Music Monday-Catch The Moon

I will conclude the Month-O-Elizabeth Mitchell with the darling album and board book: Catch The Moon (yes, that's right, a 2-for-1). This album is not only an Elizabeth Mitchell album but was a combination effort with the lovely Lisa Loeb.


 
Catch the Moon is a dreamy board book about two little girls, Ruby West and Ella Jane, playing with the moon: "...They send the star and moon back home And dream by star moon light." With night-time water color  illustrations by Elizabeth Mitchell's mother this is a great book to add to your bed-time collection. The following link from Elizabeth Mitchell's website allows you to read the book on the web http://www.youaremyflower.org/ctm/index.html

Several familiar songs such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Big Rock Candy Mountain, and Little Red Caboose are included among the 13 sweet songs on this album. The complete list of delightful songs on this album are: Big Rock Candy Mountain, Little Red Caboose, Oh Susanna, Catch the Moon, La Manita, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Stop and Go, New Morning, Oh Groundhog, Butterfly, Donguri/Rolling Acorn, Free Little Bird, and Fais Do Do.




Finally, the following links are to videos with Lisa and Elizabeth singing songs from this album:
Catch the Moon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epRWUbgw9V4
Stop and Go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m37oqM9qkGk

Happy Loeb/Mitchelling!!!

Literature Highlight & Activity - Dappled Apples

The last few mornings I have loved the fresh crisp smell of fall in the air... with the start of fall many classrooms are doing activities involving apples. One book I must read each and every fall is the the lovely book Dappled Apples by Jan Carr.




The words in this book flow with delightful rhymes and alliteration..."flutter, flitter, gold as glitter, colors crackle round the tree....pumpkin pile-up...evil fairy, Yikes! She's scary! Patched-up pirate, Who is he?..." From jumping in piles of fall leaves to pumpkin patches and trick-or-treating this book highlights all the reasons children (and adults) love the fall. The illustrations are made of bright, colorful cut-paper collages that give the reader a 3-D effect.

I read Dappled Apples several times during the fall season and do the following after each phase of the book:

After reading the first part about apples: take your child to an apple orchard. Children love the act of picking their own apples just like the children in the book. It teaches your children about seasonal foods and where apples come from.

After reading about fall leaves: go outside and pile up leaves with your children. Then join them in a leave jumping (which usually also ends up in leaf throwing) party.

After reading about the pumpkin patch, take your children to a pumpkin patch. Pack the following items: crayons (or other drawing utensils), paper, and a clipboard. (You don't HAVE to take a clipboard, anything hard will work, but children LOVE using clipboards, plus with the wind that comes in the fall it will be easier to hold your children's paper... so I highly recommend purchasing one... or several if you are a teacher. I will continue to post activities where children do things outside and will need clipboards.) While at the pumpkin patch have your children go on a hunt for interesting looking pumpkins. Once they find their favorite unique pumpkin have them draw a picture of it (or of a whole group of pumpkins). If you have a little extra cash, I also recommend buying the pumpkins. It is always fun to actually take one of the pumpkins home.



After reading the part about trick-or-treating have your children sit around your art table (my art table is our dining room table covered in a plastic table cloth I purchased at a dollar store). Place scissors (I recommend children's scissors, also if you can get some scissors with different blades they are really fun to use), construction paper, and glue at the table. Then have your children make their own cut-paper collage pictures of Halloween costumes.

Happy Dappled Apple-ing!!!

Curriculum Suggestion-[Fill in the blank] of the month!

Teachers are constantly bombarded with covering all the required curriculum. Between state standards, district mandates and school/grade level traditions it can be hard to find time to squeeze in anything else. However, I am a firm believer that you must include curriculum that you are passionate about. The types of things that made you want to become a teacher in the first place! If this is lost, it can be easy to get burnt out in a hurry. This is what led me to today's post: [Fill in the blank] of the month!

