Talking, Drawing, Writing Chapter 3: Drawing

I'm back for Chapter 3!  Sorry it's a day late, I had an interview yesterday and couldn't concentrate on anything else!  I'm getting observed this Friday for an hour before they make their final decision so PLEASE keep me in your prayers this week friends!

Here's what stuck with me from Chapter 3:

• For young children, drawing is writing.  
• Drawing is how young children represent and understand meaning.  (For example, my students almost always first start making connections to text through illustrations.  Even now they tend to base predictions of books based more on the cover than the actual title).
• Drawing is an essential step in language development (particularly in connecting thought and speech).
• Drawing allows children to go deeper in their stories!

I definitely need to teach about drawing next year.  It's the primary way in which my four year-olds communicate!  Frankly, I'm amazed they developed as much as they did considering I never did a single mini-lesson on drawing.  I'd like you to take a look at the incredible difference one of my authors made in the short space of a month.

The first book by this particular author was definitely interesting!  It contained mostly scribbles and he was unable to recall what he had drawn afterwards.  There wasn't much story structure (notice it is missing a resolution or ending).  He didn't enjoy making books and seldom chose to do so; when he did he hurried through.

The first thing I had to do was validate his identity as an author.  He shared during Author Share the same as everyone else, received feedback, and gradually came to see himself as a writer.  I accepted his approximations and met him where he was at.  My first major teaching point was that pictures match the story in a book!  Not only did I mention this in his individual conferences, but I pointed this out during Read Alouds.  A few weeks later he produced this work...

See the difference?  Wow!  He was consciously connecting his thoughts to his drawing on the paper.  Yay!

P.S. Note that I never write in student books until they have been shared in Author Share and are ready to go home!  From the beginning I communicate to my students that they are responsible for remembering the meaning of their story and for writing a story that communicates meaning to their readers!

So how can I do a better job of supporting students as illustrators next year?  Basically the authors suggest LET CHILDREN DRAW!  Let them draw a variety of objects (real and imaginary), across all content areas, all day long.  Be a role-model for learning and drawing yourself!  I can't WAIT to read Chapter 4 and get some great lessons about the craft of drawing!

The following books are great for teaching kids of various ages how to draw, but are my favorite with young artists!  Check out the entire series for each title below!

Also, Nicole from Steele Teaching shared a GREAT resource from Mrs. Miner that you won't want to miss- Guided Drawing Lessons with a Literacy Twist!

Summer Recharge Party Part Two: Reflect

Welcome to Part Two of my Summer Recharge Party!  First of all, congratulations to Jennifer A. from last week.  Your prize will shortly be emailed to you!

This week's post is all about Reflection.  One of the things I love most about teaching is that I am constantly learning.  I love getting feedback, rejoicing in the good, finding new ideas, and refining those areas I need to work on.  Here are some questions to help guide you as you reflect:

• What worked really well for you and your class this year?  What are you proud of?
• What were your biggest challenges?
• What would you like to change/add/remove next year?
• What did YOU learn?

Looking back on my first year of teaching, I can say that I am proud I made it through!  I am proud that I gave it my all the whole year even though it was the toughest thing I have ever done.  I am SO proud of my kiddos, all of whom were able to read and spell CVC words by the end of the year.

Here's what really went well this year...

• Writer's Workshop
• Partnership with Parents
• Classroom Management (WOW have I learned so much!  How did we never learn about this in college?  Of course, I could say that about a lot of things!)

And here's some things I want to learn more about for next year...

• Developmentally Appropriate Practices (especially since I spent all my previous years in sixth grade!)
• Portfolio Assessment
• Building Number Sense
• Guided Reading with the littles

Here are some great resources I'm going to check out this summer...

I'm still looking for resources about Portfolio Assessment and Math for PreKinders/Kindergartners, so I'd love to hear your suggestions!

My biggest challenge this year was trying (and failing) to set limits for myself.  This upcoming school year I definitely want to do things like work out, see friends, and sleep!  Hopefully with the first year under my belt things will start coming easier.  :)

I did learn that I love teaching with my heart and soul and can't imagine doing anything else, insomnia and all. Truly I am so blessed to be a part of this profession and I love teaching and learning with my kiddos, my peers and all of my blogger buddies!

To show my appreciation for you and help you as you reflect, I'm giving away a $15 gift card to itunes (I don't know about you, but I'm one of those people who does all my thinking to music).  Enter the giveaway below, and don't forget to link up your Reflection blog post to the party!

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Link Your Post Below!

Ten Pin Linky Party: Classroom Decor

I was so excited when I saw this linky party and knew I just had to join!  (Not like I spend enough time on Pinterest anyway, right?)  Check out the fun at Ashley's blog by clicking on the picture above!  Here goes... (I give you fair warning- I'm a polka dot addict!)

#1- Cute, editable and totally FREE polka dot labels from Miss Kindergarten Love!

#2- Speaking of polka dots, I LOVE all of Erica's cute stuff, especially this fun and bright Birthday Board with the kiddos holding the number of their birthday!

#3- While we're talking about free things, Cara Carroll made these adorable schedule cards!

