Happy 2013!!!

I'm back! Sorta kinda....
I had to take a brief hiatus from blogging because I took an online class on global education to help prepare me for my TGC symposium in February and trip this summer. The class was demanding, but I was able to learn a lot and I'll be sharing some of that information on this blog and the website I'll be creating as a resource guide for teachers as a final project. I am thrilled for the class to be over and for life to resume it's "normal" course.
After completing the course, we found out our travel destinations for the summer program. I'm happy to announce I'm going to Brazil!!! I'm very excited and have started learning Portuguese. Reading and writing the language is easy peasy, but the whole speaking thing is throwing me for a loop! My natural inclination is to turn Portuguese into Spanish sooooo...yep....I'm working on it!
Today is the final day of Winter Break. I am terrified of what 6:00 a.m. is going to feel like tomorrow!
I'm planning on starting the day with review and an introduction into text mapping with the kiddos tomorrow. I am excited to see how the kids react. I'll post again at the end of the week to let you know how it goes, but here's a brief overview of what it is and how it works!

Textmapping overview

Happy Reading!

Tuesday Tidbit

New mantra: Tuesday will be my blogging day!

I wanted to share about a wonderful resource that I discovered last year. Anyone that uses the news show Channel One News in their classroom is already familiar with the lyrics of Flocabulary. Last year, a friend ushered me to the following site: www.flocabulary.com. It's an educational hip-hop site. There are free songs and videos you can access. If you like it enough, you can even enjoy a two week free trial (I used the free trial last year and got my school to purchase books and cds for me this year)! My kids LOVE learning the raps and I LOVE that they are learning about ancient history in the process.
I shall conclude today by sharing the words of wisdom I departed to my class of students who all want to be famous football players and the next pop sensation: "Don't become too famous!"
Crazy weird. I know. However, after sitting beside the star player of the Clemson football team at brunch on Sunday and getting super stinky service because he was in the building, I am stepping up on my soap box. Plus, he had football and posters (where they came from, I will never know) shoved in his face to sign along with being gawked at through the entire meal. I'm not mad at him and actually feel really sorry that he can't go anywhere without being BOLDLY stalked. Stepping down from soap box and reading for my TGC online class. The day never ends...