Feb 20 2014

Update – finally!

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Julie

Well, it’s been almost a year, but I FINALLY updated the site. Lots of new anchor charts and reader’s notebook entries, a brand new Book of the Month page, and a ton of new scripted minilessons. Click here!
Enjoy!

XO,
JB

Feb 4 2014

More Books of the Month

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Julie

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As promised, I am adding more of my school’s selections for our Book of the Month program. See below for titles from earlier in this school year. I will keep adding titles from previous years over the next few weeks.

Enjoy!
JB

September 2013 Book(s) of the Month

Ish and Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds

October 2013 Book of the Month

A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech

November 2013 Book of the Month

Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest

December 2013 Book of the Month

Being Frank by Donna W. Earnhardt

January 2014 Book of the Month

The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania al Abdullah

Feb 3 2014

February Book of the Month

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Julie

Hi friends,

If you’ve read my blog from the beginning, you may know that I started a Book of the Month program at my school several years ago. I’ve written about it before, and I also shared it on my Scholastic blog last year. (See those posts here and here.) My principal and I visited a school in New York City that was doing this, and we fell in love. So with her support, I picked out ten titles, and we purchased 45 copies of each title so that every classroom in the building would get a new picture book each month to read and discuss. I had lofty visions about what might happen with this program, and I can honestly say that reality has exceeded my expectations. To have an ever-growing set of texts that every single student in the building has read is creating such a strong community around reading. Kids across grade levels are talking about books, and it’s so exciting to see how responses grow from PreK to 5th grade. I love everything about it and hope we can continue this program for many years! I decided to start sharing the titles on the blog, along with the letter that is tucked inside of each copy. This will hopefully introduce the book to you if you don’t know it already, and it will give you some insight into why I chose it.

I’ll begin with February’s title, which teachers at my school received today, and I’ll add previous titles in the next few days/weeks.

Enjoy!
JB

February 2014 Book of the Month:

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt

Jan 5 2014

I’m still here!

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Julie

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Oh. My. Stars. Nine months, you guys. It’s been nine months since I updated my website. That is ridiculous, and while I completely understand that my excuses will help no one, I will offer a few updates on my life by way of explanation. First of all, there’s a technical hurdle. I build my site with iWeb, which has been dropped completely by Apple and is only accessible on my desktop computer, which rarely gets any love since I sprung for a MacBook. So updating often is a challenge because I just don’t spend much time at all on that computer. (Come on, who wants to be held down to one location by a desktop?!?) 😉

On a more personal note, 2013 was a trying year in a lot of ways, but some persistent medical issues forced everything else in my life to take a back seat. Honestly, to say that this blog was in the back seat is only really accurate if you imagine that I’m driving a school bus. I haven’t even logged on to look at stats, which was once a daily occurrence, in several months.

Many days, just doing my job was an act of survival, so this poor blog just didn’t make the cut. But still, you came. You looked at pictures, you downloaded anchor charts, you saved prompt cards, you pinned to Pinterest, you emailed me even when I couldn’t gather a response. You came because you too are trying to survive in a job that gets harder every day. I am so thankful for teachers like you (yes – you!) who are so committed to learning and refining the craft of teaching that you seek out inspiration from every corner of the internet. Whatever brought you to my little corner, thank you. Thank you for seeking out more information on your own free time, which I know is an absolutely precious commodity that is in too little supply in your life. Thank you for working your tail off every. single. day. If you’re heading back to work tomorrow like I am, know that I am wishing only the best for your classroom this year.

I am doing well from a medical perspective, so I am committed to posting more often. However, I am posting this from my MacBook, which doesn’t solve the iWeb problem. So for now, I’ll leave you with a big batch of unorganized anchor charts. I promise I will get them on the site in a more organized fashion some day!

What else have I promised you that fell through the cracks? What are you wishing you could find on this site? Let me know, and your wish might just come true!

In 2014, may you be blessed and be a blessing.

