Book update and school

Well he never made it through the book he checked out. I went ahead and read the rest of the first chapter to him thinking we'd just read it for a bedtime book. He decided he wasn't as interested in it as he thought he might be.

School has started again. I have 20 kids. Hoping for a good year. Dakota is off to a good start in his room. Just have to get him trained to not yap when he's done w/ his work. That will be our goal this year.

Haven't posted in a while

Mostly have just been updating via FB and Tweeter but found this a worthy brag that needed to be posted here. :)

Lanni bought Dakota "The Dragon's Child." I began reading it to him at night but the other day he took it with us in the car saying he was going to finish it himself. Yanno what?? He did. Three chapters he read on his own. Out of curiosity I got on renlearn to check the book level and it's 4.8! He also surprised me today by asking to check out a book called "The Wizard Test." Usually he only checks out movies. He's determined to read it by himself. Guess we'll see. Just checked it and it's 4.9. Will keep you updated.

Freedom comes!

After tomorrow I'll have 2 solid months w/o the though to school pressing on my time! I will also be the mother of a FIRST GRADER!!!! How did that happen? Wasn't he just born a month ago? I don't have to give a thought to school until August when I'll go back to see if the construction is finished and assess what needs to be done to get my NEW room ready for kids. PLEASE pray that the new section is finished and we don't have to "make do" until it is ready. I've "made do" about all I can and now all of our stuff is packed away in boxes to be moved. I don't want to have to semi-unpack just to pack it up again.

I got the final list of the book that Koty read this year. The grand total...98 books! How's that for a 5/6 yr old???? Awesome, I think! :D

The end is coming!

The end of school, that is. Only 4 more days! I'm am on my way to getting things done. Still seems like there is so much to do and not a lot of time left in the classroom to do it in. We have several things in the next few days that are going to keep us out of the classroom. On top of the normal end of the year stuff I'm trying to get packed so they can move me over the summer once the new section of the building gets finished. Hoping and praying that it DOES get finished in time!

I've been a little lax on posting Koty's books. He hasn't had a lot because the ones he's reading now are longer and it takes him a couple of nights to finish.

The last 3 have been What's it like to be a fish? (3.9), A Picture Book of Helen Keller (3.5), and The Friendship Garden (2.6).

New books

Latest books have been Thank You, Amelia Bedelia (2.6), Amelia Bedelia and the Surprise Shower (2.3) and today was Bobo's Magic Wishes (2.4). Will have the last book for this year on the 14th. Have to have everything turned in by the 15th. Can't believe the end of the year is getting so close.

Had our field trip today to Fantastic Caverns. It was fun and the rain held off just long enough for us to get done at the park.

I'm listening to The Host on my mp3 player. I never thought I'd like the audio book thing but I like it loaded into my mp3 player because I'm mobile. Is a nice distraction when you are doing laundry and other mundane chores. The Host is not quite Twilight but has Meyer's easy reading style. Very easy to get into and stay with. I'm beginning to think she watches Stargate as the creatures in the story seem very Ga'ould-ish to me. Any thoughts by those familiar with both?

Books

Over the weekend Koty read Here Comes the Strikeout...leveled at 2.0 but longer. Today was Jamaica and Brianna...2.3.

On another note - we went to the movies this weekend, Mike's last hurrah before he moves in at work. Dakota and I saw Monsters vs. Aliens. It was pretty funny. Daddy and Lanni went to see Hannah. During our previews we saw that they are making an animated version of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and a live action version of Where the Wild Things Are. Both FABULOUS books. I checked them out of the library today so I can read them to Koty. He thinks he's heard the first but doesn't remember the 2nd at all. I'm very excited to see them both.

The countdown to the end of the year begins. Only 17 more days left of school for us. I can't believe it's so close and I can't believe how much I have to do before then! Most of it can't even be done ahead of time, that's the bad part. Oh well, I'll do what I can and that last full week will be review worksheets and free reading time for the kids!! HEHEHEHE SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!

New Book

Tonight's book is Zack's Alligator. He should fly through this one compared to his last one. It's only a 2.3.

K-2 starts Terra Nova testing tomorrow. Hope he concentrates and does well. We are going to bed early this week in preparation.

Ok a lil skeptical

I've been looking on the AR site to get the reading level of the books that Koty has been reading. I do this simply because it's a easy way to see and I know that's how the books in our library are leveled. The book he had this weekend is called "Too Many Babas". According to renlearn (the AR site) it's a 4.0 book!! It's marked as low grade level for interest but the reading of it is 4th grade. WTH?!?!? This is in the Kindergarten curriculum. NUTS!!! It is in the extending part but still, isn't that a bit much? Koty did read it but stumbled a lot more than normal. We had words like delicious, measured, spicy, character, and not to mention the names: Baba Edis, Basha, Yetta, Molka.

On another note...I think he's growing. He's about to eat me out of house and home. He's eaten 4 bowls of Reece's Puff, 2 bags of popcorn and 2 pancakes so far today.

More Surprises!

Krispy just called this afternoon to tell me that they are getting re-assigned in July and will be moving closer!! I'm so excited! It will still be about an 8-9 hr trip but that's TONS better than 20 hrs. They will also only be about 6 hrs from my mom, who is only 4 hrs from me, so when they go there to visit we can hop down and visit too!!

Koty is doing really well on his 2.9 book. I think there have maybe been 5 words so far that I've had to either help him with or make him stop and go back to look at it. He's doing so well and I just can't say enough about it. I'm an avid reader and hope that his early success in reading will instill that same feeling in him. I am PRAYING though that AR reading in school doesn't discourage him. Nothing like taking all the joy out of reading knowing that you have to take a test over every book you read.

And the results are in!

Dakota took the STAR test today and he tested at 1.7. So he's about a grade level ahead of where he should be. His range for reading tho is 1.7 to 2.7 which covers the range of books he's been reading.

His new book today is Frog and Toad Together which is a 2.9 book. We'll see how he does.

Koty's books

I haven't kept up w/ the list of Koty's books very well.
3-27-09 Dogs At Work 2.7
3-30-09 Addie's Bad Day 1.8
3-31-09 The Grandma Mix-up 2.7
4-6-09 Frog and Toad All Year 2.6

I need to check with his teacher again about STAR testing. I don't think she's done it yet. (mental note to self!)

New book

Koty got Henry and Mudge get the Cold Shivers today. It's also 2.7 reading level. Will prolly take him 3 days to read it. Think we're going to do a chapter a day.

Bragging

So yesterday, Koty brings home a book from school to read that he has on his bookshelf. He's reading and I started wondering what AR reading level it was so I got on renlearn to check. To my astonishment it was 1.9 (1st grade, 9th month). I thought it might be beginning first grade but had no idea it was that high. Today he comes home w/ a Henry and Mudge book. This one has chapters!!! I looked it up and it's a 2.7. He's having a little more trouble than he did last night but is still managing. I asked his teacher about STAR testing him to see exactly what his level is and she said she'd try to get that done. I'm so excited!!!!!!!!