Semester Coming to a Close

This is my last post for the summer. What I thought would be a very difficult class turns out to be an amazing learning experience. I have read or listened to well over 50 childrens books of all shapes, sizes, themes, and genres. I have had the opprotunity to discover new authors and new website tools for students to be engaged in reading.

Below are websites and books I recommend.


Actors Guild reads books to students: http://www.storylineonline.net/

Between the Lions is a PBS website for children: http://pbskids.org/lions/

Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write Poems by, Jack Prelutsky

Me I Am by, Jack Prelutsky

I hope you have enjoyed my blog... see you soon!

Jack Prelutsky Author Study

Author Study Prelutsky -

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick

I was very excited today! I went to check my mail and saw that I had another book come in the mail. It was bigger then I had suspected. When I opened the package I discovered it was the portfolio version of the book I had ordered!

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is a book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. Each page in this book is a picture with a caption at the botton. The different creative writing activities you can do are endless.

My book is not in actual book form but individual pages. So I can hang them up in the front of the class one by one for morning bell work in a journal... the possibilities are endless.

Annotated Bibliography

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Book Description

Molly Lou Melon is short and clumsy, has buck teeth, and has a voice that sounds like a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor. She doesn't mind. Her grandmother has always told her to walk proud, smile big, and sing loud, and she takes that to heart.

But then Molly Lou has to start in a new school. A horrible bully picks on her on the very first day, but Molly Lou Melon knows just what to do about that.

Enemy Pie

Product Description From Amazon

It was the perfect summer. That is, until Jeremy Ross moved into the house down the street and became neighborhood enemy number one. Luckily Dad had a surefire way to get rid of enemies: Enemy Pie. But part of the secret recipe is spending an entire day playing with the enemy!
In this funny yet endearing story, one little boy learns an effective recipes for turning your best enemy into your best friend. Accompanied by charming illustrations, Enemy Pie serves up a sweet lesson in the difficulties and ultimate rewards of making new friends.

Getting Excited!

So, after realizing that I missed out on some awesome picture books as a kid, I went on to Amazon, started clicking around, and began ordering books. Amazon is such a great place to go and buy books. You can ALWAYS find a book under $2. This means that no one has an excuse for not having books.

Once I received my books, I tore into the packaging, cleared my throat, and began reading aloud... by myself. I read aloud to my dogs. I would read aloud to the boyfriend but I have not had the opportunity to corner him. I even tried convincing the bar I work out that it would be a GREAT idea to read to the drunks.

The next few post will be about the books I just received. ENJOY!

A fun Bookmarker that my group created in class to help teachers bring poetry in the classroom.


Bookworm -

Poet: Jack Prelutsky

Here is a fun poem from Jack Prelutsky. Enjoy!

A Pizza the Size of the Sun

I'm making a pizza the size of the sun,
a pizza that's sure to weigh more than a ton,
a pizza too massive to pick up and toss,
a pizza resplendent with oceans of sauce.

I'm topping my pizza with mountains of cheese,
with acres of peppers, pimentos, and peas,
with mushrooms, tomatoes, and sausage galore,
with every last olive they had at the store.

My pizza is sure to be one of a kind,
my pizza will leave other pizzas behind,
my pizza will be a delectable treat
that all who love pizza are welcome to eat.

The oven is hot, I believe it will take
a year and a half for my pizza to bake.
I hardly can wait till my pizza is done,
my wonderful pizza the size of the sun.

Mr. Peabody's Apples is a new must have for me. I discovered the Madonna written book in my Literature class Wednesday night. The book is a story about Mr. Peabody and how he deals with a young man on a baseball team that he coaches. The young boy assumes that Mr. Peabody is stealing and tells one person... the rumors spread like wild fire, leaving Mr. Peabody to deal with the clean up.

This is a great book to teach children the consequences of rumors and talking about things to others with out getting all of the details.

Mock Newsletter

For Class I had to create a mock newsletter that I would send out during the school year. There are some great things to read inside it. Hope you enjoy!



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Best Websites for Teachers and Parents

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"To learn to read is to learn to walk. To learn to write is to learn to rise." -Jose Marti

First Days of School Book

For our very first class our professor sent us to the library on campus to find a great child's book. I came back to class with Pooh's First Day of School. The book is about Christopher Robin preparing for his first day of school. He explains to the curious group (Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Roo) about the events that take place in school and how fun and interesting it is.

A special part of the book that stands out is when Christopher Robin has the group write their names out on a paper. Each character is at a different level with writing their names. Some are able to write it out completely, some are only able to get the first and last letters, some are only able to write down a scribble. Instead of criticising the ones who did poorly, Christopher Robin tells them they did a fine job.

Very good book to get your kids excited about their first days of school.

Link to purchase the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Poohs-First-School-Winnie-Pooh/dp/0786831251