Happenings

What is a blog? That was the question I was faced with at the beginning of the year when I was approached with the idea of having my students start blogging. What would they write about? Would they enjoy it? How in the world could I connect it to my curriculum? When would I find the time? And most importantly would it be worthwhile?

As the year quickly comes to an end, I find myself reflecting back on the new things I’ve tried with my students. Blogging was perhaps the biggest undertaking that I found myself most unsure of at the beginning of the year. It has had it’s problems, difficulties, and challenges but overall I feel it has proven to be not only beneficial to the students but also extremely enjoyable (At times I find myself putting off, oh..say…lessons plans and grading because I just HAVE to respond to the kid’s blogs)!

Some of the challenges I have faced with blogging begin with time! I assumed early on that the kids would naturally be drawn to just the idea of blogging in the beginning and that would be motivation enough (it wasn’t). I discovered that when left to their own devices (”Post when you can…”) they RARELY did! It wasn’t until I specifically set a requirement in place that each child needed to post at least one blog a week that I saw an increase in participation. It still wasn’t enough though and some kids always seemed to find themselves scrambling on Friday afternoons to get their weekly blog posted. The posts really started to increase when I set aside a specific time for the children to blog during the week and even more so when we arranged to have the COWS every Friday afternoon to work on blogging.

Initially, I worried about whether or not the kids would be able to find enough topics to write about, yet they haven’t seemed to struggle with this aspect of blogging. One real hurdle, however, was comments! I truly underestimated the difficulty of providing a high quality comment to the students blogs. If I had trouble with it, it should come as no surprise how much trouble the kids had! It took several lessons (and even still frequent reminders) about what a good comment should include. Just like writer’s workshop, the kids have learned that you should comment on something positive about the entry before offering suggestions for improvement. We also tried to get the kids to see that you need to explain the reasoning for the suggestion so that the writer understands how their choices affected the reader’s ability to understand the piece.

Blogging has also transfered into our Writer’s Workshop as well. I make it a point to respond to as many of the kids blogs as I can. They love receiving comments on their entries. I was surprised to see them start commenting to each others blogs using the same terminology that I was in my comments. That terminology then began transferring into the response groups during Writer’s Workshop as well. I giggle everytime I hear one of them say to another “You’re hot spot needs to be stretched out more” or “that language is very powerful!” and I have to ask myself just whose blog I posted that comment on anyway!

As the year quickly comes to an end, I find myself struggling with the idea that my “bloggers” will no longer be mine…and so have they. Several children have asked me if they will get to blog in 5th grade…and what if they don’t? I promised them that their blogs will be available for them and someone (myself, Mr. Mattson, their 5th grade teachers) will find the time to approve their posts and comment back to them.

I feel that blogging has given myself and the children a true purpose to our writing this year. It’s authentic-we are not just writing for a test, we are not just writing because it’s Writer’s Workshop and that’s what we do, we are not just writing and stuffing a published piece in a folder to sit there until the end of the year…we are writing because there are real people out there who are reading what we have to say and sharing with us what they think about it! I believe it has taken my students’ writing abilities up a notch and I definitely want to find a way to incorporate it into my writing program next year as well.

Has blogging been worthwhile…what do you think boys and girls? Check here to see their opinions!

“Shamu! Shamu! Shamu!” the crowd fervently chanted beneath the crisp, warm California sunshine. This was it-the penacle moment of our vacation, the moment we’d get to see Shamu for the very first time.

The kids and I sat perched on the edge of our seats-waiting anxiously for Shamu’s arrival. Suddenly, we were stunned as the graceful giant leapt unexpectedly out of the water, appearing as though he would fly straight up to the sky!

“There he is!” my son chattered excitedly, frantically pointing towards the center of the pool!

Then as quickly as it all happened, Shamu was gone. He splashed far into the depths of his pool…only to emerge moments later…directly in front of US! However, this time we were not facing his friendly fact-it was his enormous flukes taht were gently waving to us in what I now know was a teasing fashion. “Aw, look-he’s weaving to us,” my daughter cooed softly as she began to wave back.

And that little wave from her was all it took! As if on silent command, Shamu raised his flukes high into the air and…

SPLASH!

…he slammed his giant flukes against the salty water with an enormous thud-and then it came-like a million buckets of ice water showering down on us, a humongous splash…

a gift,

a memory,

a treasure from Shamu!

It was a warm spring morning with nary a cloud in the sky when our family packed a picnic lunch and headed to the beaches of Camp Pendleton, California. We had been waiting of this day for months, and the long drive along California’s congested highways was met with much anticipation.

After weaving our way through the tangled traffic, we finally arrived at the almost deserted beach. The kids peeled away their clothes until only their swimsuits remained and bounded across the warm sand towards the crashing waves.

Upon arriving at the water’s edge, they both squealed and ran away from the creeping liquid when they felt just how cold it was.

Not to be outdone by their boundless energy, the waves silently chased them up the sandy beach in a gem of tag. The kids looked down just in time to witness their feet swallowed by the ocean, and then the ocean ran away, begging them to chase it.

