Tales to Tackle Update

I went into Ms. Musschoot's room to connect with the kids and find out how they are doing in their goal to read three books each month for three months. The kids were all excited about the books they had been reading. I spent an entertaining hour talking books with the kids. I heard about their take on True Talents, The Outsiders, Kid who ran for President, Bud, not Buddy, and many others. I told them to give me their opinion, good or bad, about their reading. Life is too short to keep reading a book that doesn't fit with you. Pick one that really talks to you. Climb inside the book and let it take you places you have never been before.

I'm so proud of them. They had made some great connections and conclusions about their reading. One boy told me that he had never read a whole book before he had Ms. Musschoot for a teacher. I could see her puff up a little bit (and maybe a tear in her eye).

I'm so lucky to working with such a wonderful staff who give the gift of reading to our students.

Thanks to the Chicago Bears for having this promotion and encouraging our kids to read great books. Go Bears!

Playing with words

Do you like to play with words? Use pictures to invoke writing? I found a great website to do just that! Piclits lets you look at pictures in a gallery and then attach words or a poem to them. What a wonderful way to invoke creativity.

When David Lubar was at our school this fall, he spoke about firing random words to spark the writing process. One word generates another and stories develop. Adding the visual to it can create a whole new dimension to the thought process.

Here's one I developed with the "drag and drop" option on the page.

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com

Have fun with words!

Visions of Sugar Plums in the Library

Thanks to the German students at Station for making the library so festive and delicious-looking. We're decorated with the most wonderful, creative gingerbread houses.