Field Experience

Field Experience

1.How many hours did you complete?

I completed 6 hours of field experience.

2. How did you spend your time?

I spent 4 of those hours with my SLMS (School Library Media Specialist). We collaborated on a poetry unit that I taught my students. We decided which types of poems she would teach to my second students during their weekly library session. She worked on cinquain poems and acrostic poems with my class. I then helped my students publish their poems in the computer lab. My students also created a power point to share with the parents at our end of the year program with all their different types of poems. Their parents really enjoyed the different types of poems and their creative power point slides with music.

The other activity we collaborated on was creating question to ask our visiting author. We were fortunate enough to have Daryl Cobb visit our students to give a presentation about he became an author. Our SLMS helped my students write appropriate questions to ask Mr. Cobb during his visit. We then edited the question in our classroom and put them on note cards so my students could practice reading them. My students also designed attractive welcome banners to hang all over our school with different titles of Mr. Cobb’s books written into secret messages.

I also spent two of my planning periods helping our SLMS in the library. She showed me the system for shelving books and also a lot of teacher resources that I did not even know we had. I have spent a lot of my own money ordering these resources when I could have just checked them out from our own library. It is sometimes amazing what you can find right under your own nose! My time with her was well spent learning more about our school library and all of our wonderful student and teacher resources.        

My other two hours were spent designing a new center rotation in my classroom. I spent one hour observing another second grade teacher that uses this center rotation system in her own classroom. I really liked how it worked in her classroom. I am looking forward to incorporating it into my own class next year. Instead of using my typical four centers each day in my literacy block I now plan to use six centers. I attended an excellent writing training at my school. I also ordered three books to help me plan my new writing centers. Along with a daily writing center, I will also incorporate a word work center with all hands on activities.

The three books that I highly recommend are:

Writing Whizardry  by Maity Schrecengost    

Primary Pizzazz Writing by Melissa Forney

Dynamite Writing Ideas by Melissa Forney

3. How did the experience help you strengthen at least one Kentucky Teacher Standard?

Standard 8: Collaborates with colleagues, parents and others- The experiences from my hours gave me a different viewpoint of how I can learn from other teachers about ideas that may work well in my own classroom. I also learned about valuable resources from our SLMS. She helped me teach required curriculum and really helped me with the publishing standard, which is new to our writing curriculum this year. I think our peers are sometimes are best teachers. I am so lucky to work in a fabulous school with so many talented people who are always willing to help others. 

4. Talk a little bit about what you learned because of this field experience.

I learned that no matter how long you have been a teacher that there is STILL always someone out there who could help you become an even better educator. Our school is taking two of our planning periods every week next year for us to collaborate with our team teachers. Some of our staff is not crazy about the idea since that means we will only have a free planning period three days a week next year. I think it is an excellent plan for us all to become better teachers. We are all so strong as individual teachers that I think we will be rock solid as a team.  I learned a tremendous amount  from the teacher that I observed and from our SLMS during my field experience. I am excited to see how much more I can show and learn to the five teachers on my team throughout the school year next year. Collaboration is the key to a successful school environment.

Reading Log and Wiki Checklist

Wiki Checklist

Wiki (requirement is four total posts in four different categories)

__X__  Social Studies

__X___  Science

__X___  Math

_____ Music

_____ Art

__X___ Reading/ Language Arts

_____ Physical Education

_____ Other

Genre- Titles you read (* denotes blogged books)

 I. Nonfiction-Informational (1 reflection required on blog)

            1. Chocolate Tree: Mayan Folktale by Richard Keep

            2. Runaway Slave by Ann McGovern *

            3. Rosa Parks by Courtney Baker

            4. Diary of a Young Girl  by Anne Frank

            5. Laura Ingalls Wilder by Tanya Lee Stone

           

II. Poetry ( 1 refelection required on blog)

1.      Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss *

2.      Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? by Mel Glenn (required)

