Little Elliot Wall Decal Giveaway

It’s no secret; I’m a big fan of the book Little Elliot, Big City. I reviewed it HERE and also revealed some cover art from the upcoming book, Little Elliot, Big Family HERE. I love this little elephant and his kind nature. I was beyond excited to find that Merry Maker’s released Little Elliot stuffed animals. (HERE) I will absolutely be purchasing one for my classroom and one for my niece. They are adorable.

All of this is to say, I got really excited when the folks at Live In A Story (website HERE) contacted me. They have wall decals that are taken right off the pages of our favorite picture books. What??? They wondered if I’d like to preview what they have for Little Elliot. Sign me up.

Just a few days later, Elliot arrived. I opened the package with anticipation, unrolled it, and there he was. I immediately knew where I wanted to put him in my classroom.

We start school in just over a week, so I’ve been in the classroom quite a bit. There is a spot in our classroom meeting area that I used to use for lunch count, but now was bare. It is on a white board, just to the right of our Interactive whiteboard. I put Elliot there thinking we could put speech bubbles or thought bubbles near him throughout the year.

There were also fun decals with cupcakes on them that I haven’t gotten the chance to put up yet, I think I’ll place them randomly on the board around Elliot.

The folks at Live in A Story wanted me to offer up one free Little Elliot wall decal along with a copy of Little Elliot, Big City to a reader of the blog. Would you like Elliot in your classroom or even your home? Fill in the Google Form below. The giveaway will be open from 8/7 through midnight on 8/10.

Fifteen Days

Benefit to early morning walks? Beautiful sunrises. 

I had a moment of panic this morning. Returning from a morning walk with Rosie, I was talking to Chris before he left for work. We were talking about when school would begin and I replied teachers go back the 17^th, students the 19^th. He made the comment about how early that seemed and left for work.

I glanced at my calendar and my stomach felt queasy. The 17^th was two weeks from yesterday, the 19^th two weeks from tomorrow.

How does this happen? Every year the start of the school year sneaks up on my, and yet every year I feel surprised. One would think I would begin to expect this phenomenon, but no. Here I am, beginning my sixteenth year in my district, twentieth in teaching, and I’m in the same place.

Summer always comes exactly when I need it. I am, of course, sad to see my students go, but I know it is time. They are ready to spread their wings. I am in desperate need of some sleep and time with my own family. My mind can focus on putting my own family first. I have visions of relaxing mornings, cleaning sprees at my house, days spent reading and writing.

Some of that happens, much of it remains a fantasy.

In truth, my schedule is crazier in the summer than during the school year. Two boys in sports makes my head spin. Family trips, professional conferences, games, practices, tournaments – my mind whirls. And yet, it is easier. I am fully present, not having to juggle the demands of school and home. It is awesome.

At the end of July, I felt the urge. I began to write lesson plans. I headed in for a few hours to get my classroom set up. I organized all of the books I had read over the summer, added them to my data base, and bagged them up to bring in. It was getting closer, I could feel it.

It was how close it truly was that threw me today. This week hasn’t gone as planned. My van broke, again, this weekend. I love my Silver Streak, but am not fond of three – now four – different repairs in one summer. Either is my checkbook. So, no trip to Target on Sunday. No errands ran, no classroom library organized. I feel behind, and that is not a feeling I enjoy.

So, I do what I know needs to be done. Lists created. Trips by bicycle to the Post Office to mail the letters to last year’s group, wishing them well as they head on to middle school. Visits to school to dip my toe back into the water, feel the excitement flood through me, know that it is almost time.

Next week I will see my class lists. Know what group of kids I am spending the next ten months with. Know who is part of my new school family. It is then that it will seem real.

Fifteen days. Fifteen days until I stand in front of a room full of students and feel that rush that comes from the start of a school year. The rush that is full of possibility, the rush that reminds me that anything is possible. Fifteen days. I am ready, and yet, I am not. I have fifteen days to spend with Luke and Liam. To say yes to days spent at the pool, time with friends, and yes, time spent organizing. Fifteen days. It is almost here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I'm thrilled to link up with Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers each Monday and share our reading lives. Check out their sites for more information.

