Happy Saturday!

I'm feeling pretty chipper right now - tiredly chipper - but chipper, nonetheless!  Loose ends are being tied up all over the place.  Pancakes were made by a super nice dad...BONUS!  Have I ever told you that I don't cook?  Not a thing. I burn water.  That's about all I have to say about that.

Report cards are completed.  Just have to look them over one final time and that'll be enough of that. 

All that's left are conferences and then it'll be smoooooth sailing! 

I keep hearing mention of these books...Hunger Games...ever heard of 'em?  I guess there's a movie out there too. I think I'm going to have to spend some time reading over Spring Break {which can't get here soon enough!}. 

I thought I'd share the activity I used for my observation with you. Hope you can use it.  We've been talking about Mental Images.  I teach the kids that mental images can be made using all of your senses. A great oldie but goodie for imagining what things might sound like {and look like if you don't show them the pictures until after you've read the page} is The Napping House by Don and Audrey Wood.  That sweet book is FULL of glorious sounds.  The kids have fun sharing with one another the different sounds they were imagining in their minds: snoring, purring, yelping, sighing...

So, prior to my observation we had talked about making mental images for what we might see or hear.  The kids were pretty well versed on what visualizing is.  At the beginning of my lesson we decided under which Cafe' header "mental images" should go.  Great discussion and the kids knew right away COMPREHENSION! 

Then we read this poem....{love this happy little poem}...

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I always have the kids close their eyes or look up - yup, I tell them that looking up sometimes helps me see things in my "minds eye" a little better.  {Sometimes I wonder if sharing my little quirks is such a good idea - I also tell them to flush the toilet with their foot, and tape a white crayon to our classroom window when we want a snow day}So we closed our eyes and listened to the poem and imagined...

Great conversation happened after that about what other senses we might use when making mental images.  I told the kids since my science teacher husband wasn't able to create a contraption that would allow for me to see inside their heads they would have to draw their mental images for me again today. {The other day one of my kids thought she solved this problem for us by suggesting we draw our very first ones...she was BEAMING with pride!} 

In addition to drawing what was hiding inside their noggins they had to circle the senses they used when visualizing.  Most circled the obvious and a few circled "hear".  Now, in my mind there is nothing to hear when reading that poem, but I'm not deeming that answer "wrong" just yet.  I wrote on those papers "Tell me what you heard and return to me" so we'll see what they come up with.  Any thoughts on what they might have been thinking? 

Would it be wrong for me to go to bed at 8:00 on a Saturday night?