Detective Work at the Gym

I was winding up my stress relief at the gym by diligently pumping up and down on the elliptical when I looked at the book prop. This is what I saw - 2 books. My teacher’s edition of our current math topic. We have a new series which we are implementing with fidelity. So, I really need to look it over each day before teaching. I also had my latest library stash which is Sue Grafton’s newest book, U is for Undertow.

I began to wonder just how much these clues revealed to my fellow pedalers. Obviously, I am a teacher and it even discloses my grade level if you look closely. Good detectives will also deduce that I am a mystery reader. One might also infer that I must distract myself from the exercise by doing something else. Other clues that lead to this deduction would include the gum and the iPod! Perhaps, I should think about what I inadvertently reveal without even trying.

Day 12

Day 5

What could be more fun than a trip to the library? Try a trip to the library where you are immersed in holiday books! I went with the intent of checking out the All-I-Ever-Want Christmas Doll by Patricia McKissack. I thought this might be fun for an classroom interactive read aloud sparking deeper thinking. As I was looking for this particular book in the holiday section, I found my eyes wandering to other Christmas inspired books. Check out my holiday library loot!

Reading Poetry

I found these 3 poetry books at Tuesday Morning proving you just never know where you can find a great book!



The Ocean Is... compares the ocean to other places familiar to children. For instance, a closeup picture of a shark compares the ocean to a dentist's office. This book has gorgeous photographs by Norbert Wu.






Hot Potato: mealtime rhymes was written by Neil Philip. This one has some tricky words such as placidly, persist and tureen, but they work into the known subjects visited in this book with poems about cake, jelly sandwiches, picnics and the cafeteria.




Swing around the Sun by Barbara Juster Esbensen contains poems that take you through the seasons of the year. These poems are accompanied by the artwork of Cheng-Khee Chee, Janice Lee Porter, Mary GrandPre and Stephen Gammel. The artists create a visual playground that is just as fun as reading the poetry.