3.      Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

III. Modern Fantasy ( 1 reflection required on blog)

1.      Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (required)

2.      The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins *

3.      Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

4.      Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

IV. Historical Fiction (1 reflection required on blog)

1.      Moon Over Manifest by Claire Vanderpool (required)

2.      Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen *

3.      Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

V. Multicultural Traditional ( 2  reflections required on blog)

1.      Dancing With The Indians by Angela Shelf Medearis *  

2.      Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech *

3.      Abuela by Arthur Dorros

VI. Realistic Fiction ( 1 reflection required on blog)

1.      Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

2.      Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner

3.      The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han *

4.      Super Fudge by Judy Blume

5.      Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis (required)

VII. Picture Books ( 6 reflections required on blog)

1.      Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young (required)

2.      Pigs will be Pigs  by Amy Axelrod

            3.   Alexander Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst

            4.   Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen *

5.   When I Grow Up by Al Yankovic *

6.      Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst*

7.      How The Second Grade Got $8,205.50 to visit the Statue of Liberty by Nathan Zimelman *

The other two Picture Book blog post requirements were met under Poetry and Multicultural Genres.

Runaway Slave

McGovern, A. (1965). Runaway slave. New York: Scholastic.

I plan to use this book to introduce my students next year to a real life super hero. This book tells the true-life story of Harriet Tubman. She was a conductor on the Underground Railroad. She was so successful at helping people escape slavery that she had a price on her head. Harriet was also a Civil War spy. This was an extremely dangerous undertaking when you consider that captured spies were executed. Harriet Tubman instantly became my hero after I read this book. The book is instructive without being preachy, and gave me a sense of Harriet Tubman's incredible strength of character, determination, and courage. In the pages of this book, I found a Great American. You should consider giving this book as a gift to a child you love. The writing is easy to read, the illustrations are gripping, and the main character is a real life, honest-to-goodness hero.

This book is a biography about Harriet Tubman’s life from birth until her death. It is classified into the informational book genre. The information in this book is written in a sequence structure as the events of Harriet’s life are told in chronological order. The theme of the book is how Harriet Tubman rose above many challenges to make a better life for herself. The book also reveals how she helped many other people have a better life. The book is written in a conversational style told in third person narrative. The events in Harriet’s life are retold with vivid details that transform the reader back in time to learn about a true American hero.

Big Questions:

Would you ever risk your life to save someone else?

Have you ever made a sacrifice to help another person?

What does the word hero mean to you?

Woods Runner

Paulsen, G. (2010). Woods runner. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.

What would it be like if you had to be alone in the woods at the age of 13? Could you find food? Imagine that you came home and found your house destroyed and your family gone. Would you know where to search for them? In the exciting book Woods Runner the main character Samuel is faced with many of these same challenges.   

Samuel has grown up on the frontier, a talented hunter who can navigate the forest and provide for his family. One day when he is out hunting, British soldiers and Indians attack his home and nearby community. Some people are killed and scalped, others, including Samuel’s parents, are taken prisoner, and the entire settlement is burned to the ground. Samuel attempts to follow and rescue his parents. This adventure leads him east and closer to the war front. Paulsen includes facts about the Revolutionary War period between the narrative chapters. The adventure follows Samuel through many ups and downs. Samuel experiences the kindness of some and the horrific cruelty and brutality of others. This book is full of drama, adventure, and action, but also presents a different side of American history

What I find most interesting about this book is the fact that Paulson chooses to focus the story on the experiences of a civilian. There is no talk of legendary battles or of American War Heroes. It is just a snapshot of what an average day might look like if you lived during this time period. In addition, Paulson throws in sidebar-style commentary throughout the book giving the reader additional background knowledge to help make sense of the scenes about to be presented.

A warning for young readers is that this is a war story, and as such, there is violence and sadness. There's gritty war violence (Samuel shoots and kills a couple people in self-defense and watches others get killed) but it's never described graphically. This book also offers positive characters who are generous and courageous and lots of historical information about the Revolutionary War.

