As a woman, a mom and a primary teacher, I have to say I love reading!  I read for enjoyment, for professional development, and for gaining knowledge on raising boys and being a better wife and mom. I pick what I am interested in and don't worry about readability, the book level or a possible AR test! I read because I LOVE reading!

A quick  glance at my nightstand boasts my summer picks and my cherished Nook!  Professional books are the only ones I don't purchase on the Nook as I like to highlight, take notes and insert post its for easy reference.

 

So reading is part of my life.  I read to my children while I was pregnant.  I read to them as babies.  I know the research.  Literacy is my passion!

 

 

But then my boys learned to walk...and talk...and they couldn't get away from books fast enough!  They had no interest as they were on the move! I quickly learned to capture their attention at bed time as they were a captive audience with no where to go! They would pick a book or two for us to read each night... Those were the days! 

 

So let's have some #realtalk!  My boys don't LOVE to read anymore!  Most days, they don't even like to read.  Insert heavy sigh here.  This mama's heart is so sad.  This teacher's heart is heavy.  How can I blog about fostering a love of reading with my students when my own children have missed the boat on this?

 
 

Do we, as a school system, turn children away from reading?  We test their sight words, their fluency and their comprehension.  When they finish a book, they take an AR test.  With Common Core and other state standards, we are modeling for students how to dig deeper into the test. This takes multiple readings of the same text.   We are encouraging students to read more non-fiction.  They need to site text evidence.  And then at the end of the year they need to take a state reading test.

 

AND WE WONDER WHY CHILDREN

DON'T LOVE READING!

 

My goal for my boys and for my students is to foster a love of reading.  So when my youngest says he wants the next book in the Nate the Great series, I am going embrace this and encourage it. You see, earlier this summer, I tried to talk him into reading books with a higher reading level and deeper content. He totally fell asleep while reading!!  #epicfail

 

 Jen Jones from Hello Literacy shares how to find out 7 ways to get your kids to know without even realizing it!!  Jen cautions us away from "summer mandated reading time" because isn't that what we as parents and teachers do...to avoid the summer slide?

 

I challenge you to join me in finding meaningful ways to encourage our children and students to read throughout the summer!  I am going to suggest some of the apps from Hello Literacy's post to my own kids and maybe...just maybe...I can sneak a little more reading in!
 

 

This is the PERFECT recipe to share with friends or to put in the crock pot and have your family dinner ready when you get home!  We even add tortilla chips to the bottom of the bowl,  add the soup and top off with some shredded cheese and sour cream.  YUMM-O!

I love the lazy days of summer, but I am also inclined to step up certain things a notch! So this summer one of my goals is to find some new, family friendly recipes for dinner. So welcome to...

Each week I will feature a few new recipes that I have found and tried with my own family as the judges!  This is a tough group I tell you:)  I have to tell you I have been a little addicted to The Pioneer Woman  this week from The Food Network!  I have selected and tried two of the week's favorites!

 

CHICKEN SLIDERS and POTATO BUNDLES
Click on the above links for recipes!

 

 

The grill is our favorite cooking source pretty much all year living in Florida!  These are both the perfect grilling recipes for summer time.  Recipe notes:  I  omitted the bacon on the chicken sliders. Just personal preference:) I also added roasted cauliflower and broccoli to the meal with olive oil, 4 minced garlic cloves and salt & pepper to taste.

 

I would love you to link up some fun summer recipes that you plan on making this week!  Perhaps it is an old favorite, something new you want to try or a fabulous Pinterest find!

 

If you don't have a blog, you can join the post over on The Resourceful Apple's FACEBOOK page!

 

Hi Friends!  I hope you are well into enjoying your summer break!I am joining in the Teaching with Intention book study  with Greg from Kindergarten Smorgasboard. This week is hosted by Flying into First, The Primary Gal and Mrs. Dailey's Classroom. 

Chapter 2 focuses on our personal teaching beliefs.  What EXACTLY do we believe about TEACHING and LEARNING and is it EVIDENT in our CLASSROOMS?

 

That is easier said than done!  Have you ever written down your beliefs?  Debbie Miller took over 1 year to refine her beliefs!  With 20 years of teaching, these are the first things that have come to my mind about my own beliefs about teaching and learning in the primary grades:

I have spent a LOT of time organizing my classroom library.  I have books organized by theme and by reading levels.  My goal is for students to be able to access books of interest quickly in order to optimize their reading time.

We are a TEAM in and out of the classroom.  We work on building each other up and supporting each other's efforts.  All students learn in different ways and have different abilities.  Celebrate that!

 

 STUDENTS LEARN BEST WHEN THEY ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN LEARNING.  AFTER  MODELING NEW CONCEPTS, STUDENTS NEED TIME TO PRACTICE WITH MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES.

I spend a lot of time planning meaningful activities and integrated units. I love that Debbie Miller says, "Learning is maximized when the lessons I design are purposeful, interactive and engaging, with real world applications."

 

Now its time for some self reflection.  Do I do all of these things consistently? 

Honestly, NO!

 

This summer will be my time to reflect and see what I can do better.  Debbie Miller suggests reflecting in a journal at the end of each day.  How and when we reflect is personal, but reflection will lead to better teaching!

In a time of  many state and district mandates, this is something I need to remind myself of!  Don't forget to check out the posts from the weekly hosts for this chapter if you haven't already.