Today's PD and a Freebie!

I have been very lucky in that I have been able to review several reading kits and books.  One book that I just received is Writing Frames for the Interactive Whiteboard.  It comes with a CD and is SOOOOO easy to use!  It has virtually every graphic organizer imaginable and also has lesson plans and mini-lessons instruction you how to use them!  If you teach writing, this could save you a lot of time! It is selling now at Amazon for $28.46.

Did you know that you can download Kindle for PC and read your Kindle e-books on your computer?  This is AWESOME for shared reading!  I try to look for free books that I can use in the classroom, but if all else fails, I will by it.  This eliminates a lot of frustration when I am in need of a good, quality shared text.  This next week, we will be working on sound and vibrations and working on non-fiction text features, so what better way to teach sounds and vibrations than to use an e-book that everyone can see!  I am getting REALLY excited.

In Tennessee, it is mandated that all juniors take the ACT, so all students except for the juniors and some seniors who have to present senior projects, are out of school.  So, today was a professional development for all middle and elementary level teachers.  We spent the first part of the morning discussing my district's literacy framework and self-assessing so that we could choose an area to target for improvement.  The discussions that we had inspired me to create a long list of new activities and games that I plan to create in the next few weeks.  Spring Break begins in 10 days, so hopefully my creative juices will continue flowing.

This week I have been trying to figure out how to revamp my classroom management and add some zing so that I can keep my students' attention as we head into spring and the testing season.  So, I came up with this a little bit ago.  The idea behind it is that you punch out an egg every time you see a them do the 'right thing' or they participate in a lesson.  Hopefully, the card will last all week.  If all 10 eggs are punched out, the student can take part in some sort of agreed upon prize. Click here to go download!

Have a great day!