 
Big questions:

Samuel says, "I didn't even know there was anyone to fight. Who was good or bad, which side to be on." Is it always clear in war who is the good guy and who is the bad guy?

Many innocent lives are lost at war, including those of non-soldiers, the elderly, women, and children. How do nations try to protect innocents?

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Han, J. (2009). The summer I turned pretty. New York: Simon and Schuster. 

Belly spends every summer with her family at her mother’s best friend’s (Susannah) beach house.  This includes Susannah’s two sons, Jeremiah and Conrad.  Belly has had a crush on Conrad for a long time, but he has always been unavailable in some way and she believes she has gotten over him.  When she returns to the summer house this year things get complicated when suddenly both boys notice Belly and the young beauty she has become.  Belly is unsure how to handle all of this attention and decides to date a nearby local boy in order to sort out what she wants from a relationship.  Meanwhile, the brothers are struggling with family issues in their own ways.  Can they let Belly in on their secrets or will they treat her as an outsider like they have her entire life?  Can Belly make peace with the kind of relationship she hopes to find one day?

This book is simple and realistic in its pacing and storyline.  Many high school girls will be able to connect with Belly and the issues she is facing such as physical changes, family dynamic changes, feelings of insecurity, and even dating issues.  The problems addressed in the story include some serious issues like divorce, death, and growing up.  This book would work well with students in grades 8 -12.  This book would fit in the emotional realism genre as it is a rite of passage story about the hardships of being a teenage girl.

I really enjoyed reading this realistic fiction book and it has been many years since I have been in high school.  This book was light and breezy like a summer should be. Although it had a more complex side too when dealing with more serious issues than which bikini to wear to the pool or what to wear to the bonfire. It is a story about the tender time when a girl is caught between being a little girl and being a bigger little girl.

 

Big Questions:

Have your feelings ever changed towards a friend?

Why do you care what other people think about you?

Why would you keep a secret about someone in your family? 

Book trailer
http://youtu.be/H1Sq881khIQ

Green Eggs and Ham

Seuss, D. (1960). Green eggs and ham. New York: Beginner Books, Inc.

Green Eggs and Ham, follows an unamed character in his attempts to avoid an eerie stranger. The conflict emerges when the main character is approached by a weird figure, Sam-I-Am, and asked to eat a plate of green eggs and ham.

Dr Seuss writes a creative story in the poetetic form of verse. The words are written using the sound pattern of rhyme. The beat of the text helps children identify words. This book is excellent to use to work on fluency since it only has 50 words in the entire story.

Sam constantly pushes the unnamed character to eat the platter and stalks him through a variety of locations. The characters proceed through a house, tree, car, and train, in which Sam effortlessly pleads with the main character to try the food. The story approaches an end when the two become involved in a train collision, and find them selves in a shallow pool of water, surrounded by passengers. The climax occurs in the story when the passengers work with Sam-I-Am, and provoke the unnamed character to eat green eggs and the ham. Overcoming his own disgust, the main character ironically enjoyed the meal.

Green Eggs and Ham is a book which encourages young children to become open minded and try new things.

Using in the classroom: Of couse if you are reading this book with your students then you must make green eggs and ham. See the recipe link below.

http://www.seussville.com/activities/GREEN_Recipes.pdf

I would also have my students write and draw about their favorite foods.  They could even do a compare and contrast map with foods they love and foods they dislike.

 Excellent website to use with this book: http://www.seussville.com/

Big Questions

Have you ever been afraid to try something new?

What are some foods that you don’t want to eat?

Dancing With The Indians

Medearis, A. (1992). Dancing with the Indians. New York: Scholastic.

“……… a compelling story of loyalty and joy.”

                                                            - School Library Journal

“…….. commendable work offers glimpses of a rarely explored chapter in the shared histories of two historically oppressed peoples.”

