Scholastic & 3 Cheers

We all know that Scholastic Book Clubs are a wonderful resource for building your classroom library.  But, did you know they are also a great resource when you are planning lessons?  Scholastic.com has a section for teachers called book wizard.  Book wizards gives helpful information such as genre, reading level, themes, etc.  There is also a search option so you can find other books similar to the book you type in the box and you can even adjust the reading level.  This is perfect when you have those spark plugs who need to be challenged!  The majority of your class may be reading one book, and with this search option you can find a similar books for students who are working above or below level.  It’s the perfect tool for differentiation. You can add a widget to your blog, too.  Here’s a screen shot:

On March 28, I began a series called “3 Cheers”.  

Please read that post before you read the next part of this post.

One of our upper-grade specialist is Amanda @ McDonaldgrade4.  Amanda is a newly wed who teaches 4th grade.  She absolutely loves her job!  She goes out of her way to plan fun and enriching lessons for her students.  Two of her best sellers are:  Decimal War and 3-D Solid Shapes.   When Amanda is not teaching, she is doing her favorite past time – walking.  Amanda is very excited because this summer she and her husband are going to Peru to work in schools, churches, and feed children.  They also plan to see Machu Pichu, which is one of the places her fourth grade series talks about.  Be sure to watch her blog this summer for pictures from her adventures in Peru!

Every faculty needs a person with a good sense of humor because that person always make the stress and craziness a little more bearable.  Fern @ Fern Smith’s Classroom Ideas can always be counted on to bring humor and fun to whatever we’re discussing.  Because of her her husband’s job, Fern has had the opportunity to live and teach in several states.  She now lives in her home state of Florida and loves every minute of it.  You should check out her centers because they are easy to make and fun for the students.  Here’s a couple of freebies you should check out:  Go Darth!  and Addition Doubles.