Joy Cowley DOUBLE Giveaway!

Do you remember learning to read? I don't, but I wish I did! Lucky for this teacher, I get to be a part of that reading moment for kids everyday and I love it. I cherish those moments.

Some of my all time favorite books for early readers have the same author, Joy Cowley. I was introduced to her books while I was student teaching 16 years ago. I've been a fan ever since. I've built readers with her books. I've laughed with Mrs. Wishy Washy and stopped with the milkman. I.love.her. When I met her at ILA, I was almost speechless. She is just as I imagined, calm and sweet, a lover of words and children. 

Ah! Sorry for geeking out! I just want to share the Joy Cowley love!! Her books are a must have for early readers, struggling readers, readers who like to giggle, readers who love animals, readers....well, you get the idea! Joy Cowley rocks and Hameray is her publisher! They are hosting a HUGE giveaway and a mini contest, too! Click HERE to enter the mini contest for one Mrs. Wishy Washy big book. 

Hameray Publishing is also giving away a Joy Cowley Collection! The lucky winner will receive an entire set of the Joy Cowley leveled readers (60 books,) Joy Cowley Early Bird lower-leveled readers (45 books,) all of her newest big books (34 of them,) a set of finger puppets and more! The book levels range from C-I and will be an amazing addition to any primary classroom! Read more about the collection HERE.

Enter to win this entire set for your readers! Click HERE or on the pictures! It takes 5 seconds! 

Fall in love with Joy Cowley if you haven't already! Hurry though, contest ends 2/28 and the winner will be announced 3/1!

What We're Reading Sunday

Thank you for checking out our (almost) weekly post, What We're Reading Sunday!

Of all the teacher books I have read in the last, I'm going to say year, this one is the one I recommend most. In fact, I'm going to put it all out there and say that if you teach reading K-5, you should get this book. Right now. Like, don't wait. Meet The Reading Strategies Book Jennifer Serravallo.

I sat down to write out my lesson plans for small groups and felt so empowered flipping through the pages of the book. There are 3 chapters just on informational reading and the layout is the most teacher friendly I have EVER seen. It has everything you need to plan groups and even whole group lessons as needed. If the Units of Study are your body, you need this book as your legs! 

This book was written for me. It was written for teachers by someone who gets us-Jennifer Serravallo. I love her other books, too (see below) but this one is hands down my favorite. Maybe it is because this is filling a current void for me. Maybe it is the easy to use format. Maybe it is because I can use this book for years to come, no matter what grade I'm teaching! 

Come friends, see for yourself....

 Each section has strategy, genres, levels it is appropriate for, teacher language, and a visual. There are also tips, too. 

You can't borrow this one. You can't share it with your teacher bestie. You need your own. I just told a friend that she must buy it for her new teacher daughter.  We need this book. Our kids, our readers, need us to have this book. Our visual teacher brains need this book!

If you do pick up this $40ish treasure (worth every penny,) let me know what you think!

The Primary Peach

Hi guys! I'm guest blogging on The Primary Peach today with a sneak peek into my classroom. Check out my post, but then be sure to check out the other posts starring creative and beautiful classrooms across Georgia! 
                                                        
Here is a sneak peek just for you!

What is your favorite part of YOUR classroom?

Engaging First Graders in Social Studies

I'm so excited to be sharing engaging social studies ideas with first grade teachers in my county tomorrow! 

Click the pictures below to download two of the activities I'll be sharing! I'll post details and slides soon.....eyes closing as I type! 

and the links....

http://www.benfranklin300.org/_edu_pdf/BF300Plans_Elementary7.pdf

http://www.libertyskids.com/nowthen/index.html

http://mrnussbaum.com/franklin/

Happy, happy Wednesday!

First Grade Here I Come!

As a kindergarten teacher, one of my favorite parts of the day was writing. I love kid art. I love invented spelling. I love seeing the progress over time. I love this very same thing as a first grade teacher and as a mother. 

I am teaming up with some amazing K-1 teachers~Keeping Up With Mrs. Harris,  Learning Lessons with Mrs. Labrasciano, and Fun in Room 3 (featured on Mrs. L's blog) on a four part blog series all about preparing your kindergartener for first grade. Topics include phonics, phonemic awareness, sight words, and mine--the power of drawing and writing! Join us and grab all of these freebies, too!

I am a firm believer that a forced writer is an unhappy writer. I've been the forced writer and I've been the teacher with the unhappy writer. Thank goodness times have changed, I've learned a thing or two, and the world of education has a better idea about what makes a great writer. 

