The Wisdom of Mr. Rogers

In my last blog I mentioned that Lenny and I love to travel. 

Well, we are doing that right now.  

We are in Prague about to get on a boat that will take us along the

Rhine and Main rivers across to Cologne in Germany. 

 I hope to see lots of castles along the way.



Mr. Rogers has offered to fill in for me while I am gone.

I have been working on a presentation called
People of our Neighborhood
for NAEYC in a few weeks. 
Mr. Rogers was an important neighbor 
 so I did a little reading about him.
 I just finished a book (on my Nook) called
  Wisdom from The World According to Mister Rogers.



The foreword was written by his wife. 
She said she was always finding little notes that Fred
had written to himself with special thoughts and quotes on them. 
 She compiled his notes into this little book. 


Here are a few that were meaningful to me.
......
On the recent anniversary of 9/11


When I was a boy and would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping”. To this day, especially in time of “disaster”, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers-so many caring people in the world.




When I was very young, most of my childhood heroes wore capes, flew through the air, or picked up buildings with one arm. They were spectacular and got a lot of attention. But as I grew, my heroes changed, so that now I can honestly say that anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me.

  As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has-or ever will have- something inside that is unique to all time. It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and provide ways of developing its expression.

“I like being a part of the beach of life...
I like being one of the grains of sand.”
Dr. Margaret McFarland

Often when you think you’re at the end of something,
you’re at the beginning of something else. 
I’ve felt that many times. 

 My hope for all of us is that “the miles we go before we sleep”

will be filled with all the feelings that come from deep caring...

delight, sadness, joy, wisdom...

and that in all the endings of our life
we will be able to see the new beginnings.




So in all that you do in all of your life,

I wish you the strength and the grace to make those choices
which will allow you and your neighbor to become the best
of whoever you are.

Greetings from Prague......

Tell me your story and win some books!!!!

This Is My Story

by Jill

This is my story, all about me.

It is about my friends and my family.

This my story.

It is true.

It is about what I like.

It is about what I do.

You can read my story,

I hope that you do.

Then...

You can write a story all about YOU!

........... 

My Story

My name is Jill.  I am 7.  I have a brother and a sister

and a mom and a dad.  My funny yellow dog likes to

swim in my pool.  My friends are Annie and Will.

We like to play soccer and eat pizza.

Resource Guide:

Have children brainstorm contents for a bag that Jill, the main character in  This Is My Story, might have filled.

For homework, give each child a brown grocery bag and a parent letter explaining the assignment.

Ask children to fill their bag with objects that describe just who they are.

Model this activity first by bringing in your own bag, describing its contents, and writing a personal narrative that mentions your props.

Then ask children to write about themselves, referring to the objects in their bags.

When the writing is complete, have children share their items and read their stories.


This is my bag.
(Notice that I over-did
the decoration a little).



This is my stuff!
.......

This is my letter:

My name is Tommie and this is my story.

These are some of the people that are very important to me. 

 Lenny and I have been married for 45 years. 

We have two children and a daughter-in-law.

We count her as one of our children so that makes 3. 

Trevor and Kate are our grandchildren. 

They are VERY SPECIAL.

They call me "G" which stands for grandma.

Lenny and I love to travel. 

 One time we went to Holland and I tried on some

VERY large wooden shoes.

I loved the tulips

and the windmills.

 

I love to read just about anything.

For my birthday I got a Color Nook. 

Now, I can read in the dark.  What fun!

  

I collect Teddy Bears. 
I have about a dozen. 
I made this one myself from
an old quilt that my grandmother
 made for me. 
This bear's name is Belle. 

The poem says...
I wish I was a
Teddy Bear.
Everybody loves them.
Nobody cares how fat you get.
And the older you get,
the more you are worth.

Maybe that is why I like Teddy Bears.



That's my story.  What is yours?

I would really love to hear your stories and see you classroom and kids.

Send me a note and/or picture to tommie.netzer@creativeteaching.com

I will choose 10 to receive prizes. 

The prize this time is one each of the three books

mentioned in the latest posts.

I Am Special

Special Memories

This Is My Story

Be sure to send you name, email address, and home address

when you send your stories.

(Your story can be short. 
You know I have a tendency to go on and on and on.)

 Be sure to send them to my email

 not as a comment on the blog.

I can't wait to read your stories.

Special Memories

CTP has a great series of books called

Learn to Write.

Each of the 24 engaging little books focuses on a different writing concept.

The last page of each book invites readers to write their own story 

modeled after the writing done by the characters in the book. 

The resource guide offers even more activities to extend the books.

