What I learned in Puerto Rico

I had a much longer post here, but decided it would be better for my personal blog. So if you want to hear more about my trip, check out my post at The Dalton Gang! To make this a little more "educational" and share about Puerto Rico in a more unique way, here are a few things I learned:

First, I learned that the mountains and beaches are VERY close to one another. We could see the mountains from the airport, but our drive to the beach condo was only 5 minutes away (and most of that was going right along the beach).

From El Morro Castle, you can see the mountains in the distance.

I learned that iguanas and lizards are very cool and can be found all over the island! We almost hit one while driving  one day, and this one found us on our tour of El Morro Castle. He even posed for us!

I learned that El Yunque National Rainforest is the only rainforest official listed for the United States. I also learned that it is 3,000 feet to the top! We didn't go that far, but we did hike 30 minutes to reach La Mina Falls.

I learned that the sun sets by 7:30 in the summer, so daylight hours are much shorter. Obviously this is because it's so close to the equator where Earth is wider, but it caught me off guard. I was used to the sun not setting until almost 9 at home. Yay for applying things I teach to my actual life!

I learned that Puerto Rico and Cuba were the last Spanish islands in the Caribbean, and we took over PR in 1898. Also, Cuba doesn't like them for two reasons:

1. The Cuban flag and PR flag are very similar, and the Cubans feel like they copied.
2. When the US took over PR, the Cubans felt like it was so we could spy on them.

Left flag is the old Spanish War flag, middle is Puerto Rican, and right is United States

I learned that Isla Verde, the resort area where we stayed in San Juan, is protected by coral reefs (which makes for a much calmer beach)...

...but you can travel just down the road to Luquillo (I think) on the way to Fajardo and get some pretty intense waves (although I hear the best are in Rincon, PR)! Along with that, I learned that the sand there was almost like clay...much more red.

I learned that seafood isn't actually a common food in Puerto Rico, at least not for San Juan. Not such a big deal for me since I don't eat it, but Steven was bummed.

I learned that driving is PR is very dangerous. Stop signs, turn signals, turn lanes...it doesn't matter. Just drive however you want and completely ignore the rules of the road. Unless you get to a light. They do obey stop lights.

I learned that Steven had a much better education when it comes to Spanish than I did. I could figure out a few things (like PARE meant STOP - not like it mattered), but he was much better.

Finally, I learned that a week away from my little boy is very hard. I was very happy to see his smile when he came to pick us up at the airport Saturday night!

Currently wiped out!

Steven and I got back from Puerto Rico last night, so this morning was my time to start catching up on blogs. I was thinking of doing a late Five for Friday AND Currently, but that's too much for right now. I promise a post about Puerto Rico later, but for now I'll just link up with Farley.

Listening: I know I should have stopped him (by the time I did, half of the food was in their water bowl), but I'm tired. Plus he didn't eat any (I hope).

Loving: Puerto Rico was nice, but I have missed my little guy SO MUCH! He's just the cutest thing ever, and he's growing too fast!

Thinking: Obvious

Wanting/Needing: I got pretty cooked the last day at San Juan, and it itches like crazy. I've been putting aloe vera on, but I need to do some more.

Tips, tricks, or hints: If you want to gain followers, you have to actively seek followers. Find blogs that you like and/or connect with (fellow local bloggers, similar grade levels), and comment. Don't just say that you found their blog. Talk about what they're posting, ask questions, and stay in contact! I've "met" some wonderful ladies through blogging that are great resources and blogging friends! It drives my hubby crazy, but I feel like I know them!

Okay, that's it for now. I smell a dirty diaper, and we're getting close to lunch time. Plus Keagan wants to play!

Book Talk Thursday with Andrea

Hello, everyone, from the beach!  It is Andrea from Reading Toward the Stars! 

I am doing Book Talk Thursday over at Melissa's blog today while she is on vacation too!  She is over on my blog today with a Book Talk Thursday book too!  The link is in both places too, so link up!

Before, I start with the book review, I have to say that getting to know Melissa has been super fun!  As soon as we started commenting and emailing, we realized how much we have in common!  We have the same job in different schools in the same state.  We have lived in the same places and even like the same sports team!  I am so blessed to be able to call her a friend who is there for any kind of advice!  Now onto the book review!