(For you non-teaching mommies or daddies out there this is an easy thing to do at home as well...minus a couple of the obvious differences between classroom and home.. adjust accordingly to what makes sense for your situation.)

One of my first posts was about how to name tables in your classroom. I mentioned I would later discuss what I used my author tables for... this is that promised post.

I love literature, especially children's literature and familiarizing children with specific authors and illustrators, so I made sure I could spend time each month focusing on authors. The implementation was easy... here is what I did (keep in mind you can alter this to whatever you want!)...

1. I set up the author tables (for details click on: http://sugarnspicesnailsntales.blogspot.com/2009/08/classroom-management-author-tables.html )

2. At the beginning of the month I announce to the class the author of the month. Since entire classroom tables were dedicated to each author, the children sitting at the author of the month table would shriek with joy that their table was chosen for the month.

3. Immediately after making the announcement I would read a story by the author (if you are teaching older grades and using chapter books, just read the first chapter) so the students would have an instant connection with the author. Followed by a little biography about the author making connections to the lives of the students (if possible). In addition, when possible I would show a dvd or computer clip of the author or an episode (or part of an episode) of Reading Rainbow or of a Scholastic video if the author and/or book by the author was highlighted. I don't like to use a lot of television in the classroom. However, showing the authors talking or watching a spotlight about a book is okay as it helps children connect with the author/book. I can promise you many students tune out while a teacher is verbally providing a bio but those same students will glue their eyes to the t.v. just because of the novelty of it in a classroom.

4. The students at the author table received special priveleges all month (nothing exciting, just the first to line up, things like that... seems small but can be a big deal in primary grades).

5. I made sure to read books by the author throughout the entire month and had a display of books by the author in my classroom library. If you have a small classroom, find a small spot on a counter or even an extra desk and make it your author spotlight by putting a picture and name of the author above or below where you have your book display (you can use an extra copy of the table sign described in my earlier post), it can be as simple or elaborate as you want. Even the simple use of a chair with some fabric draped over it with the author's name and picture taped to it will work. Just place the books on the seat and around the legs. If you have questions and would like some additional suggestions simply post a question and I will address it as soon as I can!

6. Along with reading books throughout the month I would use coloring sheets or other book related activities as fillers whenever possible. Usually the best worksheets (i.e. by best I mean the worksheets are don't look homemade) are available on the author's or publisher's website. For example, the Junie B. Jones website (author Barbara Park) has a Junie B. mask, wordsearch and other printables: http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/junieb

Below are resources for the author bio/book spotlight mentioned above.



*Where the Wild Things Are dvds has an interview with Maurice Sendak*

The following are just a few author websites that have bios/videos/etc. that you may find helpful:
http://www.janbrett.com/
http://www.loislowry.com/
http://www.toddparr.com/
http://www.judyblume.com/
http://www.roalddahl.com/

Most websites are simply the authorsname.com like those above. I made the list short since they are pretty easy to find. You can also refer to my previous post which has a list of authors at the bottom of the post: http://sugarnspicesnailsntales.blogspot.com/2009/08/classroom-management-author-tables.html

Rainy Day Activities

At home or at school it is always a good idea to have access to ideas for a "rainy day." Many of the activities I will post on this blog can be used as a rainy day activity (my music drawings for example. Click this link to see what I am referring to: http://sugarnspicesnailsntales.blogspot.com/2009/08/art-activity-music-drawings.html )

Collecting ideas is easy, it is the organization and updating that is easily left behind... when this happens many rainy days can go by without actually using these days to have fun with your children/students. Here are a couple of suggestions that have worked for me:

1. Purchase a three-ring binger, a hole punch, dividers with tabs, and some plastic storage sheets to keep in the binder. When you have a good idea on my blog or elsewhere you can print out the idea and place it in your binder. As you begin to collect ideas use the dividers to categorize your ideas. If you are really organized you can also include an index at the front of your binder. Simply write down a list of your tabs and leave space under each tab name. As you add items to your binder you can write in the activities under the tab name in your index. The plastic storage sheets can be used to put your printed out ideas if you access your binder frequently. If you don't I would save the storage sheets to store games or activities that you have created to keep the entire project together (for example if you make a paper BINGO game you could keep the boards, call cards, and paper markers...if you choose to use markers over cereal or candy... all in the storage sheet so you know where to find it when you need it).

