Reading Remedies

This is a great app to include in your tool box for assessing and helping young readers who are struggling. For 99 cents, you can't lose!

Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob's life with this circus. Sara Gruen spares no detail in chronicling the squalid, filthy, brutish circumstances in which he finds himself. The animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and abused. Jacob, once it becomes known that he has veterinary skills, is put in charge of the "menagerie" and all its ills.  Jacob is the only person in the book who has a handle on a moral compass and as his reward he spends most of the novel beaten, broken, concussed, and bleeding. He is the self-appointed Protector of the Downtrodden, and... he falls in love with Marlena, crazy August's wife. 
    The most interesting aspect of the book is all the circus lore that Gruen has so carefully researched. She has all the right vocabulary: grifters, roustabouts, workers, cooch tent, rubes, First of May, what the band plays when there's trouble, Jamaican ginger paralysis, life on a circus train, set-up and take-down, being run out of town by the "revenooers" or the cops, and losing all your hooch. There is one glorious passage about Marlena and Rosie, the bull elephant, that truly evokes the magic a circus can create. This one I couldn't put down and look forward to seeing the movie; however, the book is always better.

Peak

Grade 6 Up—In this high-altitude adventure, 14-year-old Peak Marcello's passion for climbing is clearly in the genes, but when he is arrested for scaling tall buildings, his mom and step-dad make a deal with the judge to ship him out of the country to live with her ex-husband and squelch the media attention that might inspire "Spider Boy" copycats. The teen's father, Josh, and his Himalayan expedition company are preparing teams to climb Mount Everest and suddenly Peak is faced with the possibility of becoming the youngest climber to reach the summit. Excited about the adventure, he learns that Josh may have less-than-fatherly motives involving publicity and financial gain for his company, at the expense of his paying customers. Peak is handed off to his father's head Sherpa for training and altitude acclimation with a Nepalese boy his own age, named Sun-jo. Facts about Mount Everest, base camps, and the dangers of climbing are plentiful, depicting an international culture made up of individuals who are often self-absorbed and indifferent to the Tibetan Sherpas.

The Sky is Everywhere

Grade 10 Up—When her older sister dies from an arrhythmia, 17-year-old Lennie finds that people are awkward around her, including her best friend. While dealing with her conflicted feelings toward her sister's boyfriend, her anguish over Bailey's unexpected death, and her sudden curiosity about sex, Lennie must also cope with her unresolved feelings about her mother, who left when Lennie was an infant. Debut author Nelson expertly and movingly chronicles the myriad, roller-coaster emotions that follow a tragedy, including Lennie's reluctance to box up her sister's belongings and her guilt over bursts of happiness. The portrayal of the teen's state of mind is believable, as are the romanticizing of her absent mother and the brief scenes of underage drinking and sexual exploration. Chapters are typically anchored by brief snippets of Lennie's writings. This is a heartfelt and appealing tale. Girls who gobble up romantic and/or weep-over fiction will undoubtedly flock to this realistic, sometimes funny, and heartbreaking story.

Autism Awareness Month

April is “Autism Awareness Month,” and given the increase in the number of children with autism spectrum disorders (the rate is in constant dispute but some estimate that A.S.D. affects as many as 1 in 110 children), a stack of new books for and about autistic children is to be expected.
“Point to Happy” includes a large hand pointer that readers can use to help identify facial expressions depicted in the book’s photographs.

This year, several of the books look noticeably different, shedding the institutional feel of earlier takes on the subject. The mission remains, but the books look like the kinds of books kids may actually want to read. Read more.

e-Book Era

Two years? Three years? Five years? It's a parlor game in publishing circles to speculate how long it will take before e-books constitute a majority of their industry's sales in the U.S. But whenever that tipping point is reached, no one doubts that's where the market for readers is headed. Amazon, the industry leader, already sells three times as many Kindle e-books as hardcovers. Other book sellers aren't far behind. Last month, the Association of American Publishers announced that for the first time monthly e-book sales had overtaken hardcovers in January. Paperbacks remain in the lead, for now. For the complete article at CNN.com, click here.

The Future of Libraries

The stereotypical library is dying -- and it's taking its shushing ladies, dank smell and endless shelves of books with it. Books are being pushed aside for digital learning centers and gaming areas. "Loud rooms" that promote public discourse and group projects are taking over the bookish quiet. Hipster staffers who blog, chat on Twitter and care little about the Dewey Decimal System are edging out old-school librarians. So, what does this mean for our school library? Let me know your vision of the media center. For more information and the complete CNN article, click here.

VocabAhead

Here's a one stop vocabulary building site that includes levels for all ages including SAT prep for high school students. Videos enhance the learning experience and provide a visual definition of vocabulary words. Also includes iphone apps for more independent practice. VocabAhead

Build Your Vocabulary

Vocabulary Building Games

The Fun Way to Build Vocabulary Skills!
Test Preparation & Vocabulary Building Made Fun
Includes SAT prep!

Visual Dictionary

A dictionary with a new point of view
that catches the eye and enriches the mind.

* 20,000 terms with contextual definitions,
developed by terminology experts;
* 6,000 full-color images of a wide variety of objects
from all aspects of life;
* One essential reference.

The Visual Dictionary is designed to help you find the right word at a glance. Filled with stunning illustrations labeled with accurate terminology in up to six languages, it is the ideal language-learning and vocabulary dictionary for use at school, at home or at work.

Inspire Reading

Mrs. Johnson's Animal Projects

Congratulations to Mrs. Johnson's 2nd Grade Class on their first VoiceThread Project!

