I'm On My Way

    "Got a dream, got a song..."  that song has been echoing in my head today as I think about going back for the second semester of kindergarten.  Another part of the song says, "When will we be there?  I don't know... all I know is I am on my way!" It's the time of year when I usually see so much growth in reading and writing.  My goal is always to get every child to "benchmark" -- that magic score that means they are on track for first grade.  When will we be there?  I don't know. But as I am getting report cards ready, I am seeing signs that we really are on the way!!
    (As a barbershop singer, most of the songs in my head are in 4-part harmony, barbershop style -- here's what this one sounds like.)

    "Got a dream" also reminds me of all that we need to squeeze in this month.  The 100th day and the celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. both come at the same time.  I always do my favorite unit about penguins in January, too.  We also have a field trip next week,  and DIBELS assessments that have to be done by Jan. 25. I'm starting to feel a little stressed!

   I was reminded by Kelly Mikesell in her post today about the importance of reviewing all the procedures and routines -- so add that to the plans for Monday. I really want to get my Daily 5 up and running again, and I plan to get the "Read to Someone" part working better by teaching the

"Powerful Partnership" guided reading unit I bought from TPT.  I have been blessed with a partnership with some 2nd grade reading buddies this year, and I want to teach them how to talk about the books they read with their buddy -- thanks to common core requirements, they need to be able to do more than just read fluently and accurately, but also "with prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text."
    I've got a dream -- a dream that everyone will come back ready to learn -- and listen -- and that I will be able to see great progress.  I hope it is more than just a dream!!