So how can parents with a child starting kindergarten or a child transitioning to first grade prepare their writer?

Step 1: Write. Let your child see writing in your life~grocery lists, notes to the teacher, etc. 

Step 2: Write with your chid. By write, I mean draw and write. Sit next to your little writer and let them draw whatever they want. If they have trouble coming up with something, bring up a memory~a special place, trip, family member, favorite animal, etc. Once they have a picture, help them label the picture with the beginning sounds, or the whole word if they are ready. For example, if they draw a house, you would help them sound out the word and your child might write HS. That is awesome!

Once the masterpiece is done, you could have them give their work a title. (See freebie below!) The title for the house picture might be "Our House" or "Where I Live." Let them come up with it! It can be silly and fun! It can also be a few random letters stringed together. That's ok! When done, "read" the picture with your child. Whatever you do, don't write for your child! They will expect it next time and every time after that! You can write a letter on a sticky to show them how to form the letter, but don't write for them!  

If your child is beyond this stage, move to helping your child with words and putting them into a sentence. (See freebie below!) Have them draw first (this helps them remember what they will write) and then write their words. Encourage them to talk while they draw. This (oral rehearsal) will help when they start writing their words. 

If your child is beyond this or really loves this, staple pages together to make books or buy a fancy journal. If your not sure where your chid is as a writer, check out this great graphic from HeidiSongs! 

Step 3: Celebrate your child as a writer! Hang up the pictures! Call the grandparents and have your child read their story (words or not!) Make it the screensaver on your iPhone! Post it to Instagram! 

Step 4: Repeat and repeat often. 

Becoming a better writer is much like becoming a better reader. The only way to get better at it is to practice, practice, practice! Keep it fun. As soon as it becomes stressful for you or your writer...stop. Do something else and revisit it later! That's what real writers do! 

Here are two freebies to get you started! Each set includes one title paper and one paper with lines. The first set is vertical and the second is horizontal. Happy writing!

        

Now head over to my friend Amy's blog for amazing phonics tips and a FREEBIE!

If you have another tip to share or a question, leave a comment! Thanks for checking out our hop!

The Day After Blues

Aaah, the day after Christmas. This day is famous for belly aches and buyer's remorse. In the reader's world though-today is a day of pure bliss! Time to sit and enjoy the books that a sweet loved one gifted you (or maybe you gifted yourself.) Whether it be digital or *gasp* a real book, today is a good day!

T received a few that he is super excited about! 

The first, Melvin Might, is illustrated by one of my heroes, David Shannon. I should also mention it is written by another favorite (especially in the boy department) Jon Scieszka! This book goes for about $13 on Amazon, but I picked it up at Tuesday Morning a few weeks ago for less than $5. 

T loves it! Melvin worries a lot and unlike so many books where the worrying ends, Melvin tries something, but just like in real life, he still worries. It is perfect for those machine and truck loving kids! 

Laura Numeroff's latest If You Give A Donut was also in T's pile o' gifts. As a HUGE Numeroff fan, and I'm not just talking her Pig, Mouse, and Moose books. Oh no, Laura (first name basis) and I go wayyy back! Have you read Dogs Don't Wear Sneakers? or Why A Disguise? If not, you should! 


As for this one, well, um, T and I like the pictures. The dog is adorable. The text, well, is just not as inviting and it just does not flow like the others. We had high hopes...maybe too high. We will pass this one along to the firsties. I am sure they will be thrilled. Will they like it as much as the other cycle stories? We'll see! 


My grownup read (which will probably be read in February) is In Pictures and In Words by Katie Wood Ray.  

What are you reading on this day after?

Leaf the Rest Behind!

Fall has arrived! T and I are loving it! He is beyond excited about the leaves and prospects of making a leaf pile. Unfortunately, the leaves are too wet! 

We did however, go on a little leaf hunt! He has been listening to "Going on a Bear Hunt" at school, so we of course read the book at home. You can get the book here. It is one on my favorites from my days in kindergarten. T and I followed the same tune and headed out into the wide blue yonder.....the front yard. 

"Oooh! A red one, a green one, a yellow one, a brown one, but where is the orange one? Dis one has a little orange. I like the red one, Mommy. It is bootiful." I mean it was non-stop leaf talking!!! Want a leaf hunt book? Check this out! 

Then came the leaf peek-a-boo! 

