Parent-Teacher Conferences

We had Parent-Teacher Conferences this week and they went well.  But the most amazing part?  99% of my parents told me that their children have never enjoyed reading as much as they are this year!  How awesome is that?  One parent even asked me to talk to her daughter, because she is refusing to do [...]

My So-Called Family by Courtney Sheinmel

Leah isn’t your average kid.  Well, sorta.  See, she has a mom, a step-dad, and a little (half) brother.  Pretty normal, right?  What Leah doesn’t have is a Dad, of the biological variety.  You see, her mom used a donor to have her.  Donor 730, to be exact.  While Leah has always been ok with [...]

Six Innings by James Preller

Baseball.  America’s Pastime.  My pastime?  Not so much.  Granted, I have been watching the World Series this week (go Phillies!) and I grew up with a grandmother who is the world’s biggest Mets fan, so baseball has always been a part of my life.  It’s just that it usually served as background noise.  Honestly, I [...]

TC Saturday Reunion- Morning Keynote Speaker James Howe

On Saturday, October 25th, I attended the 75th Saturday Reunion at Teachers College- Columbia University.  The morning keynote was given by James Howe, the author of more than 70 novels, including The Misfits, Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery, 13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen, Pinky & Rex, and much [...]

Back from Teachers College

I have been up since 5:20am, on two trains, in two taxis, and in 3 separate buildings at Columbia’s Teachers College.  The three sessions I attended today were awesome and I am brimming with new ideas!  However, I am also completely exhausted and barely even able to think straight.  Expect updates tomorrow!

TC Reunion Saturday

Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the year.  I will be heading to NYC, very bright and very early, to attend Teacher’s College Saturday Reunion at Columbia.  From 9am-3pm I will be surrounded by like-minded teachers who are passionate about reading and writing workshop.  Anyone else heading into the city tomorrow for the [...]

Personal Essay Unit of Study

Right now, we are working on personal essays in writing.  I am using the UOS Personal Essay (Calkins) book as my basic skeleton, tweaking where needed.  Today, my kids began drafting their thesis statements.  I am so impressed with the work they were doing!  Some of their ideas were just phenomenal!
Some of the ideas so [...]

Opensourcereading.com

A few years ago I stumbled upon one of my favorite message boards- Scarlet Nation (Rutgers Sports).  I read the boards daily and feel like I have gotten to know John, the founder.  John is also a phenomenal teacher who blogs over at A Community of Learners.  He recently began a new venture that I [...]

What I Saw and How I Lied by by Judy Blundell

A few weeks ago I opened a package from Scholastic that included a review copy of What I Saw And How I Lied by Judy Blundell.  I glanced it over and quickly put it on my “To Be Read” shelf.  (Sidenote:  Yes, shelf.  My pile has grown to an entire bookshelf).  While the cover was gorgeous, [...]

Beedle the Bard on Display!

The Tales of Beedle the Bard (standard edition) will be released to the public at large on December 4th.  It goes without saying that my copy is already on pre-order.  Oh, how I wish I could afford this: The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Collector’s Edition (Offered Exclusively by Amazon)   However, I never imagined that [...]