And chase it they did. In and out, back and forth for well over and hour. The kids and the ocean palying tag. the ocean’s mighty waves roared in the distance-but quieted to a whisper as it approached them-almost as if it was afraid of frightening its new playmates away.

After hours and hours of fun in the sun, we begrudging ly loaded up in our van and began the long drive home along California’s congest highways with much disappointment that the day we had been waiting for for months was over so quickly. Afte weaving our way through the tangled traffic, we finally arrived back home. I sighed a bit and thought back to our fabulous day. I’ll never forget that day of watching my children play tage with the ocean. Although the day itself was short, the memory of it will remain forever ingrained in my heart.

Now that the year is coming to an end, I find myself looking at blogging and wondering whether or not it was a worthwhile venture. I suppose the best way to find out is to ask those who were impacted by it.

So, boys and girls…what are your thoughts on blogging? Please take a moment to post a comment back to me that answers these questions:

1. Have you enjoyed blogging this year? Why or why not?

2. Do you feel like blogging has made you a better writer? Why or why not?

3. What are the best and worst parts about blogging?

4. Do you want to continue your blog when you leave 4th grade?

5. Would you recommend blogging to future 4th graders?

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Dear Future 4th Grader,

So here we are, you are finishing up 3rd grade and getting ready to come to the Fabulous 4th Grade! I’m so glad that Mr. Mattson has introduced you to our blogs while you are still in 3rd grade so that you can see what is in store for you next year!

Writing is one of our biggests tasks in 4th grade. Many kids think we only write for the TAKS test…but our blogs show you otherwise! Writing is such a fantastic way to let the world get to know who you are, your words have the ability to paint magical pictures for your readers to see-if you let them!

Sometimes, when you post a blog you will be sharing one of the pieces you have completed during Writer’s Workshop. For example, Belle wrote her story “My Big Jump” at the beginning of the year. After you post a blog, your classmates, friends, teachers, and even family members from around the world can write comments back to tell you what you thought about your writing. This helps you improve your writing because your reader tells you what they think is good and needs to be improved.

Other times, when you post a blog you will just be posting a short message, idea, or thought about what is going on in your life, just like Frankie did in his post called “Moving“.

The best thing, the most exciting thing is when people write back to you and let you know what they think about your writing! Sometimes they tell you what they liked or even related to, other times they ask questions about the parts that confused them, and still other times they give you suggestions about how to make your writing better. You can even comment back to them on your blog to answer their questions or to agree or disagree with what they are saying!

I would love hear your opinions about our blogs! I invite you to leave comments on the student’s blogs. Also, let me know what you think by leaving a comment here and whether or not you think a blog is something you would like to do next year in 4th grade! I can’t wait to get to know you next year…let’s see where blogging will take us in the future!
Mrs. Hulburt

Earlier this year, I awoke one cold winter morning and peered out the window to an unusual sight. The entire neighborhood appeared to be wrapped in a soft white blanket. It was clear, that the fog had rolled in during the night. Most people might not understand why that weather phenomena touched my heart so, but they should know that the fog-even the tiniest bit of it reminds me of “home”. Home for me, for my heart, will always be in the tiny (or at least it was when I lived there) town of Clovis, California. In Clovis, we had REAL fog, Tully Fog it was called. Fog so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, fog so thick you felt as if you were blanketed from all the troubles of the world. I loved the fog. And anytime we get fog in El Paso…my mind races back to my childhood days playing in the Tully Fog.

When the fog rolled in to Clovis, we awoke to a feeling of comfort while the thick grey blanket wrapped itself securely around our house.

When the fog rolled into Clovis, we lingered at home a bit longer since school would have to start late. My mom would make me a steamy cup of hot chocolate with it’s own layer of fog floating gently on top. The hot chocolate would warm my insides so that when I stepped out the door on the way to school I was not chilled by the dewey fog.

When the fog rolled into Clovis, the glaring headlights of oncoming traffic were nothing but tiny specks of light crawling, creeping desperately along the road through the dense cloud.

When the fog rolled into Clovis, the children played on the playground-they could be heard-but not seen. Their smiling faces were hidden by a layer of white softenss. The sounds of their laughter gave the only clue that they were even there.

When the fog rolled into Clovis all was peaceful, and calm. As a child I always enjoyed the peaceful feeling of waking up, wrapped in the fog.

Last Friday was my birthday. I turned 36. I suppose that makes me old-at least according to Sarah it does =)! To be honest, the day wasn’t going to be anything other than an ordinary day-okay maybe a bit worse than ordinary. That’s exactly how it started off anyhow. The morning preparations for school were hectic (as usual) and I left the house in what could be described at best as a sour and bitter mood due to circumstances that were beyond my control. It appeared that my birthday, my 36th birthday, was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

All of that changed however when I arrived at school-not all at once though. As we were unloading the car we realized that some of the items we needed for the day had been left at home making my sour mood fall lower and lower (how can myself and 2 kids need so much stuff for just one day of school?). It was then that I ran into Mrs. Newkirk, another teacher, in the parking lot who showered me with birthday hugs and a card. She is always so sweet to me and remembers my birthday every year. Her kindness brought a smile to my face-which was a first step in chipping away at the crankiness I was carrying around with me.

