10 Things About Me

Hey, it's Teacher Blogger Week 2013.  I have been having lots of fun reading random facts about my friends.
Here are 10 Random...(and possibly redundant if you visit here regularly) things about me.

1.   I love reading and I love the library.  Very rarely do I have less than 80 books checked out at a time!  During the summer I try to read a book a day and usually make my goal!

2.  When I was 6 I developed juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.  I woke up couldn't straighten my leg.  In all my 1st and 2nd grade class photos, one knee is swollen to twice the size of the other.  I had to go to the school nurse everyday and take a whole bunch of aspirin.  (Nasty stuff they tried to mask by flavoring it orange.)  Within two years, the arthritis was completely gone!  I was so a lucky one!

3.  Top Ramen is one of my favorite foods as well as Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft only) and grilled cheese sandwiches.  So, I could easily eat happily with any of my students.

4.  I play the flute.  Sometimes as a class reward, but mostly at home for fun.  In high school, I was part of the marching band and Portland's Metropolitan Youth Symphony.

5.  While driving I am either listening to a book on tape or singing along with a musical.  I am sure I look absolutely ridiculous, but at least no none else can hear! 

6.  The Dodgers are my favorite baseball team...although I have no idea why.  My dad has always loved baseball, so I decided I should have a favorite team.  So I had to have one also.  Here are some theories for my choice-
1.  Brett Butler-former center fielder.  His name is alliterative and I have always had a fascination with alliteration.
2.  Daryl Strawberry-former right fielder.  Umm his last name is strawberry.
3.  In 1988, the Dodgers won the World Series.  (I am hoping for that this year, but not willing to let myself believe it could actually happen.)
The entire downstairs bathroom is dedicated to Dodger paraphernalia.

7.  Reese (named for another former Dodger) is my new favorite addition.  I know nothing about puppies, but we are having fun learning and she really is so mellow and cuddly! 

8.  I am a native Oregonian and I love everything about it (except the lack of a professional baseball team) I even love the months of rain...and find people who complain about the weather frustrating!  It is beautiful here and within about an hour you can be at the beach, the mountain, or the desert.

9.  My school is five minutes away from my house.  Many of my neighbors are my students and I see someone almost every time I go to the grocery store.  If I didn't haul so much stuff to and from school, I would most definitely walk or bike.

10.  I really want to join the roller derby!  I think it would be a great way to deal with frustrating people/events/etc and maybe get me out of my shy shell!  There is a roller derby team in Portland and they are so fun to watch.  Growing up, almost every single birthday party was at Skate World, so the skating part shouldn't be a problem:-)

Happy Monday!

Teacher Week-Tech Tip

Teacher Blogger Week-Day 2

In case you haven't figured this out already, I am a huge reader...and not much of a tech wiz.  But I do know how to find books and how to find books for kids to read.  Here are a few of the very helpful websites I use to find book suggestions.

1)  Your Next Read  I type in a book I read and liked, it then shows me similar books I might also enjoy.  So I typed in For Darkness Shows the Stars and here are the suggestions:

The coolest feature of this site is so fun (if you have it connected to your books from goodreads.)  It takes all the books you have read, makes a map, and then shows you more suggested titles.

2)  Goodreads I use this website to keep track of all the books I have read.  You can also rate and review books as well as read the reviews of people you know or just other people who have read the book.  Books can be sorted into lists as well.

3)  The Stacks Much like goodreads...but absolutely geared toward kids!  A fabulous resource.

4)  Lexile  I like telling parents about lexile.com.  It allows them to put in a lexile range, and subject and then they get a list of books in that range.  Obviously, the range is a guide and not a rule, but I find it helps parents who have no idea how to help their child find good books.

My kiddos who are voracious readers find these tools very helpful.  Hopefully you will too!
Go find something new to read!

Happy Tuesday,
 

Summer Recap

Peterson's Pad is having a sad summer linky party. 

Directions:  Share 4 things about your summer!

1.  A Place I Visited:

I visited Seattle to watch all three of the interleague play between them and the Dodgers (I know I have mentioned this numerous times, but it will be one of the best weekends.  Ever!)  Seattle threw a no-hitter, using six pitchers.  I watched history.....a no-hitter in person!  Saturday, Kershaw pitched a great game and I saw (in person) Ethier hit a grand slam! 

Baseball dork that I am....my dad taught me how to keep score.

2.  A Book I Read

How to pick a book from the 52 I have now read.  (I challenge my students to read a book and day and try to do the same)  I think I am going to make it.....Anyhow, I have a lot to choose from!  My favorite was For Darkness Sees the Stars a dystopian version of Jane Austen's Persuasion.  Also read and LOVED One and Only Ivan.  I am fairly certain it will be my first read aloud.

3.  Something you did or made for your school class
I have wanted to fix my popsicle stick jar for a while. When I first started teaching, I had to jars....one for those who have been chosen and the one for those who had not.  Then I thought I could just use one jar and flip the popsicle sticks.  Only somehow they were always getting mixed up.  Last year I thought, I will paint the ends of one side.  Then I will know when everyone has had a turn.  Well that actually helped, but then I could never remember if I was pulling sticks that were paint side up or paint side down.  I think I have finally solved all my problems:-)  
Step One:  Paint one end of the sticks.  I just dipped them in cup of tempera paint and then they dry.

Step 2:  Write names on popsicle stick.  (I will be waiting for this step until first day gets closer.)  I also write the name as close to the middle as possible, so it is harder to read the name when kids are pulling them out. 

Step 3:  Label the two buckets.  I keep one with calendar so everyone helps out and one for writing, so everyone shares.

Step 4:  (Here is my lightbulb moment)  I attached a velcro dot to the jar.

Step 5:  Put other piece of velcro on a painted stick.   Now the popsicle sticks can go both directions.

Step 6:  Match the popsicle on the front to the ones in the jar.  If popsicle stick is paint side up, then I pull paint side up sticks and vice versa. 

4.  A fun thing you did

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While at my aunt's (when I wasn't in the pool) we decided to try and make our own cute bobby pins.  I found some ideas on Pinterest (of course) and adapted our versions as we went along.

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Here is how some of ours turned out.  We just used felt, buttons, and beads.

Your turn.....go link up and recap your summer!
Happy Tuesday,