60 Titles for Reluctant Readers K-4

This is a follow-up post to books for reluctant middle school readers.  The last of these posts will cover grades 9-12. You can download a copy of the list below HERE. PICTURE BOOKS The Adventures of Taxi Dog- Debra BarraccaBad Kitty Books- Nick BruelThe Berenstain Bears- Stan and Jan BerenstainClifford Books-Norman Bridwell Corduroy Books- Don Freeman Curious George Books- H.A. Ray Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten! The Story of Little...

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30 Resources to Help Our Children Cope with Tragedies

 There are no words I can say about what happened in Newtown, Connecticut without getting on my soapbox about gun control. This madness has to end. (Here is a timeline of worldwide school shootings and mass shootings since 1996.) As teachers, we go through lock-down drills on a regular basis, praying that we will never have a real life and death situation. If not for those practice drills, teachers in Newtown would not have known what to do...

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Reluctant Readers in Your School? Middle School Students Will Enjoy These 56 Titles

I admit it. As a child, I really didn't enjoy reading. The one time it was fun was when my dad would read with me before bedtime. I had chosen the story (the last one I remember was Nobody's Boy- French version here ) and over the course of many weeks read together. It was a wonderful bonding experience for me. Do parents today have time to read with their kids, or do they place them in front of the TV or computer to "entertain" them? Here's a great...

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54 Resources for Civics Teachers

THE CONSTITUTIONResourcesThe Bill of RightsCelebrate Bill of Rights Day- list of resourcesCongress for Kids: The Constitution The Constitution- from Ben's Guide to Government Constitution Clips- from C-Span Classroom; register on the site for freeThe Constitution for Grades 4-7 The Constitution for Grades 8-12Constitution Day Lessons  and Resources- Education WorldThe Constitution of the United States Mr. Donn's Government Resources The Signers...

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Edmodo's Update Looks More Like Facebook!

A while back, I did a posting about 35 Social Networking Programs Other Than Facebook and Twitter. The program that still stands out as the best is Edmodo, which recently upgraded its appearance. It now looks even more like Facebook, and your students will enjoy using it for that reason alone. Edmodo offers you and your class a private social network, where you can have class discussions or message students privately.   I love Edmodo's...

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Edublog Voting Begins Today!

Voting began today for the 2012 Edublog Awards and will continue until December 12th. This is the third year that I was nominated, and I am very thankful for the support which I have received from my readers and followers. You can vote here by selecting the category you wish to vote ...

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Have You Tried TED ED? Here Are 6 Sample Videos

If you haven't taken a look at TED-Ed, you are missing a wonderful resource for your classes. With 11 subject categories, each video comes with multiple choice and short answer questions, resources about the video 's subject, information on the creator of the video and the ability to flip the lesson. Take the TED-Ed tour here.1. DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY: How Inventions Change History (for better or worse)2. HEALTH: How Breathing Works 3. MATHEMATICS: Logarithms, Explained4. PSYCHOLOGY: Rethinking Thinking 5. SCIENCE: How Do Nerves Work? 6. SOCIAL STUDIES:...

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The Holiday Listing from September to June

 In August of 2011, I posted a mega-listing of resources for holidays from September to June. Since Chanukah, Kwanza and Christmas are right around the corner, I want to remind you to bookmark this post so you'll have it close by all school year.Have I missed a day? Please let me know and I'll post resources for that d...

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My 2012 Edublog Nominations

Here are my 2012 nominations for the Edublog Awards: Administrator Blog- A Principal's ReflectionsFree Web Tool-Google Apps for EducationIndividual Blog- Free Technology For TeachersEdTech Blog- Educational Technology GuyLibrarian Blog- The Daring LibrarianIndividual Tweeter- Steven Anderson's Web 2.0 ClassroomLifetime Achievement- Larry Ferla...

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340+ Sites with Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts for the iPad

A while back I did a post on 39 Sites for Using iPads in the Classroom. It has become my most popular post so far, so I decided to look into tips, shortcuts and tricks for the iPad. There are  many sites devoted to the most popular tablet in the world, so it is quite possible that you'll find duplicates on some of these lists:9 Fun iPad Tricks 10 Useful Apple iPad Tips and Tricks- from Mashable 11 Tricks for iPhone, iPad and iPod Earphones17...