I spent the first few minutes in my classroom frantically preparing for the day-I didn’t have my copies done and was stressed about having things ready for the kids. After a few moments, I was greeted at the door my Frankie and his mom who surprised me with cards and a dozen roses! This kind gesture completely caught me off guard and lifted the heavy weight I was carrying in my heart. I told them at the time that they truly made my day…I’m not sure if they realized just what a difference their simple act had made.

Things just continued to get better and better. When the 7:45 bell rang I stepped out to greet my students and was wished a happy birthday by each of them as they passed by me. Each kind wish chipped away most of what was left of my grouchy mood. As the children settled into their day I started about the menial tasks of the typical school day-taking attendance, checking agendas, verifying homework, listening to announcements, and so on. While checking off names for homework, Naomi brought up a delicious box of chocolates (a definite must for the mood I was in that morning!)-one more chip gone. And then, as soon as the announcements were over, after the infamous words “Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours” my Abril softly counted, “1, 2, 3…” and the entire class sang Happy Birthday to me (complete with a cha-cha-cha). That was it, that’s all there was to it…the final chip was gone and my bitter, sour mood from the morning had been turned into a lighthearted, carefree outlook towards the day ahead.

So the lesson learned, the moral of the story is never doubt the power of a simple act of kindness. Without the combined acts of kindness of my wonderful students and friends my birthday, my 36th birthday, would have been a bitter, sour, and ordinary day.

Thanks to all of you for making it different.

The school year is starting to wind down (7 weeks and 4 days left!) and I’m glad. I love my class, I love what I do, but I’m tired! The testing has really taken a toll on me this year due to the fact that I changed grade levels and really felt like I needed to relearn everything. My brain is tired, my body is tired, and while I really don’t want to say goodbye to this group of students…I’m ready for a vacation!

Our summer trips are fairly routine, every year we head west to California to the tiny town of Mammoth Lakes.

My grandfather has a cabin up there and we go stay with him for a week or two under the premise of “helping out”. I LOVE Mammoth, ever since I was a small child…it’s so neat to be able to take my kids up there and see them exploring the same woods and lakes that I did.

This summer however, we are also going to spend a week in Yellowstone National Park

I’ve never been to Yellowstone and am not sure what to expect. It certainly looks beautiful and will be a new adventure for the entire family. New adventures, new experiences, and SUMMER VACATION…it sure is a lot to look forward too!

I just finished reading an responding to the first round of published writing pieces for my class that was prompt based. Wow, what a tough job. It’s amazing how I can sit and read each piece, knowing where the child has come from in terms of their writing ability and feel so proud of what they are doing with their words. Then, I look at the state rubric, or I ask a fellow colleague and it never fails that I find more weaknesses in their writing than strengths. I suppose it’s simply a product of our current culture of assessment that we can’t celebrate tiny steps forward, but instead we expect all of the children to write at the same level for the state test. So instead of praising the compositional risks taken in an attempt to be more creative, I am reminding my children to “stay focussed and address the prompt”. YUCK! I understand that we have to “prove” that the children are learning, I understand that we have to hold teachers accountable, I understand that we have to test every child in the state the exact same way in order to have valid results. What I don’t understand is how we can take something as subjective as writing, especially writing from 9 and 10 year olds and “grade” it as of all of the children come from a level playing field. Beauty (or in this case skill) is most certainly in the eye of the beholder. I don’t care to read, certain authors, and if I had to score them on the rubric I would certainly give them a low grade. Does that mean they are bad samples of writing? NO! It only means that in my eyes they aren’t high quality. But who is to say that my “eyes” are right or wrong? Other people may find the writing fascinating and inspiring.

I don’t mind the assessing of the skills so much, I just wish there was more objective way to go about doing it.

Last weekend, we took the kids on a day trip to Carlsbad Caverns. It wasn’t a first for either of them, but the last time we went they were both so young (5 & 2) that they really didn’t remember much of it. Now, at 11 and 7 they were much more engaged in the trip itself and surprised me by how interesting they found the entire experience.

We took the long route and walked down into the caverns as opposed to taking the elevator down and simply touring the Big Room. We also rented the audio wands…intending to share them but the kids monopolized them the entire time! They were both thoroughly enchanted on the way down. Christopher kept whispering “This place is amazing!” and Carrie used it as an opportunity to “teach” us. The little turkey would listen ahead on the audio wands and as soon as we approached the site she had just listened to she proceeded to explain it to us in GREAT detail (let’s just say that my dear daughter is NOT a woman of few words!).

All in all I was pleased at how they did…they were willing to walk AWAY from technology for a day (no ipods, no DS, no TV, no internet, no movies) for the day and walked the entire way with little to no complaining about being tired. They both walked away awestruck by the beauty of the caverns and having learned something about nature.

I suppose this simple family outing shows that you can find a balance between our technological and natural world…we may just have to work a little harder to do it!