In a few weeks we will be attending NAEYC in Orlando.

I am presenting a session called, People of our Neighborhood.

I have been studying someone

 who was a very important neighbor,

Mr. Rogers.

I hope to share with you some of the

wisdom of Mr. Rogers in future posts.

I love this quote from him,

"I find out more and more every day

how important if is for people to

share their memories."

Here is a book from Learn to Write to help kids do just that.

To read this little book go to http://www.creativeteaching.com/

Do a quick search for Special Memories.

Then click on details and then sample pages.

You can do this for any of the small readers.

These pages are from the resource guide for

Learn to Write.

This book is available in an e-book

so you can buy it and use it right now.

Quick search for 6227-EB.

I always like to try to find other uses for books....

like sparking ideas for making my own.

I love using the 6" Poppin' Pattern cards

for the book and binding the pages with ring-its.

This is a Special Memories book that

Kate and I made after going on a Disney cruise.

She got to meet all the princesses.

What a Day!

Kids love to see pictures of when they were little

especially when they can compare

Then and Now.

Trevor and I had a great time making this book

for an assignment for Grandparents Day

when he was in kindergarten.

We included several pages telling

how different things were then.

It was fun for me to re-live those

Special Memories from LONG AGO!

How different life is for these post 9/11 kids!

I wonder what his Special Memories will be.

All About Me

 

Most teachers do a unit on All About Me at the beginning of the year
to introduce the kids to each other and to welcome them into the class.

Each child is special.

To read this book go to http://www.creativeteaching.com/.
Do a Quick Search for I Am Special.
Click on details and then on sample pages.

This idea from Early Childhood Centers goes perfectly with the little book.

It starts as a step-book and ends with a thumb print.
The child lists the things he can do.
Then ends with I am "thumb-body" special.


I would like to share with you my rationale
for teaching an All About Me  unit.

The Help is a book that has been on the best-sellers list for months.
Recently, I went with my daughter and sister to see the movie.
After the movie my daughter asked, “Was it really like that?”
Having grown up in the south during that time
my sister and I both answered, “Yes”.
 Most people of the south were not like that, but certainly some were.
It was a sad time in our nation’s history.

I think more people were like Skeeter's mother. 
People knew things were wrong, but they didn't have the courage
 to stand up for what was right.
I think it is interesting that the movie is being shown at the same time
 as the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington D.C.
 Talk about courage!

I cried through the last ten minutes of the movie.
Aibileen, the maid, was falsely accused of stealing and was fired.
It came time for her to say goodbye to Mae Mobley,
the little three year old girl who thought of her as Momma.
Both Aibileen and the little girl were crying.
Aibileen takes her aside and tells her….
”Baby Girl, always remember what I taught you.”

Mae Mobley puts her pudgy white hands on Aibileen’s black face
and together they repeat….

"I is kind.

I is smart.

I is important."

Every child needs someone in his life to teach them just that.

This year, for some child, that someone is YOU.



Fill Someone's Bucket Today!

I confess. I am addicted to Pinterest. http://www.pinterest.com/ 
If you are not familiar with Pinterest it is a virtual bulletin board where people can pin anything.... 
pictures, recipes, quotes, ideas.


I love this one! Can't you just imagine curling up with a good book in a little bit of heaven like this.


I can spend hours looking at the pictures which cover everything from the sublime to the rediculous. 




Here are a couple of pins that I ran across last week that are great ideas for the beginning of school.

It says....

With love and helping hands

a child can accomplish anything.

I like this idea of writing down the things you want to discuss with your kids on the

first day of school (and the second and the third). 

If you are teacher getting ready for school,

 I am sure that you have lists upon lists. 

All you need is one more. 

 But, I like this....PROCEDURES.  

We all need to know the procedures and the rules!  

In the book Sanity Savers Sharon MacDonald writes...

Children want to please the important adults in their lives.

When they don’t, it is mostly because they don’t know how. 

At the beginning of the school year, many teachers take time to create class rules with the help of the children.

This is a good time to read the book,
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? 
 

The short book explains to students that we all carry an invisible bucket

in which we keep our feelings about ourselves.

When our buckets are full, we are happy; when they are empty, we are sad.

• Children learn that when they fill a friend's bucket, they also fill their own bucket because it feels good to make others happy.

• Kids can also be a bucket dipper. A bucket dipper is a person who hurts other people's feelings, essentially dipping into their invisible bucket.

• Your class rules can be based on what fills a friend's bucket and what would dip his bucket. Kindness can be stressed.  Bullying can be discussed.

