Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Wonder Wednesday #110 (NTCE Here I Come)...

Wonder Wednesday - NTCE Convention






I'm still so surprised sometimes about the professional journey I have taken during the last few years.  I use to be a teacher who loved to read and share that passion with my students.  I was somewhat alone on this path, but I didn't mind.

After discovering Twitter and the Nerdy Book Club, my whole world changed.  Last December I was attending a workshop by Donalyn Miller.  We discussed that NCTE was going to be held right here in Minneapolis.  I was thrilled that I might have the opportunity to meet so many of my Twitter friends; both teachers and authors.  It was exciting to think that I could attend this convention and listen to some awesome speakers.

Donalyn mentioned I should join their group that would be submitting a proposal to the NCTE committee.  I was in shock.  What did I know about presenting at such a large conference.  After some careful thought I decided to step out of my comfort zone and join this incredible group.

This week I learned that my school and district would be willing to pay for me to attend this convention and cover my reserve teacher days.  I realized this really was going to happen.

At the end of November I will be on a panel with Donalyn Miller, Colby Sharp, Katherine Sokolowski, Teri Lesesne, Brain Wyzlic, Shanetia Clark, Cindy Minnich and Jessica Lefshitz.  Just typing those names, gives me butterflies in the pit of my stomach.  How did this little teacher from the Minneapolis area get to this spot with the "big wigs"?

I'm excited for this opportunity.  I'm nervous for the experience.  I know it will be an incredible chance for me to continue my journey from being a "lone nerd" to being a "social nerd"!

You can be sure I will be blogging the "road" to the convention and all that happens from now until the big event.

Hope to see you there!  Patrick

Picture Wednesday #4 (Now What?)...

"Now What?"

*How cool is this photograph.  I just love it.  Pictures like this are great thought provokers.

*This was the picture I used with my writers today.

*Each Wednesday we write in our writer's notebooks about a particular image.

*They can record their thoughts, reactions, connections, likes/dislikes, reminders, noticings, or anything else they would like.  

*Some of the writers choose to write a fiction story based on the picture.

*We write between five and ten minutes and then do a quick share at the end.  

*The photos always lead to lots of conversation and the sharing of ideas.  I try to get them to write first and then we can share what we wrote and what we were thinking.

*The writers are really enjoying writing about these photographs.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Treat Tuesday #110 (Loaded-Up Pretzel Cookie)...

Treat Tuesday - Loaded-Up Pretzel Cookie


*I have a friend that made a different cookie each week last year and posted it to Facebook.

*She reposted this one as one of her (and family) favorites.  

*We will be trying it out very soon.

*I am a cookie lover.  Great treat to have while reading!  


Ingredients...

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups miniature pretzels, broken
  • 1-1/2 cups flaked coconut
  • 1-1/2 cups milk chocolate M&M's

Directions...

  • Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. 
  • Stir in remaining ingredients.
  • Shape 1/4 cupfuls of dough into balls; place 3 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. 
  • Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.Yield: 2 dozen.

Treat Tuesday:  Middle-Grade Novel


Pie by Sarah Weeks









Treat Tuesday:  Adult Novel


Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff 

Monday, September 28, 2015

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (9/28/15)...



Thanks to Jen and Kellee for hosting this idea on their site.  Here is a link to their site...
                
 http://www.teachmentortexts.com/


*The month of September is always a bit frustrating for me.  I do so much reading during the summer months and when I head back to work, my reading life seems to come to a screaming halt.  

*I'm working on trying to find more time in my life to get to these awesome books!  



Books I Read this Past Week… 



The Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo

*5 STARS out of 5 Stars!








Books I Will (continue to) Read this Week 


The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian

*My adult novel









A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

*An adult novel









The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall

*My middle-grade novel

Music Monday #3 (Dreamer by Chris Brown)...



"Dreamer" by Chris Dreamer

*This was our third Monday where we featured our music selection.

*Each Monday I highlight a piece of music to share with my writers.  

*We begin with showing a video that goes along with the musical selection.

*The class will watch the video between 1-2 times.

*After the second viewing, the writers begin to record their thoughts in the notebooks.

*As they write, I play the music in the background (minus the video).

*My fourth graders can record their thoughts, ideas, connections, likes/dislikes, or reactions to the song.

*I have my students write between 5-10 minutes.  At the end of our writing time, I see if a few of the writers would like to share what they wrote.  

*Based on history, Music Monday becomes one of the most popular days of our writing week!


Music Monday Selections (2015-2016)…

Week #1:  What I Am by will.i.am
Week #2:  Proud by Heather Small

Friday, September 25, 2015

Friend Friday #109 (Three-Ring Rascals: The Show Must Go On! by Kate Klise)...

Hi!  I am Hanh and I read the book called Three-Ring Rascals the Show Must Go On written by Kate Klise.  


