KDP, Watercolors, and the Week Ahead

The past two weeks have been nonstop!

I was so honored when I was asked to speak at my university for the KDP annual symposium. Last year that was my major project for my presidency and I was so happy to be able to help this year. It was amazing to be able to talk to so many fellow students about my journey this year, and it did make me really proud of how far I have come this year. I also got to talk to Kristen, this year's president, and one of my all time favorite professors over some margaritas and chips--nothing better!  I was able to sit in on a session about using technology in the classroom and got some really cool ideas.

Last week in writing, we made rainbow similes from Cara Carroll's March Madness Mega-Pack. After making them {so cute}, I have a new love for using watercolors in the class. We did have a few issues with some friends mixing colors together in the paint container, but after a very stern talk and moving some clips down, I think they got the idea.

Inspired by the gorgeous weather of the past two weeks, my students chose to read nonfiction weather books this week in reading. {The other choice I gave them was more questioning activities with Mo Willems and David Shannon, so I think the weather really has them wondering!}

I'm planning to use weather as a theme for reading and writing this week. We are watching a BrainPOP video to begin talking about nonfiction books, creating an anchor chart for our schema/new learning about weather, and are using graphic organizers to record the things we are learning while reading.

In writing, we really haven't had a logical progression of units or focus, which I hate. Since I found myself cutting our writing time shorter and shorter because I didn't want to do writing, this week I am determined to get our writing groove back. We are introducing graphic organizers to help us plan for our writing and write to a topic. This also gives me a great chance to tell them more summer camp stories, their favorite, starring AnneMarie and myself sporting pigtails and Grace with har ribbons... Thank goodness they like my cartoon drawings!

Here are some other snapshots of the things we've been doing for St. Patrick's day--the leprechaun was a major hassle but they totally ate it up! {Figuratively and literally-leprechaun pie was one of our many green snacks that day!!}