This is an adaptation of a pin made by first grade teacher, Jenne Otterness. 

A child can write an encouraging note and put it in the pocket of another child. 
The library pockets represent the buckets of the children. 

Since her room is decorated with brown, orange, and lime green
the Dots on Chocolate library pockets, letters, and border by CTP are perfect.
http://www.creativeteaching.com/

Have you filled someone's bucket today?

Saffron Chicken

Ooooo....I just found this on Pinterest. 

Now, if someone would just cook this for me for dinner

that would really fill my bucket!

Melanie's Carnival Theme

e

Melanie did it again.  She is amazing.  Go directly to her website to see what she has done with the Dots on Turquoise from CTP and her wonderful imagination!  

I wonder if she dreams in color!!!

Carnival Theme!

The inspiration for this adorable theme came from the Dots on Turquoise border from Creative Teaching Press. I just loved the color combinations used in this darling collection. The minute I saw the large polka dots, I envisioned a carnival theme with non-traditional carnival colors. Typically, you would see primary colors used in a carnival, but I LOVED the thought of creating a fresher, more updated carnival look using turquoise, red, lime green, and orange. The coordinating striped border instantly made me think of a carnival canopy with its scalloped design. When all of the colors are put together, you have a look that is fun and HAPPY!

 


CTP 1868 Dots on Turquoise 4" letters
CTP 1038 Dots on Turquoise  Border


 

 CTP 1040 Dots on Turquoise Stripes and Stitches Border

 Check out the entire room at www.schoolgirlstyle.com

And check out all the Dots on Turquoise products at www.creativeteaching.com

Do you CAFE?

A few months ago we were exhibiting at IRA in Orlando. 

A teacher asked me, "Does CTP have anything for CAFE?" 

It first I thought...cheeseburgers and French fries,

but then I realized that was not the CAFE that she meant. 

The answer to her question is "Yes" and "No".

The Daily CAFE and the Daily 5 were conceived by

two real life sisters, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. 

Visit their website http://www.the2sisters.com/

for more information.

According to the website The Daily CAFE and The Daily 5 

provide a structure for fostering literacy independence

in the elementary grades.

CAFE is an acronym for

Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary

I have been visiting classrooms for the last week or so. 

(I love this time of year...everyone getting ready!) 

  I have noticed CAFE and Daily 5 in dozens of classrooms. 

The ideas for the implementation of

The Daily CAFE and The Daily 5 are copyrighted. 

You will have to go to the sisters' website for specific details. 

However,  lots of teachers are using CTP products to display

the terms CAFE and Daily 5

 and to track the students as they work through the processes.

While CTP does not CAFE... with Dots on Turquoise we can help you display it in a creative way. Go to www.creativeteaching.com and search for Dots on Turquoise to see all the products used in these pictures.

These pictures are from Katie Huff,

second grade teacher in Keller, TX.

Katie CAFEs!

Below each component she has pictured some

prompts for the kids to use for that skill.

Katie's class generated some ideas to use when reading independently.

These pictures are from Tara Mounts,
fifth grade teacher in North Kansas City, MO.

Tara not only CAFEs but she also Daily 5s.

 

Tara teaches 5th grade so she adapts the way that she CAFEs. 
She says.....
On the CAFE board under each heading is blue paper.
For my class I will write strategies for each skill 
on sentence strips and post them there as we discuss them.
(check for understanding, re-read, etc...)
 In a regular classroom you would have students put their names on sticky notes and post their name under the heading where they are working
 (comprehension, accuracy, fluency, vocabulary).
My students will not do that because I have 3 classes and only 1 board.
I will have a separate management board for tracking where they are.
This board is for whole group instruction and introducing each strategy.

The Cafe board also has a space on the right

for anchor charts and or powerful words.

 

Tara's Writing Process Board

The kids' names are placed on the 10 X 10 cards

 according to where they are in the writing process.

                                                                

 According to the Two Sisters...

 The Daily 5 is a structure

that  helps students develop the daily habits of

reading, writing and working with peers

that will lead to a lifetime of independent literacy

The Daily 5

Read to Yourself

Read to Someone

Work on Writing

Listen to Reading

Word Work

I talked to a teacher yesterday about how she uses The Daily 5.

Her kids use the Daily 5 to work independently and with peers

 while she is doing guided reading groups. 

She monitors to make sure that a child is not stuck on one thing...

like listening to reading every day.

As you can see teachers adapt The Daily CAFE and The Daily 5

to suit themselves and their individual situations. 

 CTP and Dots on Turquoise

can make them look good

while they are doing it!