XOXO,
Julie

: (Rachel Scott, 2nd Grade)

: (Rachel Scott, 2nd Grade)

: (Rachel Scott, 2nd Grade)

: (Rachel Scott, 2nd Grade)

: (Rachel Scott, 2nd Grade)

: (Mindy Brock, 3rd Grade)

: (Mindy Brock, 3rd Grade)

: Used in 3rd Grade

: Used in 2nd and 3rd Grade

: Used in 2nd grade

: (Rachel Scott, 2nd Grade)

: Used in 2nd Grade

: Used in 2nd Grade

: Used in 2nd grade

: Used in 2nd and 3rd Grade

: (Rachel Scott, 2nd Grade)

: (Rachel Scott, 2nd Grade)

: (Rachel Scott, 2nd Grade)

: (Rachel Scott, 2nd Grade)

: (Rachel Scott, 2nd Grade)

Aug 16 2013

So long, summer…

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Julie

It doesn’t matter how many hours I’ve worked since June; today is my last official day of summer, and I can’t help but think of the things I’ll miss about it. If you’re not a teacher (or someone who loves a teacher), you won’t understand. That’s okay. I’m not asking you to understand. (But in the interest of full disclosure, I do kind of want to punch you in the throat when you raise a condescending eyebrow and say, “It must be nice to have summers off.”)
I’ll miss my empty DVR, my well-loved spot on the couch, and my ultra-flexible lunchtime. My heart sank a little as I put away my suitcase – leisurely travel is a summer-only luxury. I’ll miss beautifully unimportant adult conversations that don’t include any acronyms, levels, or scores, and I’ll miss the freedom to uni-task. Mostly, though, I’ll miss the feeling of being at least moderately-rested most of the time.

For as much as I’ll miss about these lovely summer days, I’m filled with eager anticipation for what’s to come. There is no time brimming with as much hope and possibility as the beginning of a new school year. It’s a fresh start (a tabula rasa, if you will) for everyone – students, teachers, parents, and everyone who loves them. And who doesn’t love a do-over? I’m excited to take another stab at changing the world this year. But for today, I will happily watch some mindless television, take an hour and a half to eat lunch (at a restaurant!) with a friend I don’t see enough, and stay up later than I should for no reason at all.

So long, Summer of 2013. Thanks for the memories.

XOXO,
JB

Aug 4 2013

Overhaul

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Julie

Hi friends,

So, I’m thinking about overhauling my entire site in these last few weeks of summer. This has been in the works for a while, as I use iWeb to build my site, and Apple abandoned that software (with no replacement) several years ago. This means I can’t access it on my MacBook, which is my go-to computer these days. It also means that my site isn’t benefitting from the latest in website development tools.

To the visitor, this will hopefully mean a faster loading site that’s just as easy to navigate and pleasing to the eye.

I’m assuming if you’re subscribed here, you’re a returning visitor, so I just wanted to ask for your patience during any transition time. (I’m not sure yet what that will be like or how long it will take.)

Hope you’re all having a fabulous summer! Would love to hear what you’ve been up to!

Julie

Jun 28 2013

Lego Education

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Julie

Hi friends, and happy summer!

I just finished a phone meeting with a representative from Lego Education, and I’m excited to share that they’ve sent me some of their preschool products to try. I already love the products, and I haven’t even tried them with any preschoolers yet!

Stay tuned for a post about how these Lego sets were specifically designed to support all kinds of early learning objectives.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Mar 15 2013

Spring Break = Deep Breath

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Julie

I can’t remember a year where I was as ready for Spring Break as I was this year. As it’s wrapping up today, I finally had a few moments to update the site! Go to the home page for more details!

Happy spring! 🙂

Dec 16 2012

Teaching is hard.

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Julie

I shared these thoughts tonight on Facebook, and they seemed to resonate with my teacher friends. Maybe they’ll be a blessing to you as well…

When we say that teaching is hard, please don’t misunderstand us. We’re not talking about the mountains of paperwork or never-ending to-do list. It’s not the meetings or the parent conferences, or even the curriculum. We can handle the lesson plans, and we can go entire days without a bathroom break if need be. That’s not really what we’re referring to either. We say that teaching is hard because year after year after year, 25ish families put their precious angels in our care, and we begin a race to be enough. Smart enough, sweet enough, tough enough, flexible enough – we are one person trying to stretch and grow enough in order to meet the very different needs of every single student. Every year, we love them like they are our own and give everything we have so that they can successfully leave us behind. They make us laugh, cry, jump for joy, and bang our heads against the wall. They are our greatest pride and our overwhelming responsibility. We work long into the night and, yes, all summer long. Those precious faces are why we say teaching is hard. And why we can’t imagine doing anything else.

I keep looking at the faces of those precious babies in Connecticut, and I just pray their teachers know that they were far more than enough.

Nov 30 2012

Update!

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Julie

I added tons of pictures from the last couple of months to the site last night. Anchor charts and more!

My Blog

A Literate Life

Update – finally!

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More Books of the Month