For School:
I read Blocks by Irene Dickerson to PreK-1st grade. Blocks is on the Texas 2x2 list. This is a simple book filled with so much teaching opportunities! With the book being titled blocks, I'll start with the obvious, we talked about shapes. We identified colors. The characters in the books had names that started with the color of the blocks they were using like Ruby used red blocks. So we identified the sound of 'r' and discussed the placement of that sound. Most of the sentences are punctuated with a period but there were a couple of sentences with explanation points. We discussed why the explanation point was appropriate for the sentence it was used in. With my 1st graders we also took note of the quotation marks and talked about why they were used. The last thing we focused on was feelings and better ways to handle situations. One boy takes one of the girl's blocks. There's a little fusing and fighting. We explored ways to solve problems other than fighting. The only thing I'll do different next time I read this book is I'll add a block station so they can build like Ruby, Benji and Guy did.
To 2nd-5th I read Follow the Moon Home by Philippe Cousteau. It has been nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award. After reading about this real life community project, students and I compared and contrasted our school's garden club verse the Lights Out for Loggerheads community project.
For Pleasure:
It's the Christmas season so I've been devouring Christmas stories.
I listened to All is Calm by Colleen Cobie and Starry Night by Debbie Macomber. Both are sweet stories with Christmas themes.
I'm half way through Hot Flash Holidays by Nancy Thayer. It keeps me laughing!
I'm also half way through listening to The Christmas Secret (Christmas Hope, #5) by Donna VanLiere. A single mom is down on her luck. Money is tight. She has a deplorable ex-husband. She looses her job. But she saves a woman's life. The woman's family is going go save her life too.
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