Life is short. And we are not promised tomorrow. I love teaching. I love watching a child "unlock" the "code" to reading English. I love the diversity that urban schools bring into the classroom for greater global learning. This will never end. EVER.
A Break From Teaching
With multiple tragedies (psst...threatening a 'write up' because I want to go to Arlington to attend my Grandfather's service is cruel), traumas (psst...I will never grind my teeth and scare a child into submission EVER again-the eyes of that little boy still haunt me not to mention the little girl who OBVIOUSLY had emotion issues, sitting ALONE in a classroom) and harassment (psst...if you know your employee is suffering-saying "I understand you wouldn't want to you want hear voices in your head" is NOT the appropriate thing to say, and lies about my leadership position) my heart broke and I lost who I was.
And it just kept piling up through out the year-Was it me? Was it the administration? Was is the classroom environment? Was it the district? Was it my messy desk? Or was I just a number that had to be pushed out? I will never know.
But I did know I had to rediscover the love of life in order to return to the classroom and sadly leave a community I was deeply involved with, loved, and wanted to stay with forever.
I was a glorified baby sitter, crying out for help and NOT teaching. I actually questioned MY ability to teach (pssst..when you focus on everything your employee is doing wrong-that is all the employee will focus on and their effectiveness will go down-studies prove it). But you know what? I AM AN EXCELLENT teacher. But I need finish healing from the tragedies, traumas and harassment I went through before I step back in the classroom. I want to be at my very best. Loving myself and loving life. Children need a teacher who is strong, capable and lovable, not a puppet following along with the most recent teaching strategy. Children need a leader. Children (especially in urban schools) need a soft spoken, patient teacher. Not a "yeller" I need to be ME.
Grief and Healing
Healing means different things to different people. I recently read Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley (psst....if you haven't read it-read it). The main character sees a therapist and they talk about the subject of grief.
There is no school on Monday due to President's Day.
What can you do with your child on Monday?
The National Education Association has a lot of ideas!
Denver Activities:
- Free day at the Denver Botanic Gardens: Don't miss the orchid showcase, on exhibit until Feb. 22.
- Last day to ice skate at Skyline Park: DPS students are eligible to skate for free with the My Denver Card.
- Last day to visit the Denver Dog Show: Tickets are free for kids 12 and under.
Click here for more info on the Sock Hop!
We need Volunteers!!!! Click here to sign up for a shift to volunteer!
Some students went to the parade! (Don't worry- Ms. Feinman has an assignment for the second grader to make up for it!)
This week we are starting our new Literacy unit on Procedural Non-fiction. Students will be able to identify nonfiction how-to books, discuss the ways how-to books are used, apply their knowledge and create a how-to book of their own. Procedural Non-fiction is just one type of Non-fiction. How can you help at home?
I hope this provides you with some more information to help your child at home:
The genre of nonfiction is used to describe texts that convey true or accurate details about the world. This genre is pretty broad and includes types of texts such as biography, how-to, procedural, and informational. The genre of nonfiction is distinct because of the text features that are specific to each type of text. While text features are meant to organize the text and give more information, they tend to confuse young readers. Nonfiction text features may include table of contents, glossary, diagram, picture with captions, or headings. Nonfiction texts are also hard to understand for young readers because they are less familiar with this complex structure. It requires them to shift their expectation and purpose for reading, which is challenging without guidance. This genre is a powerful genre for children because it does encourage and promote wondering and inquiry. It allows them to continually ask questions and seek out the answers. It also empowers them with knowledge and the ability to discover information.
In the past, nonfiction was slowly introduced to students as they entered later grades. You may remember when you were in school that fiction with narrative structure dominated most primary grades until the introduction of nonfiction around grade 4. This dramatic introduction lead to a lot of students struggle in reading, which sometimes is referred to as the “fourth grade slump.”
Now, teachers are trying to introduce nonfiction at a younger age, even in Pre-K, so children are familiar with the genre. At home, you can do this too. Below you will find some tips for increasing comprehension with nonfiction texts.
Explore the nonfiction section at the library. See the Choosing Nonfiction Books for Young Readers chart for tips on selecting good nonfiction texts. Be sure to choose something that has a catchy cover and illustration so your child will be immediately intrigued. Then, make sure the topic is something they are interested in learning more about.
Before reading nonfiction books, preview the book with your child. Look through the book to identify important text features (charts, graphs, section headings, etc) and highlight key vocabulary. This will set your child up for success before they read. Ask the question “What do you notice” to help spark conversation about the structure of the text.
Explore series of books. When children know there are many books to explore in a series, they are more often interested in reading. It gets them hooked in and they are eager to go back to the library or book store to see if they have any more. See this Informational Series Book Chart for nonfiction books in a series.
Find a nonfiction companion for their favorite genre. If your child really loves realistic fiction, find a nonfiction book that may keep that book company. For example, if their realistic fiction book was about a boy who experiences outdoor adventures like mountain biking, find a nonfiction book that provides information specifically about mountain biking. If your child enjoys historical fiction, find a nonfiction book in the form of a biography for them to read facts about someone in that time period, or an informational book to provide details about that time period. Providing a nonfiction companion book is a good way to help your child make connections across texts and spark interest in other genres. The Magic Tree House series has nonfiction book companions for many of their books. This would be a great starting point.
Remember the power of conversation after reading. Ask questions to help start conversation about the text and promote comprehension. Some questions might include:
What did you think about the book?
How did it make you feel?
What were your favorite parts?
What did you learn that you didn’t know before?
Did the book give you any ideas for writing or drawing?
We have been practicing the scientific method with some fun experiments!
These are pictures of our potato and apple taste test. Ask your child what they learned!