new beginnings

At the end of last year, I decided to make a change.  A big change.  I decided to leave the school where I have worked for the past 6 years, the school that gave me my first teaching job.  It was a wonderful school with amazing teachers, but, as my mentor put it, I was given wings and now it's time to fly.  

The start of this school year marked a new beginning as well as fresh challenges.  I had to learn a new culture, recreate a new classroom, and meet  many  MANY new faces.  At first it was scary...you never know if the grass is going to be greener.  But as hectic as the last six weeks have been, it has been wonderful!  My team is awesome, the kids are great (but I already knew that), and the administration and parents are soooo supportive.

One of the most exciting new challenges I have this year is implementing the Daily 5 into my daily routines.  I have been reading about the Daily 5 from many of you bloggers out there, and so I'm very excited to have the chance to try it out myself! 

We have been working hard on Read to Someone for the last couple weeks.  Yesterday, my class teamed up with Miss G's kindergarteners to introduce our weekly Reading Buddies.  

During Library, each of my students picked out a picture book they felt their kindergarten Reading Buddy would enjoy.  Then they practiced reading aloud during Daily 5 this week.

My 5th graders were soooo excited to meet their buddies.  As the oldest members of the school, they really stepped up as role models: greeting their buddies and making them feel comfortable, and practicing good expression when reading.  Many of them also found they had a lot in common with their buddy!

I hope everyone has a great long weekend!  And don't forget to head on over to Principal Principles and share your blog!  I'd love to check out what's going on in your classroom!

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library dogs

Today I came across Library Dogs, a website that promotes using therapy dogs to help children improve their reading skills.  Check out some pictures from their website.

Sunny is paying careful attention.

Maggie loves listening to Arthur's adventures.

This student has learned how relaxing a good book can be.

Sunny enjoys a Star Wars book.

What an awesome idea!  I know my students would die for the chance to read to a dog.  The great part about this program is that it gets ALL kids excited about reading, but especially the ones who struggle with fluency.  Reading to a dog relieves all the stress of reading out loud because dogs don't judge.  They don't care if you read below grade level, or if you stumble on a word.  They just want to spend time with you.

Unfortunately, these Library Dogs aren't as widespread as I had hoped.  The closest trainer is almost 90 miles away!  But there's hope.  If you own a dog, you can do this at home.

Click here to see if a R.E.A.D. (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) program is in your area.