This was a strange reading week. I really only "read" three of the seven days. But when I read, I read a lot. Wednesday I spent the entire day reading and finished five novels and a picture book. I notice my reading does this - I typically read in spurts. Normally, I read at least 15 minutes a day, but on some days I read a ton. It varies based on our schedule. For this reason I am taking off the time requirement on reading this year and simply asking my students to read. I plan on sharing what my reading life looks like with my students at the start of the year and seeing what they can accomplish when the time requirement is no longer there. 

 This week I read so many fabulous books. Please look for The Secrets of Solace (companion to Mark of the Dragonfly) this spring and The Thing About Jellyfish this fall. The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky was a book I missed last year, and it was fabulous! Make sure you find it. 

Firsts and Lasts

First moments, last moments. I have been thinking about them lately. I don’t know where I read about this, but there was an article about parenting where it recommended that you slow down and experience life as you live it. That you didn’t know the last time your child would crawl before walking, the last time they would need a diaper changed, etc. And I think that is so true. We are excited and celebrate “firsts”, but fail to celebrate “lasts” because you don’t realize it is the last time until later, upon reflection.

I’m a pretty emotional and nostalgic person, as well as ridiculously reflective, so I probably think about this more than I should. Even as a teacher, I get super emotional at the end of the year – it’s the last time I will begin a chapter book read aloud, the last writing unit, the last time I will confer with this child. And it isn’t that I don’t celebrate the day as it happens, or that I don’t find joy, I also feel the time slipping away and hope, and pray, that I’ve taught these fifth graders everything I can. Everything they need before moving on to sixth grade.

A friend recently asked me if I had ever had a “bad” class. They had heard about my son’s class and their reputation and asked what I thought. I was honest and said I loved them. He laughed and said, “You say that about them all. How can that be true?” And I paused and considered that comment. I truly did love them. Classes might be tough, some students might be hard, but those moments during the year together? The firsts, the lasts? The community we create? They make it all worth it.

Last night I came upon the bathroom tub. Guys were lined up on the side, dripping wet from Liam’s bath. I smiled, so happy that his imagination still ran wild. Wondering if teachers who don’t have children, or don’t have children that are ten, realize that fifth graders – while trying to act like “big kids” still are little kids underneath. Then I paused, how many more baths until he was too old for guys? How many more times when he was just a little boy? Some tears slipped out.

A family member recently asked me why I gave up so much of my night to my boys. If they ask me to lay with them until they sleep, I will. If they want me to read with them, I will. If they just want me to sit in my own room, reading, while they try to sleep because they don’t want to be on the top floor alone, I will. I tried to explain that it was a simple decision, there is nothing better that I could be doing with my time. Someday all too soon, they won’t ask. They won’t even be living in this house. So, as long as they want me near, I will.

As a new school year looms ahead of me, just twenty days away, I’m excited to begin on another journey with a wonderful group of kids. I know the year will begin with firsts that I will look forward to, and lasts that will make me emotional, especially upon reflection. I also know that I will look at my students – the ones that are easy to love and the ones that drive me mad – and know that these kids are absolutely precious to someone, somewhere. That someone treasures every first and last moment with these kids. That even though they appear to be “big kids”, they are still little underneath. That these kids are the whole world to their parents and I need to treasure every moment I get to spend with them. All too soon it will be May, I will be finishing our last read aloud, and tears will be slipping down my face. Firsts and lasts, the moments that make up our lives. They go by all too quickly.  

Heading into 5th and 7th, on their way to football. Time needs to slow down.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (And a Giveaway!)

I'm thrilled to link up with Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers each Monday and share our reading lives. Check out their sites for more information. 

I wasn't sure how much reading I would get in this week. My week had a quick trip to Cincinnati for a Scholastic Summit and I felt like I lacked the time to sit down and devour a book. Fortunately, picture books are perfect for this kind of week. 

I am in love with this "I Am..." series, otherwise known as the Ordinary People Change the World series. Franki Sibberson introduced me to them at the Summit. I had seen the covers, but thought they were written for far younger students than my fifth graders. The inside is almost like a graphic novel and I am in love with the character lesson each book ends with. So much fun! 

Masterminds by Korman is a book I already own, but my students had taken it from me as soon as I brought it to school and I have no idea where it is now, I believe a student brought it home for the summer. So I did what any Korman fan would do, I purchased another one. It is excellent. 

