Happy Amazing April!

Happy April!  Today I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites!

National Poetry Month!

I love April because it is the gateway to spring.  Of course, here in Massachusetts, winter lasts throughout April (it was actually snowing last Tuesday), but there is hope in the air.  In addition, it is National Poetry Month.  Click here to check out a web site that is full of great poems and to get a free copy of this poster!

Click here or on the poster to download for free!

One of my very favorite poets is Doug Florian.  His poems are wry and colorful.  He has many books.  Here is one example:

Click on book cover to read more at Amazon.

Books to Check Out!

Some other books I have read recently and would recommend include:

Click here or on the cover to read more at Goodreads.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which you should read before seeing the movie (I saw that, too).  The book explains about Dr. Ryland Grace and scientists' quest to save the Earth from "astrophage" ~ a bacteria that is taking the heat from the sun and will cause Earth to freeze and die.  The book explains the whole process in details which are not explained in the movie.  Plus, Dr. Grace meets and collaborates with an alien, Rocky, who is also trying to save his own planet from the same fate as Earth.

Click here or on the cover to read more at Goodreads.

With all that is going on in the world and in Iran, this book is very of the moment.  I loved reading about how life was in Iran in the 1950's and 1960's. 

This book tells the story of two childhood friends:  Ellie and Homa.  They both grow up in Tehran and end up at the same high school.  Ellie ends up moving to the United States where her husband becomes a college professor while Homa stays in Tehran and becomes a political activist.  I really enjoyed the story of friendship and how Ellie and Homa help each other out in ways they could never have imagined. 

Student Authors!

A few weeks ago I read New Nonsense from the North ~ a book written by third graders:

My students - Isabella, Sierra and Paige - loved this book so much that they made their own version at recess, no less!  I thought it was so original and creative that I had to feature it here!

Massachusetts in the American Revolution

This is the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War.  I always loved teaching all about the reasons for the American Revolution like the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party:

I recently updated and improved a slide deck titled:  Massachusetts in the American Revolution which you can check out here!

Amazing You Tube History Videos Using Legos!

Thanks to my students who have their very own You Tube channels, I decided to investigate myself and came up this perfect video about the Boston Massacre:

Click here or on the picture to watch the video.

That's it for this week ~ have a wonderful week!  Thank you so much for visiting today!  Make sure to click on the below graphic to check out more great blogs!

Mid-March Marvelous News!

Hello there!  Today I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for:

             Friday Favorites:  Spring is Coming Some Day!

NORTH, SOUTH, EAST OR WEST, HOME'S THE PLACE I LIKE THE BEST!

After a year of cross-stitching, I finally finished this work of art:

I love doing my cross-stitching because it keeps my mind focused.  I bought this kit on Etsy, and it was a lot of work, but hopefully, it will be a family heirloom.  

Click here to see more counted cross-stitch kits if you would like to try it out!

NEW RYKA SNEAKERS 

I do love a new pair of comfortable sneakers!  I recently bought these Ryka sneakers (the ones of the right) on TJ Maxx.com for $39.99, and you can also find them on Amazon for $41.70.

These sneakers have lots of support so they are comfortable.  I walk a lot in the warm weather so I'll be happy to have these to wear.

APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!

We're preparing for National Poetry Month which is in April.  I just love the way poet Doug Florian uses words so creatively. 

We also read a poem, Rain, by Robert Louis Stevenson:

I found the best poem by Eileen Spinelli for St. Patrick's Day (I changed Canadian to American):

We also wrote paragraphs about why we're lucky.

In addition, here's a reminder March 21st, is World Down Syndrome Day as well as Lots of Socks Day!

I have even prepared my Morning Message for tomorrow!

If you need a free activity to celebrate Lots of Socks and World Down Syndrome Day, look no further! 

Even thought these Morning Messages are dated in the past, I have redone them all and show them on the "big screen" in front of the room!

In the meantime, Happy St. Patrick's Day.  When my father passed, we put this quote on the prayer cards:

An Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Happy Valentine's Day Weekend Friday Favorites!

Happy Valentine's Day Weekend; Happy Chinese New Year and Happy President's Day!  Today I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erica from a Little Bit of Everything for:

Friday Favorites!  Happy Chinese New Year!

If you want to read more about Asian traditions , Dumpling Soup by Jama Kim Rattigan gives lots of fun information.  Marissa's family lives in Oahu, and the whole family gathers to eat delicious dumplings on New Year's Eve.  It's Marissa's first time to make dumplings with her grandmother.  Her dumplings are far from perfect but are still delicious.     

If you want to hear me read this book, click here.  I have a You Tube channel with lots of great read-alouds!

We watched an excellent video of Chinese New Year.  This video explained how people prepare for Chinese New Year by sweeping their kitchen to get rid of any bad luck.  We also saw family members receiving red envelopes (leisses), the lion dance, firecrackers, etc.  The kids really enjoyed seeing an example of the real Chinese New Year.

This week we worked and completed our Square One Art projects.  Here is a picture of the kids' work:

From this sample of work, I notice that rainbows are "trending." (that's a word I learned from Twitter)

 Even I love making Square One Art.  Here are some of the ones I have made:

 These pictures can be made into t-shirts, water bottles, potholders, etc.  It's a really fun project.

Of course, I brought my Square One paper home to finish over the weekend.  While I was at the gym that afternoon, Gabi the Dog, ripped it to shreds.  My dog ate my homework!  Now it's back to square one if I want to make a new picture.

We did some MCAS prep. this week.  We read about Benjamin Franklin and wrote about why he is famous.  Also, we finally finished Don't Throw Your Bones On The Floor which explains how the Pilgrims ate.  Today we read Henry Hikes To Fitchburg which is such a delightful story about 2 friends who travel to Fitchburg in different ways:  Henry walks while his friend takes the train.  Even though these MCAS released items are older, the stories are engaging.  Moreover, they provide good test practice!

Have a wonderful weekend!