Our favorite leaf books:

T likes the colors in this one. My firsties liked making leaf creatures after reading it! All around-this is a must have! (Click the book to find it on Amazon!) I think we all know I'm a Ehlert fan! 

This is another good one! T and I are planning an art project to go along with it! The tree complains that all the other seasons are easy, but fall causes problems. T and the firsties LOVE the illustrations and rhyming text! Get it here for around $10.00. PS Our favorite page is the stripes OR as T says in his loudest toddler voice..."IT HAS STRIPES!!"

Happy fall, ya'll! Remember, no matter how stressful things are, or how full your plate is, "leaf it all behind" and spend time with the ones you love!

MoNsTeR?!?

T will be 3 in January and so the time is right. The time to share one of my all time favorite (I know I have quite a few) books with him. This is one of the books that I read the very first week of first grade.

Here's how I start the book talk-"Boys and girls, I want to share a book with you and the main character is Grover from Sesame Street." This is met with "what, Sesame Street, is that a board book, blah blah blah." I then say, "I know what you are thinking-Sesame Street is for babies and you are just too old for that. So let's make a deal. If you don't like it when I am done, I will take it home and never ever ever bring it back! Deal?"

Then I read the book and they BEG for me to read it again. Here we are, four weeks into school and they STILL ask me to read the book! "Please don't take it home, please!" :)

Here it is...(click on the pic to visit Amazon)

I just so happen to also have this in board book and on cd! 

Now, this is one of those books that you MUST read before sharing with your child. You must become a Sesame Street character and go for it! You have to act like you are nailing the pages and tying them down and so on! I guarantee a smile from your toddler, your kindergartener, your first grader, and maybe even your spouse! 

There is a sequel, but much like great movies, the second one just doesn't compare.

Still not sold? Check this out! My Mommy Reads (link to T and I reading the book! Push play and enjoy!)

I Love Skype!

Tonight, A is having a sleepover with my mom. This means lots of Skype action for she and T! I have said this before, but I say it again-he LOVES A!! She was reading Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School when we called. She read a few pages to T and then he decided to reciprocate. After searching through his piles of books, he picked up his copy of Up In The Sky (an Eric Carle board book from a Chick fil A happy meal) and read it page for page! She was quite impressed! <There is one word per page and it is a label of the picture.>

I love Skype for helping bring my family closer to me, and most importantly-my T! Five years ago, I wouldn't have believed this to be possible! 


As for Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School, I will totally be reading it this year. It is a great introduction to the character that Amelia later becomes. I love Amelia Bedelia and my first graders do, too! She even has her own website! Click here!

Trucks, Trucks, and More Trucks!

T loves trucks! I am sure he is not the only toddler boy with this obsession, but he may be the only one obsessed with finding them on the road and in books. As we drive down the road, he yells, "TRUCK!!" followed by, "I need to find one more truck mommy, one more!"

He has one truck book in particular that he loves and returns to often. It is a Dorling Kindersley Reader. These fab books are known in the teaching world as DK Readers. They come in 4 levels, 1-Beginning to Read, 2-Beginning to Read Alone, 3-Reading Alone, and 4-Proficient Reader. Big Machines by Karen Wallace, is a level one-perfect for a toddler and my truck-loving first graders!

Hubby and I are thrilled that T loves books. Watching him get to this phase of pre-reading is helping me understand language development. Being a mommy is absolutely making me a better teacher! 

Check him out "reading" this book!

The Paul Frank "cool dude" shirt is a bonus!

I have many DK Readers in my classroom and was introduced to several more at Teacher's College. Visit their site to see the many options! http://us.dk.com/ I know I am going to invest in a few more of the Star Wars collection, as that continues to be a hot topic with my firsties-even the girls!

Trace and Learn!

"Ooooh, this is a hard book." T is referring to the feel of the book, not the text. However, I think we have all heard that a time or two in our classrooms about the content. :)

Our morning read was a book new to me. It is A is for Apple and it is an interactive Tiger Tales book. We bought it at Target for about eight bucks. I was thinking of its' dual purpose~learning letters for T and the letter tracing/texture features for my developing first grade readers. It was a big hit with T and I have a feeling it will be with my firsties! (He loved it so much he watched Cat in the Hat with it!)

  

What I/we love about this book:

T-lift the flap fun

Mommy-two objects that start with each beginning sound

T-cool pictures

Mommy-repeated text on each page, "__ is for __ and __."

T-the letter T and the letter A

Mommy-the traceable letters we can feel AND the arrows that show you the correct direction

T-the igloo (HE LOVES IT!)