                                                            - Publishers Weekly

Based on the author's family history, this intercultural celebration recounts an African American family's participation in a Seminole Indian powwow in 1930s Oklahoma. Written in four-line verses this book offers glimpses into Native American culture and African American culture. The strongly colored paintings by illustrator Byrd depict flickering firelit dancers and the area's natural beauty. The faces of the dancers are often distorted and stiff. The line and color used in the illustrations of the dancers' faces add to the intensisty of the emotion displayed in the dance moves.  

What I love about this multicultural picture storybook is there is a letter from the author at the end about her inspiration for this story. The African American author tells in her letter about her great grandfather who escaped from slavery. He was helped by the Seminoles to be protected from the white people. Her great grandfather was actually accepted as a member of their tribe to be protected. To honor the tribe her grandfather would travel with his family once a year to participate in a Seminole Pow Wow. The book is about that journey. How fantastic is it that this book combines two cultures? It shows how they can celebrate their heritage together.       

My text to self-connection was made on page 18.

“Warriors stamp and hollar, an angry cavalcade. I draw away form them a little bit afraid.” I can recall seeing a Native American dance at a festival as a child. I was a little bit scared of the costumes and the shouting. I now find it fascinating as an adult.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vqecwx0TVM

I would show the above link to my students prior to reading this book to capture my audience.

They would then write about what they saw in the dance clip.

  

Walk Two Moons

Creech, S. Walk two moons. (1996). New York: Harper Trophy.

Walk Two Moons is a story of the life journey of the main character, Salamanca Sugar Maple Tree Hiddle (Sal). Sal is thirteen years old, living in Kentucky. She is taking a trip with her grandparents. The story reveals that Sal's mother abandoned her and her father, moving to Ohio. The purpose of the road trip is to drive to Lewiston, Idaho to get there just in time for her mother's birthday. On the journey, Sal will visit many places her mother has visited in the hopes of feeling a connection to her mother. Along the way, Sal tells stories in the car; during this time the novel shifts between time, focusing on the perspectives of Sal and her mother. By the end of the book Sal feels relief that she was able to walk in her mother's shoes. 

“Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins…
You can’t keep the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you
can keep them from nesting in your hair.” (p. 185)

Walk Two Moons is a fiction story full of metaphors, personification, and foreshadowing.  Creech constantly gives hints and clues about the end and, because of Sal’s former farm life, frequently gives the trees and wind humanlike characteristics.  The personification allows the reader to see how much Sal misses her farm and country lifestyle.  The metaphors and foreshadowing help the reader see life through Sal’s perspective and how she will feel once she finds her mother in Lewiston.

I really enjoyed this Newbery Award winning book.  The story taught me some valuable lessons in human psychology and opened my eyes to people’s emotions and motivations.  I made a text to self connection about how people feel about lost loved ones and that they need time to cope with the death before interacting with other people again.  Sharon Creech’s masterful use of foreshadowing and metaphors had me engaged  from the first chapter. 

Mark My Words Strategy:

diabolic  fiendish; wicked (p. 16)

divulge  to make known, especially something secret (p. 16)

flinch  to draw back, as from something painful or unpleasant (p. 36)

gullible  easily fooled (p. 30)

huzza  used to express joy (p. 20)

primly  excessively precisely or properly (p. 17)

roost  to perch or settle, especially for the night (p. 1)

Big Questions:

At the beginning of the book there is a quote:
"Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins."
Reflect on this quote, what are some possible meanings of this quote? What situations might it apply to? When do people tend to judge others? Is it ever helpful?

Literature Circle Discussion

The phrase politically correct, or PC, means avoiding the use of language and eliminating practices that could offend certain groups of people. The novel Walk Two Moons addresses the issue of political correctness in its use of the term Native American rather than Indian to refer to North America’s first inhabitants. Sal does not like the sound of the term. She prefers to be called an Indian. Many Americans strive toward political correctness in their speech and behavior, but others believe that political correctness has gone too far. In your group debate the issue of whether political correctness is a value that should guide our speech and behavior.

