Assessment Takes Time

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Names
Data
Faces
Numbers

All these pieces of information are floating around in my head, waking me at 2:00 a.m.

Finish
Decisions
Best Practice
Paper everywhere!
 
As part of the instructional resource team in my building, these past two weeks have been spent on deeper assessment.  The initial screeners (DIBELS, IDEL, AimsWeb) are finished.  Now we are using the Fountas and Pinnell benchmark system to figure out instructional text levels of our students who may need extra resource help.

Accuracy
Comprehension
Decoding
Word lists

I have been pushing myself (and my team - sorry, ladies!) to finish quickly, but I've learned that the quick way isn't the best way.  These assessments take time, and it's time well spent.  We are lucky - the classroom teachers value what we are doing.  I haven't heard anyone questioning our assessment plan or how much time it is taking.  I'm thankful for that!

Carefully
Concisely
Completely

I'm now focused on taking the time to read with each child (no matter how long it takes) to get the most complete picture of their reading, considering all the components.  Assessment leads to instruction.  That's the point.  We're spending our time well.

Trust
Confidence
Patience

Motivating Readers

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The reading team at our elementary school is trying something new this year.  We are trying to send one main message to staff and students about reading.  Our LRC director was kind and gave us the first chunk of lab time to deliver our message (thanks, Lynn!). Here are our talking points:
Notice our enthusiasm!

• Reading is great!  
• Find good fit books! 
• Read anywhere, anytime! 
• Read the genres you like, but don't be afraid to try new genres! 
• AR points are good for tracking reading, but don't worry too much about the points! 
• Talk with your friends about what you read!
• Ask people (adults and kids) about good books!
• Keep reading!

I've been really pleased by how many students want to contribute to the discussion.  When we ask the students to talk with a neighbor about where and what they like to read, the room starts buzzing with conversation.  When we've asked for examples of genres, the kids know what we are talking about.  

Can you imagine what will happen in the classrooms where the teacher continues the conversation, and builds a community of readers?

I can't wait to find out!!!

Library Love Fest

My public library is my MOST favorite place in my town, and I've had some of the best moments there this summer.

• I met up with friend Becky, from high school, who thought my public library was the most amazing library she'd ever seen. (Then we went to the most fabulous bakery that's right across the street!)
  
• I introduced Michelle's twins to the incredible Enchanted Forest in our children's section.  They loved "meeting" the Very Hungry Caterpillar and sitting in a little house to read.
  
• My younger teen daughter was excited to pick up TTYL (written by Lauren Myracle in online chat speak) and The Battle of Jericho by Sharon Draper (a fave author).  This was exciting for me, but the cherry on top of the sundae came when we stepped into the magazine section.  She couldn't believe all the different topics she could choose from (Birds! Fashion! Hollywood!)
  
• I joined the adult reading club and already won a nifty bookmark with seeds to plant in the garden.  One more book (we only had to read 8... no problem here!) and I win another prize!
  
• I have become a regular customer of the "book holds" area.  One day I got four emails telling me my holds were in.  I felt like a celebrity!

I wish everyone could have a library, as cool as mine, and within walking distance from their home. 

I wish the library was open 24/7, so anyone could get a book anytime.  

I wonder if the library would ever consider having an overnight, lock-in event.  My friend Becky and I thought (at the very same time) how cool that would be.

Do you love your library?

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Worry

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My aunt has a magnet on her refrigerator,

"Don't worry. I've got it. --God"

I've always wanted to embrace that idea.  I can't.  If worrying was an Olympic sport, I'd be a gold medalist.


My Great Granny Antoinette led the way for me.  I was her understudy, listening and watching her worry.  I thought it was a little funny.  For example, when she'd arrive at a party, she'd ask my Granny (her daughter and chauffeur), "When are we going home?"

Granny's response would always be, "What are you worried about?  The bricks leaving while you're gone?  Relax and enjoy yourself!" (Granny was a very happy-go-lucky lady!)

Relax.
Enjoy yourself.
Don't worry.

