The Good Life

We Got Skills...

Literacy skills, that is!

*Before I start this post, I just want to say that there are two new posts below. I'm totally annoying, I know.*

Okay, literacy. Reading. Whatever. We've been doing it a ton. And, I wanted to share some of what we've been up to.

You ready?

Last week, we focused on compare/contrast. We used the idea from the Comprehension Connections book. We brought in quinoa and had the kids ask thick and thin questions to determine what it was. Then, we gave them rice and let them compare and contrast them. They were so engaged and excited!

We did lots of practice throughout the week. We did some together and then I gave them some differentiated text about two animals and let them compare/contrast the animals.

They did so good that I let them research two topics and compare/contrast them on their own! They amazed me! They researched animals, planets, storms, dinosaurs, people, etc.

Today, we started cause and effect. I made an anchor chart, but it was nothing special. We read Ruby Bridges and the kids helped me record some cause and effect from Ruby's life.

We've recently started using our reading notebooks to record our thinking. Here are some examples...

Okay, one last thing. We had to make this little thing last week because my third graders were struggling with writing complete sentences. It seems very elementary, but honestly, they needed the refresher!

We're slowly getting into a rhythm in room 301. It's taken us a while. But, I finally feel like we're making some progress.

As always, thanks for reading!

All These Things...

I'm totally going to be one of those annoying people who doesn't blog for a month and then does about 4 posts in a day. So scroll up and down to see some new posts, if you're so inclined.

So, all these things are what's going on over here the last few weeks...

This is very blog-worthy! I cleaned my room for the FIRST TIME since school started. Terrible? Yes. Am I sorry? No.

My Doodle-Bug realllllly needed a haircut!

One day about two weeks ago, I made this little sucker right smack dab in the middle of the Reading Block. Yes, I did. Because, my kiddos were just about to kill each other. And, I know LOVE this little contraption. It makes my life a lot easier. The kids love it, too. Because they get to sit in fun places like the windowsill and on top of desks. It's pretty exciting, I do admit. (I did not come up with this idea, btw. I've seen them all over Pinterest!)

This is what I stare at all afternoon. Every afternoon. Just so you know...

Our school is having a fundraiser. And, I just felt really strongly that I should help the kids. Yes, that's it. It's all for the kids. It's a crying shame I had to eat all that chocolate :(

Two weekends ago, my parents and I went to have breakfast with my grandpa. Isn't he the cutest thing ever?

Well done, IHOP. Well done.

Back at my grandpa's house, my dad and aunts did some cleaning. We found a HUGE box of my grandmother's jewelry. I found this "R" pin in one of the boxes. It's a pin from the Ravens, my brother's rival team when he was about 11-15 years old. There is no rivalry quite as large as the rivalry between middle school aged baseball travel teams. So, I was surprised that she kept this pin! And, there wasn't a Bandit pin to be found! Ha.

The vacuum cleaner may or may not have nearly exploded.

I picked out a nice stack of vintage bangles. I love them! Especially because they were my grandmother's.

I also got a MAJOR stack of Little Golden Books for my school library!

That night, there were hot air balloons above my neighborhood. I was on a walk with my mom and I ran back to the house to grab my phone to take a picture. Sadly, this was the only one left!

The Finster finally got her haircut! And, it is SHORT!

So short, in fact, that I had to put pajamas on her because she was shaking! Ha. I keep my air on 67, so no hair = very cold, apparently!

But, she didn't like my idea. No pajamas. Point taken.

Last Wednesday, my mom came to get Finley during the day and she left me a little surprise! Isn't it so cute? Thanks, Mama!

This is what I treat myself to when I complete my first observation of the year. Think I was excited to get that thing over with???

Thursday, I received the sweetest darn note I've ever gotten from a kid at school. It made my day. Seriously.

And, Thursday night, we had a Family Literacy Night at school. The place was PACKED!

This is my classroom FULL of children while their parents learned how to help them be better readers at home. This is just the front of the room. And, there were about 6 other classrooms full of children. Uh-mazing!

Well, was that random or what?? Ha. Thanks for peeking in on my incredibly boring, but busy, life!

Labor Day Weekend

It was a great weekend, but it started off rocky and it ended terrible! I got a migraine at school Friday and had to leave early. But, by Friday afternoon I was better. We headed to my grandmother's house in Gleason, TN. We had a great time visiting with family. We got back Sunday and I woke up on Monday with a ROTTEN stomach flu. It was awful, ya'll. Seriously no fun at all. But, I'm feeling better-ish today and I haven't blogged in a while. So, here's a photo recap of the weekend...

This little creature LOVES to ride in the car. She spends about the first 30 minutes with her eyes wide open just checking everything out. Then, when she's satisfied that we're there for a while, she curls up in my lap and snoozes. I try not to be too jealous.

My two cousins got up super early Saturday to run a 5K. When they got home, Baby Kirsten chewed on the medal in her diaper. As you do...

When we got to the parade, we saw these cuties drive up in the golf cart! This is my great-uncle Edmond and his grandkids: Mattie, Will and Carson.

They were climbing all over that golf cart!

Will's pretty cute. I think his momma's gonna' have her hands full :)

My grandma and my cousins' kids waiting on the parade to start...

Charlie-Boo was all about some candy!

This is Carson. Carson is the first red-head in the family since Matt and I! So, needless to say, I kind of love him. Plus, he has a mischievous grin that I kind of love :) He was totally my buddy on Saturday. He sat in my lap the whole parade!

And, I can't believe Mattie is a big ol' third grader now! We take this picture every year. Here is a picture from one of her first TaterTown Days...

Later that day, I tried to get a picture with Baby K. And, well, usually I have to get several takes because I look awful! But, this time, I'll let you see why we had to take it several times...