Fourth of July is right around the corner, and I found a wonderful chapter book to review for Melissa's blog.  It is part of the Capital Mysteries series by Ron Roy called Capital Mysteries #6: Fireworks at the FBI.

Kids love to read mysteries, and this one is a lot of fun to read.  KC, the girl character in the story, gets to live in the White House since her Mom married the President.  Her friend Marshall lives in town, and they are always on the lookout for new mysteries to solve.

This story takes place on the Fourth of July and the days after.  After the fireworks are over, rockets are set off at the FBI building, which is quite unusual.  The next day KC and Marshall are snooping around and find an empty pizza box in the trash, but KC can tell that it has NEVER had a pizza in it.  They go in search of the pizza box and even go ask the security guard for some help in the case.

The secondary story of going to get a greyhound as a surprise for the President leads them to the greyhound rescue and track, where they end up getting more clues to the mystery.

Now, all of this is a little far-fetched for two children (or even the President) to be a part of, but kids will be able to see how KC and Marshall use their inferencing skills to help them solve this mystery.  This is a perfect springboard for helping students understand the importance of making inferences and drawing conclusions, a hard task for many of them.

I always tell my students that to draw a conclusion, we have to use our own knowledge of the topic and the author's clues in the story to help us make that inference.  I always have them help me make an anchor chart to keep up in the room and help them out when they need it.  Since they can't take that anchor chart with them, I have created some great bookmarks to take everywhere with them.  You can grab them here for free or by clicking on the picture below.

Another great and fun resource is Melissa's own Case of the Missing Backpack Activity.  She has several of these, and this one is perfect for the beginning of the year or any time during the year.  Check it out in her Teachers Pay Teachers store or in her Teachers Notebook shop.

Thanks, Melissa, for letting me hang out today on your blog!  It has been fun!!

Link up here or head on over to my blog to link up for Book Talk Thursday!  

Now for your book review!

Why I'm not "Trying it" Tuesday

I  wanted to link up with Holly, but I'm writing this from my new Kindle Fire in Puerto Rico! Meaning I haven't figured it all out yet AND it will be short. Don't worry, I'll  pics when I get back!

I know, I could have scheduled a post, but that requires planning (which I'm not the best about). Plus, at one point, I though about sharing how I tried Puerto Rican food. But I'm picky and haven't yet.

Anyway, yesterday was our first full day and seven year anniversary. We went to Old San Juan. Today we're going to the rainforest!

Look for a post on Thursday that I actually DID schedule, then I'll be back this weekend!

Book Talk Thursday - Summer Reading for ME!!

I'm so excited to link up with Andrea for the first time with her Book Talk Thursday!

She's been doing these on her blog for a while, but last week was the first linky. I didn't get a chance to join in, but I want to start participating in this one a lot more frequently. This week, in honor of my first week of summer break, I'm going to share a good book that I recently finished for myself! Summer is my time to do pleasure reading because I usually can't get through books during the school year. One of my newer favorite authors is Elin Hilderbrand. All of her books are set in Nantucket, and they make for great beach reads. Unlike Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks (who I also love), her books follow some type of tragedy, but they always end happier.

I read Silver Girl during SOL testing, and I was SO involved in the book that I actually got a little upset when my kids finished testing. This has been my favorite of her books so far. It's about a woman in her 50s who discovers that her husband has been running a Ponzi scheme. After losing everything and becoming one of the most hated people in New York, she escapes to Nantucket with her childhood best friend to "hide out" and sort through the mess of her life. But it's not always easy to stay hidden!

Now I'm reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, but I haven't made it very far yet. I need to finish it soon though because I checked it out from the library and have to return it at the beginning of July.

I'm hoping to get LOTS of reading done this summer. I have about 8 books stacked up ready to read! Maybe I'll bring a few with me to Puerto Rico.

Tried-it Tuesday - Summer Literacy Packets

Today is my first official day of summer break, and I'm SO excited! We had a teacher workday yesterday which was pretty relaxing for me because I always have my room packed up by the last day of school anyway. I'm a bit of a minimalist and have the packing thing down to an arm form. Part of this is because I just cover all my big furniture and put "DO NOT MOVE" signs on them. There's something fulfilling about packing up my classroom (I think it gives me a sense of closure for the year), and I actually have fun doing it!