#4- Classroom themes from Clutter-Free Classroom (literally every theme imaginable!  Tons of ideas and resources!

#5- Spice rack for those little art supplies (googly eyes, sequins, etc)!

#6- How to decorate clear plastic draws from Maria at Kinder-Craze!  Love her!

#7- 21 Ideas for organizing your classroom library from A Modern Teacher- great ideas!

#8- Speaking of libraries, I love this idea!  (No link for this one, sorry).

#9- This was a fabulous linky party hosted by Debbie at Rainbows Within Reach!  Check it out!

#10- Absolutely adorable and free goodbye rhymes!  My kiddos and I love these!

Check out more decor and organizational ideas by visiting my following Pinterest Boards:

Classroom Management & Organization

Bulletin Boards, Doors and More

Summer Recharge Party Part One: Relax!

Graphics courtesy of JC Sweet Pea Designs
Font Courtesy of Kevin & Amanda

Happy Summer friends!  I hope most of you are on summer break right now.  I thought it'd be fun to host a linky party of my 6 Summer R's: Relax, Reflect, Research, Reorganize, Revamp and Get Ready.  In addition to the party, I'm also having a giveaway each time I post to help you on this journey!  :)

Relaxation is very important during the summer.  I know as a teacher I sometimes forget that I'm a role-model of healthy living, not just learning.  I don't think it's a good thing to immediately jump into plans for next fall.  Take some time to breathe!  Spend time with people you love- I know I seriously need to hang out with my friends!  Shop for a new summer outfit.  Try to sleep in once in awhile.  Read a non-teaching book you've been wanting to pick up.  Do something that makes you happy!  Make sure you leave free time for yourself this summer- it's a luxury you will soon forget in August!

My husband celebrated the end of the school year with me by taking me out for a fun mini-golf and ice cream date!  I am so lucky!  :)  Of course now I'm back in school teaching summer camp, but it was nice to spend a weekend together not thinking about school for once.  Aaaand I can't wait to read this guy right here:

I got the last book back in January, but I wanted to re-read the whole series first (no mean feat, especially considering that each book is around 900 pages or more)!

Ready for the giveaway?  This week I'm giving away a $10 gift card to Starbucks!  Enter below...

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Thanks for joining me for Part One!  I'd love to learn more about how you kick back and relax in the summer.  Add a link to this post in your blog (use the graphic at the top of the page) and add your blog post to the party down below!  See you next Sunday for Part Two: Reflect!

Talking, Drawing, Writing Chapter 1: Storytelling

I FINALLY got my book today and couldn't wait to start reading!  I just devoured Chapter 1 and am already inspired.  Here's what stuck with me...

Start the year with Storytelling.  Um, big "Duh" moment for me!  Next year we are definitely going to set aside time for oral storytelling.  It makes perfect sense!  Don't we start teaching syllables, segmenting, blending and the like orally?  Why wouldn't you do the same with stories?  I can see how this will lead to great improvement next year in my students' writing.  All year long I couldn't understand how they could tell such detailed stories, but not translate those details to their writing- well duh, I need to teach and role-model the connection between the two!

Writers tell stories about what they know.  This year I noticed my kiddos tended to write stories similar to books we had recently read, and I now know it's because I didn't spend enough time at the beginning of the year building their identity as authors with ideas and stories to tell of their own.  I love the idea of reading a book, then telling a story about a different topic but making the point that writers tell stories about what they know.

Set aside a special time for Storytelling.  We call this "Author Share" in our classroom.  Every day I choose 2-3 clothespins from our Author Share bucket for students to read their stories.  The author sits in a chair (which I definitely need to decorate next year!) while the other students sit "criss-cross applesauce" on the ABC Carpet.

Two things I want to focus on next year- student responses and assessment.  Nicole from Steele Teaching shared this story telling note freebie, which got me thinking about how I want to organize my anecdotal notes and assessments for writer's workshop and guided reading next year (can't wait to read Chapter 6 and see what everyone shares!)

I also wanted to create an anchor chart for Share Time.  I wanted to remind my kiddos of the rules and take them beyond "I liked..."  Here's what I came up with (click on the picture for your freebie):

Graphics courtesy of Scrappin' Doodles

I'm going to take pictures of our class following the steps so I can include them on the anchor chart!  I'm also very excited to model more responses to reading next year.  Regie Routman suggests that during Whole-Class Shares, we need to include both praise and suggestions in her chapter Conference with Students (from Writing Essentials).  I want my students to be able to articulate what they liked, but also ask questions and offer suggestions- for example, "I think you could make her face look sad on that page because she's sad."

Plant a Seed for Drawing/Writing.  After sharing stories for awhile, introduce the possibility of writing stories down by showing students a blank book.  Walk students through ideas for writing/drawing the verbal story on each page.  I LOVED the sample dialogue for how to do this!

So excited to read Chapter 2!  I can already tell this book will be instrumental in how I introduce and teach writer's workshop, especially at the beginning of the year.  Don't forget to check out everyone else's great ideas and link up with your own at the party!  :)