We Give Books

This amazing online resource has hundreds of books available in an easy to project format for easy use with your projection system.  They are also easily read on the computer screen for at home viewing.  It is a foundation of the Pearson company and continually give books to new causes.  Currently, they are giving books to schools.  Click here to be taken to the site to sign up, just click on the orange button.  While you're there, check out all of the titles that are available.  They add more titles regularly.  Once the current campaign is over, you can select to read for a new campaign.  Not only is it a great resource for books at school an home, each time you read, you help give books.

Dr. Seuss Bookmarks Freebie

I created some bookmarks for Read Across America Celebrations and Dr. Seuss' Birthday with graphics from Michelle over at the3amteacher. Get them below.  They are also available in my TpT store.

 **Check out Jen's post about how she used these bookmarks**

Due to copyright, these bookmarks have been removed from online availability. 

Learning about Fluency

I've been a little distracted this week as I was voraciously reading this fabulous book:
 
I'm taking taking classes for my reading endorsement and my current class requires a project in the area of comprehension.  One of the comprehension strands we studied was Fluency, and I figured that was an area I wanted to do more with in my classroom.  The project is to develop at least 6 lessons in the area of focus.  One of the resources I chose to help me was The Fluent Reader (2nd Edition): Oral & Silent Reading Strategies for Building Fluency, Word Recognition & Comprehension.  I got it on Wednesday (thanks to Amazon's great shipping!), and finished it up last night.  It was an easy read and so practical!  I loaned it to my friend and classroom neighbor to read over the weekend.  I'm so excited to get started on my project lessons and thinking through how to better implement Fluency into my classroom next year.  What do you do to promote Fluency in your classrooms?
 

A Tech Tidbit for your Blogs

I have been struggling with my blog button.  I went to several sites who gave the code and then told you how to change it to fit your needs.  Well, it just never worked right.  Tonight I was trying it again...and I found this great "Grab My Button" generator.  Just go to this site http://www.mycoolrealm.com/sandbox/gbgen/ and type in the information and Voila!  you have the code to put a "Grab My Button" box on your sidebar.  FABULOUS and SIMPLE.  Yeah!!
 

Quick Valentine Gift for Students

Knowing that any darling valentine craft I make will get ripped open and tossed aside into the garbage, I usually go minimal on my gifts to students.  This year, I figured I'd put a few Starburst candies into a snack size bag and throw a cute label on the front.  Here's a FREEBIE of the labels I plan to use.  There are 3 different versions:

Just Pictures
Pictures with word Love, 
Pictures with words Love, Your Teacher



Just print on mailing labels that come 30 to a page and are about 1 inch by 2 and a bit inches.

All clipart is copyright www.scrappindoodles.com

Story Book Thursday (A day Late)

Being sick threw off my schedule a bit, so here's storybook Thursday a day late.  One of my favorite childhood middle-grade books was Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.  One of my teachers read it aloud to our class and I have read it many times since; to myself and to my students.  It's one of those classics that I think students should have a taste of.
 
 Here's some other books in the series:
 

Student Birthdays

It's hard to believe that it's almost Friday!  It's been a crazy busy week and today I was home sick with ALL of my children which made for very little rest for myself.  Still not feeling so great, but my wonderful hubby came home and jumped right in with making dinner and getting the kiddos in the bath.  So, I now get to relax a little and blog a bit.

Tomorrow we have a birthday in my class, so I thought I'd share what I do to celebrate student birthdays in my classroom.  My school district is really urging healthy choices and limiting treats as rewards in the classroom.  I honestly have never really liked the big to-do over birthday's as school with parents coming and messy cupcakes.  I got to thinking and thought that having students share a favorite book with the class would be a great way to continue the learning on a birthday afternoon and a way for the student to be spotlighted and for us to learn a little about him/her.  Then I thought a little more and realized that a book costs way less than 24 fancily decorated messy cupcakes.  So, I suggested to families the option of donating the book to our class library in the name of the student.  

Last year I offered the book reading as an option to families.  Once someone brought a treat though, that was it.  Most students brought a treat because that seemed to be the more popular thing to do.  This year, I decided not to make it an option, but the way we celebrate birthdays in our classroom.  It has been fabulous.  The donation of the book is of course optional, but most students have donated.  My classroom library is expanded, students are introduced to new books and their peers favorites, and no chocolate crumb/colored frosting mess on every desk as the children rush out the door at the end of the day.  Here's a copy of the note I send home the week before the child's birthday or half birthday. It's in PDF so you have the font style, but it would be quick to retype if you want something different. 

On the morning of the birthday, students get a crown and a small gift from me and we sing happy birthday to him/her.  This year the gift is a mechanical pencil.  Previously I have done those pencils that switch points.  I use bulletin board border for the crowns. (The words on this pattern rotate directions, so sometimes the words are upside down on their head, new pattern for next year!) 

We sing happy birthday and for writing time, each student make a page for the birthday book.  The birthday boy/girl decorates the cover of the book.  I write a little note on the back of the decorated cover and staple all the pages in the corner and send it home with the birthday person.  You can get the birthday book pages at my TeachersNotebook store.