Great Website for Educators

A to Z Teacher Stuff website includes lesson plans that go along with children's literature books. For example, there are 43 lesson plans that teachers can find on this website to go along with a Dr. Suess book. 

It also allows you to search their lesson plans and activities by topic or themes, such as friendship, counting, or colors.  It then will suggest reading books for you and a lesson and activity to go along with the book. 

http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Lesson_Plans/Literature_Activities/

Support Cancer Research

Just recently about a month ago, we found out my dad has cancer.  I never thought such a tragic thing would strike so close to home.  I have always been aware about cancer and know the effects it has on families, but especially now I understand how terrible it is to be in the situation.  http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp

I am very cautious now and I think it is very important to read up on how to prevent cancer and do all that you can do prevent! Live strong!! 

Visiting My Family

I always love visiting my family whenever I can.  They only live two hours away, but it is difficult to see them as much as I want to.  I recently was able to see them a few weekends ago! Here are is a picture from my visit. 

Read, Write, Think

In previous college classes, my professors recommend visiting http://www.readwritethink.org/index.asp. This website has alot of valuable tools and resources for teachers to conduct a reading and/or writing class. The following is a list of things the website has to offer:

Lesson plans - broken down by grade levels and allows you to view the abstract of the lesson before clicking on the actual lesson with all of the required materials and objectives

Standards - They provide the reader with the IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts.

Resources - There are many, many many web links on here that take you to various websites. Some include the following topics: online museums, lesson plans, folklore book websites, and Poetry Archives. The link to view the resources is http://www.readwritethink.org/resources/index.asp

Materials for Students - Here, students can visit different areas to play interactive learning games, read books, and find writing prompts.  

I really think this website is a must for teachers to look at to find information about reading and writing.  It has numerous resources for the struggling reader, ELL students, and students who have a difficulty with writing.  I encourage all educators to use this website in their planning.  

Author Study Unit Plan - SEYMOUR SIMON

I created a Unit Plan on the author Seymour Simon.  I was very interested in his books about science and nature and plan on using this Unit Plan in my future classroom!

Check out the PDF version... click on the link below! 

Introduction:

I was very excited when I saw that I was to compose a unit plan on Seymour Simon.  I have always loved reading his books on science topics.  I remember in elementary school my teachers reading books by him and I would love to check them out from the school library.

Each and every one of his books has wonderful facts about various topics in science and wildlife.  They are great resources to keep handy in the classroom during science lessons.  I think there are many of his books that would be great attention getters for new materials, or even to base an entire lesson around one of the many books he has written.  The aftermath of reading one of his books is to find beauty in nature and to love and respect the Earth we live on. 

Fourth grade students will love the books by Seymour Simon and will learn a lot by reading them.  Some of his most popular books include Earth: Our Planet In Space, The Human Body, Wildfires, The Moon, and Animals Everybody Loves. 

Seymour Simon is a very talented author and I was very glad I had him to be able to read more about his life and the books he has written. 

http://elearning.fgcu.edu/AngelUploads/Content/200905-50190/_assoc/b700ccff18b6e93b82f41fa287800029//fdbk-8AE4F9566BE54FDD865AD6C48CD8DD27/MusickSeymourSimonAuthorSudy.pdf

Annotated Bibliography

Check out the Annotated Bibliography I created for my Children's Literature class! 

Introduction: My name is Kendra Musick and I am an Elementary Education major at FGCU.  I plan on teaching 1-3 grade in the Lee County area.  Currently, right now I am a teacher's aide to a three-year old class at Evangelical Christian School and I work with the 4 and 5 year olds after school at the After-School Care program.  I hope to get a lot of book ideas for my future classroom and hope to gain more information on children's authors.  I research online some books with awards, and I also asked some co-workers at work what some of their favorite books are to read to their students to find which books I was going to read for the Annotated Bibliography.  I think it is important for students to read multicultural books at every level because it opens up their mind to various cultures.   K. Au (1998) states, "The revaluing process includes teachers' acceptance of students as cultural beings.  It also encompasses the manner in which teachers receive and extend students' literacy efforts and encourage students to interact with peers and with texts".

http://elearning.fgcu.edu/AngelUploads/Content/200905-50190/_assoc/54d53cafa3da426b85e94d09d86c1bd7/Musick.AnnotatedBib.LAE.Summer09.pdf

Cultural Influences on Play...

