Second grade guided reading and a dead computer.

Today I am posting from my Kindle fire 8.9.  So the photos I wanted to publish today I will not be able to post. Boo. My laptop has been worked very hard in the time I've had it. It was four, and survived my three years in school, and my first year of teaching and the discovery of blogging and the teaching community in the blog world that brings me to new ideas, new colleagues, new ideas about what to teach and how to teach it. (Rumor has it that there is someone here in town that might be able to fix it.... whoo-hoo).

I was going to post photos of my second grade guided reading group working on the projects we made this week about clouds. First the students read the book All About Clouds, then they chose what sort of project they might do to showcase their cloud information. Two students made informational posters, two made story books using the story kit app on iPods and two students worked together on a diorama! It was really good for them and they worked with difficult vocabulary (cumulonimbus for instance). The really need some direction in the art of research, but they are second graders. One of my second graders put a wives tale about clouds, told to her by her father, in her presentation as fact. So we still have work to do! But it was very creative. Points for style! I was impressed with their hard work, attention to details, and their desire to present their work to the class. We also read a book that is simply titled Clouds. This gave them additional infromation to finish up their research. 

Putting the finishing touches on his cloud poster.

Composing stories in the Storykit app on iPods.

Writing facts to add to the diorama (on pajama day! They earned a reward)

Here are some things I am learning about teaching and myself. I really enjoy teaching the upper groups in guided reading. I like the whole package: reading, comprehension, research, presentation of information in fun and creative ways, and writing-- grammar, composition, and sentence structure. These things make teaching exciting and fun, fun, fun!  I am getting the opportunity to do this with 3rd grade now too. Yep, I have a high group in 3rd grade now too. What I am finding is what my mentors told me all along.... I might really enjoy teaching intermediate grades! I really might love it!! I also know that I am a great Kindergarten teacher. I think first grade would suit me to a tee. Uh huh.... I am discovering that every grade has something to offer and I might enjoy them all! Good to know.... that I am not grade specific!! I am looking to the future with anticipation and excitement. I am hoping and praying "the right job" is out there. I already know that I not good at interviewing.  I am going to do my best to prepare.  I am going to ask some people to give me a mock interview. Hopefully that might help. I am also planning to print out some things about my teaching. My mind goes blank and I cannot remember things I do in my classroom every day! So I plan to take some things, like rubrics, assessments, and so on. I might even type out responses.  I hope that I will not fail miserably because I have to sell myself in the interview in order to prove to a district that I am a fabulous teacher. This is definitely a weakness for me. 

Happy weekend to all. I am in the mood for Christmas!!