Super Amazing Resources We Should ALL Know About

[Cheryl Plainte]

Speed%20Book%20Sharing.PDF

As you are all incredible teachers, you have a plethora of wisdom to share with others. Help us all to build our repertoire by posting resources you have used or are currently using within your classroom. You may include resources from all subject areas; although this is a reading conference, I believe many are teaching within a self-contained classroom. Also share books that are a MUST read--for instance, Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo and The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate are the gold medal Newberry winners from the last two years and were two of my students favorite all time books. The One and Only Ivan is rich with figurative language--some of the most beautiful writing I've had the pleasure of reading aloud.

[SHELLEY KUIPER]

My students LOVED Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. Contains a lot of figurative language. This main character, although unable to physically speak, has a voice you will never forget.

[Susan]

Thanks A. Baker for the book list :)

[Susan]

Check out RAZ Kids for under $100 dollars you have access to online books levels K-5 for your classroom. Children can listen, read and take a quiz. There is also a feature that allows students to read their books and send the recording to you so you can listen at a later time. You can also send students messages. As the teacher you can print reports on comprehension skills students are missing to form strategy groups or incorporate into whole group instruction. You can also monitor student activity. Love this program! If you are familiar with A-Z reading it is an extension to this and the books are the same :)

[Susan]

Check out the Confer App to keep track of: what/when/levels of where each child is when you confer with them. You can share your groups or classroom with other teachers that work with your students. If you want to talk to an expert at the confer app email Laura Hall and she would love to help you. Her email is [e-mail] :) This app saves hours of work!

[Adrienne Baker]

Oh boy, I hate to be the only one posting, but I noticed someone asked about a list of texts used in the units, and I happened to have made a list for my administrators... See below! 5th grade is on here as a bonus... because I teach 5th as well, and I have it... Note: Does not include all texts shared with MAISA Writing Units, and it does not include book club books (there's a good list in the unit).

4th Grade:
Unit: Reading Matters
- Stone Fox, John Reynolds Gardiner
Unit: Analyzing Characters
- The Tiger Rising, Kate DiCamillo
Unit: Adventure/Survival Book Clubs
- Hatchet, Gary Paulsen
- Two Bad Ants, Chris Van Allsburg
Unit: Nonfiction Reading Matters
- Oceans (A True Book), Peter Benoit
- Tsunamis (A True Book), Chana Stiefel
- Penguins (Scholastic), Penelope Arlon
- The Life Cycle of an Emperor Penguin (Crabtree Publishing), Bobbie Kalman
- Penguins! (National Geographic Kids), Anne Schreiber
- Marine Birds (Crabtree Publishing), Bobbie Kalman

5th Grade:
Unit: Reading with Power
- Edward's Eyes, Patricia MacLachlan
Unit: Insight Into Characters
- Wonder, R.J. Palacio
Unit: Reading in Book Clubs - Historical Fiction
- Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
- Rose Blanche, Roberto Innocenti
- The Butterfly, Patricia Polacco
Unit: Nonfiction Reading with Power
- Volcanoes (A True Book), Elaine Landau
- Into the Volcano, Donna O'Meara
- Weather (DK Eye Wonder), Lorrie Mack
- Tornadoes!, Gail Gibbons
- Thunderstorms (A True Book), Chana Stiefel

[Adrienne Baker]

I use classroom booksource as a classroom library. You can scan books into the library using their bar codes, or enter them manually. I have two desktop computers set up by my library where students can check out and return books simply by finding their name, and then finding the book.

It's a good accountability tool! Even though I know I don't get every book back, it at least makes kids think, "Did I turn that last book in?"

[Adrienne Baker]

Using baggies in class or for take-home:

Use two-gallon bags reinforced with duct tape (along all edges)

A one-gallon bag may be good for taking books home... I haven't used them, but I assume reinforcing would be just as useful in this case!