Just When You Think it's Over

First of all, thank you to everyone who commented...the encouragement and suggestions were appreciated immensely. It's so nice to know that in our community of educators, blogging has brought together people I would never have met and ideas I never would have encountered on my own. Thanks!

I read Pickles to Pittsburgh to my kids today as a sequel from yesterday's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Right away, some of my kids started gasping as I was reading...yep, they were thinking, this sounds familiar. We were able to have a great discussion about sequels and why they were so much fun. We also brought in movies that have sequels and trequels (is that a word?) One of my kids had to go get the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs book because they saw references made from Pickles to Meatballs and had to show the class and myself.

Then, as we were talking about what is an eggplant, another one of my kids went and got Bad Kitty (thanks NYC teacher, my kids adore that book) because a picture of eggplant was in it.

As I was reading, one of my boys brought up the question he was thinking (I can always count on him for great thoughts). In Meatballs, it talked about how no one in the town dared go back, so why were people in the town? Great question! We found the answer as we kept reading, but I am just impressed that he remembered a small detail from Meatballs and then applied it to Pickles. Wow!!! I guess some learning has occurred this year!

And a special thank you to all those of you who read my blog. I love reading through yours (for those who have them). You have helped me renew my passion for teaching through reading and writing workshop.

Look out my next class, you're in store for some great ideas!!! I'm actually excited to try starting off a workshop from the beginning of the year and feeling like I am actually heading somewhere.