Tenn IRA + Graphic Organizers

 

It's time to attempt to get caught up on the back-log of
so many experiences saved on my memory card.

Here I am in Murfreesboro, TN.

Just a couple weeks ago.

I had two workshop presentations for their International Reading Association.

We women-of-the-headwear posed to show our zip.

              These are some some of my workshop participants,
 caught in the act of participating!!
This is my first workshop:
"Lyrics to Literacy: Read a Song & Sing a Book"

Now back to the exhibit hall... wait till you see these!!!

The Foldables Exhibit was right around the corner from my booth in the exhibit hall. I never had a chance to speak with Dinah. Our presentations and exhibit times were apparently overlapping? I can tell you that her 'booth' was hopping, and I mean non-stop! Teachers were in a constant clamor and the flash-bulbs were poppin'!! BTW: Here's the direct link to Dinah's website... remember to tell her that I sent you!

I took the following pictures (from her TONS of examples) to honor my promise of providing more support to my readers. I know that these will bring new visitors from Pinterest! [Please become a 'follower' thru your fave avenue: FB Networked Blogs or Google Friends.]  I just knew these examples were going to spark all sorts of teacher imaginations. I think they speak for themselves. I took photos in an effort to share ideas for different age groups and grade levels. Which style will be your favorite?

 

These ideas are for the big kids!!!!

                                             Palindromes, INDEED!!!!

This would be an awesome possibility for an older student's first major book report! It would be so easy to 'adapt' these flap-categories to suit your needs depending on your grade level -- for older or younger students. There could also be more or fewer categories (flaps) as per the need of any given student or book summary. How clever to have the student's illustration continue from flap-to-flap!

Two thumbs up!!!

This pink foldable wins on so many levels. I can really 'see' this as a personal dictionary of sorts.... with new vocabulary words being added over time and complete with definitions! It would be fun to have the student add an illutration to their new entry.

I thought that the "Little Red Riding Hood" captured in the example below, could work especially well for my Kindergarten friends. Long term readers know that I'm all-about helping every learning style -- about every child getting the support they need to grasp information, subjects, new concepts. These 'foldables' offer all sorts of manipulative + kinestetic feedback and potential. Whoooohoooooo!

 
Teachers, these get your motors running, don't they?

 

I can envision creating a more 'permanent' fold-able in the style of the "Little Red Riding Hood" example and using post-it-notes to personalize subsequent books + stories to follow this same breakdown review. What a perfect way for sequential learning to be broken into smaller chunks for retention and review.

**Fast forward into the future!! 
I have a follow-up article with tons more of Dinah's foldables. CLICK HERE

***Further out into the future I was able to photograph actual student 'foldables' used to make reports on inventors in elementary school.  CLICK HERE

Student Inventor Reports as Foldables

Also in the future I write an article on organization in the classroom! 
CLICK HERE for that hugely popular photo-essay!

Dr. Danny Brassell's son creating a photo-dictionary of vocabulary.

Today over at our collaborative blog, Dr. Danny Brassell has an article on how parents can help support their children in their language acquisition -- building their vocabulary -- all in a help to support their child's future reading efforts. His article dove-tails nicely with these foldables. Which to me, are all also all about "doing-whatever-it-takes" to reach each student, each child. Click here to read Dr. Danny's thoughts, his article has that same mantra: whatever-it-takes. His is the type of article I think you'll want to copy for your files.

My second workshop was a big hit, literally!! I presented all of my 'big hits' -- my original songs for children -- perfect for "brain breaks" with even sophisticated, mature students.

Then back to the exhibit hall for some

more signing + personalizing of my picture books.

Click here to read the synopsis of my first picture book, "You're Wonderful" for which I am author + illustrator (plus publisher + composer -- as the book is based on my original song by the same name.) The post has some amazing student created artwork in response to my quilted illustrations, from my Author-in-the-Schools visits.

Consider these foldable inspiration ideas and Dr. Danny's article an early holiday gift. I know that you'll be pinning-the-dickens out of these photographs!! What an amazing resource we have in Pinterest. What an amazing resource we have in fellow bloggers!!

