Well, here we are already at Chapter 6! This book packs such a punch and is such an easy read all at the same time! Here are my thoughts on Chapter 6 Lesson Design. This is an important chapter. I love the gradual release model. I love the Lesson Design Tool (Figure 6.1). I love the plan on page 81: "Teacher Modeling Guided Practice Within the Lesson Guided Practice Beyond the Lesson Independent Practice Application" I love how she relates it to her lessons on page 83.  "She explains She shows kids how Give significant time to practice time for students to reflect, share and teach assess I reflect and consider next steps" I love Figure 6.2 also. I love the chart and the time breakdown. I agree with all she has to say. I know we need to do this! I beleive this is a great way to plan. I just don't know if there are enough hours in the day! I know I don't have to do this with every lesson - well, I couldn't do this with every lesson. I ...

Well, here we go again! It's that time  of the week when I am late to the party. Sadly I HATE being late! I cringe, I sweat, I rush to not be late! But somehow - in this blog world- I am late to the link up every week. MAYBE that will change soon when the kids leave for college and we are just two people in the house again. Come on! Let me dream!  OK Chapter 7! Why can't I be Debbie Miller? She is so smart! This is a short and powerful chapter. I kinda wanted it to go on a little more. I sat down in my comfy chair on the deck, had my feet up enjoying the BEAUTIFUL cool evening and then the chapter ended. The thoughts were going through my mind though!  I love Debbie's simple definitions of summative and formative assessments. I know them but love how she put them - that's what I want to tell the student teachers, the parents, and anyone that might ask. :-) You know sooo many people ask about them! The quote from Erma Bombeck is perfect also! How sad wil...

Oh this just gets better and better! I want Debbie Miller to come to my school  classroom! I want to see her in action! I want to analyze every lesson now! Those questions on page 69! OMG!! Thought provoking! I want to make sure the kids are more engaged and participating in their learning! I love the quote from  Frank Smith says, "We can only learn from activities that are interesting and comprehensible to use; in other words, activities that are satisfying."  I remember reading Frank Smith in college! :) I knew I had a great foundation in education!  The whole computer file folder idea is great! I know I will be making one of those before I go back to school. Yes I'm with you  @ kindersmorgie - it will be laminated!  I also think that is a great way to start the kids thinking about their thinking. That is a perfect first lesson. I need to add more research into the class also. We do some, but not enough. I believe there will be many more schema ...

Chapter 4! Debbie Miller is making me think this summer! It's a good thing! I am really enjoying all this reflection about my teaching. What fun to be able to sit on the porch, listen to the soft rain, know dinner is in the oven and I still have the time and energy to blog! :) Happy summer!  Classroom Culture is HUGE! So is School wide Culture! That may be another chapter or book! lol So her big three things:   1) Putting my own Thinking on Display   2) Encouraging and scaffolding student thinking and 3) Intentional Use of Language  These can be some tough ones! Hopefully I will be honest with myself - and you!  Well, I think I agree with Greg at The Kindergarten Smorgasboard  when he said about putting thinking on display not just at reading time! This is where we have all heard it for years and we all know the benefit of it. We need to move beyond it though. We need to show them how we are thinking all day long! That will be hard! T...

OK OK - I'm late this week! I don't know what happened - well, yes I do- LIFE! I needed to take my 88 year old mother food shopping, visit the in-laws with my kids cause DD got home from study abroad and wanted to see them, and I HAD to go buy new adriondack chairs for the patio! They are very comfortable as I sit here and type! ;-)  You will all forgive me won't you?!?!? And the worst part is - I read the chapter early and LOVED IT!!! It is what I am thinking the most about this summer- ENVIRONMENT!!! I felt just like Katy did this year! I wanted to start all over with the arrangement and organization mid year! I tried here and there but it's busy and hard! And can be expensive! You know that right? I have 2 kids going to college this year!    I  want to get better at this this year! I want to start with a clean slate in that room. It's a great room. I just need to make it mine. I have lived in it for a year and I think I know some more about it a...

Chapter 2 is THOUGHT PROVOKING!!!!!!!  I am loving this book! I want to read the whole thing tonight! But I don't want to get too far ahead of the discussion! But I want to read it! OMG! This is a hard chapter cause it makes you think! It's good to think! This is the stuff that we should be thinking about! But are we? I hope so! I am trying my hardest! I know we all are! OK - I will stop using exclamation points. Hopefully. ;-) I <3 Debbie's (yes, I'm going to use her first name like I know her!) list of beliefs on page 17. I highlighted them. I agree with them. As I said yesterday, my classroom environment is a work in progress since I moved. It was organized for the students and I am hoping authentic. Our influence - OH MY GOODNESS! THIS IS HUGE! Am I perfect? NO!!!!! Do I regroup and apologize if I need to? YES! There are some days that are better than others. We are human. I want to do even more workshop format teaching. I am hoping to impleme...

I am so excited about doing this book study! I think I have felt this way for a long time but Debbie Milller has (as usual!) done a much better job of putting it into words!  I am sorry I am a little late getting to chapter 1 - my "baby" graduated high school last Wednesday! OMG - how did that happen??? I was just snuggling and giggling with him yesterday! And then it was the end of school - there has to be a better way?? WHY OH WHY do we have to put EVERYTHING away to just come back in a few weeks and put it back out???? It is crazy! I am NOT counting how few weeks we have between though! I'm living and having fun this summer! On to the book club... I just finished my first year in this classroom. I know I did NOT have it arranged the way I wanted to  have it. I was doing pretty good unpacking and then I couldn't go in for 2 weeks because there were mice in the school - my room was one place :(  -  and they needed me to stay out. So by the time I got back in, ...