Junior Great Books and New Design!

Hey friends!!

Alicia at Dreamlike Designs once again worked her magic and gave me a great blog design!  I really liked my old design, but with the current popularity of multicolor, polka dots, and chevron there were too many tempting designs that encouraged me to look for my new look!

I'm once again planning to decorate my classroom in cupcakes so I stayed with that theme.  I figure I'll be in the mood to change my layout again next year or at least get a new signature after the wedding.  :)

So last week I went to a training on Junior Great Books.  It is a reading series designed to teach inquiry and comprehension strategies through anthologies of classic literature. During the training, the instructor modeled how to set up a lesson with us as the "students." Anyway,  the staff members and I who attended really liked it because it got us talking about the story.  The discussions had within the curriculum really teach how to answer questions about literature and use the text to support your answer.  I felt like I got a lot out of the story and I was really engaged in the small group discussions we were having. 

Anyway, I'm currently excited about piloting it in my classroom this year.  Do any of you know anything about this program or use it in your schools?  Do you like it/not like it?

As I prepare for a nice warm bed, I will leave you with one of several engagement pictures from our engagement session a couple of weeks ago.  :D

P.S.  I just watched the Bachelorette.  Go Jef!