Camp Thunderbird - Wacky Olympics

This may be my favorite video from camp.  On Tuesday night, we had the Wacky Olympics - a bunch of wild and funny relay races.  It really didn't matter who won.  The kids were too busy laughing and dancing and singing.  It was pure joy.  Make sure you watch this one all the way to the end - you don't want to miss John Tyler and friends singing "Party in the USA" at the top of their lungs!

Camp Thunderbird - Zipline

One of the highlights from camp - the zipline.  The video says it all.

Camp Thunderbird - Scenes

Here are some different scenes from Camp Thunderbird - playing basketball during free time, canoeing, and experiencing the wildlife ecology course.

Camp Thunderbird - Living History

One of the first activities we did at Camp Thunderbird was Living History.  We went around to several different "characters" and found out what life was like the earlier pioneers.  Each team was a family - complete with mom, dad, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and children.  Everyone had a part.  I think my favorite character has to be the school teacher - it really gives the kids an appreciation for how truly nice I am!

Science Fun Day - Solar System Dances

Mrs. Waddell lead one of our classes on Science Fun Day.  Each team of students was given a card that explained a solar system concept, and they had to create a dance that explained that concept .  After each team performed, the rest of the class tried to guess what the concept was.  I love how they used the shape shifters, balls, and foam pieces.  It was really fun to watch.  Can you infer the solar system concept each team is showing?

Rules - The Dance

Here's a dance project one of our book clubs created.  They read Rules by Cynthia Lord - an incredible book about how we treat others who are different from us.

Camp Thunderbird - Part 2

Here's the second set of pictures from camp...

Camp Thunderbird - Part 1

I've finally gotten around to put some of the photos together from Camp Thunderbird.  As you're watching this slide show, make sure your child is explaining each event.  There are lots of funny moments! 

Organisms - Studycast

Click here to listen to the studycast for our upcoming test on Organisms.  This is a studycast I made for last year's class, but it covers all the same material.  If you have any questions, just leave me a comment or send me an email.  Thanks!

Notebook Connections by Aimee Buckner

Notebook Connections

Aimee Buckner
Stenhouse Publishers

The thing I like about Aimee is that she doesn't hold back.  She's completely honest about herself and her teaching - her struggles and successes.  When you read one of Aimee's books, you feel like you're having a thoughtful conversation with a colleague down the hallway.  But that's the great thing about Stenhouse authors  - they're teachers.  These authors/teachers are using current theory and tying them to authentic classroom practices.  

Notebook Connections shows us how Aimee has incorporated notebooks into her reading workshops.  In chapter 2, Aimee shows us how easily notebooks can be used to better know your students are readers.  Throughout the year, you can have students respond in their notebooks using guided questions or prompts.  These entries help us get inside our students' heads - to understand how they view themselves as readers and thinkers.  Chapter 3 is full of strategy lessons that help connect comprehension strategies to notebook writing.  Aimee does a great job of getting her students to think about their thinking.  The strategies she uses with her students push them towards deeper and more responsive thinking.  Chapter 5 focuses on finding the "hidden layers" of a text.  One of my favorite lessons she shares deals with character connections.  By studying the connections between characters, readers are invited to infer deeper about their relationships - and ultimately about the theme of the story.  Aimee closes her book with a chapter on assessment.  She understands that teachers must find a balance between their personal lives and school lives.  She provides realistic guidelines for assessment that give valuable feedback to students and parents, while at the same time prevents teachers from spending their entire Saturday reading notebooks. 

I'm ready to try out some of these notebook strategies in my classroom.  My students keep reading notebooks - they've become extremely valuable places to record our thinking, reflections, and book lists. But Aimee has pushed me to use notebooks in more thoughtful ways.  I'm looking forward to seeing what happens!