It's for real this week.....

How crazy is it that our first week of school has already gone by. Last week was the get to know you week but this week is for real. As I sat and worked on my plans today I became more excited because I like the fun stuff but not the rule stuff. I know we will still practice procedures this week but I am looking forward to introducing my firsties to Reader's and Writer's workshop. To me it is the beginning of making authors and readers. I love to see the progress that my students make in a year. This week I am launching my writer's unit with lots of modeling and thinking out loud. My students love to see what I am going to write about. I try to keep it as simple as possible to teach students that any moment can be a small moment for them to write about. Since beginning using these Lucy Caulkins Units of study I no longer have students who whine and say "I don't have anything to write about." This is one reason why I love teaching the workshop method.