Working Break

"Spring is the time of plans and projects."

-Leo Tolstoy

I have been on Spring Break this past week and although I have not spent time in the classroom, I found myself thinking a lot about my students.  As soon as we get back to school on Monday, my master teacher has given me the freedom to plan and implement a writing program (think "Writer's Workshop") so that I may begin my Action Research.  I'm extremely excited about this and have been gathering ideas, receiving guidance from Dr. Lattimer and Nancy Hanssen, and laying out my game plan.  Because my Action Research is centered around how an authentic audience impacts student attitudes towards and academic achievement in writing, I have planned three main projects for my students to work on until the end of the year -  A narrative story, letter writing, and the retelling of a fairy tale from a different point of view. Each project will be shared with peers throughout the drafting process and the final pieces will be shared through a writer's celebration, the publishing of a hard cover book via Scholastic Teachers, ePals and blogging.  

I will also be starting a nutrition unit, which is something that I am extremely passionate about and have taught before in a Montessori setting.  To tweak the lessons and ideas that I already have so that they may be manageable and effective in the classroom that I am in, I have used resources such as Pinterest and Share My Lesson.  Share My Lesson is a website that I was introduced to during a staff meeting (I love that the principal of the school that I am in constantly encourages teachers to explore and use technology and internet resources).  The site reminds me of Teachers Pay Teachers except all of its resources are free.  The site is fairly easy to navigate and contains lessons, reproducibles, videos and power point presentations.

Lots of things to look forward to!  Hope everyone had, or will have, a fabulous Spring Break