#TellHisStory: On Being Refined.

I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure, just as gold and silver are refined and purified by fire.  They will call on my name, and I will answer them.  I will say, "These are my people, and they will say, "The Lord is our God."  Zechariah 13:9


I was reading this verse 2 days ago in the quiet morning.

It was like a whack over the head.

You see, it is about those experiences in the fire.  The ones that leave us bruised, battered.  And in my case needing a bag of chips and a long nap.

As Christians it is ridiculous to say all the things about suffering.  Oswald Chambers said it best, "It is nonsense to say that suffering makes saints, it makes some people devils; suffering according to the will of God raises us to a freedom and felicity that baffles all language to express."

I will state it again:  This isn't what God wants for you.  He delights in you.  He does Not Enjoy seeing you experience the fire.

When metal is being refined, we know that during the heating process, the impurities rise to the top, they are skimmed off the top.  Repeatedly.  Until, in the case of silver, the refiner bends over to see a clear reflection of his face.

So as Christians, what do we do?

• We let God get to work.  How can he skim off those "impurities" from our lives?  What do we need to let go of so God can get to work?
• How do we even know what that is?  We have got to get close to God to hear that answer.  Studying his word, Cooperating with Him in prayer, seeking out those Wise Ones that God has placed in our lives.  
• Watch for His image to appear in the refining.  

I don't know if this post is complete or not.  Most likely not.  

But You are God's People.  Hang on My Friends.  

Joy!
Kendra

#pb10for10 Ten Books I Use to Promote Friendship and Kindness

Thank you to Cathy Mere and Mandy Robek for this yearly celebration of picture books.  Join in to share and learn here.

I love to talk about friendship and kindness all the time with my first grade friends.  We return to it many times during the school year.  And some of these books I will read several times based on what we need.

So without further chatter, here are 10 books that can be used to promote Friendship and Kindness:


Last year, I think I read this book no less than 3 times to my class.  I love it.


This is another book that I love to read a couple of times a year.  I love to read and share and plant the idea that food can really bring people together.


Sometimes a little magic is all you need to start a friendship.


I love reading this book to remind kids that it can be the small acts of kindness that build a person up.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Visit Jen at Teach MentorTexts and Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders to see what they've been reading, along with everyone else who links up.

I Love Back to School time.  I immediately immerse myself in the important work of reading lots of new picture books, so I can introduce new books to my new friends! 

Here's what I've been reading this week for picture books:

Charming, with accessible text!  I loved all the stories in this book.  I hope the kids do too.

I know this book was written for perhaps Newborns.  However, I'm loving the idea of reading it on the first day of school.

Another great book as we set up our time to read and write!  

I love this celebration of reading anywhere.  Donalyn Miller talks about edge reading.  I teach this to my First Graders.  You are "done"?  Try some edge reading.  We are waiting on a field trip?  Try some edge reading.  This book celebrates reading anywhere perfectly!  

Ahem.  Excuse me!  There are picture books as companions to this series!?!?  What excites me about this book, is that it is a companion to The Land of Stories, which I'm currently reading.  Since I don't feel like this is an appropriate read aloud per say for First Graders, the picture books will be a great way to connect with what "I'm really reading."  That doesn't happen very often. 

I love transition books.  For me, my favorite one is First Grade Stinks!  But this one is great for incoming second grade friends.  

Welcome to August Friends!  I'm feeling the excitement and anticipation this morning.  

Joy!
Kendra 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Visit Jen at Teach MentorTexts and Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders to see what they've been reading, along with everyone else who links up.


Hello Friends!  These past two weeks, I've been reading picture books.  Stacks of them actually.  Funny story:

Last week we are at the library, and we are using my son's library card to get our books.  As we continue our check out, his library card stops working on all the books.  As I approach the librarian, she scans his card and informs me he has exceeded the 50 book limit.  Whoops.  (And I may have felt book shamed?!? If that's a thing...)  Not to worry!  We just pulled out another card and carried on...

I'm always looking for books to add to the classroom library.  So I'll read stacks of them in the summer.  But today I want to start with a cook book:


If you have-know-Love anyone with food allergies, I loved this book.  On the left of the page layout, there are tabs that let you know what allergens have been eradicated.  On the right of the page layout, it gives the recipe, and another label on allergens and what to consider.  What I loved about this?  I felt like I could cook for the family without losing my ever loving mind.  If you are a Multiple-food-allergy parent, or love-support-have food allergy people, you know what I'm talking about.  :)  My favorite find was the pumpkin seed pesto.  (Nut-free!)  Seriously, very user friendly.

Now to the business of the stack of picture books:

As I read this book, 3 boys watched with concern in our living room.  So I just passed it around.  They all read it.  As much as I don't want to, I'm glad to have another picture book to pull out when I don't know what to say.  

As we continue to strive for peace, this is a great book.  

I want to meet Flannery O'Connor after reading this book.  (I know...not possible.)  But she might be my soul sister.  The author's note is my favorite part of this book.

I read this right after reading ida, Always.  Whoops.  More concerned looks from the living room.  Comforting and peaceful, with accessible text for all.


I learned I'm a Vision Dreamer and Nature Happy.  I mean, could you imagine how empowering for a student to see themselves in this book?


So at the beginning of the year, I focus on books that have rhyme and rhythm.  They also have to be accessible and fun!  Josh Funk writes books such as these.  :)


I'm always looking for books that encourage creating and refining.  Here is a great one!

