Off to a Great Start in Room B-3!

It's hard for me to believe that we're already finished with the third week of the school year! We have been having a great time so far in room 3-B, and I can't wait to see what the future brings with this great group of kiddos.

I know that some people were surprised to hear that we would not be using the AR program this year in grades 6-12, because it's such a vital part of the elementary curriculum in Pettus. The decision to do away with the program on our campus came about because I noticed that the kids that were coming to us were already mature readers that really don't need a program like AR any longer. That being said, I'm so VERY grateful for the way our teachers use AR in our elementary. I know, without a doubt, that our elementary teachers' proper use of the program is the reason my students are such great readers when they get to me in the sixth grade. So, THANK YOU, PETTUS ELEMENTARY TEACHERS!! :)

So far this year, we've worked on writing interesting beginnings to narrative stories, we've talked and talked and TALKED about all the different types of literary genres that are out there, and we've spent a lot of quality time just getting lost in our own, individual books. The goal we've set for ourselves is that each student in Room B-3 will do their best to read and reflect on at least forty different books this year, spreading those forty books over nine different genres. I can already tell that many of these kids are going to FLY past that goal, way before the end of the year, and that's awesome! (I think they're realizing that not doing AR definitely doesn't mean they won't be reading!)

This blog hasn't been incredibly active over the past two years, but since I'm now responsible for teaching Reading AND Writing to all of the sixth graders, I am hoping that we will be posting a great deal more this year. So check back often to see what's going on in Room B-3 at Pettus Junior High!