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Resources to Share With Your Parents

 I have just finished updating our school's library website with a new section for parents. Here are the 20 sites I shared with them:About Our Kids- information on mental health for children; resources for parents & professionals, this site is sponsored by the NYU Child Study Center EmTech- extensive listing of resources for parentsFamily Education Network- contains news and articles on all topics; also includes...

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Talk About Your Tech.....Please

Last week I posted a request from those of you who have great technology plans in your districts. If you have a moment, please fill out the form here to help out my district. THANK Y...

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Looking For Schools with Great Tech Plans

Does your school have a great tech plan in place? If so, I could really use your assistance. As a member of our district's technology committee, I have been asked to research several things for our district. So...if you're using tablets, have a great Internet provider etc. please take a few minutes to answer and submit the form below.Thank you so much for your input! It is greatly appreciated. Loading...

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It's Time for the Edublog Award Nominations!

Nominations for the 2012 Edublog Awards are open and will be accepted until November 26, 2012.  The purpose of these awards is to "promote and demonstrate the educational values of these social media."  Here's how to nominate: write a post on your blog with your nominations and send a link to the post on the nominations page. Here are the categories for this year's awards:Best individual blogBest group blogBest new blogBest class blogBest...

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What I Realized After Sandy Came to Town

Greetings from Bergen County, New Jersey, 12 days since Hurricane Sandy swept through this part of the United States and changed the lives of people forever. After missing 7 days of school, we are here on November 9th, which should have been the second day of the N.J. Educator's Association's yearly convention in Atlantic City. Many of my colleagues and students were directly affected by the storm; some losing their cars and some losing everything...

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UPDATES are Ongoing

Many posts are added to the pages listed at the top of this blog. For example, today's post on hurricanes can also be found on the Science page. SO.......check back often and use the pages or the search box (left column) to find what you are looking for on the blog.  Thank you for your continued suppo...

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Using Fake Tweet Builder in Your Classroom

Thank you to history teacher Ken Halla for sharing this tool on his blog.  A colleague of his set up an assignment here using Fake Tweet Builder, asking his students what Stalin and Hitler would tweet to each other if Twitter existed back then.  You don't have to be a history teacher to take advantage of this terrific tool. For example, language arts teachers could use Fake Tweet Builder when students discuss various authors.&nb...

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27 Sites with Information About Hurricanes

As I sit here on the first of two days off because of an impending hurricane named Sandy, I thought I create a post or two in case I lose power. (I'd rather lose TV, phone and Internet than power!) It seems surreal that in the New York area we are living through what people in Florida are used to: hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding etc. But the reality is that Sandy means business and the gusting winds happening right now are only a prelude of what's...

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What's Your Blood Type?

The Blood Typing Game is an interactive activity where students try to detect the blood type of various patients. After choosing a patient, you are asked to use a syringe and take blood which you then put into three vials. Guessing the patient's blood type is the final step. The Blood Typing Game was the 2012 Winner of the Best Game Category by Swedish Learning Awards. Students will really enjoy this game, which was recommended to me by my colleague...

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A Trusted Online Source: Encyclopedia of Life

The Encyclopedia of Life is a terrific online resource with "information and pictures of all species known to science". Search an animal's name and several tabs are made available, including the overview, details, outside resources on that topic, classifications and names for the animal and so much more. If you are a biology teacher, this is a site you should bookmark for your studen...

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Refraction: A Math Game About Fractions

With support from University of Washington Center for Game Science, DARPA, Gates Foundation, NSF, Adobe, Microsoft and Intel, Refraction was created to teach fractions. According to the website, "In Refraction, the player must partition lasers in order to power spaceships containing various animals who have gotten stuck in space, as shown in the picture. These animal spaceships all require different fractions of the lasers, and the player is given several pieces that split and bend the lasers to reach the animals and satisfy these requirements". ...

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10 Websites to Create Monsters and Creatures

With Halloween arriving next week, I thought it would be great to share some sites where students could create their own monsters and creatures. Teachers can turn the project into a creative writing experience by having the kids write stories about their monsters. You can find a huge listing of other holidays from September to June here on this blog. Thank you to my colleague Norma for telling me about the resources!Alien: Assembly Required-...

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