I thought this book was awesome because it was a book that I could really understand and it's about a circus which I liked reading about.  


My favorite part in the story was when the circus owner hired a mean guy and the show was a disaster.  He tried to make it better after he did a chart wheel and ripped his pants because this was a pretty funny part and I liked when all of this happened.  


The character that I liked best was the mice because they were cute in the story and I like that they were so small, but helped.   


I think the author wrote this book because she wanted to write a circus story for kids that would entertain them.

I would recommend this book to my friends because it's a great book, interesting, and the first in a series so you can read more books after this first one.   


Reading to me is fun because you can get into a story, leave your own life, and understand stuff about other people.  


*Hanh has been a fun reading to watch over the last fourteen days of school.  She bounced from book to book the first couple of days.  After several days get seemed to fall into a groove.

*I saw her "eyeing" this series on my bookshelf and made the statement that many of my readers last year enjoyed this series.  She said she loves circuses and thought it looked good.

*Once she got into the book, she couldn't put it down. I even had to ask her to put the book away during other times of the day.  It always kills me to tell a student to do this.  

*She checked out book #2 for this coming weekend.  That is always a good sign.  



Thursday, September 24, 2015

Trailer Thursday #109...


Room by Emma Donoghue (Adult Novel)

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (Young-Adult Novel)


One Came Home by Amy Timberlake (Middle-Grade Novel)

El Deafo by CeCe Bell (Graphic Novel)

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds (Picture Book)

Life Lesson #3 (Be Courageous - Part Two)...

"Be Courageous" - Part Two

*When I first say this video, I knew my students had to see it.  

*One of my goals is to help my students be as brave and as courageous as they can be.  

*Each Thursday I feature a different video with a "life lesson" in it.  

*After viewing the video once or twice, we chat a bit about it as a group.

*I then have the writers record their thoughts in their writer's notebooks.

*They can write their thoughts, reactions, connections, wonderings, learnings, or whatever is on their mind regarding the video.

*Encouragement is also given to reflect on the "message" of the clip.

*After about 5-10 minutes of writing, we listen to a few of the students share what they wrote.

*It is my hope that through these "life lessons", my students can become the best young people they can be.


Life Lessons (2015-2016)...
Lesson #1 - Be courageous 
Lesson #2 - Be kind

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Wonder Wednesday #109 (Two PD Resources)...

 Creating Lifelong Readers Through Independent Reading
 by Barbara Moss and Terrell A. Young

*I don't normally have enough time to read from professional resources.  I know I should, but when I do have time to read I want to read middle-grade fiction, young-adult fiction, and of course adult fiction.

*I came across this title because Donalyn Miller tweeted about it this past summer.  She stated she revisits this text several times a year and always gains more knowledge from it.

*That was enough of a sale for me.  I ordered the book and read it right before school started.

*There might not be a lot of "new" and "different" ideas in this book, but I so enjoyed reading it, reviewing what should be included in a  reading workshop, and added a few new "tools" to my toolkit.  

*The information also validated what I'm doing in the classroom and I am on the right direction in my teaching of reading of writing.  

*If you have not read this resource, I highly recommend it.  You will find it WONDERful!  


The Reading Strategies Book
 by Jennifer Serravallo

*This seemed to be the "book" of the summer.  After seeing so many people tweeting about it, I knew I had to add it to my collection of professional resources.

*After receiving it in the mail, I was surpassed on how BIG it was.  But I guess when you have a book full of 300 plus strategies it is going to be a major collection.

*When I first started reading, I read page by page, but then I realized this resource didn't need to be read that way.  

*The book is broken up into section covering different major/big concepts or themes that you would teach during the reading workshop.  Each section has between 15-20 mini lessons to meet those goals in that section.

*I started to peruse it and figured this can be used as a go-to guide when you are going to teach a specific skill/strategy/concept to the whole class, a guided reading group, or even an individual.

*I'm so excited to try out these strategies. I know they are going to improve my teaching!  

*This is a MUST-HAVE for all reading teachers.  It is a WONDERful resource.

Picture Wednesday #3 (Careful Biking)...

"Careful Biking"

*How cool is this photograph.  I just love it.  Pictures like this are great thought provokers.

*This was the picture I used with my writers today.

*Each Wednesday we write in our writer's notebooks about a particular image.

*They can record their thoughts, reactions, connections, likes/dislikes, reminders, noticings, or anything else they would like.  

*Some of the writers choose to write a fiction story based on the picture.

*We write between five and ten minutes and then do a quick share at the end.  

*We didn't TALK about the picture before writing because I wanted the students to get their own ideas and opinions down first.

*A great class discussion was had after the writing as to whether this was a real picture or a fake picture with a type of optical illusion.

*We had writers on both sides of the "debate".  

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Treat Tuesday #109...

