New Toy for Myself/Library

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it.... Are you humming? I paid my cell phone bill today. What's so exciting about paying a bill? So glad you asked! I was told I was over paying!!! The store manager insisted I lower my cell phone bill. With a couple clicks, I'm now paying about $40 a month less. Then she demonstrated the latest toys.... I had been eyeing an I-pad mini. The one there was nice, BUT the Galaxy tablet was on sale! Even with a data plan, my bill is going to be so much lower. Should make  up for the Amazon bill. Ha!

 I'm now the proud owner of a tablet. It will come in handy when I'm attending all those teacher meetings! Yes, I was still taking the laptop. First thing I did when I got home was sign up for Instagram. Now I've got to figure out how to post pics and find my fellow teachers (of course link to my blog!). I've already been searching for my favorite teachers and librarians to follow. I'm easttennesseebookworm if anyone is interested.

 Now I need your help! I'm looking for cool apps that will work on android devices. If you have one you love for ELA, comment or send me an email. I trust my teacher/librarian buddies more than the reviewers.

Keep Reading! I'll get back to my book as soon as I finish playing with the new toy!

#IMWAYR July 14

It's time for "It's Monday - What are you Reading?" Link up with Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellie and Rickie at Unleashing Readers. It's a great place to find books to add to your Must Read Stacks!

This past week I read some golden oldies. For whatever reason, (grad school, life....) I never got around to reading them.

Gathering Blue and The Messenger by Lois Lowry

 

Not sure why I never read these. The Giver is one of my all time favorite books. EVER!!! Like top 5 favorite books. Neither was as good as the Giver, but definitely worth the time if you are a Lowry fan.  I'm going to have to book talk them this fall. My utopia society kids will enjoy them. Ms. Lowry answers the question about what happens to Jonas from the Giver in The Messenger, if you ever wondered.

The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan

After reading the Kane Chronicles, I have the sudden desire to read the Olympian Stories. My sixteen year old couldn't believe I hadn't read them. 5 Stars!!! I'm probably the only person in East Tennessee who hasn't seen the whole movie. I normally avoid the movie version (except for the Harry Potter's and Tolkein stories). I hate being disappointed. Really enjoyed the book. Movie - not so much. Which would explain why I haven't seen it's entirety.


My Amazon book arrived this week with a couple books I'd been wanting to read. I finished Tomb of Shadows by Peter Lerangis, book 3 of the Seven Wonders series.

He's not quite a Rick Riordan, but my students will enjoy it. This one took a spin I wasn't expecting which I guess is a good thing. I'll have to finish the series.

Keep Reading!!!  Champion by Marie Lu was in my Amazon book. I'll have to read it this week.

Monday Made It - Reading Displays

Monday Made It's are so fun to read! I've been pinning and getting all kinds of ideas. Be sure and check out other great Monday Made It's with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics.

I finally put my book down and got busy creating for the library. I fell in love with the little frames from IKEA I had seen in other great posts. The closest IKEA store is 3 1/2 hours from my house. NOT going there... Yes, I know I can shop online, but I spend way too much at Amazon... Finally, someone posted the frames were at Michaels. Now that I can do! Michael's is only an hour away. Needed a great excuse to go to Barnes and Noble (across the street!). I found several colors that I just had to purchase! They were on sale and I could use a teacher discount.... couldn't resist.

Project One -
This is what I had originally wanted needed the frames for:

My new table labels. The ones in the red frame are gong in my library. The black framed ones are for a fellow librarian.  I created the labels in mostly black and white to make them a little more ink friendly. If you can use them, feel free to download them. They are labeled Table 1 - 10 and Group 1- 10. I forgot if Jennifer wanted table or group numbers for her library. Please leave me a little love just to let me know you could use them! The horizontal labels (red frame) are here, while the vertical labels (black frames) are here.

 



I didn't stop there! I made printed a few quotes to display around the library. They are all lines from children's literature. I'm going to swap them out throughout the year. Sorry the photographer needs to work taking on anti glare pictures!

If you can use these, they are found on TPT. Yes, free. Just leave me a little feedback. I'd appreciate it! I love making things for my reading buddies.

Next and final project for the week:  (There was a book calling out to be read!)
Remember I said I found several colors.... These are for a couple of the girls down the hall. I won't name names just in case they happen to read this. I want to create a couple/few more for my other special teaching buddies. Oh well, another trip to Michaels and Barnes and Noble....... :)

 

I think they will look really cute on their desks! Don't' forget to check out other MMI's on Tara's blog at 4th Grade Frolics.

Keep Reading!!!

#IMWAYR July 7

It's time for "It's Monday - What are you Reading?" Link up with Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellie and Rickie at Unleashing Readers to find other great summer reads.

With bible school, in-services and the holiday, I didn't make last weeks post. These are the titles I've read for the last two weeks.

Out of my mind by Sharon Draper

Loved it so much, I devoted an entire post to it! 5 Stars

Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

I finally finished the Kane Chronicles - Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan. Loved it. Another homerun for Riordan.


