It's already August.  Next week I was scheduled to attend film school, planning to immerse myself in learning about sound systems for video.  I love going to film school, and always come back with so much more than just new knowledge about the topic of the class.  
 
But the closer the date got, the more I dreaded going.  I knew I would enjoy the week when it was upon me, but I've had so little downtime this summer, just to sit and enjoy the lake and flowers and my impossibly tall list of next-read books.  
 
It's already August. So I did something I almost never do - I canceled my plans for the class, and gave myself a whole week to catch up with friends, reading, and work. It's amazing how it lifted my mood, and helped me to sleep deeply for the first time in a month.  Any gift of time in the waning days of summer is so appreciated, even if it's just one we give ourselves.
 
Last week I wrote about burnout that comes from taking on tasks outside your realm and interest.  This week I'm wondering if a more insidious burnout comes from doing too much of what we enjoy, or showing too much allegiance to schedules.
 
It's already August.  Have you canceled anything this month, to give yourself back a bit more of summer before students arrive?  You might be amazed at what canceling anything, even an activity you normally love, does to your outlook. I know I was.
 
This week we have resources for building community early in the school year, plus more as always.  Enjoy!
 

Brenda Power
Editor, Choice Literacy
 
p.s.  Before I get into this week's features, a word of thanks.  We are marking the 4th birthday of the Big Fresh in the next few days.  We started in August of 2006 with 88 subscribers for our first issue.  Four years and 45,000 subscribers later, we're going strong because of your support.  Thanks for taking the time to visit with us each week.
 
 
Free for All

 
Two articles from the Choice Literacy Archives to get you thinking
about how best to welcome teachers and students to your school.

Our E-Guide on Writing to Reflect contains terrific quotes with prompts for writing and discussion you might use at first study groups and staff meetings.  These literacy icebreaker activities can help colleagues think through goals together, as well as reflect on the learning from the previous year:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/119.cfm

Franki Sibberson uses whole-class interviews in writing workshop to build community, and finds the interviews are a great assessment tool early in the year.  The article includes templates:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/411.cfm
 
Wordle is a free word mapping tool on the web that has lots of fun possibilities for the start of the school year.  46 Interesting Ways to Use Wordle in the Classroom has suggestions for using Wordle as a tool for building curriculum and community with colleagues and students:
 
https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=ddcws83v_159nx583xg8
 
Teachers love having students explore the history of their names or create timelines as an icebreaker and community building activity in the first week of school.  Carol Wilcox has a provocative (and heartbreaking) post about how difficult this activity can be for adopted or abused children.  If you're planning activities around students' names, you'll definitely want to consider Carol's perspective:
 
http://bit.ly/dzuHGE
 
We hope you'll consider joining us this fall for a Choice Literacy Workshop.    The Choice Literacy Maine Workshops on October 16-17 at the beautiful Samoset Resort on the ocean will feature Jennifer Allen, Gail Boushey & Joan Moser ("The Sisters"), Clare Landrigan & Tammy Mulligan, and Franki Sibberson.  You can download more information and a registration flyer at this link (it's a two-page PDF file):
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/maine2010.pdf
 
 For Members Only
 

Mandy Robek finds a shift from third grade to kindergarten means big changes are needed in the classroom library design.  This is a fun read for anyone making a big transition (up or down) in grades this year:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1236.cfm
 
Karen Terlecky reflects on her read aloud plans from the previous year to map out what she might read to her fifth-grade students this year:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1237.cfm
 
Would you ever want to return to the junior high days when having the right label on your jeans determined your popularity?  Yeah, me neither!  In this week's video, Katie Doherty uses a short text written by an eighth grader with her middle school students to explore themes of acceptance and hypocrisy.  The text is included as a download if you want to try the activity with your students.  This is the first in a three-part video series:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1239.cfm
 
Video Updates:  We continue to repost many videos in new formats and players (with higher resolution and full-screen options).  As we make these improvements, we'll announce them in the newsletter. Here is an updated video you may want to revisit as you think through classroom visits and literacy coaching strategies for the start of the year -
 
Jennifer Allen coaches a new teacher early in the fall, showing how the gradual release model works for both students and teachers during a fourth-grade word choice lesson:
 
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1238.cfm
 
 
That's all for this week!
 
 
 

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