Happy Reading!
Joy!
Kendra

#cyberpd Week 2

This summer I'm participating fully in CyberPD!  There is a great hashtag on Twitter.  There is also a Google+ community.  Come join us!


I want you to know as I get into this book, I am working not to simply summarize what I'm reading.  I too,  am making connections and looking for deeper meaning and implications for my own classroom teaching.  So, if you are new to this blog, feel free to ask questions if I seem to have gone astray!   Let's work on deeper meaning together!

As I began chapter 5, I was struck by work I have done around Marie Clay and her studies.  When we begin with what they know, we can increase their curiosity and increase their engagement and motivation.  In Reading Recovery, teachers are trained to Roam around the Known for several teaching sessions.  This is careful observation in which teachers are watching for known literacy patterns and then use these as teaching points to guide us.  This was encouraging to me because as I started reading, I wondered if this read would be relevant for me as a First Grade teacher.  

I keep thinking about the why.  Why would I begin to put such an emphasis on questioning this way in my classroom?  Because I want to put that spotlight on thinking.  I want the thinking to be a part of the culture in my classroom, as well as making that thinking visible.  How great would it be if students could get to the point where we are not only talking about why they are thinking a certain way, but how they arrived there as well.  

There is a sense of fear, if you will, about this line of work.   Maybe not fear, but apprehension?  What if they go off course?  How do I keep myself from jumping in and "correcting" their thinking if it goes off course.  I loved these words:  Hold onto your purpose.  If you slow the purpose down, students Can put the pieces of a text together to see connections, relationships and interaction.  I'm blessed to work in an environment that allows for slowing down.  

As I think more about the How behind this work, I was pleased to be reminded of Turn and Talk, as well as Low Stakes Writing.  As I consider other reading I've done this summer, I am seeing I need to renew a place for Low Stakes Work.  This doesn't mean low accountability.  It means a safe place to share curiosity and thinking without the apprehension of doing it right.  

Where are you at as you work through this book?  

Joy!
Kendra

#cyberPD Week One

This summer I'm participating fully in CyberPD!  There is a great hashtag on Twitter.  There is also a Google+ community.  Come join us!


I love to "talk shop" when it comes to literacy.  It's not uncommon for me to ask about reading instruction and what you are excited about in your classrooms.  There is no other motivation for it than I love to hear what other Brilliant Educators are doing.  So this is a fair warning to my local friends...get ready, I'll probably want to talk your ear off about this book.  :)

What struck me right away in chapter one was the idea of focusing on the whole of the instruction rather than the pieces.  In my reading instruction currently, there are all kinds of pieces!  This idea that when we teach our pieces to students, we rob them of the experience of figuring it out them selves!  When I'm focusing on the whole, I'm aiming to help students develop problem solving skills over all, not to simply "get" a skill.

Yes!  Now without reading on, this is a shift in learning for me.  Knowing I need to learn more, I am wondering what a schedule would look like.  How am I instructing emerging readers to read from a problem solving standpoint, rather than "workshopping" through all my teaching pieces?

I loved moving on to chapter two, because a bit of this was laid out for me!  On page 24, the reading on shared interactive read aloud had me thinking about complex text and empowering students to tackle complex text on a daily basis.

As I considered the reading process in chapter 3 and balancing the science behind why I do what I do already (workshop with mini lessons) as well as the art of teaching, I can't wait to read more.

Can I really approach this time from a problem solving stand point?  I can't wait to see how this journey goes!

Joy!
Kendra

SOL: Dear Li'l T: A Letter to Li'l Readers Everywhere.

Two Writing Teachers are hosting Slice of Life.  Join us!



Dear Li'l T,

We've watched you grow up so much this year!  Your sense of humor amazes me.  You are bold and funny.  Sometimes it is at the right time.  Sometimes it's not.  (And then I have to hide my giggles for the sake of parenting...but only sometimes...)

I've been thinking about you as a reader a lot lately.  You are so good at it.  I want you to love it.  

I've been wondering about the day when I would see you linger in a stack of books deciding which one to read next.  I've tried not to push and prod.  But I just want to see you excited about books.  And for the longest time, you tolerated them at best.  

I would recommend.  I pleaded.  I begged.  I may have even told you-"You had to."  Ugh.  I'm sorry about that.  

And then Your Dad and I backed off.  As much as I wanted you to embrace all the reading all the time, I just waited.  

Dad still read to you.  We still took you to the library all the time.  You were able to read whatever you wanted.  There just wasn't "The One" for you.

We kept trying.  For 8 (almost 9) years we've been trying.

And this summer....I'm so happy I could squeal.  But I won't because cool Mamas don't do that.  :)
I think it's happening.  I think you might be falling in love with reading.

As I was watching again today, I've learned so much about how you are growing as a reader:

• You can't go wrong with animal books.
• The chapter books have to include adventure, but they can't be scary.
• My heart may have melted when you started picking up cook books.  We'll keep working on that Mac n' Cheese recipe.  (And it may have spurred a rough draft about gender roles and books.  I'm not good at this style of writing, but will try it anyway!)  
• You can Always pick up the picture books I grab for school.  Always.  

I've learned in these almost 9 years that this is a winding river for you that we will follow as long as you need us to.  

Yes, You can Read That.  

Joy!
Kendra