Now that you're home for some much needed vacation time, you can brainstorm all the possibilities of these 'foldables' combined with Dr. Danny's insight. I promise I'll be on the look-out for additional brilliance in my travels. Thanks for stopping through.

                                                                -- Debbie --

Yes!! I now have a shop of goodies. 

***I am now an "Amazon Associate" which means when you click through from my blog to do your shopping, you add a little cha-ching to my Retirement Account! I've gone window shopping for you and located oodles of resources for foldables and graphic organizers. ENJOY! 

I have added this post to the blog hop, link-up, on all things 'foldable' over at Corkboard Connections.

The Letter Q: Quixotic!!!

I am so fortunate to get to see excellence in action.

I am often invited to places that squeal EXCELLENCE from every corner.

Take a look at four 'projects-of-the-week' from Carlos' folder introducing him to the letter Q.

Then let me see your smile!!!!

Behold: excellence and the letter Q!!!!!!!!

It all starts with letters.

Success with letters!!

Bringing letters a sensory interpretation?

PRICELESS!!!!

Here's a previous post, still in my Top 10 list on sensory integration using cornmeal. Click here.

Quixotic = Exceedingly Idealistic

Quixotic = Lofty romantic ideals

Quixotic = Extravgantly Visionary

What quixotic plans do you have for the New Year?

If you like these letter Q possibilities, may I suggest you click over here to see this post with

"M is for Mosaic + Macaroni"

Let's SING Some Songs!!!

Let's get this party started!!!!

Bring on the dancing children!!!!

Put your hands up in the sky!!!!

It's time to share my newest picture book, "Red, White and Blue."

I keep my books in their happy polka-dot zippered house.

That allows for guessing!!

What's inside???

"It's a BOOOOOOOK!!!"

Rapt Reindeer: Rousing Readers

I think every school visit is my absolute favorite at the time that I am with the children.

Looking at these pictures, though.....

Have I said this before?

This really was such a fun show-and-tell time for me!

It might have been the reindeer antlers, but I think it was their enthusaism, that made this visit so special.

+++Click back to this post for my Debbie's Dozen on Music as Motivator.

+++Or click back to this one on the importance of crossing the midline.

+++Or click back to the whole series interview w Connie on dance & movement.

Seven Thousand Books!!!

WELCOME to my first Florida VPK visit!!!!!!

This program is about 5 minutes from my back door.

We've decided to 'adopt' each other.

I knew as soon as I walked in the front door and saw all of the hand-painted murals -- I knew that I knew that I had found a new friend!

Then we departed the Pooh foyer and I knew I'd fallen in LUV!!

Are you ready to take a 'tour' of their building?

This is what I saw!!!!!!

As I received the quick tour of the building, after the breath-taking muals, the very first thing I noticed was a VERY FULL book shelf, very full. 
                                        Lots. Of. BOOKS!!!!! 

                              Then I saw another and another and another and another book shelf!!!!

Each one filled to the brim with books. Every direction I turned was another shelving system FULL of books and I do mean FILLED FULL with books!!!!! Mrs. Sousa, the program director was proud to share with me the fact that their program owns 7,000 books!!!!! The collage above gives you a glimmer, of a hint, of an idea of what a lover-of-books creates for the children she directs. A library!!

She has an additional 5,000 at home when they need to circulate 'new' titles.

                           Up-to-the-minute popular media faces and Disney classics galore!

I LUV that every classroom has their own massive collection.... but I really LUV how the classroom books are also shelved right there in the midst of all of their highly organized art materials.

When I say that there are books, EVERYWHERE!!!!!! this is not a Debbie-exaggeration, not this time.

Books. Books. Books. Books. Books.

I LUV that she knows how many books live in their center. I LUV that she knows how many books she has at home. I LUV that the children are literally SURROUNDED by books. That's about one hundred books per child! Do you know how many books you have in your program? Can you claim one hundred books per child?

That's a pretty high standard.