Treat Tuesday - 
Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich

*We are huge fans of the "Pioneer Woman" cookbooks and this tasty sandwich is one of our favorites.  Incredibly wonderful!



  • Ingredients...

  • 2 slices To 3 Slices Bacon, Cut In Half
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter, Plus More To Spread On Bread
  • Large Egg
  • Salt And Pepper
  • 2 slices Sandwich Bread
  • 1/4 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 1/2 Avocado, Sliced
  • 1 slice Muenster Or Swiss Cheese


Directions…

Cook the bacon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Allow to cool.

In a small skillet on medium heat, add unsalted butter. Once it melts, add an egg and season with salt and pepper. Cook egg for 2 minutes, and then flip over with a rubber spatula. Cook for another 45 seconds and then remove from the pan. Place egg on a plate and set aside.

Butter one side of each slice of bread with spreadable butter. Place a nonstick skillet on the stove and turn heat to medium. Place one slice of bread, buttered side down. Layer in the following order: most of the shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, and remaining cheddar cheese. Add the egg, sliced avocado, the slice of Muenster or Swiss cheese, and the second slice of bread with the buttered side up. Cook for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, gently flatten the sandwich. Flip over carefully and cook for another 3--4 minutes.

Slice the sandwich and serve immediately.



Treat Tuesday:  Middle-Grade Novel

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

*Happy Book Birthday to this WONDERFUL novel!  







Treat Tuesday:  Young Adult Novel

Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children  by Ransom Riggs

*Happy Book Birthday to this young adult fantasy

Monday, September 21, 2015

Music Monday #2 (Proud by Heather Small)...

"Proud" by Heather Small

*This was our second Monday where we featured our music selection.

*Each Monday I highlight a piece of music to share with my writers.  

*We begin with showing a video that goes along with the musical selection.

*The class will watch the video between 1-2 times.

*After the second viewing, the writers begin to record their thoughts in the notebooks.

*As they write, I play the music in the background (minus the video).

*My fourth graders can record their thoughts, ideas, connections, likes/dislikes, or reactions to the song.

*I have my students write between 5-10 minutes.  At the end of our writing time, I see if I few of the writers would like to share what they wrote.  

*Based on history, Music Monday becomes one of the most popular days of our writing week!


Music Monday Selections (2015-2016)…

Week #1:  What I Am by will.i.am

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (9/21/15)...



Thanks to Jen and Kellee for hosting this idea on their site.  Here is a link to their site...
                

Books I Read this Past Week… 



When Will There be Good News?  by Kate Atkinson

*4 STARS out of 5 Stars!

*My Book Review






Creating Lifelong Readers Through Independent Reading
by Barbara Moss and Terrell A. Young

*5 STARS out of 5 stars!






Books I Will (continue to) Read this Week 


The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian

*My adult novel









A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

*An adult novel









The Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo

*My professional reading book









The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall

*My middle-grade novel

Sunday, September 20, 2015

When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson...

How I Heard About It:  As I was browsing for audio books at the public library, I came across this title and recognized the author's name.  I decided to give it a try now that I was heading back to work and needed a novel to listen to during my commute to and from school.  

What It Is About:  This is not an easy novel to summarize.  There was so much that happened during the incredible story.  Joanna Mason was a young girl when her mother and two siblings were brutally murdered in a park near their home.  The killer was captured and put in prison.  Thirty some years later Joanna Hunter, now a doctor, is married and has her own child.  When she hears that the killer is going to be released from prison, she isn't quite sure how she feels about this situation.  Her nanny, Reggie, is involved in a train accident and saves the life of former detective Jackson Brodie.  Right before the crash, Brodie came across Andrew Decker.  Decker was the man that killed Joanna's family.  When Joanna disappears, Reggie becomes amateur detective (with the help of Brodie) to locate where she is and find out what happened to her.  All of their lives will collide in an explosive conclusion that will leave them all fighting for their lives.

What I Thought Of It:  I was quite excited to listen to this story based on the positive reviews.  As the novel first started, I was a bit let down because it was a slow start and I was confused on all of the different characters and their stories.  I realized I was going to have to listen intently to follow this complex story.  Once I finished a few chapters, I was hooked.  The plot became fast-moving and the characters were interesting on their own, and extremely engaging as their lives began to cross paths.  The mystery of the disappearance of Joanna was frustrating at times because I wanted to know what truly happened, but had to listen for quite awhile to find out the answer.  Even though many horrible things happened during the story, it was a great story to listen to and kept me entertained for many commutes to and from work.

Who Should Read It:  This is definitely an adult read.  Being my first Atkinson novel, I can see that she writes a complex and detailed fiction story.  I'm looking forward to trying another book by her in the near future.  If you are a mystery lover, then I know you will completely enjoy the story.  The setting takes place in England so this could be a draw for some readers.  There is definitely a British flavor to the story.

Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars



Friday, September 18, 2015

Friend Friday #108 (Wolves of the Beyond: Lone Wolf)...

Hi!  I am Ava and I read the book called Wolves of the Beyond:  Lone Wolf written by Kathryn Lasky.  


I thought this book was a wonderful story because it has sad parts yet it always turned out alright.


My favorite part in the story was when Foalan is found by Thunderheart the Bear because even thought Foalan is a wolf she takes care of him.  


The character that I liked best was eitherFoalan or Thunderheart because Thunderheart loved Foalan and for Foalan he is cool, interesting, and smart.  


I think the author wrote this book because she wanted to write about a crazy yet awesome journey of an animal.  

I would recommend this book to my friends because 
it's a fantastic book, wolves are one of my favorite animals, and wolves are just so cool.  


Reading to me is fun because we get to hear how someone would express a story.  


*Ava has quite a way with words doesn't she.  She was so excited to be my second "Friend Friday".

*I have not read this series, but after hearing her RAVE about it during class and reading this review, it just might have to go on my TBR pile.  

*I love it when students are so passionate about a book in their life.  I know Ava will persuade other readers to give this book and the series a shot.  





Thursday, September 17, 2015

Trailer Thursday #108 (The Marvels by Brian Selznick)...





The Marvels by Brian Selznick 

*I received my copy of this novel in the mail yesterday.

*It is absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to experience this story.

Life Lesson #2 (Be Kind)...

"Be Kind"

*As short and simple as this video clip is, it sure does pack a punch!

*Everything we do in my classroom really revolves around "being kind".

*Each Thursday I feature a different video with a "life lesson" in it.  

*After viewing the video once or twice, we chat a bit about it as a group.

*I then have the writers record their thoughts in their writer's notebooks.

*They can write their thoughts, reactions, connections, wonderings, learnings, or whatever is on their mind regarding the video.

*Encouragement is also given to reflect on the "message" of the clip.

*After about 5-10 minutes of writing, we listen to a few of the students share what they wrote.

*It is my hope that through these "life lessons", my students can become the best young people they can be.  

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Picture Wednesday #2 - Flying Orca...

"Flying Orca"

*How beautiful is this photograph.  I just love it.  Reminds me of my trip to Alaska several years ago.  

*This was the picture I used with my writers today.

*Each Wednesday we write in our writer's notebooks about a particular image.

*They can record their thoughts, reactions, connections, likes/dislikes, reminders, noticings, or anything else they would like.  

*Some of the writers choose to write a fiction story based on the picture.

*We write between five and ten minutes and then do a quick share at the end.  

*A writer today commented that she can't WAIT to see what next Wednesday's photo is.  A good sign that I am hooking them into the writing process.  

Wonder Wednesday #108 (Lynn Plourde Picture Books)...

 Wonder Wednesday - 
The WONDER of Lynn Plourde

*I begin each morning meeting with a picture book.

*I usually organize the books by theme/topic/time of year/author.



*Because we had picture day this week, I started a six-day series of picture books by author Lynn Plourde.

*If you haven't experienced these pictures books for yourself and/or your class, then you must.

*They are incredibly fun stories with creative and unique characters.  Each picture book also focus on a different literary device that you can use for an interactive read aloud.

*This is also one series that will hook ALL students in no matter what their attention level is.


 School Picture Day

Book Fair Day

 Pajama Day

 Teacher Appreciation Day

 Field Trip Day

Science Fair Day



Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Treat Tuesday #108...

Treat Tuesday - 

Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole


*This is such a delicious meal.  You can serve it for breakfast and/or dinner.  

*It doesn't matter because you will absolutely LOVE it!




Ingredients

1 tube (8 count) regular-sized crescent rolls

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

4 oz softened cream cheese

1 tsp minced onion

1/4 tsp garlic powder

cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese


TO MAKE THE SAUCE...

  • 1 can (10.75 oz) cream of chicken soup
  • 1 soup can of milk
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Directions

1. Lightly spray a 11×7-inch dish.

2. Mix together the chicken, cream cheese, minced onion, garlic powder and mozzarella. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, mix the soup with the milk, stirring the milk in gradually.

4. Separate the crescent dough into the 8 triangles. Place about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture on the wide base of the crescent “triangle.” Roll up and seal completely–you roll these like you are making rolls, but also pinch the sides together so the filling is completely enclosed by the crescent dough.

5. Place chicken-filled crescents in the pan making 2 rows with 4 crescents in each row–leave space on all sides for the sauce.

6. Pour sauce around the crescents, avoiding covering the dough with the sauce.

7. Sprinkle crescent tops with the grated cheese.

8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until tops are nicely browned.


Treat Tuesday:  Middle-Grade Novel

The Marvels by Brian Selznick








Treat Tuesday:  Young Adult Novel

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon