Sitting with Santa

We spent the day yesterday with our friends who just had their third baby. I love newborns. They are so tiny and sweet and just have do the cutest things that only newborns do. I can't believe my baby is already 2 1/2. It's crazy. I love him to pieces. He is really a sweet boy. It's crazy how much he has changed. Here's a look back at his visits with Santa!

2007

2008

2009

Garlic Bread

Here's the recipe for probably the yummiest, easiest, cheapest garlic bread!!! It's from Simply Recipes. I do "method 2" which is the soft version of garlic bread. I kind of adjusted the recipe. I taken softened butter and mix in an Italian seasoning mix called parmesan basil. I use Jimmy John's day-old bread that you can get for 50 cents and cut inch slices without going all the way through. I take a spoon and spread the butter mixture in between the slices...I would recommend using a generous amount of butter. You wrap it up in foil, stick it in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 and you are set! Yum!!!!

Regarding the Fountain

Most Recently Read Book:

Regarding the Fountain: A tale in Letters, of Liars and Leaks

By Katie Klise

My friend Kathy told me about this book when we were talking about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society because it is an epistolary, which is a story told through letters or other documents. Isn't that cool?

This book is a youth novel that is also an epistolary. There are actually other books in this series but about different topics. Regarding the Fountain centers on Dry Creek Middle School and their need for a new drinking fountain. Letters to back and forth between the principal and a fountain designer, officials in the town, the 5th grade students in Mr. Sam N.'s class. It's a really fun story. There are tons of puns throughout the book and it turns into a mystery so there are lots of great opportunities to infer about the characters. I'm excited to use this with my students!

Ender's Game

Most Recently Read Book;

Ender's Game

By Orson Scott Card

I love science fiction but I realized while reading this book that I'm a certain kind of science fiction fan really. This book is the first I have read in the science fiction genre about saving the world from an alien invasion. When I ventured over to the science fiction at Barnes and Noble last, I also realized the books there are so not the books I think of when I think of science fiction. I guess I tend to think more on the dystopic-futuristic books versus save-the-world-from-aliens books. Anyway, I'm glad this was the first kind of real, hard-core science fiction I have read. This was a great book. There were times when it seemed to drag for me, but I think that's because I wasn't used to the genre. Overall, this book was completely well written. It was interesting to listen to the author commentary at the end. It made me really appreciate what he did with the book. He pointed out that he doesn't do much description in the book, mostly it's what the character is thinking and dialogue but not lots of description. I think that also was different for me when reading the book.

I can't say that I'll read any of the other books in the series. I think this book actually stands on it's own very well. Most series today are frustrating because you finish the first book and there are so many things left undiscussed that you just have to read the next books. This one, on the other hand, is a complete story all by itself. You can read the other books, but I'm perfectly happy with the end of this book.

Let me briefly tell you a little about this book: Ender's Game is about a boy who is determined to be the right person to command our ships into an enemy attack. Earth has been attacked twice and now we're on the offensive: setting out to destroy this alien life completely. They recruit Ender from the time he is 6 and he spends his childhood in battle school where he is completely challenged in every way possible by his superiors. Does Ender finally save the world? You'll have to read to find out!!! It's a very deep and thought-provoking book about war and peace.

The Reading Zone

Most Recently Read Book:

The Reading Zone

By Nancie Atwell

Nancie Atwell has pretty much been my idol since forever because she is all about reading and writing workshop. Having gone through middle school and high school with reading and writing workshop, I have always been a big supporter of reading and writing workshop. Believe it or not, I actually had a dream last night that I had a classful of lots of my former students and I was talking to them all about reading and getting them all excited about reading just like Atwell talks about in this book.

I have read lots of books about reading and promoting reading with students this year. This is another one that I definitely think every reading teacher should get their hands on...I even think any subject teacher should get their hands on this book actually. My philosophy about teaching reading to kids has evolved recently. I realize now, more than ever, that as a teacher, my main goal as far as reading goes, should be to get kids excited and motivated to read. Reading needs to be all about having fun and talking about books. I seriously cringe at reading logs and book projects. Honestly, the biggest thing I have taken away from the books I have read recently is that we should truly think about what we do as adult readers (and hopefully, if you are a teacher...any kind of teacher...you are a reader). Do you sit down and write a summary of every chapter after you read it? Do you sit down and draw a picture to illustrate what you are visualizing when you are reading? Do you stop and fill out a venn diagram to compare the character in the book you are reading with another book you have read? Come on. I know you don't. Why? Because when you are reading, you're probably totally in the zone. As a good reader you probably apply all the great reading strategies that we teach kids about in school, but they happen so quickly and you don't let yourself get sidetracked thinking too much about the book. You're just in the zone. If you had to read a book and do a project all the time you probably wouldn't do it. So why do we make kids do it? Why? Why? That's right, it doesn't make sense.

As an adult I love to read books. I usually write up a basic review here on my blog...but that's just one way I share what I've read with others. Reading is very social. We need to get kids reading. Talk to them about books. Ask them to tell us about their favorite books. Atwell talks about asking kids to write letters every three weeks about their favorite book they have read in the last three weeks. Three weeks gives them lots of time to have read at least one whole book and to throroughly write a letter about the book. They can choose which book they want to write about and it's much more critical and closer to higher level writing (like high school or especially, college) which is what they need to be practicing and it tells so much more than a little box on a reading log.

Bravo, Nancie Atwell! This should be mandatory reading for every teacher! Down with reading logs!