It's That Time of Year, Again...

We've all been there. It's that time of year... again. Yes, THAT time. Holidays are over, mid-year testing is kicking into high gear, everyone's itching for a snow day (at least in our small, Connecticut town, we are!), and we're falling into some not-so-great habits. That time of year when we all become astronomers and meteorologists (Mercury must be in retrograde... full moon? uhh... blizzard coming? Oh! Venus is particularly close this week. THAT must be it!) Come on, you know this sounds like... someone!
I'm finding that every time I speak, half of the class is popping up to go to the bathroom, snag a drink from their water bottles, or grab a tissue. None of these behaviors are with ill intention. The kids are antsy. The routine, though wonderfully and necessarily predictable, is becoming stale. They still want to learn, they're still trying, but their focus just isn't what I know it could be.
But this week, I whipped out my favorite mid-year addition and I now have every single kiddo hanging on my every word. Yes, you read that right... EVERY. SINGLE. KIDDO. Interested?

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Shipping Out!

My husband and I have just finished packing for our cruise and we leave for the boat in... 19 minutes! Talk about LAST MINUTE! I hope we haven't forgotten anything!!
I can't be too upset with myself, as per usual... I got stuck at work late last night. There is just something so incredibly satisfying about engaging in rich conversation with colleagues with the same drive and passion. I know that many of you can relate!
Yesterday, to celebrate the end of summer school, my Principal and a few of my co-workers had a chicken wing party! Living in Connecticut, you really haven't lived until you've tried the wings at the Dew Drop Inn in Derby. I wish they had a website that I could link up to, but... check them out on Facebook. They have something like 80 different varieties of wings -- ALL ARE DELICIOUS! My favorite are Parmesan-Bacon-Garlic, Peanut Butter & Jelly (with a fluff dipping sauce!), and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. I know, I know... they sound ridiculous, but NOMNOMNOM they are just... oh, so good! I won't even begin to pretend like I know how to explain how a combination of chicken and candy work, but they just do. Trust me! :) REGARDLESS! While we were chowing down, we began to talk about the the school play for the coming year. During each of our 3 years under the PCAH Turnaround Arts Grant, we held a school production:
Year 1: The Wiz Year 2: The Jungle Book Year 3: Hairspray, Jr.
This year, we were planning to present The Little Mermaid, but made a switch to Annie, Jr. after learning about the new Jamie Foxx-Cameron Diaz movie. 
Through our discussion we began to brainstorm the many ways we are able to integrate the play into our instruction as aligned with the CCSS and district curriculum for grades Pre-K through 8. Our discussion lasted for nearly THREE HOURS! We were unexpectedly productive, building off of one another and now we have been set to task -- as soon as I return from the cruise, I will be putting together a packet for our staff complete with arts vocabulary and ideas for lessons, units, and PBAs (Project Based Activities). I am so optimistic for this school year and really cannot wait to delve into it and share all of our ideas with you!  But now I'm curious! At this point through all of my training, substituting, and now teaching, I have working in 6 different school districts (over 20 schools total!) and have seen arts integration at all different levels. I'd love to hear about your arts integration experience. Answer the question below and feel free to give more info in the comments! I apologize in advance for delayed responses since I will be out of the country until August 2nd!

surveys & polls

Also, don't forget to follow me here, on bloglovin, or on Instagram (Shoelaces_SweetFaces) before I get back on the 2nd. All followers by then will receive a FREEBIE of my completed Sight Word Assessment Pack!
Happy blogging, all and soak up all the sun you can! School will be back before we know it!! :)

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Let's Talk About Books and a FREEBIE!

And now for one of my favorite linky parties of the summer... Thanks to Mrs. Jump for hosting!!

This week, I am highlighting a book that I have JUST discovered by one of my favorite Children's Book authors, Chris Raschka! First, let's talk about Mr. Raschka for a moment! He is the author who brought some serious favorites including Yo! Yes?, A Blushful Hippopotamus, and many others. Chris' books are special because they do a spectacular job at conveying particular feelings using vivid illustrations and simple, kid-friendly text. This year, I was extraordinarily lucky to receive a $100 grant for a local library book sale. While purging their Children's Book section, I came across...

Charlie Parker Played be bop!

I had never heard of this book before, but I LOVED John Coltrane's Giant Steps so I snatched it up. As many of you know, our school is currently under a MAJOR arts grant and anything that we can do to more fully integrate the arts is a thumbs up! I tossed the book in the stack with all of the others and just this weekend got around to looking through it.

What I found exceeded my expectations!

Each page offered engaging illustrations. Full of color, line, and expression, they hit on many different points. I cannot wait to use this book as a mentor text with my firsties!

Throughout the year in Kindergarten, we worked diligently on developing stamina for writing and strategies for editing and revising. This year, we will be delving into Author's Craft! This book will be a great kick-off to onomatopoeia as it will allow the kiddos to put an image to each sound.  

I have created a small set of graphic organizers that the kids can use before or after reading the book. Before Reading: Use the pages to imagine what each word could mean and stand for. See if their representation in the book matches your own! After Reading: Create alternative meanings or representations for each sound word -- OR -- use the images given to There is also a space where students are able to create their own word to use in their writing. Feel free to let me know other ways you would use this book/activity! And check out the activity in my TPT Store HERE! (FREEBIE! FREEBIE! FREEBIE!) Also, check out my Sight Word Assessment Pack -- Currently one sale for... 100% OFF! This is a FLASH FREEBIE and will be free for 24 HOURS ONLY. PLEASE, I only ask that if you download the pack, you leave a quick review. Thank you so much!! You can read about the pack HERE!

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Let's Talk About Books Linky!

As I mentioned in a post last week, I will be linking up with numerous blogs through the summer months! Today I will be linking up with Mrs. Jump's Class to for her We <3 Books linky!

I absolutely LOVE the idea for this linky party because I am OBSESSED with Children's Literature as I so many of you are! I studied Children's Literature almost exclusively throughout both my undergraduate and graduate careers! I love learning about new books and getting ideas about teaching with old favorites! I actually keep a binder with lists of books I enjoy and lesson/activity ideas to correspond with them! I suppose I should make a mental note to post about the binder setup in case anyone else is interested!! ANYWAY... ON WITH THE LINKY! :)
One of my all-time favorites is Big Al by Andrew Clements and Yoshi! I have read it so many times that my copy is BEAT UP!! I should probably invest in another copy or two ;) For those who have not read Big Al, it follows a fish named Big Al on his quest for friendship. He finds that his appearance frightens and offends others, making it a struggle to find and keep friends. This story hits home for a lot of our kiddos. Even my little ones in Kindergarten! One of the best parts of this book are the SPECTACULAR illustrations!


Check out some samples below:

I just love how vibrant the colors are! And each image has such detail... I could spend hours with this book, just pouring over the illustrations!
I like to use this book right alongside The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. Reading the two books together provides with a wonderful, authentic opportunity to discuss vocabulary relating to friendship and character traits.  Since both characters make changes to themselves throughout their respective stories, the kiddos all take away something different! My favorite part of reading these stories together is the debate that takes place at the end! It is truly magical to hear my KinderSTARS try to prove their reasoning for each and every choice!
Enjoy!

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