Well been really busy. TAKS reading is mostly over. My kids did outstanding!!! WOW! and our school's 3rd grade scores were way high with 50% making commended.Still doing Reading with Meaning and continue to see improvements with my students even the low ones now. I really like the discussions that go on between partners and since my students LOVE to talk this really makes them work too.
Books finished:
Dark Lover by JR Ward, a vampire romance (series) was great. I really like the writing.
A Touch of Evil by Ct Adams and Cathy Clamp. Was very good. A unique twist on Vampires being a disease and are like bees with a queen. Loved the heroine was alot like Anita Blake in the early books before all the kinkyness (not that I don't mind that but it just ruined the story for me).
Willing by Lucy Munroe. Love this writer. This series is on secret agents that are on a team (Alpha Males alert!) The first was better (Ready) can't wait for the third one.
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn. I kept picking this one up in the store and FINALLY bought it. It was unuasal. It was pretty good I will keep an eye on this author. Another vampire/paranormal romance. LOL. can you see a trend?
The Last Dragonlord by Joanne Bertin. LOVED THIS!!! I have loved dragons since reading Anne McCafferty's Pern books and this reminded me alot of those early books. I fell in love with the hero and the story is very character driven. A big book and it is a series. I have read that the sequel The Dragon and the Phoenix is not as good but I really want to see how these characters progress. The third one should be out soon.
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. I have another by her Dragon Bones that I have yet to read but picked this up due to all the buzz on my email group. I was not disappointed. Another take on the familiar vampire/werewolf/other romance but the character was very well done. I can't wait for more!
Thousand Words for a Stranger by Julie Czanerda. WOW! I have wanted to read some of her stories for awhile and finally got it from www.paperbackswap.com and was very surprised. The beginning was a little slow but it picked up and ended good. Very complex story.
Currently Reading:
Archangel Protocol by Lyda Morehouse so far pretty good. Very complex story. I have had few stories that I had a hard time understand (like my students) so I have to really pay attention. It is a techie book about the future and everyone is LINKED to the computer through biological connections in there heads. Well the world is run by the churches! Interesting world so far. The girl is a ex cop whose partner killed the pope and she helped put him away and she became a pariah and celeb over it. Any way the LINK has had angels show up and say the second coming has arrived but there is a lot of political manuveuring. The cop has a real angel (at least that what he says he is) come to her and relink her to the computer so she can help him with something.
talk to ya later!
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Saturday, November 26, 2005
School
Well the year has gone by very quickly. I am getting things more organized and I have made a push to get more results from my teaching. I have been reading alot about the book Mosaic of Thought by Eline Keener and purchased it along with Four Blocks Guide to Guided Reading. Keener's book has been a real eye opener to me. I never really thought about how I read effects my students and teaching them WHAT I as good reader do to help them was very interesting to me.
Keener talks about a lot about making my students THINKERS and not just readers. I have not finished the book yet but I bought another, Reading with Meaning which I read in one day while car was being fixed. It is basically a companion to Keener's book since the person who wrote this book is a colleague of hers. I felt this was also a more indepth look at how I can use Keeners strategies better in my class since it looks at the author's teaching through a year. I HIGHLY recommend both books if you teach reading or a content area that does reading (which is pretty much everything).
I came about these books because my team members and I have not really been collaborating as much as we did last year. I am not sure if it is due to new team member added or what but the feel this year is very different. I saw how three of my team was collaborating together and not sharing what they were doing in their class so I basically said to myself what can I do to make my teaching better? I am the type that gets ideas from others and expands from their ideas. With that basically not there anymore I was really feeling left out and I was struggling with how to do things this year to make myself a better teacher. So instead of just whining about it (which I am good at LOL) I picked up the books above. I am really glad I did. I can't wait to try these new ways of doing the same things I am already doing but in a better way.
Right away I started focusing in on predicting before we read to activate schema. I used various strategies from Four Blocks like Prove It, Anticipation Guides, RIVET, and Think Alouds. In the about 3 weeks before the break I could really see some improvement with the students. They were more engaged with a PURPOSE for reading that is more natural than to just answer questions at the end of a story. I will continue working with schema and start introduce questioning before/during/after reading next. I am really excited and hope that this really helps my students to be better thinkers AND readers.
~talk to ya later!
Keener talks about a lot about making my students THINKERS and not just readers. I have not finished the book yet but I bought another, Reading with Meaning which I read in one day while car was being fixed. It is basically a companion to Keener's book since the person who wrote this book is a colleague of hers. I felt this was also a more indepth look at how I can use Keeners strategies better in my class since it looks at the author's teaching through a year. I HIGHLY recommend both books if you teach reading or a content area that does reading (which is pretty much everything).
