Book Hoarding...

I used to be that student that loved getting my hands on a new book in the classroom.  Did I always jump to reading it right away?  No, but that was before I learned how amazing books could be and where they would take my imagination.  Now, I jump right into the new books the second I have a chance!  Have you ever had a student like this?

Well, this year I have one.  This student loves to get her hands on the new books the second I introduce them to the classroom library.  The only trouble is, she then holds onto them in her desk (sometimes 3 or 4 books at a time).  Now, I know where to search for the books first when a student is looking for a particular title, but even with 8 days of school left this year, I am trying to figure out how to help this student get into her books, read them, and share them with her classmates.  I certainly don't want to discourage her desire and excitement with new books, but I don't want these books sitting, hidden in a desk for weeks at a time also.

I have called this "curable virus," book hoarding in a way because my kids LOVE the books in our classroom, but sometimes, they just love to keep them in their desks and not read them.  At home, I still have a tendancy to make piles of books around my house that I am looking forward to reading.  Maybe they are getting that from me???  One thing that I can't complain about is that my students love getting their hands on new books to read.  They talk about the books with one another and I have been finding the books being passed around.  My current "book hoarder," now sits surrounded by students who share their books with one another, talk about what they are reading, and just can't put books down.  I have even started my "Trailer Tuesdays" giving students time to share what they have recently read with the entire class.  I am hoping with these subtle attempts, she will learn the excitement of diving into the books rather than looking at her pile of future adventures!

Preparing for a Genius Hour

I have been thinking about the idea of starting a "Genius Hour" in my classroom for next year.  I have been reading about what this is and trying to figure out what it would look like in my classroom.  I already love doing projects with my students during the year and this seems like the next step I need to take towards more control of learning in the hands of my students.

To prepare for this, I started trying out some new things last week (mentioned in my blog last week as well).  Not only did I love the work we did and learned a lot from the experiences, but I loved watching the excitment around learning my students had last week!  It left me wishing I had started this all sooner!  

On Wednesday, my kids and I participated in Wonderopolis' daily wonder that is posted each morning.  They spent about thirty minutes researching on their own and deciding how they wanted to share their learning with their classmates.  Each group shared their learning with the class and we tweeted to wonderopolis what we learned.  My class loved the researching, sharing, and the responses we got back from wonderopolis!  They couldn't stop talking about it all day!

On Friday, we tried our "In the News Friday."  In small groups, students read an article and participated in a discussion around two questions I provided them with.  This one is going to need more guidance than I originally thought.  Trying out these new ideas now has been a huge benefit in having time and practice for a learning curve before I jump into this "Genius Hour" idea.  

What have your experiences or thoughts been with or around a "Genius Hour?"  

Testing is Done... Now What?

Now that testing is over with for the school year and there are only four weeks before summer arrives, what do you do?

I like to use this time of the year to trial some new ideas for the next school year.  I am excited about some of my ideas that I picked up from some of my blog readers, Twitter chats, and thoughtful colleagues.  Here are some of my plans to try before the year is over:

Trailer Tuesday: One of my blog readers recently mentioned how she does this in her classroom and I am excited to trial this in my classroom.  I plan to have a sign up sheet for students to sign up to share a book and I plan to share a book I have read each week as well.  Thanks to a colleague and mentor, I have been reading one book from my classroom library a week and I now have a wonderful stack to share!

Wonder Wendnesday:  Wonderopolis posts a wonder question each day on their Twitter account.  I plan to utilize this question each week from our class Twitter account (IRESRowe).  I will be in the dark with my kiddos (scary, but trilling thought at the same time).  With groups and partners, we are going to discuss, research, and think about the wonder for the day.  I'm not really sure how this will look or where my kiddos take this one, but I am happily along for the ride with them this week!  I am going to try this as an introduction to a genius hour in my class next year (also a scary, but thrilling thought for me).

In the News Friday:  I am going to try a different use for my Time for Kids magazine subscription.  On Friday's, I plan to have my students read the main article in the weekly magazine and have a discussion around the weekly news.  I will provide groups with a list of discussion questions that they can use as a guide or add their own as they go.  There won't be anything to record or turn in.  I simply want my students to learn how to listen to one another and carry on a conversation with others about what they read and the world around them.  

I am excited to see how this works and to make changes as the students need them.  

What are you planning to trial for the end of the school year?