My Experience with bookmarking

I used delicious.com to set up my bookmarks. I found this site fairly easy to navigate. The feature I liked best was that you could go to an individual website that you liked and simply add it to the delicious site, listing the applicable tags. I could definitely see the benefit of utilizing a website like this to organize all of my favorite sites. I have actually had my documents and favorites wiped clean off my computer this school year when my computer was re-imaged. If I had saved my bookmarks in this site, they would still have been retrievable. I can see using this site in the future.

Kindergartners are funny

I recently started getting sick while I was at school. I had to be "real" with the class and tell them something like...."I have to be honest, I am not feeling well. Please be patient with me." Just like little mother hens, about 10 or so gathered around me and gave me a group hug. I was also told that I could go home and they would take care of things. I think another child started cleaning up right away...you know, to show me how responsible they could be in my absence. This is a simple story, but I thought it was pretty priceless. It sure "filled my bucket" anyway.

 Kindergarteners are funny.......and sweet!

Learning about Writer's Workshop, Kinder version

My very first blog post! I don't think I ever imagined doing this, but nothing like a certification requirement to force you out of your comfort zone. Thinking about what I would post about, I thought about something I already have some good information on and also want to know more about which is Writer's Workshop for Kindergarteners. I have found Balanced Literacy Diet a helpful website in finding great videos and researched-based information on Literacy. I have really only scratched the surface on this website as they have so much good information! When I first ran accross a balanced literacy diet video on you tube, I was desperately looking for good videos on how to introduce Writer's Workshop. Since I am a first year teacher I feel especially eager to see how effective teachers do this. I know as all teachers do, that how you introduce something and the clarity of that presentation is key in the learning process. My biggest fear is confusing my poor students! I feel as a Kindergarten teacher like I am setting the tone for their educational experience.....no pressure, right? Often I feel the weight of making sure my teaching is effective for each and EVERY student....thankfully, there are those moments I see evidence of their understanding & feel the elation that goes with it! One video that has helped me to really guide my students in the writing process is this one:  
When I started walking them through these steps, I saw a shift in their understanding. I had already been using many of the elements, but presenting them in this way helped my students process and organize their thoughts more effectively. So there you have it, my first ever blog post! Maybe there will be more?!