Book Adventure

Book Adventure is a FREE reading motivation program for children in grades K-8. Children create their own book lists from over 7,000 recommended titles, take multiple choice quizzes on the books they've read, and earn points and prizes for their literary successes. Book Adventure was created by and is maintained by Sylvan Learning.

Storyline Online

Stories read online by celebrities sponsored by The Screen Actor's Guild. You can't beat the quality of this one!

TeacherTube

TeacherTube was the idea of Jason Smith, a 14-year veteran educator. Jason has been a teacher, coach, campus administrator and district administrator in public schools. He asked the question, "Why can't teachers, students, and schools utilize the power of the read/write web for learning?" TeacherTube community members are a major part of the evolution of the site. Members are encouraged to not only upload educationally relevant videos, but also to make constructive comments and use the rating system to show appreciation for videos of value to one as an educator or learner. Users also have the ability to preserve the integrity of the site by flagging inappropriate videos. TeacherTube staff review flagged sites and will remove any inappropriate posts.

Book Wink

 Bookwink's mission is to inspire kids to read. Through podcasting and web video, this site connects kids in Grades 3 through 8 with books that will make them excited about reading. The videos are approximately 3 minutes long and are updated monthly. Each video booktalk is about a different topic, and additional read-alikes can be found on the Bookwink website. You can look for books by subject, grade level, author or title.

KidVidLit

Each episode of KidVidLit is designed to whet the appetite of young readers in the same way a movie trailer makes the viewer want to see a movie. The aim is to jump-start young readers. A chapter, a summary or a few pages of a young reader's book comes to life with sound, music, and slide-show animation, enhanced by words on the screen used as graphic images. It's simple and non-threatening. It makes the child want to finish the story by reading the book and using his or her own imagination.

39 Clues Challenge

Read The 39 Clues books to follow Amy Cahill and her brother Dan as they travel the world to hunt for the Clues. Each of the ten books comes with 6 game cards, reveals important information about the Cahills, and most importantly, unlocks one Clue!

Who is Rick Riordan?

Rick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling
author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Kane Chronicles, and the Heroes of Olympus. He is also the author of the multi-award-winning Tres Navarre mystery series for adults.

Ready to build a cabin?

When Henry decides to build a cabin, he is given lots of advice from his friends. While others think it should be bigger, he has his own ideas. Follow Henry through the building process and see how his cabin is just right! Henry Builds a Cabin is another fantastic book by D.B. Johnson that looks at the life of Henry David Thoreau in a delightfully engaging way. It is a book for all ages. At this site you will be able to build a cabin and go on a treasure hunt.

Mo Willems

Check out Mo Willem's site for children’s books, animation, television, theater, and bubble gum card painting have garnered 3 Caldecott Honors, 2 Geisel Medals, a Geisel Honor, 2 Carnegie Medals, 6 Emmys, and multiple bubble gum cards. Upcoming non-bubble gum card projects include "Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator," a portrait of the relationship between a girl and her stuffed alligator told in 6-1/2 stories. Games and much more...

Jon Scieszka's Trucktown

Welcome to Jon Scieszka's Trucktown, a brand-new preschool/kindergarten series that will come in more shapes, sizes, and formats than you can shake a bumper at.

Guys Read

A lot of boys aren't too crazy about reading.

Boys often have to read books they don't really like. They don't get to choose what they want to read. And what they do like to read, people often tell them is not really reading.

We can help boys read by:

* Letting them choose what they read.
* Expanding our definition of "reading"
* Getting boys to recommend reading they do like to other boys.
* Providing boys with male role models for reading in school and at home.

The GUYS READ website is made to help with all of these things.

Classroom Book of the Week

Each week this blog features a Multiple Intelligences unit for the primary or intermediate elementary classroom based on a recently published children's book. Author interviews include information about the writing process and the Six Traits of Writing.

Willow

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow’s parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy —one sensitive, soulful boy—discovers Willow’s secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the “safe” world Willow has created for herself upside down.

Happy Birthday, Richard Peck

After a career as an English professor and university administrator – president at one time or another of three universities – Richard now divides his time among three very satisfying pursuits: restrained meddling in the lives of his children and grandchildren, golfing at a level far below his aspirations, and writing. Visit his site and check out all his best sellers.

Teaching the Civil War with Technology

When you think about teaching the subject of the American Civil War, what comes to mind? Topics such as Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, slavery, Generals Grant and Lee are probably what most would describe. What about those topics which are not generally covered or perhaps only sparingly when teaching about the Civil War? Topics such as the daily life of a soldier, famous woman and civilian life of the era, music of the period and it’s role to both soldiers and civilians, and medicine of the period often receive little or no discussion when teachers talk about the Civil War yet these topics are just as important as the Battle of Gettysburg or President Lincoln. This site is a must stop.

WORD Girl Competition

Word Girl, the popular Scholastic animated character, is hosting a live definition competition on April 27. The competition will be broadcast live on the web and your classroom could be invited to participate on the spot. The Definition Competition will ask students to answer questions about word usage, definitions, and reading comprehension. Just for registering and entering you'll also be eligible for randomly chosen prizes. Read all of the rules pertaining to the contest here.

Fluency Timer

Fluency Timer (app) is both a timer and a recorder that records students’ one minute fluency readings.  Research has shown that having students listen to themselves reading will increase reading fluency over time. There are other voice recorders that exist but none have an integrated timer.

April Fool's Day

April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day, holiday of uncertain origin, known for practical joking and celebrated on the first of April. Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1564, the date was observed as New Year's Day by cultures as varied as the Roman and the Hindu. The holiday is considered to be related to the festival of the vernal equinox, which occurs on Mar. 21. The English gave April Fool's Day its first widespread celebration during the 18th century.