Great video for FCAT writing

This video takes the stress off students about the FCAT writing. Very creative!

Book list for middle school teachers

It's always great to have a list of books available for students to become engaged in. I found some great suggestions on here for middle school teachers.

Great website for teachers

This website shows videos of teaching strategies and ideas. It is worth checking out! http://teachertube.com/

Last Class Lecture

I just wanted to post about our last class because it was so great to see everyone's blogs. The blogs show so much for each person's personality and their passion for teaching. I learned so many tips and ideas to add to my own blog and any additional that I could create for the future. Thank you so much for such a great semester.

Author Websites

James Patterson~www.jamespatterson.com Suzanne Collins~www.suzannecollinsbooks.com Lois Lowry~ www.loislowry.com

Maximum Ride Book Trailer

Great quote from James Patterson

"I did know that the book would end with a mind-boggling trial, but I didn't know exactly how it would turn out. I like a little suspense when I am writing, too." ~James Patterson I love this quote!

James Patterson on Maximum Ride

www.jamespatterson.com

? Question of the Day ?

Collier County News: The Referendum Passed! Ok we helped you out, now when are you going to help us out?

Recommended Sites

I came across some helpful sites this week that I wanted to make public for other teachers to benefit from. I recently joined the site, Edhelper.com which offers a wealth of resources from different subject areas. The price was reasonable to join and lasts for one year. I have found myself using this site quite often especially since we just began a unit on Native Americans. If I am ever absent, I always go to superteacherworksheets.com and havefunteaching.com because there are so many filler worksheets that you can use without having to join. Plus, extra practice pages that students can use for homework as well. Of course, Pintrest is amazing in many ways but there are so many examples and ideas for teachers. The pictures are from real teachers and they show their artistic abilities along with great ideas. In some resources, you need to be able to draw, which is a downside for me because I cannot draw but I can always try my best.

? Question of the Day ?

My question for today is how do you run your centers and guided reading groups? I have a routine in effect but I am always open for suggestions to make improvements. I always seem to run out of time for my guided reading groups which are only 15 minutes long. I just get into doing an activity and then time is up. Some days it gets so frustrating. I try to make the best of my time and start a book on Monday with my groups and we work through that book throughout the week. While I am with my groups, I have 4 other centers going. It usually keeps them pretty engaged and busy but other days not so much. I try to keep my centers interesting so they do not get bored or finish to fast. I am always open for suggestions on how other teachers manage centers, so if you would like to post anything, please let me know.

Annotated Bibliography

I wanted to make some recommendations on books that I have read for my annotated bibliography. Some of these may be interesting for your own students because I know at times it can be a struggle for students to be motivated to read. Some of my suggestions would be : The Tale of Despereaux (great read with humor and the fact that an animal is the main character can be intriguing for students. I had a third grade student tell me they absolutely loved the book and was telling all her friends to read it.) Of course The Giver series of books ( with four now in the series, students can read one book and then go on to the next to keep the engagement of the plot line. The most recently published is Son which ends the series in a complete way) Don't let Pigeon Drive the Bus (I teach 2nd grade and I found that this book was helpful in explaining what is persuasive writing) So you want to be President ( this is most appropriate for the time of year it is with the election) The Man who walked between the towers ( this book has amazing illustrations which makes it an opportunity to use their imagination) I Want my Hat Back ( my students absolutely loved this book and were asking for it when they went to the reading center so they could reread it. It has a great ending and text features that can keep the students guessing) Maximum Ride (I recently changed my author study to James Patterson and actually met him in person when he was touring to promote the book. Great book to keep students turning the pages but for grades 5 and up. I hope these are good recommendations for you and that they work well in your classroom.