Print Rich Learning

A kindergarten waitress writes down her customer's breakfast order.

And a kindergarten chef serves up the eggs sunny side up!

A kindergarten stuffed animal parent writes out the amount due for Stuffed Day Care.

A reporter looks through client list to prepare for interview.

Spring Break

My spring "break" has been slowly sipped up, and all my big plans to stop treading water and get ready for higher dives...not reaching achievement. I've neglected my blog, completed only half the dusting, failed to put a dent in my 20 page paper, and do not even want to list all the other incomplete tasks. Don't get me wrong, I did accomplish some things that I am satisfied, and even proud of. When I once said that there were not enough days in the week to get everything done, I was faced with the response, "Perhaps there are too many." Okay, I am going to ponder that again and see if I can make any sense of it this time.

Kelly Gallagher

Kelly Gallagher came to Maine to speak and share his knowledge and ideas with a diverse crowd of educators. His humor, ideas for effective instruction and realistic approach to literacy instruction is supported by research and practice, and you just don't want the guy to stop talking! Its like those special books that you get so emotionally attach to, that you almost grieve when it is over. I think his work is critical if we believe that reading engagement is important. His words, a recipe for critical well read readers and writers; thinkers that connect to their world in ways that allow them to evolve and impact their environments. Reading engagement is something we need to place value upon and make that message clear. I worry about our students who struggle with ideas and have tangled comprehension. It seems to often instruction and  "interventions" pull our students further away from their own investment in their own reading.

Maine Student Book Award

 Maine Student Book Award

The Maine Library Association, Maine Association of School Libraries, and Maine Reading Association hope to enhance reading engagement for students in grades 4-8. Each year they invite students statewide to read and rate several books, eventually helping to vote via ballot, for their personal favorite. This year has a winner... also check out their Sneak Peek 2013-2014 Book List for some sure to be good reads too.