Today as we began our second year together, I asked my students to notice something changed or new about our classroom. Noticing is such an essential skill for learners as kids use observation across the curriculum. It is also fun and something that most kids can do. So, after asking them to jot down their observation we quickly grouped similar observations. Here is the data ( I was so interested by their observations):
Today at work, a friend of mine said she couldn't wrap her brain around one thing. I feel like this at the beginning of the school year too when there is so much to do and think about that it is often difficult to find a focus. I have caught myself running around the classroom trying to tackle three tasks at once but never really finishing any of them. I hate the feeling of being up to my ears in work. 
I was thrilled to see Herman Parish (Peggy’s son) create a stair step for our readers who often dive right into Amelia Bedelia books. In this new story of the young Amelia Bedelia, teachers will have read aloud opportunities to think about the word play that often overtakes the series books that kids just pick up off the shelf. I see myself using this picture book as a scaffold for readers who might not understand the literalness of Amelia on their own. This book offers us picture support and plays with familiar homonyms and expressions of which kids have background for. It will be a read that I know I can use at the start of the year and the start of a series study.
Sometimes when shopping for books, I change my mind about whether I like the book or not once I have read it a few times or have talked to someone about it. I think this happens for many of us and often in the classroom. A book that didn't sound good or look good at first is later picked up by a reader and then enjoyed. This happened to me with the repetitive book called What is this? by Antje Damm. I picked this book up first liking the cover and then later put it back because the words changed so much ( from cursive to print to all sorts of creative stuff...the words are created with string, leaves, glue and such) I discredited it thinking it would be too much for my readers. But, after looking through the book a few more times and loving the cover, I couldn't leave the store without buying it. It is a small book 6 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches. I like small because it is different and fits in kid hands. The cover gives the reader a small clue about the guessing you'll do throughout the book. The only words you read are "What is this" on the left of the two page spread and then you see a picture of something on the right side of that spread ( most often an ordinary household object placed meaningfully on the page) . The subsequent page shows a picture of what the photographer/author created using the object. I have to say I thought about Not a Box and Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis as I flipped through this book. Not as easy to imagine and guess but the same fun. I think that is essentially why I bought this book. It is fun. I think it will remind kids that reading is fun. I did for me. 
I am always looking for books about words. Last year we started a basket in our classroom library that we put books that helped us think about patterns, meanings and spellings of words. This summer I found, Words Are Like Faces, a book that speaks of the strength of words. I will be using it to kick off our discussion of word study in the classroom.
