I thought you might like to know that using eBooks like Tumblebooks and Bookflix are good for your students! Here’s an interesting article from School Library Journal that I thought might interest you.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/890540-427/are_ebooks_any_good.html.csp

I’ll have some more exciting information about new eBooks you can use coming soon!

We have a one month free trial of True Flix! Here’s the description from the site:

“TrueFlix is the only online resource that leverages the award winning True Books content to help students hone literacy skills, build knowledge of subject-area content, and cultivate 21st Century skills through the inquiry process. All of the True Book titles are supported with a deep and diverse reservoir of related content and primary sources featuring videos, audio, images, and text.”

Check out the brochure for more information.

Be sure to check your email from me to get the username and password. The site is linked from our building’s website. Be sure to use it with your students and let me know what you think. Our trial ends May 15.

Teachers, today is the last day for students to qualify to vote for the Mark Twain Award and Show Me Award. Please email me the names of any students who qualify by the end of the school day today!

Also, don’t forget that tomorrow is Family Reading Night. I will be providing dinner at 5:00, and then we will head over to the East gym to get ready for the fun!

See you tomorrow night!

This website is a fabulous resource for finding books that kids will love to read. ReadKiddoRead was created by author James Patterson when he discovered that his own son did not like to read. Now, he and his wife scour the land of children’s literature and find books that hook kids on reading, and they categorize them by age level and genre. The database is also searchable, so if you want to find great books about dogs, just type “dogs” into the search bar. I hope you find this site useful. Comment back and let me know what you think!

Most of you know that I am on our state’s Mark Twain Readers Award committee. I have been reading hundreds of books over the last year to help decide if they would be good books for the Mark Twain Readers Award. Our committee narrowed down our list of hundreds to a list of 25. Several of our students and teachers became reader selectors and read the 25 books and ranked them to help come up with what is now the final list of 12 books for next year! I’ve been so excited to share the list with you, and now it is official! Here is the list of next year’s Mark Twain Readers Award nominees. Teachers, I will be doing the summer Mark Twain Book Club again this year, so let me know if you are up the challenge of reading all 12 with me this summer. We always have a great time!

Are you looking for resources that take advantage of the interactive nature of your SMART Board? Check out iBoard.  This site has several interactive activities for younger students developed specifically for use with interactive whiteboards. Be sure to check out the literacy category for several story activities you can use with your classes, including fairy tales and folk tales. Let me know what you think!

For those of you who like to plan ahead, I thought I would let you know about a great Thanksgiving site from Scholastic. In the past, teachers have been able to sign up to receive letters from the Mayflower, and can still do that this year. But this year, they have added something new! There will be a live video cast from Plimoth Plantation on November 16. You do have to sign up for this, so be sure to check it out soon. There are lots of great activities on the site that would make for a great history lesson.

“For the first time ever, all seven of The 39 Clues authors unite to answer kids’ most pressing questions in a LIVE webcast event! Tune in as the New York Times bestselling group of author-agents inspire readers with behind-the-scenes information on the Cahills, provide insight into their favorite parts of the Clue hunt, and even reveal explosive new information.”

The last book of the 39 Clues series arrives next week! Be sure to catch the live webcast on Tuesday, August 31 at 3:00 to see all of the authors of the books. If you can’t watch it live, it will be archived immediately following the broadcast so you can view it at a more convenient time. I have copies of all of the books in the series in the library, and they have great history connections.

I have registered our school to participate in the 2010 World Maths Day contest! If you would like your class to participate, please let me know this week and I will get you set up to go. As soon as I have your class set up, your students can begin practicing on the website. The actual competition day is March 3. Here is a description of the contest from the contest website:

“Students play at home and at school against other students around the world in live games of mental arithmetic. Each game lasts for 60 seconds and students can play up to 500 games, earning points for each correct answer. The students who answer the most questions appear in the Hall of Fame. Students cannot select their level but will move up as they progress.”

If you choose to particpate, you could let students practice during their library research time this week and next week. I will also have the site linked so students can practice at home. This looks like a fun way for students to challenge themselves and have fun with math!

The 2010 Newbery and Caldecott Awards have been announced by the American Library Association. Drum roll please……..

2010 Caldecott Award – Lion & The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

2010 Newbery Award – When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Both books will soon be added to the Elementary West collection!