....meeting the Math Coach!  She has just changed my math teaching and made me feel enthusiastic about math (which has always been a struggle for me).  I have always struggled in math, so to teach it always felt challenging to me.  Her explanations are so explicit and helpful to me.  Meeting her at the Baltimore NCTM conference was just as I imagined it would be.  She helped me to see what we were doing well and how we could tweak our instruction.  That led me to do some construction of rekenreks on my 10 hour drive home.

3.
I was so excited about the different experiences that we had on our little trip.  My Ben got to hang out with the girls while I enjoyed my math conference and I hung out with them while he enjoyed his workshop in DC.  I asked my 3 and (almost) 5 year old what their favorite thing was.  Answer: metro train. :)
Can I share some family photos with you?  I will try not to bore you...

Me and my Ben at Lincoln Memorial

Rainbow at Clemyjontri Park

Chesapeake Bay

 4. 

Burgers...Maria and I love a good burger.  And my Ben makes a really good burger. Maria and I love love love when he cooks us girls up some food to eat!  But I had a great cheeseburger in DC.  Too good not to take a picture of and share (is that gross? Maybe I should have cropped out my face!)

 (By the way, do you see my daughter's forehead!  She had just taken a dive out of her stroller onto the concrete in front of the Washington Monument!)

5. 

I am still wrapping my head around all the new math learning (or tweaking of things I already knew).  Natalie and I sat down to go over everything but my brain is still whirling.  I know our learning will transpire into some new lessons, which will lead to some new posts.  But here are a few highlights...

*Don't teach key words for word problems.  Focus on meaning.

*Subitize with dot cards, two colored dot cards, and tens frames.  Focus on the "how do you know?"

*Make sure that I am using lots wide range of language when referring to adding and subtracting

"three add five; three and five; three plus five...etc"

*Number bracelets are great for combinations but also missing number!

*I must buy and watch Number Talks. 

Hope you have a good weekend!  And can grab some FREEBIES in the Blog Hop!

My Truth Monday... on Thursday

Man, I am late to the party on everything this week.  Actually, I just found this Truth-filled linky and I'm really excited about the topic this week.  :)
So, I am linking up with Denise over at Sunny Days in Second Grade for her My Truth Monday.  This week is about fitness. 

 

 



Fitness is near and dear to my heart.  I have always been doing something since I was a little girl.  I started out playing tee ball when I was 5, moved into baseball, then softball by third grade.  In third is also when I started playing volleyball.  In addition to those two sports,  I have dabbled in soccer, swam on the summer swim team, and muddled through basketball (and hated every minute of it).

Once I stopped playing volleyball as a junior in college, I decided I needed to do something.  That something was running.  I have run several half marathons and one full marathon.  I LOVE running.  I love the solitude but the community feel of it.  I love getting in the "Zone" and looking down wondering how I went that far.  :)  As I had kiddos, working out became a little more challenging.  When we had two littles, I would just throw them in the double jogger and head out for a 10 miler. When we added our third three years ago, that was not feasible anymore. So, I started to take advantage of our gym that had childcare included in our dues.  :)  My girls sometimes will complain and I think it would be easy for me to say... ok we won't go, but that's not fair to me or quite frankly, them.  Being a teaching mom I know I don't see my girls all day but I still use this "Truth" with them now and in the summer.  I know I am a better mom when I'm working out. So here is my truth....

So I hope this truth will resonate with you the next time you feel "guilty" about putting your kiddos in the gym childcare or putting them to bed a little early, or throwing them in the jogger for a 10 mile run.  :)  I am also reasonable with myself now.  I can't work out 6 days a week anymore, so I shoot for 4, but some weeks I can only make it two or three days and I have to be ok with that.  :)