Poetry Friday - Creatures In The Garden

          Poetry Friday can be found at Margaret Simon's Reflections On The TecheThanks for hosting, Margaret, and for sharing such beauty from your trip to Whitbey Island.

       It's been such a busy summer, and I have been out of town for most of it. There have been good times away, but I haven't had much time to write. I have managed to write a few poems for a project I've been working on for a while. I love learning about plants and this has given me an interesting focus. Here's a recent one, a favorite plant in our semi-arid climate.

July Chalk-A-Bration

Betsy Hubbard at Teaching Young Writers started this tradition a long time ago, where we're supposed to chalk a poem to share, take pics, and share. It's been raining in Denver for the past two days, so guess it's going to be another app instead of outside on my sidewalk. Next month? Visit Betsy first, then those who share their own chalking art!  Thanks Betsy!

Worth Having In Class

        Time again to add to your growing non-fiction lists. Come visit Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy for Non-Fiction Picture Book Wednesday!  Thanks for hosting, Alyson!
        I've been focusing on reading chapter books more lately, so have read fewer picture books. Time to grab more at the library!

      But, although some of you will recognize these, I have three good books to share, all should be in classrooms or at least the school library!





How People Lived - DK Publishing
      A variety of readers will enjoy this book, for research in various times of

people's lives or of cultures or simply to turn pages and read what grabs one's attention. The book covers information from a stone-age community 160,000 years ago to modern day living, projecting into the future. At the end, there are two pages of riddles, to see how much is remembered, a terrific timeline and a glossary. The book is filled, DK style, with many illustrations, and small bits of information. For those who love some information and some explanation, this will inspire everyone to want to know more about the way people lived all through history.

A Special Slice - Grand-Girl Imogene Is Three!

              Time for our Tuesday Slice of Life Sharing at theTwo Writing Teachers blog. Thanks to all who share, and to those who host the community. It's the final slice of July!

            You know I love spending time with my grandchildren and I just returned from a week on the beach with all of them and their parents. The days were such good, good slices to remember. And I could write about that, yet today, JULY 29, is a special day, my youngest granddaughter Imogene’s birthday.

a few days old

          Imogene is three, but she is quite a bit more than the usual three. (Don’t all grandmothers think that?) Having spent all last week with her on the beach, a week’s road trip to Missouri, and about three weeks at my house with her, parents and older sister, in late May, early June, I am in awe with the surprises she has in store for us each day. I wrote about her here, the day she arrived. She was a lovely and quiet, self-contained baby. In a post here I wondered how she would gain attention with her quiet ways.

It's Monday...

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Visit Unleashing Readerswith Ricki and Kelle, and Teach Mentor Texts, with Jen to read about the books on everyone's lists!

                 I didn't get to read as much as I thought I could last week at the beach (too much fun in the water and shelling), but it's been 2 weeks since I posted, and I managed to finish several longer books, all I enjoyed, some I loved. 

chapter books

Gabriel Finley & the Raven’s Riddle – written by George Hagen

          Coming at the end of October, you won’t want to miss reading this fantasy adventure, with a thoughtful main character, 12 year old Gabriel, who carries on his family legacy in the quest to find his father who disappeared when he was nine.  The book holds ravens and riddles, which Gabriel and ravens love, good friends who leave, unexpected friends who appear just as the action begins. George Hagen craftily adds hints of what’s coming, although one doesn’t always realize it for a while. The opening about ravens is important, and I found myself needing to return to re-read it, to begin to understand the rules of the magic in this book. There are some characters and descriptions who appear that makes one want to shout to Gabriel, “watch out, this does not sound good!” And there are the wonderful raven characters, both loving and terrifying. It’s an adventure that takes Gabriel down numerous paths, and they all provide a clear vision of the good and evil in the world. I enjoyed the book very much.