Did You Know...National Geographic Explorer

Did you know that National Geographic Explorer magazines can be accessed for free?  It's true!  Issues from September 2009 are available in projectable editions and also include access to the teacher's guide.  The most exciting thing about the explorer magazine is that it comes in two reading levels.  This way, your struggling upper grade students can have access to the same ideas as your proficient readers.  The Pioneer edition is the lower reading level, probably best suited for later second grade readers or third grade readers and up.  The Pathfinder edition is the upper reading level, probably suited for higher fourth grade readers and up.  Give them both a look here and see which will be best for your students.  You can also print the articles or entire magazine edition from the projectable view.  I subscribed to the two editions when I taught 5th grade and loved that all of the students in my class could access the information, regardless of reading level.  I'd love to know how you use this in your classroom in the comments below or any other resources like this you use in your classroom.

Hallway Display Idea

Here's a fun idea for displaying work in the hallway.  Attach string to the wall and then clothespins along the string for quick display of student work.

How do you display student work?

How often do you change what you have displayed?

"First Year Bliss" Linky

Today, I'm linking up with Michelle from The 3am Teacher.  She's celebrating her 1 year blogiversary with a lot of fun items and activities.  I've been following Michelle for probably 9 months.  She is fabulously talented and just a nice person.  I had the chance to meet her two weeks ago when I vacationed in AZ with my family.

Well, now to my memory from my first year as a blogger.  I'm still in my first year, having started on New Year's Eve 2011.  I have loved the many people, teachers and bloggers that I have met because of blogging.  I have learned a lot of technology as I've studied up on things I needed to learn how to do, including creating all the buttons and elements for my blog.  And, most important of all, I've become a better teacher as a result of blogging.  I have gathered so many great ideas from all of you and fellow bloggers about content and management.  I've had some bumps along the way, most recently the dilemma of which platform to use.  It's been a fun journey so far and am so glad I decided to take up this great hobby and venture!

Buy One Get One Tuesday

Twice a month, I'll offer a "Two-fer" Tuesday.  Buy one item from my blog store or TpT store, and you'll receive a featured item free.  Today is our first Two-fer day.  Be sure you're following the blog or on Facebook so you'll know when the next one is.  Today only, buy any item from our blog store or TpT store, and receive this All About Me poster kit in a jungle theme for free.  

Once you've made your purchase, send an email to dillydabbles@gmail.com and I'll send the poster kit to you by Wednesday evening.  

Happy Tuesday!

And....here's a fun Halloween art idea.  As an instructional coach, I get to see many classrooms and all the great learning and fun that goes on in each one.  This idea is from a Kindergarten class.  Students created a ghost using their white paint hand print on black construction paper, mounted them on orange paper and then wrote what their ghost might say.  They adapted the "Little Pig" poem for ghosts to use as their literacy connection.  Please share with us in the comments if you try out this activity.  We'd love to hear how it goes for you and what adaptations you make to it.  

Thanks for Sticking With Us!

Sharing my blog woes.  Those of you who have followed me for a while know that over the summer, I switched over to a Word Press blog.  I haven't liked it and feel like I lost a lot of you and never regained momentum after that.  I've come back to blogger in hopes that this will be the place from now on.  I still have the dedicated url, www.dilly-dabbles.com, so if you have been reading my Word Press blog over the past few months, you'll still find me here, just a slightly different look.  This does mean, however, that posts I did on Wordpress didn't follow me.  So, I may be doing some re-posting / updating of those same ideas over the upcoming months.  I hope you'll bear with me and I hope that this decision to come back to blogger help pick up the momentum again.  Look for some upcoming posts with the content you know and love from Dilly Dabbles coming up soon right here.

By the way, this also means that you can easily follow me now through Blogger's friend connect.  So be sure to check the right side of this page and follow us so you'll be sure to get our posts right to your Reader.

To help kick start momentum, I'd love to have a contest or a week of giveaways or freebies.  Let me know your ideas and desires in the comments below.  I'd love to do something that you, my readers, would love and appreciate!

Thanks!

Melissa