Mommy-the not so obvious pictures, like igloo! These are great for vocabulary building...especially with a curious toddler! 

We are totally going to purchase the number version on our next trip to Target. Do you want to know more about Tiger Tales? I did! Check out their site-http://www.tigertalesbooks.com. Great for toddlers and up!

Guest Reader!

We all have guest readers, Mystery Readers, etc visit our classrooms. In my first grade classroom, we call our guests "Celebrity Readers." The kids love it and so do I! (For more info, check the "teacher action" page of the blog.) I am pleased to be hosting a guest reader of my very own this week. Who might you ask? A, my almost 6 year-old niece.

A will be starting first grade in the fall. That means she is basically like the little monkeys who will be in my class in August. It is like I am getting a glimpse into their pre-me lives! A is a beautiful reader and enjoys it, just like her mommy. Her mommy (my lil' sis) is an avid reader devouring at least two books a day. She reads wayyyy more than I do and actually reads adult lit.  I would rather read children's lit and teacher books and she thinks that is absurd! We make a great pair!

I bought the book, The Kittens ABC the other day as a gift for my mom. The book is oLd! It was published in 1965 and has had lots of love. My sister loved cats and so does my mom and I knew she would just love it!

No surprise here, but A, our in-house animal lover, wanted to read the book! She hugged the book, looked at every page, and talked about what was happening! (My heart skipped a beat!) Then she read to T. She would have read more, but well, he is 2 1/2. :)

I feel certain there will be more buddy reading over the next couple of days. I mean, it is not because I carry books in my bag or anything! :)

Eric Carle

Sorry for my absence! I have just returned from a week in NYC at Columbia College! Stay tuned for book recommendations and tidbits from the workshop!

O! how I dreamt of things impossible. William Blake


This is how Eric Carle's Dragons Dragons and Other Things That Never Were begins. It is a large book (in height and width) and is full of fun, short poems. Mythological creatures including the hippocamp, manticore, phoenix, yeti, and okolo fill the pages in classic Eric Carle form. We did not read every page, but we did look at every picture. I know next time, we can check out more of the words! You can purchase the book on Amazon for around $12.00 and it is worth every penny. While T enjoys the pics now, I know he will enjoy the poetry later. (Mommy does!)

T was terrified of the dragon page, but thrilled that it unfolded into one large long page. His favorite was the unicorn. He even drew a few pics to go with the story. I had hoped he would be drawn to "Ganesha, Ganesha is a wise old God. If you're ever in India, do visit a bit where he likes to sit and maybe your wish will come true." (Myra Cohn Livingston) He looked at the page, said, "hmm elephant" and kept going. We had a short chat about India (which is what he calls his play kitchen area) and moved on to the next page. Curious about the next page? It is beautiful sphinx.

Teachers working on a mythology unit, poetry, or a study of Eric Carle MuSt have this book. Older students will be familiar with Eric Carle and will be thrilled to see him reappear!

Teacher Time!

I participated in The Sisters Daily 5 and CAFE workshop last November. It was Ashmazing! (Yes, that is a new word!) Implementing Daily 5 has changed everything about reading instruction in my classroom. I know my students on a whole new level! The growth (not just in reading) has been huge!

One of the things that struck me most at the conference was the brain research talk. Now I have read my share of brain research that I did not understand, but this was crystal clear-we only have about 5-7 minutes to share important info with our 6 year olds before they go into lala land. Here is a site The Sisters shared this link at the workshop-Brain World Magazine. It is worthy of a few minutes of click and read!

Another favorite resource was shared again at their Tacoma conference this week (thanks Lori!) I need to look through this again when back to school gets a little closer! Daily 5 Freebies

My book recommends are for teachers and they are, of course, The Daily 5 and The CAFE Book!

Smoochie Smoochie!

I love kissing my little guy. I love his kisses most in the universe! So today we read a book all about kisses--A Book of Kisses, by Dave Ross and illustrated by Laura Rader.  Amazon has it, but only used copies. I bought mine through a Scholastic book order for about $4. That is much cheaper than Amazon on this one!

As you can see, T really enjoyed acting out the different kisses!

There are hello kisses and goodbye kisses, good night and good morning kisses. There are fishie kisses and butterfly kisses, and bubble gum kisses-and our favorite-rubbing noses kisses! The book is long for a toddler, so I needed to adlib a bit (my secret talent anyway!) It is sweet and has family ties which I love, especially with my family out of town!