ALL WRITE!!! SUMMER INSTITUTE PREVIEW

All Write!!! Summer Institute will be June 22nd and 23rd.

Here are a few updates to get you excited and ready to come!!!

Speakers:
June 22nd-

• Max Brand
• Kelly Gallagher
• Candace Fleming
• Lester Laminack
• Stephanie Parsens

June 23rd-

• Stephanie Parsens- (writing one day, reading one day)
• Amy Buckner--notebooks
• Carl Anderson-talking about his new book
• Gary Schmitt
• Frank Serafini
• Janet Elliott
• Barb Morrow

AUTHOR DINNER AT THE BLUE GATE:

• Jacqueline Woodson

POETRY FRIDAY

Where I'm From...

I'm from DeKalb County in the fall
when the fair pulls in
and rides are set up,
animals fill the barns
and doughnut smells drift in the air.

I'm from DeKalb County in late September
when 4-H is more than a club
when animals are shown
and the largest pumpkin
gets a blue ribbon.

I'm from DeKalb County on September 27th
when families line the streets,
local bands march in a high step,
floats roll by with paper flowers
and politicians shake your hand.

I'm proud to be from DeKalb County!
Thanks to George Ella Lyons...mentor author.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

It's Fair Time!!!

DEKALB COUNTY FREE FALL FAIR

Every fall the DeKalb County Fair hits town. This is the combination of a street fair and the county 4-H fair. The streets are shut to traffic for the whole week. The fair grounds come alive with horses, cows, pigs and sheep. It is a magical place! Kids get off school to take care of their animals. Kids can't wait to hit the streets for the food and rides. All day at the county schools you hear, "Are you going to the fair?"

Our tradition is to take the grandkids to the fair. We spend one night seeing the animals, eating fair food and watching them ride on the rides. Every year Grandpa gets to ride the merry-go-round with the youngest grandchild. This year it was Shelby's turn again. Since Grandma Kathy wasn't feeling her best, Grandpa got to do more than his share in going on rides.

Ty is an animal lover, so the barns were his favorite place. They all loved seeing the different animals up close.
Shelby talked Grandpa into going into the Fun House with her. Grandpa even almost did a head stand coming out. I missed that shot, but Michelle got it recorded for us!

Lane and Shelby loved the scarier rides, too. This one was enough to make me sick just watching it. The kids are getting braver and braver every year.

Here is the historic, famous merry-go-round ride. Grandpa couldn't understand why they made him pay too. We told him, if he was going to ride, he was going to pay! I think he will be disappointed when he can't ride this because none of the kids will go on it. I suppose then it will be my turn to take him.

We sure have fun at the County Fair!!!

'TIS THE SEASON

Yes, it is the season. No, I don't mean Christmas or even Halloween. It is the allergy season and I have become fully a part of this season. In the last few years I have occasionally gotten a stuffy nose or started sneezing. This year it has been a whole lot worse.

Everyone at school has been telling me to see a doctor. I finally called mine last week. He told me to get eye drops and gave me a prescription which I immediately got filled. It helped some, but not enough. Yesterday I woke up with very puffy, swollen eyes. I went ahead and met Marsha for breakfast as we had planned. I knew I was not getting any better.

For lunch The Big D and I walked to Subway. I wasn't seeing clear enough to ride my bike. While we were sitting there eating, he said, "You know, we could stop by the Emergency Room at the hospital on our way home." That sounded like a good plan to me, so that is what we did. The doctor gave me another prescription for some sort of prednisone and told me to take Zyrtec along with the eye drops from Dr. Page.

Today I am more dried up, but still very swollen. Did I tell you I can't wear eye makeup or my contacts until it gets better? Talk about a slap to the ego! So, as you can see from our picture, it is the season for me! I never thought I would be glad to see cold weather come!!!

LET'S HEAR IT FOR KINDERGARTEN

The little cherubs gathered around me today with wide eyes and big smiles. I was visiting their class for the first time. We talked about how we loved to tell stories, stories about our lives, stories that happened every day. We talked about how we needed to write our stories so others could read them over and over, even when we weren't around.

I told them the story of how we had to take Nickey, the cat, to the vet last night. They stared and hung on my every word. They asked questions and told me about their cats. Then I drew my pictures and labeled my pictures. I asked if they would laugh at how I drew. They assured me they would not. So, I drew and labeled. "Now," I said, "You can read my story even when I am not with you." They loved that.

They turned to their partners and shared what they were planning on writing. They shared their stories. Stories about pets. Stories about birthdays. Stories about playing basketball. They went happily back to their seats to start their stories, pictures and labels.

As they were all busy writing, I sat next to several of them and was thrilled that they were not hesitant to draw. They tackled it with eager pencils and crayons. Their teacher had noticed the reluctance in the past. But, not today. Today they had stories to tell.

The teacher slid up next to me and in a low voice said, "Go check out L___"s story." So, I walked slowly up to her table and sat down. "Tell me your story." I said. She proceeded to tell me about walking her dog. She had a house on one side of the paper and a tree on the other. They were as tall as the paper. In the middle was the dog and girl. The dog was facing the tree. Quite clearly the dog was doing what he was supposed to be doing when he went for a walk and came to a tree. I loved it. I had to have a copy. Here is pure workshop with kiddos writing real stories of their lives.

I doubt if this will ever be a prompt on the ISTEP test, but if it is, we are ready!

KINDERGARTEN READ ALOUD

Today I got to do one of my favorite things. I was in some kindergarten classes doing interactive read alouds. The classes had been reading Jazz Baby and were facinated with jazz. So, I took a couple books that would help them know more about this wonderful form of music.

I was facinated with all the things the children already knew about jazz. When I went in one class a boy saw my books and said, "Do you have Charlie Parker in there? I love Charlie Parker." Another little girl saw the front of the book and said, "Hey, is that Ella Fitzgerald?" We listened to a jazz CD that was in the book while looking at the pictures and then listened to the words along with seeing the pictures again. Yes, both Charlie Parker and Ella Fitzgerald were in the book. The book was: Jazz on a Saturday Night by Leo and Diane Dillon.

Next, we listened to another book by the same authors. It was one of their favorites and they read it along with me. It was Rap A Tap Tap Here's Bojangles-Think of That. They loved the repeated line of Rap a tap tap Think of That.

We had a great time learning more about jazz and reading at the same time. We also learned that Leo and Diane Dillon must love music and that is why they wrote about it. So, now we know we want to write about what we love, too!