Fall Bulletin Board

This week in K Prac I have been assigned to create an interactive fall bulletin board. My CT asked that I use all the letters that the class has learned since the beginning of school. I love doing bulletin boards and cannot wait to decorate my classroom one day. So this has definitely been a fun assignment for me! Here is a picture of my finished product. I can't wait to get it into the classroom next week! :)

Jerry Spinelli

     In my children's literature class, we have been working on an author study presentation. I was assigned Jerry Spinelli but I had never heard of this author. I began my research and went to the library to check out of few of his books.
     As a child, Jerry Spinelli thought he wanted to be a major league baseball player. After a victorious football game, he wrote  a poem and it was published in the newspaper. It was then that he realized he wanted to become an author.
     Spinelli's first few books were turned down so he continued to work "normal" jobs and use all of his free time for writing. In 1982, Spinelli got his first book publish, Space Station Seventh Grade. It was intended for adults, but was published as an upper elementary/early middle school book.
     Since then, Spinelli has written about 16 books. His most popular book Maniac Magee and it won a Newberry Medal in 1991. Spinelli writes mostly about bullying, nonconformity, diversity, and acceptance. He is a humorous but sensitive writer.
      I read three of Spinelli's books - The Library Card, Crash, and Fourth Grade Rats. My favorite was Crash. Crash is about bullying and throughout the book he learns a valuable lesson about how to treat people and ends up being best friends with the "weird kid."
     I think Spinelli's writing is perfect for the children who are "too cool" to read. The books will grab their attention and make them want to keep reading.

International Dot Day

Today is International Dot Day in honor of the book "The Dot" by Peter H. Reynolds. It's an awesome story of how a small dot on a piece of paper is a break through of confidence, courage, and creativity. 

If you've never read this book, take the time to do so TODAY and celebrate International Dot Day! Then follow this link to take a look at how people everywhere are making their mark with just a dot! 

http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/get-inspired/gallery

"Me" Bag

I am taking Kindergarten Practicum this semester and this morning I went to my placement classroom for the first time ever! Exciting huh!?  - For those of you who don't know, kindergarten practicum is like a warm up for student teaching. I will be doing some teaching and some observing in the same classroom until December.

Usually, I feel a little in the way at first going into someone else's classroom. I just always feel like a distraction for the children - they immediately want to know who I am, what i'm doing in their classroom, and the questions go on and on. But today I did something with the class that made me feel SO much better and much more comfortable in the classroom.

This activity is called a "Me Bag" and is usually done by teacher on the first day of school. A "Me Bag" is just any little bag you have and you fill it with things that represent who you are and things that you like. You present it to the children to help them get to know you and feel comfortable with you.

Here is what my "Me Bag" consisted of and how I presented it to the children:

Tennis Shoes – I love to play outside and be active. I have so much fun playing games outside like red rover and tag! I think recess is my very favorite time at school. Do you like recess? What's your favorite game to play outside? 

Panda Bear – I am in a really cool club at school. When I came to a big new school away from home and my family, this club helped me to make friends. We like to use panda bears to show people that we are in the same club together. How did you make friends at school? 

Pizza – Pizza is my FAVORITE food. I love all kinds of pizza – but pepperoni is my very favorite! If I could, I would eat it everyday!! What kind of pizza do you like to eat? 

Pete the Cat Book – Reading is one of my favorite things. I love to read all kinds of stories…  But my very favorite books are Pete the Cat Books. I love Pete the Cat and all the adventures he goes on. Have you ever read a book with Pete the Cat? What is your favorite Pete the Cat book?

Pictures of my family –

Here is a picture of my puppy dog – her name is Tilly. She sleeps with my every night… she even gets under the covers and lays on a pillow.. That’s silly, huh? She also loves to run around outside and play with her toys. Do you have a pet? What's your pets name?

Here is a picture of my momma and daddy and me – I am an only child.. and that means I have no brothers and sisters so it's just us.. and Tilly!! The picture of us was taken on vacation this summer at the beach. Where did your family go on vacation this summer? Is anyone else in here an only child?

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The children were very interested the whole time I was presenting. They LOVED the pictures. Every child wanted to make sure they got a turn to look at my dog and my family. They asked questions and waned to know more things about me. They also really enjoyed sharing things about themselves with me when I asked, too.

It was nice to be in front of the children and let them become more comfortable with me in a relaxed presentation before having to teach them a lesson.  I think this activity made everyone in the classroom feel more comfortable, including myself. I plan to continue this activity in my classroom one day! 

Happy International Literacy Day!

When I think about where my passion for books comes from, I think about my grandmother. My grandmother has a love for reading and began sharing this love with me as soon as I came into this world. Before I was old enough to understand the stories, we would flip through books; looking at the pictures and talk about what I saw. When I finally became old enough to understand, she began reading me book after book after book. And finally when I started school and began learning to read, my grandmother gave me my very own library card. We made daily trips to the library to browse through the many shelves of books. This love that I have for books started early and has continued to grow throughout the years. Reading still one of my very favorite hobbies - Books are something that I've always known. 

But I've never really thought that all children may not have had this special person to impact their knowledge of books and reading - until today that is. As my library services teacher put it today - What is your NORMAL? Some students in my future classroom may come from homes without books or maybe even without a guardian that speaks English... So what can I do? What are the characteristics that I need to have as a teacher to make sure that my students become fluent readers? 

Here are a few characteristics that I think are important: 

Be an Example: As a teacher, I think it is important to set a good example for your students. If a student sees you reading in between classes, on your lunch break, etc., what do you think the student will want to do in their spare time? READ! Didn't you know it's so cool to do what the teacher does? 

Enthusiastic/Excited: A teacher walks into her classroom, tells the children to come to the rug, opens a book, and starts reading in a boring monotone voice. How do you think the children react? Will they pay attention to the story? 

A teacher walks into her classroom with a crazy hat on, gathers the children around the rug, tells some elaborate silly story (leading up to the book), and then reads the story in an excited tone (changing her voice as needed). How do you think the children will react to that? Will they be interested in the story and what the teacher is saying? 

Knowledgable: I think it is super important for a teacher to be knowledgable about children's books. Children would love to discuss what they are reading with their teacher, and how would that happen if the teacher has no idea what the book is about? 

Also, if a child isn't so into reading but loves to play baseball... a knowledgable teacher would be able to suggest a super cool baseball book for the child to read? Isn't reading more fun when you're reading about something you enjoy? 

Moral of the Story: We never know if a child is missing that "special person" in their life who will instill into them a love for books and reading. As teachers, it is our job to love reading and in turn show and teach our students to love reading, too! 

"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." - Frederick Douglas 

- About Miss Callie -

My name is Callie Summers and I am a future educator of America! My certification is Pre-K-3; my heart lies with the "babies". I am starting this blog to keep up with my experiences as I finish my education courses, student teach, and ultimately start my teaching career in the of Fall 2016.

My hometown is Trenton, Tennessee but I am currently living in Martin while going to school. I love to work with children and watch them learn and grow. In my spare time, I love to READ, cook, and spend time with my family and friends.

I am super excited about my last year of school and can't wait to share my experiences with YOU!