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A great STEM book for the classroom! The story has a wonderful message on the importance of making mistakes but never giving up and how mistakes are a part of the learning process. A personal favorite of mine. And many other great books by this author to check out!

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My students were always coming up to me and letting me know that a book was broken, the page had ripped, etc. This is a great way for students to know the procedure for a broken book and just put it in the book hospital to be repaired later. Found on pinterest from http://www.teachingmaddeness.com/search/label/freebies

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Cool freebie from http://www.havingclassinthird.com/2014/02/classroom-libraries-freebie-alert.html

The posters are awesome for the classroom and clearly show the students examples and the definition of the different types of book genres.

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Exciting way to get students more engaged in reading. It rewards students for reading books and it is a great way for students to see how much reading they are doing!

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School is in full swing around here! Things have been good, even homework time has been amazing thanks to our new Homework Station! The only item I'm getting any resistance from with my 2nd grader is getting his reading minutes in! I wanted to help give him some incentive and motivation to do his reading, so I designed these cute Printable Bookmarks with punches on them!

The bookmarks have 20 spots to punch (or sticker, or mark off, etc)! Each bookmark has spots for him to read 5 of 7 days a week for 4 weeks! So, a punch card will last approx a month! If he can read 20 of the 30 (or 31) days a month, then he'll earn a reward. For example ice cream date, go swimming, $5, etc!

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My Nathan is really excited about this new system! He likes to visually see his progress, plus he really likes having a fun bookmark! I already know I will be designing some others in the near future!

You can download the PDF below! Just print them at home on cardstock and then cut out! To make it more durable, we did put them through our home laminator. But, if you don't have one, then don't stress. I really think leaving it as plain cardstock will be fine for just the 1 month! If you don't want to punch your bookmark, then you could also laminate it and then use a marker to mark off the days.

Enjoy and happy reading!!

Pam Dana

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School is in full swing around here! Things have been good, even homework time has been amazing thanks to our new Homework Station! The only item I'm getting any resistance from with my 2nd grader is getting his reading minutes in!

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I saw this on pinterest and thought it was a very interesting way to engage students in silent reading. It's a great reward that students can work for and another way to get them excited about reading.

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One of my favorite books and a great book for upper elementary students in 3- 6 grade. It teaches many great things to students and starts important conversations about empathy, acceptance, and most importantly kindness.

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This is a cool idea that I originally saw on pinterest. Even though this blog is for middle school teachers, I feel this could be easily adapted for younger students. What a great way for students to get excited about reading!

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A blog about teaching middle school ELA and math.

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My students last year loved this story! Every time we went to the library, one of my students took this book out. It was a great way for them to practice the alphabet and to practice sequencing events in the story. We also had a wonderful visual aide to go with this text. We had a coconut tree plush figure and velcro letters that went on to the tree. It made this truly an engaging text for the students.

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This is a great way to encourage students to discuss the books they have been reading. This empowers students to share their favorite books with their peers and for their peers to get a suggestion if they are having difficulty picking out a book. And love them on the fish, such a cute idea! Found on pinterest from the following blog http://www.teacherbythebeach.com/2014/08/classroom-pictures-2014-15.html

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This is such an easy solution to make additional seating in the classroom. Alternative seating so students can read where they feel most comfortable.

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I had found ones similar to these on Teacherspayteachers.com and loved them! Instead of buying an expensive listening station, the students learned how to scan the QR codes, plug their headphones into an iPad and then listened to audio books. I haven't used these before but they look good. Might consider them in the future.

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QR Codes are a great way for early readers to listen to great books! This set includes audio QR codes for TEN picture books perfect for the month of October!

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I love using the big books when working with younger elementary students. It makes it easy for all students to see the text and the pictures. Lakeshore has a decent collection online.

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Big Books found in: Big Book Storytelling Activity Kits - Complete Set, Big Book Favorites - Set 3, Big Book Favorites - Set 1, Classroom Favorites..

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Great book that shows children a different perspective and can help students work on colors!

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I love this idea for elementary school classrooms. The younger students love stuffed animals and it's a great way to get them in the habit of reading aloud and practicing reading fluency in front of a nonjudgemental audience.  Saw this and more from the following teacher blog http://www.teacherbythebeach.com/2014/08/classroom-pictures-2014-15.html

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Students love this book and it is a great book to use to teach cause and effect. There are also hand puppets that can be purchased to use as a visual aid with this text.

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Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes

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Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes

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My students loved all of the Pete the Cat books, but this was a great one to use at the beginning of the year to introduce them to the different parts of their daily schedule.

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PETE THE CAT: Rocking in My School Shoes | Book Trailer & Music Video

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Some great classics can be found on this list compiled by teachers!

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We asked more than 200 teachers, children's authors, and children's literature experts to name the best picture books ever. Did your favorites make the list? Read on to see. And save up those gift cards - there are surprising must-haves inside.

It is "so compressed in its language and so exuberant in its pictures and so psychologically right," says author Jane Yolen, herself nominated for "I return to it again and again." So do teachers! Max earned three times as many votes as a certain munching insect.
Who it's for: Grades PreK-3
What it's about: When Max is sent to bed without his dinner, he imagines an adventure to the land of the Wild Things, where he meets a crowd of fanciful beasts. When he becomes homesick, he wakes up in his bedroom to find his warm supper waiting for him.

5. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Sheila McGraw

"I can't help myself, I cry every time I read it," says Instructor editor Hannah Trierweiler. Sniff. Pass the tissues.
Who it's for: Grades K-3
What it's about: The story of a boy and his mom. While the mother continues to rock her boy to sleep - even if she must sneak in his bedroom to do so - eventually he will do the same for her. A touching cycle-of-life tale.

8. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

12. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

14. The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis

15. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr

Anita Silvey, author of 100 Best Books for Children, cherishes McCloskey's "subtle economy in text and art."
Who it's for: Grades K-3
What it's about: Watch out for urban ducks... A great read aloud book, this tale of two mallards who decide to raise their family in the Boston's Public Garden is a perennial favorite. Beautiful drawings and a great story make Boston seem perfect for ducks!

20. No, David! by David Shannon

22. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper, illustrated by George & Doris Hauman

Thank goodness the good doctor accepted a bet that he couldn't write a story using only 50 words. As Instructor editor Jennifer Prescott sums up in only five words: "I do so like it!"
Who it's for: Grades PreK-3
What it's about: I am Sam, Sam I am. Possibly the most fun a kid can have while learning to read, this book's repetitive phrases, simple drawings and goofy charm make it one of childhood's must-haves.

Who it's for: Grades PreK-2
What it's about: The world's most beloved monkey! Curious George has had many adventures in his day, but it all starts with this classic. Introduce a new generation of readers to his irrepressible chimp.

-Additional reporting by Christine Mills

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Teachers' Picks: Top 25 Picture Books | Scholastic

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We asked more than 200 teachers, children's authors, and children's literature experts to name the best picture books ever. Did your favorites make the list? Read on to see. And save up those gift cards - there are surprising must-haves inside.

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A book with beautiful illustrations and an equally beautiful message. The young girl in the story feels that she can't make art, but with her teacher's support she learns an important lesson.

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A great read for younger students. It follows an elephant named Ellie and how she works to find something that she is good at. It highlights how everyone in a community has something important that they can contribute.

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A great text for younger students. It focuses on counting skills and is a great introduction before a butterfly unit. We used this as a comparison text with a nonfiction text. We compared what we learned about caterpillars and what in the story is real and what is make believe.

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Official Animated Film | Made For Kids | Eric Carle Book