NLAGB: K. Wilson’s Bear Stays Up for Christmas

This “Nothing Like A Good Book” (NLAGB) post is for Karma Wilson’s Bear Stays Up for Christmas, with wonderful illustrations by Jane Chapman. There is “Nothing-L-A-G-B”  read aloud and how it makes you feel. Personal Background with the book Bear Stays Up for Christmas was not my first encounter with Karma Wilson’s wonderful rhyming or Jane Chapman’s…

NLAGB: K. Wilson’s “Bear Says Thanks”

This “Nothing Like A Good Book” (NLAGB) post is for Karma Wilson’s Bear Says Thanks, with lively illustrations by Jane Chapman. There is “Nothing-L-A-G-B”  read aloud and how it makes you feel. “When you know better, you do better!” That thought has been my driving force over the past two days as I updated the following product….

Either Fall or Autumn? It’s Apple Time!

Happy Fall Ya’ll!!! Have you ever thought you’ve completed something and then realized you haven’t even begun. I created the following product “Our Friend, Johnny Appleseed” a few months ago and believed I had written a blog post highlighting the components, but alas, here we go! During autumn, I enjoy the produce section of the…

“Expectations” Writing Prompts

Maybe it’s time for a new mindset for writing prompts? I saw a post online sharing that as a new school year began or even as you returned from vacation breaks, we may need to get rid off… What did you do over the break? The author of the post explained that not every student…

Daily 5 / CAFE Story 1 Wall Space: “I” Charts

Hello there, I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel (or use the thought processes) to share in minute detail how to approach and implement the Daily 5 and CAFE frameworks in your classroom since the 2 Sisters, Joan and Gail (don’t you feel like you know them) on their site, in their books and other bloggers have…

Falling Leaves Means One Busy Chipmunk

During my years in Texas, the fall season really doesn’t hit it stride until November. I found it difficult to convince Firsties (first graders) that we were saying “Goodbye” to summer and “Hello” to autumn, when they were still wearing t-shirts in October. I usually saved my fall books until after Halloween. 🙂 Kirsten Hall’s Busy…

Veterans Day: Honoring Those Who Served in Our Military

Happy Veterans Day! I’m the proud daughter of a career United States Marine veteran.  I’ve always enjoyed explaining military life to my students: the ceremonies, the routines, and structures of life.  I grew up in the Corps on bases in California, Hawaii, Arizona, and North Carolina. We usually moved every 2-3 years, it was my…

NLAGB: Helen Lester’s Tacky the Penguin

This “Nothing Like A Good Book” (NLAGB) post is for Helen Lester’s Tacky the Penguin with delightful illustrations by Lynn Munsinger. There is “Nothing-L-A-G-B”  read aloud and how it makes you feel. Tacky?!?!? Strange name for a penguin. Excuse me, an “odd” name for a penguin. This is the first installment in the misadventures of Helen Lester’s enduring…

His birthday is first, so Abraham Lincoln is older, right?

During a review of a unit on presidents, I was feeling pretty confident listening to the kiddos talk about the books and activities we had used to learn about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. As I walked by one table, I heard one of my first grade kiddos say… “No, George Washington isn’t. The other…