It Wasn't Me...

After using my new (used) sewing machine (thanks Margie :) !!) to sew an envelope out of a shower curtain for part of a wedding present, the pressure foot refused to remain or even raise up. I wonder if this is a common problem. Anyway, I hope to finally take it to the sewing machine store this week to get it looked at and repaired!

Fishing Expedition

This summer was Isma's first time fishing - ever. After learning how to use the rod and finding crickets for bait with Colin, we witnessed the first fish being caught (and subsequently released). Oh, the joy.

Pimientos de Padrón

One thing that is very different going from country to country is food. Certain produce items that are not available here are part of a cultural identity elsewhere, such as padrón peppers. There is even a phrase in Spain about them: "Pimientos de padrón: unos pican, otros no." (Pimientos de padrón: some are spicy, some are not.) My parents were kind enough to plant some in their garden that I had started indoors from seed. Wash, fry, add salt, and you're set to enjoy and laugh at those that get the spicy ones.

My Plant's New Home

This week was the first time this fall the temperatures were forecasted to dip into the 30's. That meant, of course, that my plants needed to migrate to their winter home, just as retirees fly to Florida for the winter. I have accumulated some plants, you'll notice, from the last migration. See here for the comparison.

Summer home - plant bench I built with Dad.

All ready to be filled.

Florida - plant style.

Last Light

Last picture, sun setting, time to leave the mountain.

King's Canyon - Part 2

After we finished our hike, met the park ranger, and browsed the nature center for magnets and postcards, I managed to convince our group to head down to the Hume Lake for a few minutes. Convince, I say, because we had to time things perfectly to be down off the mountain before dark. None of us wanted to be going down unfamiliar mountain roads without guard rails or street lights at night. Scary! The lake was beautiful, though, and definitely worth it. Can't you see it in the happy faces?

Light at the End of the Tunnel

At first it seems like the tunnel is all that is, or ever will be. 

But if you look closely, there is more. There is a reality in the distance.

I just wonder if heaven is a little like that - a beautiful reality you see when you focus outside yourself and the physical reality around you. 

King's Canyon

After a night in the outskirts of LA (we didn't get to see the city due to a fender bender the evening we had allocated for tourism), we drove through the fertile San Joaquin Valley and up into the mountains, to Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks. Kings indeed. Once the narrow windy road (with no guard rails I may add) broke through the clouds, we could see the immense trees towering over us. We had grabbed burritos and hamburgers at a roadside stand and sat outside without jackets, snow surrounding us, to eat lunch. Sometimes in February, the roads are closed to those without chains on the tire, but this year's lack of rain and snow left the roads and trails fairly clear. After lunch, we took a short hike to mingle with the ancient residents.

  

Ghost Town

(Disclaimer - these posts are still from February.)

The day we went to the abandoned mine town, Calico, I must have sabotaged my camera because all of my photos came out burnt by the light. I managed to salvage three.  

Our visit here was a stop off the highway en route from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. It was pretty kitschy and small for a not so small fee, but it was interesting to see the remnants of an old mine and imagine what life might have been like there in another time. I'm sure it was not that much fun, full of work, heat, and booze.

Zion National Park

Last February, Isma's parents came to visit. With sub-sub-sub zero temperatures, we took them on a trip out west instead of showing them the charms of the coldest winter in 100 years in Indiana. Our first stop was Las Vegas, which I do not like, so there are no pictures. The hotel room, however, was phenomenal. We spent our first Vegas day on a road trip to Zion. Below are some shots I took while we were there. A few more images of our trip are here: http://arenzanaphotography.com/blog/2014/03/06/some-news/.

Isma was cold and not wanting to pose for my picture.

Early Summer "Garden"

Dad dug up a volunteer tomato plant from the vegetable garden for Isma and I. So far, it has given us a grand total of 2 ripe red cherry tomatoes. Whoohoo! There are many green ones, though, now.

I received this chair for Christmas one year, but it is now loved but much past repairs. Dad fixed it twice, and now it can rest in peace and help my herbs get much needed sun. Dad and I made a table for the plants in late July to supplement the chair; I'll post pictures later.

Germanfest

Summer is almost over, and I have yet to post about any of it! In the next few posts I hope to get you up to speed on how our summer has been going!

Germanfest, not Oktoberfest, as it is in July. Isma, Jose, Arielle, and I decided to explore half of the contingency's meager German heritage and celebrate with leiderhosen-clad people by eating pretzels and bratwurst while listening to polka. It was overpriced, and I'm sure we won't go again, but it was nice to spend time with friends! Strangely, one of the highlights for me was realizing that there was brick pavement under the dirt where we had parked...I wonder what other treasures were buried there...

Outside Garden

...leads to outside problems.

My green villain.

I don't know where they come from, but they keep eating the arugula. That's for Isma and I to eat. :(

Decomposition

As part of our ecosystem unit, I took the class outside to collect leaves in varying states of decomposition. Kids didn't get them very decomposed. I think they didn't want to get messy. After getting back upstairs, they put them in order from least to most decomposed in small groups. It was a fun activity to blow off some steam and complete the energy cycle.

Poster donated by a student.

Some Writing Charts

Sloppy hamburger

hangs on my wall

reminding of paragraphs

and bad school food.

Word Wall

Towards the beginning of the school year, Mom made cute letters for our word wall. We add five words to it each week. I'm happy that I'll be able to reuse it with my next class. I wish that we could add words other than high frequency words, though. High frequency words are words that, by the end of a certain grade level, students should be able to read and spell. Some of the words that my kids struggle with spelling aren't as simple as the high frequency list, which I feel should be learned in the younger grades. As I said, some are helpful for my students who flip letters in words and for my special education students, but the rest need something else for reference! If only there was more room in the classroom.

Organization, Organization, Organization

At the beginning of the school year I was constantly finding graded student work, newsletters I'd slaved over, and other papers meant to be seen by parents, stuffed inside student desks and hidden inside the recycling bins. A colleague suggested I use mailboxes to put all of their papers inside, and give them a moment at the end of the day to pick up their papers and put them in their backpacks. I, however, was not one of the lucky teachers to inherit all sorts of wonderful organizational materials. So, I took the books for guided reading out of their cardboard shelves, found another home for them, and labeled each shelf with a student name. It's been working well, and MOST students are much more organized and good at getting their papers to their parents. Now, what to do with those students who purposely lose their papers.

RAPP

It surprises me how much terminology and other teaching related things have changed in the four years since I graduated from college. One thing that the school does for reading responses is RAPP: repeat the question, answer the question, and prove it with two examples or details from the story. It's a great way to ensure students write in complete sentences and connect their answers back to the text! Below is a chart I made to help the students get started.

Vocabulary Fun with "Holes"

My fifth grade class is about halfway through the novel, "Holes" by Louis Sachar. As one of the daily stations, or independent language arts activities, that my students do while I teach small groups, I have them doing vocabulary cards. They write the word on a sentence strip then write the dictionary definition, a sentence using the word, and an illustration on an index card. I can't wait to see the board fill up!

Camera Fun

This is what Elijah does when you ask him to smile.

Smile with teeth gets better results. :)

Elijah?

Or Colin?