school? what?

so yesterday, all i did all day and all evening was work on school stuff. getting ideas down into unit overviews. going to the library to get potential books out for literature circles. i read 2 and a half books yesterday while sitting at the computer typing questions as i read them. and no, not lame "what did billy eat for breakfast in chapter 2" questions but questions like, "At the end of chapter 5, Mila writes, “I am looking in the face of Shay. Shay is not showing. Shay is not saying. But I am hearing Shay with no words.” What could this sentence mean? What does it mean to hear someone with no words?" deep. i know.

i'm looking for kids books that have the following themes:

> overcoming challenges
> helping others
> biographies
> taking care of God's earth

if you have any books that you read as a kid that you loved and could fit into these themes, let me know. overcoming challenges begins in november. so far i'm reading the music of dolphins, the great gilly hopkins, in the year of the boar and jackie robinson, yang the youngest and his terrible ear, because of winn-dixie, and no arm in left field.

i don't know what teachers did before the internet. i spent hours on it finding lit circle info and checking the library website to see if they have the books i want and checking amazon.com to look inside the books (i love that feature). but i couldn't find anything specific to what i wanted...which means that i have to develop it all myself. i really should it online when i'm all done but i don't know how. adam? i'll have to look into that. haha.

the mad day of school work was because this afternoon, tim and i leave for some camping and hiking with alyssa and james this weekend. it's been planned forever but...we didn't make reservations. so hopefully we find a spot. i'm off to do a little grocery shopping and pack the car with our gear. pics to follow.