Saturday morning I went to a book signing for Jaleigh Johnson's paperback release for Mark of the Dragonfly. My students and I LOVE this book. I've read it aloud for the past two years and it has been a favorite each year. 

I'm currently reading an ARC of the companion book to Dragonfly called The Secrets of Solace. It is beautiful. I don't have an extra ARC, so to celebrate the release of the paperback, I have a signed copy of Mark of the Dragonfly to giveaway. If you'd like to enter, fill out the form below. 

Zack Delacruz: Me and My Big Mouth by Jeff Anderson

I purchase a lot of professional books, a ridiculous amount really. But several never get read, I just keep planning on reading them, but I never do. My books by Jeff Anderson are the exception to that rule. I first met Jeff through Everyday Editing, then Mechanically Inclined, 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know, and finally Revision Decisions. I love Jeff's writing. He is engaging, hilarious, and teaches me more about grammar than I ever thought I would want to know. More than that, I've got to know Jeff as a person, and he is amazing. So when I heard that he was going to venture into the world of children's literature, I was intrigued. 

Jeff was a teacher for over twenty years, teaching in 4th-8th.  He knows kids. I love when former teachers write for children. The characters and their dialogue are usually spot on. They know this age group, inside and out. This holds true in Jeff's new book, Zack Delacruz.

I understood Jeff's character of Zack. Zack just wants to be in the background. To blend in, fit in with friends, and have everything go well. He is quiet, struggling a bit as he moves through sixth grade. Some kids in his class aren't making it easy, neither is moving between his mom and dad's house after their recent divorce. Life is not a piece of cake for Zack, which many of my students will identify with. And then, there is the incident in the library.

In library class one day their teacher is called away for a phone call. The lack of teacher can make some kids quiet, others funny, and some mean. Unfortunately for Zack, the lack of teacher causes one classmate - Jose - to pick on another classmate - Janie. And before Zack knows, or understands, what he is doing, he stands up for Janie and becomes Jose's next target. 

This moment of bravery from Zack leads to him being put in charge of a school fundraiser with Jose. (!!!) And this fundraiser is a big deal - it is the only way the sixth grade class can be a part of the school dance. You follow Zack as he struggles with his desire to step back when thrust into the spotlight and watch as the story unfolds and he finds his own path. 

I loved so many things about this book. I loved that it was about kids that seemed so real. That it tackled the issue of bullying without being a issue book. And that it was about a diverse group of kids, but that wasn't the focus either, they were just kids. 

My students, though, loved the book because they found it funny. It helped that it was not a million pages. That led to it being passed hand to hand around our class - and it still is! Some boys took my copy of the ARC home from the summer and are returning it once the entire group reads it. That speaks volumes. And they were grateful to hear that Jeff is working on the next story with Zack right now. They aren't ready to say goodbye to Zack, or his friends, just yet. 

I think Zack Delaruz: Me and My Big Mouth is the perfect book for your middle grade classroom. Check it out when it is released on August 4th and you will grow to love Zack and his friends too. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I'm thrilled to link up with Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers each Monday and share our reading lives. Check out their sites for more information. 

Good gracious, I haven't updated for It's Monday for three weeks! Now I was in Ireland for the last two, with extremely dicey internet, but I'm not sure what happened before that. At any rate, I thought I'd quickly share the titles I've read since then and list off a few you should not miss. Sound good? Here we go! 

Picture book wise, make sure you see The Night World and Boats for Papa. Both were books I planned on reading in the bookstore, but not purchasing. Both ended up coming home with me.

Middle grade, there are a ton. Umbrella Summer; Star Wars; Clementine; Ruby on the Outside; Moonpenny Island; Listen, Slowly; Stella by Starlight - fabulous books. I know they will all be hits in my classroom this year.

Franki Sibberson and Bill Bass have written a terrific new book for teachers called Digital Reading. It is an important look on authentic ways to use technology in your classroom. I think all teachers should read it. 

And last, but not least, The Marvels. Holy wow. This comes out September 15th and I CANNOT WAIT. I've preordered it and am anxious for the arrival. I borrowed this copy from a friend and had to finish it before I left a conference. I'd love to go back and pour over the illustrations and the story, but I have to wait. Amazing, amazing, amazing book. 

I'm starting this week off reading Gordon Korman's Masterminds. I can already tell I'm going to love it. 

Happy Reading!