I came about these books because my team members and I have not really been collaborating as much as we did last year. I am not sure if it is due to new team member added or what but the feel this year is very different. I saw how three of my team was collaborating together and not sharing what they were doing in their class so I basically said to myself what can I do to make my teaching better? I am the type that gets ideas from others and expands from their ideas. With that basically not there anymore I was really feeling left out and I was struggling with how to do things this year to make myself a better teacher. So instead of just whining about it (which I am good at LOL) I picked up the books above. I am really glad I did. I can't wait to try these new ways of doing the same things I am already doing but in a better way.
Right away I started focusing in on predicting before we read to activate schema. I used various strategies from Four Blocks like Prove It, Anticipation Guides, RIVET, and Think Alouds. In the about 3 weeks before the break I could really see some improvement with the students. They were more engaged with a PURPOSE for reading that is more natural than to just answer questions at the end of a story. I will continue working with schema and start introduce questioning before/during/after reading next. I am really excited and hope that this really helps my students to be better thinkers AND readers.
~talk to ya later!
Long time no talk!
Well lots been happening in my life. Right now just posting to show you my what movie I am!
| The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic |
 Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few. But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky. Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski |
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Back to School!
I start this week by meeting with my team and going over things for the new year. We had a great salad lunch and everyone brought something. YUUUUMMMM! Of course with all the good cooks on my team is was great.
So far I have arranged all the tables, and pretty much organized my files and papers that I didn't get to at the end of the year. I am quite proud of myself.
My new goals for this year are to be more organized (grade papers quicker, have a caldendar and WRITE in it) and to be more positive with the parents and students. I am going to try and speak in person to every parent once a month for a progress report. I think I can handle this. It is going to be hard tho because I HATE talking on the phone. Before I usually just communicated by email or notes in agenda. I want to make it more personal so hope this works.
My new kit is out and I am working on another one called I Love Rock and Roll. It is inspired by the Beatles and 70's retro. My girl scout kit will be posted at SBB tonight or tomorrow and I will be taking it off my website at the end of August.
Talk to ya later~
So far I have arranged all the tables, and pretty much organized my files and papers that I didn't get to at the end of the year. I am quite proud of myself.
My new goals for this year are to be more organized (grade papers quicker, have a caldendar and WRITE in it) and to be more positive with the parents and students. I am going to try and speak in person to every parent once a month for a progress report. I think I can handle this. It is going to be hard tho because I HATE talking on the phone. Before I usually just communicated by email or notes in agenda. I want to make it more personal so hope this works.
My new kit is out and I am working on another one called I Love Rock and Roll. It is inspired by the Beatles and 70's retro. My girl scout kit will be posted at SBB tonight or tomorrow and I will be taking it off my website at the end of August.
Talk to ya later~
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Talk with friend
Well I got a call from my friend Donna yesterday. Must say that I felt guilty not calling her since I have free long distance through cell phone.
It was so fun talking with her again about what it is going on with her life. I met her at my first teaching job which was a very difficult assignment and made me doubt wanting to be a teacher a lot. I had her to talk with and I would just go hang out in her room during the times I had free times from the kiddos. Boy that kept me sane in a very toxic enviroment.
I just finally decided that I couldn't deal with these people anymore and plus by then my brother Shawn had been diagnosed with colon cancer so I made a strong push to get out of Houston and back to San Antonio which meant leaving one of the best friends I have ever had.
It is very difficult for me to meet people and make friends. I am not a trusting person and I am very .... ummm.... blunt? assertive at times? Some people don't like that I tell it like it is and I don't like to play games with people.
Well I really miss having someone to talk to and just vent with. Sigh. I also hate HATE talking on the phone so I feel guilty every time I think I should call her and don't. I really must make more of an effort to call her more often.
She also mentioned a possible trip together during the summer which I thought was a SUPER idea. Since I am not married nor have anyone to travel with this would allow me to go somewhere without my Dad who I go everywhere with (we went to England, New Jersey, and just got back from Alaska).
See Ya~
It was so fun talking with her again about what it is going on with her life. I met her at my first teaching job which was a very difficult assignment and made me doubt wanting to be a teacher a lot. I had her to talk with and I would just go hang out in her room during the times I had free times from the kiddos. Boy that kept me sane in a very toxic enviroment.
I just finally decided that I couldn't deal with these people anymore and plus by then my brother Shawn had been diagnosed with colon cancer so I made a strong push to get out of Houston and back to San Antonio which meant leaving one of the best friends I have ever had.
It is very difficult for me to meet people and make friends. I am not a trusting person and I am very .... ummm.... blunt? assertive at times? Some people don't like that I tell it like it is and I don't like to play games with people.
Well I really miss having someone to talk to and just vent with. Sigh. I also hate HATE talking on the phone so I feel guilty every time I think I should call her and don't. I really must make more of an effort to call her more often.
She also mentioned a possible trip together during the summer which I thought was a SUPER idea. Since I am not married nor have anyone to travel with this would allow me to go somewhere without my Dad who I go everywhere with (we went to England, New Jersey, and just got back from Alaska).
See Ya~
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