2. You can do basically the same thing as above only write/print the ideas on index cards and keep them in an index box... this is less convenient for storing pre-made games/activities, but it still works.

3. Same thing as above only use a shoe box, gift box, or other box so you can store activities and ideas all in the same place. Organize as you desire depending on the size of box and contents.

4. Purchase some books. The use of books that already have activity ideas in them is a fast and easy way to accumulate and store ideas. Plus you can keep them on your bookshelf (on my bookshelves at home and in the classroom I have books as well as binders). Here are a few book suggestions:



Finally, regardless of the choice of books, binders, or boxes, always keep them in the same designated place so you can access them quickly. It is also helpful to have a little storage bin stocked with crayons, paper, markers, glitter, glue etc. so you have materials ready when you need them. This doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn't have to be done at the same time. Add one item a week and you will be surprised at how quickly you have a little craft center. I recently found a great way to store my craft supplies at home:



The drawers have lids and handles so you can pull out an entire drawer dedicated to one or more items and carry it where you are going to do your activitying/crafting. When you are done using the supplies simply put them back in the drawer, close the lid (which is attached) and easily slide it back into its place. This has worked wonders for my daughter at home...no more cramming things into drawers that won't close.

Happy Rainy Days!

Home Book Activity-The Kissing Hand

In a previous post I suggested some books for the start of the school year. I have a tradition that I do every year at the start of school with my daughter. The morning of the first day of school we take a few minutes together after she is all ready for her day and read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.





-In the story the raccoon is nervous for the first night of school (since he is a nocturnal animal and goes to school at night... side note: children love seeing the pictures of the animals going to school outside at night). His mother kisses his hand and says that it is a "kissing hand" and that whenever he misses her he can use his kissing hand to remember that his mommmy loves him. The illustrations in the book show a red heart in the center of the palm of his "hand".

While reading the book I kiss her hand and speak to her just like the mother speaks with her son. Then when the book is over I draw a little red heart with a marker on the palm of her left hand (since she is right handed so it doesn't rub off as fast) so she has a little reminder that her mommy loves her. Then when we say good-bye at school one of the last things she does is show me her kissing hand and the little heart on it. In this picture she was a little shy to show me in case someone in line was watching so she put it right up to the camera so no one could see.


*Also if you like The Kissing Hand there is another kissing hand/Chester book by Audrey Penn called A Pocket Full of Kisses. This is a great book about a new baby in the family. Chester learns about his mother having enough love for Chester and his little brother.

Book Recommendations-First Day of School

The first day of school is a big deal, especially in the primary grades. The way a teacher looks, speaks, presents her/himself and what is covered sets the tone for the school year. In the primary grades children are often clinging to parents prior to the first bell ringing. Reading stories at the start of class is a great way to help them forget about their worries as they are swept away in a good book. In a future post I will list possible first day activities and a basic first day lesson plan. For today, I will just cover some books that you may want to consider adding to your library or at least checking out from the library to have on hand.

I know that there are many first day books on the market but these are just a few that I have used in my classroom:



First Day Jitters follows a girl through the morning of her first day of school. She doesn't want to go to school but a man, who appears to be her father, continues to make her get ready and eventually drives her to school while encouraging her that people will be nice to her. At the end of the story the reader finds out that the girl is actually the teacher. After the book is over I share with the students that I felt like that teacher this morning, because I was nervous too. We then have a discussion about feeling nervous the first day of school. This tends to break the ice with the students when they realize that others in the class, including the teacher, is nervous. This gives everyone some common ground. *A side note, quite often some of the young sensitive children will be overly nice and try to give me some encouragement and comfort at the end of this discussion. It is a very sweet experience.


Another good book to include in your first day pile is Oh, the Places You'll Go! Most children are already familiar with Dr. Seuss which helps them feel comforted by something familiar. The pictures in this book are imaginative and fun for all children. After the book is over I give a brief run-down on some of the places (field trips) and activities (art projects, themes, parties, etc.) we will go on/attend over the school year. It is important during this BRIEF introduction that the teacher is animated and friendly. Children read the moods of teachers very easily; therefore if the teacher is excited the children are likely to be excited.


Perfect for Kindergarten, Chrysanthemum is about a little mouse who loves herself and her name until the first day of school when children make fun of her name. At the end of the story she loves her name again and those who teased her are now envious. Children respond well to this story. I use it when we discuss classroom expectations and we discuss feelings. Then as things come up (as they are likely to, especially with girls) you can refer to the book which tends to help.


Often students have parents at home missing them the first day of school. This is the story of a little racoon and mother who are nervous about missing each other on the first day of school. She gives him a kiss on his hand to help him think of her while he is away. I do an activity with this book the first day (this will be described with my first day of school lesson plan mentioned above). As a mommy, I also read this to my daughter the morning of the first day of school.


Probably not suitable for primary grades (at least not kindergarten and first grade), but a must have for upper grades. The Teacher from the Black Lagoon is a about a boy who falls asleep on the first day of school and dreams that his teacher is a monster that does horrible things to the students in his class. He is relieved when he wakes up to find he has a nice (non-monster) teacher.
Happy Reading!!!

Classroom Management - Naming Tables

I know that many, if not most, in the primary grades are used to giving tables names so you can call on an entire table to line up, put chairs up, etc. Many teachers give their tables color names (red table, blue table, etc.), some use shapes (circle table, triangle table, etc.) and some give numbers or letters (A table/table A or Table 3).

My favorite way to name tables is to use the name of authors and/or illustrators. I decide on the people I want to highlight (I do more with these individuals but will descibe in a future post). Once I have my list (i.e. Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Barbara Park, etc.) I center a picture of each person on poster board (about 8.5"x11") with their name under the picture in large easy-to-read print. Then on either side of the picture I place pictures of familiar characters from their books. For example the Barbara Park would have pictures of Junie. B. Jones on the poster board. (If you are doing this with older grades for, say, rows or clusters of students you could use pictures of book covers or even just names of familiar books.) Then when I call tables I say "the Park table" or "the Barbara Park table" (or even just "Park," in a rush).

Doing this helps children draw connections with books. It also gives students a working vocabulary of names so when they decide they like a certain series of books (many first graders and kindergartners LOVE Junie B. Jones) or find that they love books by a particular author (my daughter loves Maurice Sendak books) they have more language to effectively express to their parents or librarians which books they are looking for. I have found that when students connect with an author, they in turn want to read more from that author, which helps increase their desire to read.

Below are several pages that you might find helpful in choosing authors. Select those appropriate for your grade levels. It also helps to choose authors you, the teacher, personally enjoy!

Primary Grades:

Sandra Boynton
Jan Brett
Eric Carle
Ian Falconer
Mem Fox
Crockett Johnson
Ezra Jack Keats
Jonathan London
Mercer Mayer
Barbara Park
Todd Parr
Beatrix Potter
Richard Scarry
Maurice Sendak
Dr. Seuss

Upper Grades:

Judy Blume
Matt Christopher
Beverly Cleary
Christopher Paul Curtis
Roald Dahl
Kate DiCamillo
Jean Fritz
C. S. Lewis
Lois Lowry
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
J. K. Rowling
Louis Sachar
Shel Silverstein
E. B. White
Laura Ingalls Wilder