Colossus Rises by Peter Lerangis
Lost in Babylon by Peter Lerangis

At the request of one of my students, I ordered the first 2 books of Peter Lerangis's series Seven Wonders. Colossus Rises and Lost in Babylon were both good reads. I really think my Rick Riordan fans will enjoy this new series. I'm really looking forward to book 3. It was published last May.  Might have to sneak that one in my cart at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. I don't know if I can wait till fall to order it.

Prodigy by Marie Lu

This is the second book in her Legend series. It moved along better than Legend. I'm giving it  4 stars. My upper grade students will enjoy this one. Not for the lower grades...

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

FUNNY!!! My thoughts - Scaredy Squirrel meets middle school. Totally enjoyed this one. Perfect for my middle grade students who enjoy humorous stories. 3rd grade and up

Mouseheart by Lisa Fiedler

This one will be perfect for my students who enjoy animal fantasy. Maybe a cross between Erin Hunter's Warrior series and Brian Jacques' Redwall. I liked this one much better than the Warrior series. Looking forward to book 2 next March. Thanks, Ms. Yingling!

Finally I finished Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

This one was interesting. Funny but slightly gross. The scene about the hippo guts will have my 4th graders laughing their heads off. Great mystery for the middle grades.

Keep Reading! I'm off to school to see what I want to read next. I can't wait until my latest Amazon box arrives....

The Best Book of the Summer - So Far....

I just read the BEST BOOK EVER!!!! It was such a powerful read. Laughed. Cried. Whole nine yards. The book....

Out of my mind by Sharon M. Draper

It deserves 5 stars!!! It's hard for me to give a book a perfect rating, but this one deserves it.

Melody is an extremely intelligent eleven year old, but few are aware of this including her teachers. It all changes when she receives a "Medi-Talker" which allows her to talk for the first time. (When she looks at her mom and tells her she loves her, I cried. No, I boohooed. Like mega tissue time!) The interaction between Melody and her classmates is so realistic. Any student reading this one is going to be convinced this is a true story. Oh, by the way, Melody has cerebral palsy and her hero is Stephen Hawking.

As a teacher/librarian, this story really touched my heart. Unfortunately students are at times identified with labels - whether it be educational, emotional, or physical. For example I know I'm tough on my own two children because of their intelligence. I expect a lot out of them and had to learn not to "freak out" if they make below an "A". (They take after their dad! LOL) It really bothers me when someone makes a negative comment about one of my students. Yes, their mom might have a small drug problem, they don't always wear clean clothes to school, can't afford new school supplies but for a few hours every day they are my kids! They deserve the best I/everyone can give them.

If you are looking for a great summer anytime read, check out "out of my mind" by Sharon Draper.
I'm recommending this one to my 4th graders and up. (AR reading level of 4.3)

Keep Reading! I'm off to discover more GREAT books.

#IMWAYR June 23

In the summer time usually the TBR pile shrinks, but mine seems to be growing. Thank you, Ms. Yingling! Time for the weekly read titles. Don't forget to check in with Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellie and Rickie at Unleashing Readers to see what everyone else is reading.

Alphabet Soup: A Feast of Letters by Scott Gustafson

Loved this one. From the beautiful text to gorgeous illustrations, I really enjoyed this one. I have several alphabet stories that work well for Kindergarten or even first grade. Due to the vocabulary in this one, I plan on using it with my middle grades to teach alliteration. I think the 3rd or 4th graders will love this one.

Jamica's Find by Juanita Havill

Such a sweet story! Jamaica finds a stuffed dog at the park. Struggling with the desire of "finders keepers", Jamaica finally makes a great choice. This story will be perfect for one of my lower grade classes. There are times when doing the right thing is not an easy choice for first graders.

Other reads that were not near as impressive:

Johnny Lion's Book by Edith Thatcher Hurd
Moon Was at a Fiesta by Matthew Gollub
A Day with Daddy by Nikki Grimes
Extraordinary Adventures of an Ordinary Hat by Wolfram Hanel
Wild Pitch by Eric Fein
Miss Lanely Is Zany! by Dan Gutman

Keep Reading!!!

Great Nonfiction Picture Books June 18th

Finding great nonfiction picture books is a challenge in itself. Once found, reading is a snap!

 

This week I found some books that will be perfect additions for my library. I know some of these titles have been around for a while, but I finally purchased them for my school. I highly recommend these books for school libraries and math teachers.

 

Sir Cumference stories by Cindy Neuschwander, illustrated by Wayne Geehan

 

Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone

 

Sir Vertex must solve a puzzle and find Edgecalibur, the king's hidden sword. With knowledge of geometric shapes, Sir Vertex finds the sword. What a way to teach the different shapes.

 

 

Sir Cumference and the Off-the-Charts Dessert

 

The harvest festival is only a few days away and the cook is sick. Lady Di asks two chefs in the village to audition for the job of cooking desserts for the festivities. Chef Pia and Chef Bart Graf cook up a storm and present data to Sir Cumference and Lady Di as to the most poplar dessert in town. This one is a great introduction to pie charts and bar graphs.

 

Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland

 

In this adventure Squire Radius seeks a quest to solve the mysterious disappearance of King Lell. With the help of an old family heirloom, a golden medallion shaped like a compass, Radius deciphers the puzzle and finds the missing king. (If only geometry had been this exciting when I was in middle school!)

Keep Reading!