Monday, February 9, 2015

Long time, no see! I'm not sure where I have been, but it has been awhile since I last posted and I apologize for that. Winter is fully upon us and in reading we are deep into our reading skills. I attended a workshop in December with the author of the book The Book Whisperer, and some of my focus has changed for my Wild Readers! I am really focusing on giving them time to read in class. After all, if I can't make the time in school how am I supposed to expect them to make the time out of school! It is a partnership that the kids have really taken off with, and they are reading more than ever. They are also reading some really great books...many which they have shared with me, and I have read! My most recent recommendation was The Boy On The Wooden Box. It is a memoir about a Jewish boy who lived in Poland during WWII. I highly recommend this to parents to read as well as any high readers or readers who have interest in history. It was a great read!

Along with lots of reading this winter many students participated in our annual Battle of the Books. The kids always impress me when it comes to this competition, and I truly think it is a great way for kids to explore new books at a variety levels in a variety of topics and genres! This year was no exception to the amount of great competition. Congratulations to the Hadler girls for taking first place, and to all the contestants for all the great reading they did!

With winter almost half over that also means we are getting closer to that time of year that everybody loves (or nobody) testing time! Although this is not my favorite time of year, I do find value in seeing what my kids have accomplished this year. If you are looking for some ways for your students to brush up on their reading skills I have some reading apps that I would like to recommend to you. The first one many of the students have played in my class, and it makes reading review fun by putting it into a game show similar to Jeopardy. Take your student on in Language Arts Game Show. The other app. is one that students can practice their test taking skills as well as their reading skills and it is called Reading Comprehension Prep. Well, that is all I have for today. See you soon! Hopefully!
 Battle of the Books
 Look How Focused They Are?
 But not so much they can't take a picture!
 Concentrate
 2015 Champions
Greatness Student of the Month (Organized)