Sunshine Beats Stress

Hi everyone! How are you?  It's been awhile.

I have been out of the bloggy world for far too long. I'm embarrassed that I completely missed the month of November. It has been a tough couple of weeks at school.  I have been so overwhelmed, stressed and anxious about the progress of my students, benchmark scores, RTI paperwork, ISP paperwork, and of course the impending STAAR test. For awhile there, I was falling apart.

I regained some composure and have found some better ways to handle my stress.  One way is to read the comments from you all.  Thank you so much for not giving up on my blog.  In fact, even in my absence another amazing fellow blogger nominated me for the Sunshine Award.  I needed some sunshine, so I HUGE thank you to Tina over at Quench Your First. Please go check out her incredible blog.

The Sunshine Award rules are...
1. Thank the person who gave this award and write a post about it.
2. Answer the following questions below.
3. And pass the award to 10~12 fabulous bloggers, link their blogs and let them know you awarded them.

* Favorite Color?  blue
* Favorite Animal?  dogs

* Favorite Number? 3

* Favorite Drink? I love coffee. I drink a tall white chocolate americano with a dash of cream. Delish!

* Facebook or Twitter? Facebook

* Your Passion? Lately, I have been obsessed with puzzles. (I have found this is another good way to destress.)

* Giving or Getting Presents?  I love giving, especially when I have found the perfect gift.

* Favorite day? Saturday
* Favorite flowers? Gerber Daisies

Here are 12 more blogs I have chosen to pass this award on to:

Beg, Borrow, Steal

Create-Teach-Share

Go Fourth! With Mrs. Owens

iDream. iPlan, iTeach

Jasztalville

Life is Better Messy Anyway

Oceans of Teaching Ideas

Once Upon A Teaching Blog

One Extra Degree

Rambling About Reading

Third Grade Meanderings

What the Teacher Wants!

Building Fluency with Poetry Books

Poetry is one of my favorite ways to help students build their reading fluency, develop a love of poetry, introduce new words, and build vocabulary. (Don't you just LOVE all the great words that Jack Prelutsky uses?!?  Amazing!  He is a model of word choice.) Anyway, I started reading stations this week and wanted to include a fluency option for my kiddos.  I decided to "steal" the idea of a good friend who teaches 5th grade in Washington.  Hence...student poetry books. (Thanks Lisa!)

This is my example.

The poetry books are simple and straight forward.  I folded two sheets of construction paper and stapled.  

Students decorated the front of their poetry books and wrote simplified directions on the back cover so that they don't have to interrupt my small groups.  Here are more detailed directions that I glued to the center folder.

1. Cut out poem and glue into poetry book
2. Read the poem to yourself silently 
3. Track your thinking.  Write 1 or more thoughts you have about the poem. (I think..., I wonder..., It reminds me of..., I figured out..., etc.)
4. Read the poem to yourself in a whisper voice.
5. Read the poem aloud to 3 classmates. Each person that listens to the poem must sign your poetry book.

This is an example of how kids track their thinking about the poem.

 When students are finished they have read the poem at least 5 times.  They are always amazing how much better they sound in the end.  At the end of the week, I will often use the same poem for a choral reading and the kids sound great because they have been practicing all week. 

This is my favorite station and my students. I love how easy it is to maintain and the students love reading the poems to each other. Plus, their fluency is really improving and they cheer instead of groan when we talk about poetry.  Everyone wins!