As a picture book author-illustrator I was delighted to see the emphasis on the physical book. The old, gold standard. Covers. Paper. Binding. End-pages. Hold it in your hands and turn the pages. Feel the paper with your fingers. Take 'er out for a spin and get that new-book smell in your nostrils.

While these kiddos are being 'read to' primarily, you can bet that they are in the midst of crossing the bridge to becoming avid readers themselves. Choose a book from the shelf. See the way the illustrations colors jump out and grab you, follow the print, connect the dots, become a reader!!

Wait till you see the 'rest-of-the-story.'

Come back tomorrow!

Children's Painted Fish-scape

Are you ready for a happy surprise?
You know I LUV children's artwork. You know I LUV bright colors. By now you also know I LUV patterns. So take a look at these beauties that I photographed yesterday. I can't wait for the 'big-reveal.' I can't wait to share where these gorgous masterpieces are 'hanging'. I can't wait to show you. Honestly. I seriously don't think that you could guess. Probably not in a million years would you come up with the right answer.

I'll just tell you that these original beauties are NOT in a school building -- they are not hanging neatly on a bulletin board in a hallway in a busy elementary school. NOPE.

I will warn you right now -- I don't know the age of these artists.

Here's a couple close-ups.

I'll tell you that I was in New Smyrna Beach, Florida at the time.

These gorgous wonders are a community 'mural' of sorts.

Are you ready?

What possibilities have you dreamt up?

I'll give you another clue.

Community 'mural' in a public place.

Ready...............................................

Set.................................................

Pull back the curtain.......................................................

Reveal.................................................................................

Tell me the truth!

In your wildest dreams, would you have guessed that these students painted their original creations onto the concrete support columns to a major underpass?

This is a VERY busy intersection. While I was taking the photos there were dozens and dozens and dozens of cars that passed, waited initially for a stop sign and then a block later waited for the red light. Think of the number of people who pass this 'mural' on a daily basis. Think of the number of people who have an opportunity to take a quick course in Art Appreciation 101.

There are twelve columns supporting that bridge...... that's a lotta fish!!!!!! That's a pretty brilliant Art teacher to pull this together. Aren't you curious? So many unanswered questions. I searched and searched for some sort of 'marker' with details, but I have no details to share -- yet.

Beach day: Thankful Thursday!

Pretend that's my 'little-brother' and me.

Pretend that you have a time machine and can rewind and choose a moment.
He was always bigger than I was -- even when we were about that age. I had long brown hair, he was always a step ahead of me. This could be the two of us. It really could.

Instead, of this being a shot from my personal time capsule, its a moment I captured yesterday. What fun to watch. What fun to document. What fun to savor their moment and recall so many of mine salted away. (In actuality these particular children are of no relation.)

Jumpin' waves, when there's an endless supply available...... that's how to pack more joy and laughter into your living.

It's the middle of December and walking the beach appreciating 'the-joy-of-the-jumpers' feels decadent. Bathing suits and bare feet in December? Savor the sunshine, indeed!!

                   Here's another possibility with another fitting thought. (Vote for your favorite.)

It's a gift to spend the day walking the waves.
It's a gift to think back through my earlier beach walks.

Do you need some more calming sand shots? Wanna see my favorite bunch of beach shots on the Mediterranean in Italy from this spring? [You just have to click here to see the rest of the scenes with the polka-dots-on-siesta. Here's a taste-test of my fave. Some of you know how much I like the polkas, the rest of the pictures in Italy are rock cairns -- another fave.]  

Back to the time machine concept. Here's a peek at what those two up above will look like something about 4 to 4.5 decades from now. He's still taller! 

Speaking of brothers....... my long term readers may remember the horror my older brother experienced this summer when his home caught fire and he was trapped below a bookshelf-- (he spent weeks in ICU, the first in a coma.) While I'm off on this tangent of family, I want you to know that five months later he continues to recover, has relocated and has been able to go back at work. It was a vigilant Lassie-doggy's barking that saved his life.

Our family has a lot to be grateful for this season.

Spending time together is at the top of the list!

Having happy memories is way up there, too!!!