Since it's Tuesday, I wanted to link up with Holly. I want to link up more frequently, but sometimes I just have trouble thinking of things. This week, I want to talk about putting together Summer Practice Packs. Since I teach Title I Reading, I work with students who need extra support with their reading. Most of my kids are moving up, but they need to keep up the hard work over the summer to prevent too much of a "summer slide". I decided to put together a simple packet (that does not need to be turned in) to help them have fun practicing their reading this summer. Instead of creating everything on my own this year, I browsed TPT for some activities that were already created.

Blair Turner put together these cute little task cards (which include some math, science, and social studies).

I like these because they were quick things to do to make reading more fun. An example: one card will say something like, "Read a poem in a British accent." or "Put on your pajamas in the middle of the day and read." or "Collect a name of a country for each letter of the alphabet." Simple. Fun. Educational!

If I had had more time with the kids before I sent these home, I would have had the kids color each beach ball and cut them out. As it was, I sent them home (only the reading ones) in the solid sheets of paper to let them put together. Maybe next year I'll pull them to decorate the cards and discuss ways to keep up their reading over the summer.

The other thing I put in their summer packet was a list of book recommendations by reading level. Once again, I browsed the internet to keep from remaking the wheel. This isn't the one I sent home, but I like it because it gives even more recommendations. I highlighted their current reading level on the other sheet, but for this one I would probably reformat and just print one sheet for each reading level. If you want something a little more condensed (to keep from printing multiple pages, this one lists book series by level and I like it a lot, too!

I hope those of you who are still in school have a great last few days! Go link up with Holly, then check out Joanne's 300 follower giveaway!

Five for Friday - Last day, hooray!

It's finally my last day of school (with kids), and I'm SO excited!! 

Monday was supposed to be field day #2, but it rained AGAIN. This time, we all got to school before we knew it was cancelled, so we were all dressed bummy for nothing. Oh well. They rescheduled it for Wednesday, and I spent some time getting things done for the end of the year.

 I reached 300 followers this week, and Tuesday I had a flash giveaway. It was SUCH a success, and I'm already pretty close to 400. I really do love all of you guys, and the blogging community is the best!

Wednesday was FINALLY field day, and it was so much fun! I ran the ice cube handoff station where kids were given an ice cube and had to run to the end of a line and throw it to the next person on their team until the ice melted. Last team with an ice cube won. They had a blast!



I brought my beach umbrella and chair because it was HOT and SUNNY! With that and sunscreen, I only managed to get a small, circular sunburn on the top of one shoulder where I apparently missed.



We also had a staff team play dodgeball against the winning 5th grade class. It was tons of fun, and I was hoping to post a picture, but I haven't gotten a copy yet. The girl who took the picture is having camera problems. Just picture a bunch of crazy teachers coming out running behind a banner to "Eye of the Tiger". Oh, and we were wearing pipe cleaner headbands to make us look more tough. And some of the teachers might have had signs that said "Teacher Rule, Kids Drool!" I'll be sure to post a picture when I get it.

Despite all of our spirit, we lost. I will say that I managed to be one of the last ones out, even though I did not get a single 5th grader out. I threw the ball 3 times and missed enough that they couldn't even possibly catch it. It was bad.

Yesterday was my birthday! We went out with a few friends last Friday, but last night we had a nice dinner with Steven's parents. I got steak and yummy peanut butter pie, which I will gladly work on finishing later this weekend. My sister bought me an ADORABLE dress from this store called James & Leigh, which is based in Clinton, MS (where she went to college). They're similar to The Mint Julep and some of those other cute boutiques.

Funny coincidence - this is the "Eye of the Tiger" dress! And that's the picture from their webpage, but the dress is sold out. Sorry.

Steven also bought a card from Keagan and helped him write his name. He came in and gave me the card. It was too sweet!

Today, my friend Andrea from Reading Toward the Stars posted her 600 follower giveaway. She's a reading specialist on the other side of Virginia, and she's awesome! I can't wait to meet her sometime this summer!

Next week will be my first week of summer (after one teacher workday), and I can't wait!