The Hunger Games

Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic.

"I was so obsessed with this book..... The Hunger Games is amazing." - Stephanie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga

"Brillantly plotted and perfectly paced."- John Green, The New York Times Book Review


It has been a long time since I enjoyed a book as much as The Hunger Games. I just could not put this one down so I devoured all 374 pages in one day. Modern Fantasy is not my favorite genre so I was thrilled that I enjoyed this book much more than I had first anticipated. I plan on reading Catching Fire  just as soon as I can get my hands on it. Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games in cycle format which is common to the Modern Fantasy genre. I became attached to Katniss the main character in the story so I can not wait to find out what challenges she faces in the next book.  The third book in the series is Mockingjay. I am sure I will read that one also.

The novel is centered around an annual televised event where the ruthless Capitol randomly selects one boy and one girl, each between the ages of 12 and 18 from each of the twelve districts pitting them against each other in a game of survival where they are forced to fight one another to the death. The winner is awarded a new house for themselves and their families in their District, along with food, fame, and wealth.  As great as the rewards are it is dealing with the evil deeds one had to accomplish to become the winner that make this story the perfect tale of self vs. self. Katniss struggles throughout the story with moral choices. Will she make the choice that keeps her alive or the choice that keeps her  from hating herself?

The Hunger Games is a quest story. The quest is survival to be the last contestant alive at the end of the event. The monomyth that Katniss experiences throughout the story is quite a wild ride of self discovery. She begins as a young girl hunting in the woods to help her family survive after her father's death. Katniss answers the call to adventure only to protect her younger sister but the adventure she experiences will change her forever.  Katniss endures trickery, hatred, love and physical exhaustion as she evolves from hunting dinner to hunting her fellow man.       

The first person narrative style of the story allows the reader to experience the pain and triumphs personally as Katniss struggles to save herself and her family.   Katniss does not see herself as a likeable person but it is easy for the reader to fall in love with this young girl on a mission of soul searching and survival. The kindness she shows to others is returned to her throughout the story. I like how this book adds to my personal belief that no good deed is left unrepaid.  Katniss even though amidst a desperate battle for her own life finds ways to help others. Her choices to become an angel to others allow her to remain a strong contender throughout The Hunger Games.  The surprise ending had me begging for more.      

Big questions:

Have you ever put the needs of someone else before your own needs?

Would you still do something even though it was dangerous if it meant helping another person?     

Tell me about a time you were terrified to do something but felt so much stronger after you accomplished the task.  

Has there ever been a time that you felt very lonely but you were not alone? 

When I Grow Up

Yankovic, A. (2011). When I grow up. New York: Harper.


I could not resist buying this book when I saw the author was comedian Al Yankovic. I thought it was touching when I read the book cover and Al said his own father had told him to do whatever job that made him happy. Al has done many jobs including comedian, actor, songwriter, director and writer. The main character in the story Billy describes all the jobs he would like to have when he grows up.

As the story begins it is show and tell time in Mrs. Krupp's class.  The topic is what you want to be when you grow up? Billy is excited to be the first one to share at show and tell time. Billy shares that he wants to be the greatest chef ever seen. Mrs. Krupp's thanks Billy and asks the class who wants to go next?  Billy tells Mrs. Krupp to hold the phone because he is just getting started.  Billy continues to share many other exciting careers. Billy saves the special career for last.  Billy's creativity makes his classmates dream of exciting careers that they had never considered before.       

The first person narrative of this story makes it easy to make a personal connection to Billy and his career dreams. The poetic style used by the author adds a splash of humor and creativity to Billy's stories about his future career choices. The poetry is written in narrative form to describe how excting each new job would be for Billy. The illustrations in this book make Billy's career dreams come alive.  The illustrator uses surrealistic art as he mixes the images of Billy's classroom with unrealistic pictures of what may happen to Billy at one of his jobs. The illustrations are very humorous and would totally captivate a young audience.  

