Keeping Track of things

I like to think I'm an organized person but with four jobs, six kids, two classes, and research projects on the side...it's hard to keep up.  I had to bust out my handy-dandy white board and write down each thing and what the next steps were for each one.  Then I didn't spend so much time thinking of what I was supposed to do for what but just glance and choose. Old school, I know.  But it's been working for me.

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That's me.

School Running Goals

This was seen in a local school and displayed proudly in the hallway.  The whole school is trying to run a certain amount of miles and each class takes time each day to go outside and run a few laps and then document how much it all adds up to.  I liked the visual this teacher created to show how far they've "run" so far.  

Remember these?

My grandmother who is 90 was cleaning out a closet and found these. She gave them to me to keep some of my little boys busy during the holidays.  It instantly brought back tons of memories for me.  I can remember these crayons and the carbon writing sheet quite well.  I showed my kids who all thought I was very old and born a hundred years ago. They just don't understand that teachers get very excited about school supplies.  

Plush

If I had a million dollars, I would go to a bookstore, walk to the children's section, and buy all the plush toys of book characters like these guys.  They are so cute I can't even stand it!  I want all of them.  Every single one!  I would decorate my office or home library and not be a weirdo at all.  

Love these...

I want a whole comic strip dedicated to readers made one day.

Kindergarten Read a louds

How do you choose your books for read a loud?  What are your objectives for read a loud?  Are you more interested in aesthetic reactions to the book or cognitive processing.  These are things I wonder about when a teacher reads to a class.  

In kindergarten, it is sometimes used as the introduction to a topic, as a time-filler, or as an after recess calmer-downer.

There is a lot of research out there about the influence of the read a loud.  Have you given it much thought?