These words are easy to say but hard to live by.  I can find something, anything to worry about, just give me a few minutes.  My husband claims that I thrive in worry and chaos.  Sometimes he says I worry just to worry.

I don't.  Okay.  I might.  If I worry, no one else has to!

Don't worry, I've got it!  --Chris

#Summerthrowdown update

Tonight ends the first round of the #summerthrowdown reading challenge.  Three of my Tweeps (people I follow on Twitter) enjoy challenging each other (and their classrooms) to outread each other on a regular basis.  Then the idea of a summer reading challenge came together, plotting librarians against teachers.  It's been great fun:  reading like crazy, logging our reads on a spreadsheet (we count average number of books read) and giving stats/cheering/pouting on Twitter.

I've got a pile of picture books to read tonight, in addition to a few early chapter books that I found at the library.  My plan is to read until my eyes bug out of my head (those pesky #LeagueOfLibrarians have been ahead for most of the throwdown).  We're counting picture books as 0.25, books 50-150 pages as 0.50 and novels over 150 pages as 1.0.

Care to join the second round of the throwdown?  Check out heisereads.blogspot.com for details on Friday!  Thanks so much to Brian (@brianwyzlic), Jillian (@heisereads), Sherry (@libraryfanatic) and Kathy (@thebrainlair) for a great #summerthrowdown!

Now back to reading!!!

Summer time

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A song from my daughter's first grade classroom keeps popping in my head...to the tune of the Adams Family theme song...

Days of the week (snap, snap)
Days of the week (snap, snap)

Okay, I can't remember how the rest of it goes, but it names all the days of the week.

Since it's summer vacation, I'm having a terrible time remembering what day it is!  I've dutifully added everything to the calendar, and I'm able to distinguish the weekends from the weekdays, but oh boy, don't ask me what day it is!

I think this is a very good problem!

My husband is traveling for work most of the summer, so that makes me the grown-up in charge (hahahaha!).  My mornings have a routine:

wake up
take girls to summer school
walk with Cindy
come home

Once I'm home, I get completely lost in Twitter, blogs, books, cleaning up the kitchen, laundry, shower, organizing something, decide to organize later, reading, moving papers around, back to the computer, more reading, did I dry my hair?, sending out some emails....

Poof!  It's time to pick up the girls, feed them and shuttle my oldest to sports camp.

I try to do something outside the house in the afternoons, but since last week was SO hot, I ended up repeating lots of my morning activities.

Can someone tell me what day it is?
Nah, don't bother, I'm on summertime!

From *Mary* on Flikr

Gratitude

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It's been an emotional few days in our community.  One of the moms in the circle suddenly passed away, leaving two high school-aged daughters and a husband behind.

Tragic.  Awful.  Unfair.  Terrible.

I had not met this mom, but I still grieved.  Here was a mom, close to my age, gone so suddenly.  I got goosebumps every time I spoke with someone about her.

During this emotional time, I felt the need to find all the blessings and wonderful things around me.  I needed to find the sunshine and blue sky amid a dark storm.  I needed to stay strong for my friends who were close with the mom, and for our girls, who were trying to find ways to comfort and stay strong for their friends, her daughters.

Today's gratitude list is brought to you by a tragic event.  I definitely plan to start valuing the people around me on a more regular basis - even when the silly, stupid stuff in life brings me down.

I am grateful for...

• my husband - a man I've known for 30 (!) years, who I drive completely bonkers on a daily basis, yet he's my number one fan
• my daughters - they are my two favorite people.  I love coaching them and yes, nagging them, to be the best people they can be
• my friends - I have friends from grade school, high school, grad school, my neighborhood, work, Twitter and blogging.  They've helped me to figure out who I am, and have helped me realize that I don't need to worry about what anyone else thinks
• my family - parents, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents (RIP, GP!)
• my sense of humor and (mostly) positive attitude
• BOOKS, libraries, authors, and all the nerdy book people
• chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate chips, the cacao bean...tee hee!

May you find the blue skies and sunshine during your next emotional storm, or help a friend through their storm.