This book could be used in my classroom to introduce my community helper unit. The students could write career poems about what they want to be when they grow up.  This book would be an excellent one to use to discuss narrative poems. Also students could be instructed to write funny poems with the same rhyme patterns from the story. You could read aloud a page of the story without showing the students the illustrations and ask the students to create their own illustratation of that poem.  


Big Questions:

Can you have more than one job when you grow up?

What is the difference between a job and a career?

How does school help prepare you for your future career?


Book trailer can be viewed at :

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1MpkDE5C1M0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Library Lion

Knudsen, M. (2006). Library lion. New York: Scholastic.

This book tells the exciting story of how a Lion was discovered in the library.  The library director suprisingly says it is ok for him to stay as long as he isn't breaking any of the library rules.  All the children enjoyed watching the lion nap in the story corner. They weren't sure how to act around the lion since there were no rules about a lion in the library. Since the lion was being so well behaved then everyone went about their day in the library. The lion finally broke a rule when he roared so Ms. Merriweather told the lion that he would have to leave if he was not quiet.  The lion agreed to be quiet. He even showed up early the next day so Ms. Merriweather put him to work with library chores. The children and library workers decided the lion was very helpful. One day an accident happened that required the lion to break more than one library rule.  You will have to read the story to find out how this mishap made the lion a hero.             

Character development was evident in this story as the lion's role changed from mere observer to hero. The library was an integral setting in the story because the meaning of the story would have been altered if the events did not occur inside the library. The visual elements in the story contribute to the portrayal of the great admiration the children have for the lion. The illustrator's use of composition is noted when he established the lion as the focal point.  On almost every page of the book the children surround the lion and gave at him lovingly. The artistic style of the illustrator is expressionistic art. This is evident when the lion roars and his mouth is illustrated much larger than that of a real lion. The illustrations are beautiful and contribute to the underlying message of heroism in the story.

In a primary classroom, I would use this book to discuss our own library rules for our school library and our classroom library. I would also discuss the fantasy elements in this story how the lion could not really become a library helper. Science could be incorporated by doing a compare and contrast graph with this lion and a lion in his natural habitat. I could also have my students write about real life animal heroes. I have a non-fiction pet hero book that would be an excellent follow up to springboard a discussion about real animal heroes. Students could then write a story about someone who is a hero.

Big Questions:

Is it ever ok to break the rules?

What are the characteristics of a hero?

Can an animal be a hero?

Can you think of someone who was a hero to you?         

Connecting Literature, Math and Social Studies All in One Book

Zimelman, Nathan. (1992). How the Second Grade got $8,205.50 to visit the Statue of Liberty. Chicago: Albert Whitman and Company.  

This was a picture book that I discovered while researching books online to incorporate Money and Literature.  It quickly became one of my favorite picture books. I was delighted to discover it also allowed me to include Social Studies into my Literature lesson. We were studying U.S. Symbols at the time I read this book aloud to my students so we did some extra research on the Statue of Liberty after completing the book.  My students thoroughly enjoyed their virtual tour of the Statue of Liberty after discussing the book.  I was easily able to incorporate Economics too with this book because it discussed expenses and profit.   My second grade students also made an expense report for the characters in the book to calculate how much income was earned from each fundraising activity the kids in this book attempted.

The story is told in first person by Susan Olsen who is the class treasurer. Susan describes each business venture the kids embark on to earn enough money for the class field trip to New York. The first attempt was a newspaper and all kinds of paper as the kids called it recycling plan. The kids had to use some of their profit to buy back some comic books that they were not supposed to recycle. This was their first hint that making money might not be as easy as they had thought. They then tried a lemonade stand which they thought was a sure thing because they had all their supplies donated. Unfortunately though the neighbors cat had a little mishap in their batch of lemonade.  They then tried candy sales. My students enjoyed this part of the story since they were currently selling candy bars to raise money for our own school.  The final fundraising event in the story was a car wash that turned out to be one of the most exciting car washes in the history of car washes. You will have to read the story to find how much money they made at this event.  The twist ending was a delightful surprise for my students.    

The illustrations in this book are beautiful watercolors. The attention to detail is outstanding.  The expression on a shocked squirrel's face as he watches the cat tumble into the tub of lemonade is hysterical. The look of pride shown on each kid's face in the book as they earn more money towards their goal is very well illustrated.  Also the illustrator did an excellent job showing disappointment when an event did not go as planned. The author did an outstanding job building to the climax of the story. He also offered a surprise solution to the problem in the story as to how the students would reach their goal of $8, 205.50 .       


Big Questions: What are some ways that kids can earn money?  What are some things that you must consider when starting your own business?  Have you ever saved your money to buy something special?      

Viorst, Judith. (1972). Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. New York: Scholastic, INC. 


I chose this book for my first picture book selection because my students seem to really connect to the main character in this story. After reading it aloud to my students then I always do a text to self connection lesson. During this lesson we discuss and write about a really bad day we experienced.  My students always laugh out loud when I tell them about my worst day ever. Then we talk about how having a positive attitude can change how we feel about an unfortunate situation. What seemed so terrible when it was happening to us might not be so horrible now.    

Poor Alexander gets his day off to a rough start when he wakes up with gum in his hair.  His day doesn't get any better when he arrives at school and learns his best friend is no longer his best friend. After school an argument with his brother makes Alexander's day even worse if that is even possible. The problems Alexander encounters when he gets home make him believe that his day was the most teribble, horrible, no good, very bad day ever  and that he my as well move to Australia. His Mom offers a simple solution to his problem. You will have to read the story to discover her motherly wisdom. 

I discuss the illustrations with my students as I read the story aloud. We talk about how on every page Alexander has the same grumpy expression on his face. We discuss if Alexander tried to be a little happier then maybe all the events that happen to him in the story may not have seemed so awful to him. We also talk about the repetition in the story of how Alexander keeps repeating the same line over and over to himself after each bad event. The first person narrative of this story makes it very easy to connect to Alexander so the audience can experience the events right along with him. I also do a sequencing of the events in the retell of the story with my students. Some of their terrible, horrible, no good , very bad day stories turn out so well that we use them as their personal narrative piece in their student portfolio.  

Big Questions: What does the statement "laughter is the best medicine" mean to you? In what ways could Alexander have used laughter to make his day seem not so horrible?  What would you do for someone to cheer him up if he was having a really bad day?         

About Me

Hi!  I teach second grade at Bardstown Primary in Bardstown, KY. This is my fourth year as a primary teacher. I also taught fifth grade in Frankfort, KY for six years. I enjoyed teaching fifth grade but second graders have my heart! They are incredibly sweet and so cute at that age! I LOVE my school! I feel very blessed to have found my way there.

When I am not teaching, then I am volunteering for a non-profit dog rescue that I founded called Barktown. Since our beginning three years ago we have saved 1,026 dogs and puppies from being killed at our local shelter. I am very passionate about the rescue work that I do.  We are a foster home based rescue and currently have 50 dogs in our rescue available for adoption. If anyone is looking for a new best friend our dogs can be viewed at http://www.barktownrescue.org/. Before Barktown was founded, Nelson County euthanized 1,400 dogs and puppies in 2008. I have adopted 5 rescue dogs from the shelter. One of which includes a very sweet Pit Bull named Emma.  
 
My husband and I have been married for seven years. We currently have no children. We have considered adopting a child once I have completed my Master's. My husband is an engineer. His company is based in Belgium. We recently were able to travel to Europe for his work. I fell in love with Paris. I can’t wait until we have a chance to see more European destinations. Italy is next on my wish list!  At our hotel in Belgium, they served chocolate with every breakfast. I told my husband that he needs to put in for a transfer. Any country that serves chocolate at breakfast is a country that I can call home!