Cultural Influences on Play... 

Research on children's play in other countries around the world in the past has been undertaken to test the universality of stage theories of play development or prevalence or existence of certain play states such as symbolic or pretense play.  

In the American middle-class today, play and the toys that are manufactured to support play of young children are generally thought to be necessary for the stimulation of early cognitive and social development, which is believed to be useful for success in school and later life.  

Pretend play is particularly valued, and such play is seen as particularly appropriate activity for adults to engage in with children.  

(James E. Johnson - Play Development, and Early Education)

How To Prepare for a Virtual Author Visit

• Make sure you have access to multiple copies of most of the author's works.
• Read and discuss the author's works well in advance of the virtual visit.
• Collect questions for the author ahead of time.
• Discuss netiquette and discussion procedures with the students.
• Check and double check that all equipment and necessary software is working.
• Use a projector to broadcast the computer screen or webcam so all students can see the communication.
• If connecting via e-mail, bulletin board, or virtual chat, be sure students read all posts before asking follow-up questions.
• Monitor the time and allow students to ask impromptu questions if there is enough time. 

Resource: Johnson, D. (2009). The Joys of Children's Literature. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co., Boston, MA. 

Top 10 Internet Websites

1. American Library Association (ALA) - www.ala.org - The ALA website houses an expansive amount of information and resources for teachers and librarians.  

2. Barahona Center - www.csusm.edu/csb - This site promotes literacy in Spanish and English.

3. The Children's Literature Web Guide - www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown - This site contains a discussion board and numerous links about children's literature.

4. The Cooperative Children's Book Center - www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/default.asp - The site houses information and links on authors/illustrators, awards, bibliographies, and book lists. 

5. Database of Awards-Winning Children's Literature - www.dawcl.com - This site is geared toward librarians or teachers.

6. Carol Hurst's Literature Site - www.carolhurst.com - Carol is a former teacher and this site is a collection of reviews of great books for kids and ideas of how to use them in the classroom. 

7. Multicultural Children's Literature - www.multiculturalchildrenslit.com - This site contains links to annotated bibliographies of children's multicultural book appropriate for the elementary grades.

8. Picturing Books: A Website About Picturebooks - http://picturingbooks.imaginarylands.org - This website contains information about picture books and interactive section for kids.

9. Kay Vandergrift's Site - www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/index.html - The purpose of this site is to set forth a triad of literacy theory, research, and teaching based on a continuing dialogue grounded in the theory and research of both literature and teaching that is focused on the particular problems of the field of children's literature. 

10. ReadWriteThink - www.readwritethink.org - I love this website.  This website focuses on providing educators and students with access to the highest-quality practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction through free, Internet-based content. 

Some Great Books for Classroom Library

Picturebooks - 

A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson

The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida

Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say

The Gardener by Sarah Stewart

Chapter Books - 

Bull Run by Paul Fleischman

Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop

Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen

Sing Down the Moon by Scott O`Dell

Historical Fiction Series - 

Time Warp Trio by Jon Scieska

Great Episodes by various authors

Boston Jane series by Jennifer Holm

Ellis Island by Joan Nixion

Sick again...

I've been trying to get rid of this cold now for days, but nothing seems to be working!! I had to miss class yesterday because my migraine was so bad.  I hope to kick this thing for good SOON!! 

For Play Development class today, I had to observe a 4 year old child for three hours at her learning center.  I really enjoyed playing with her and she taught me a lot and gave me pointers on how to be a better teacher - she told me to be a good teacher I have to "let them have long recesses and bring lots of snacks."  I told her I would keep in that in mind once I become a teacher... I'm really excited for my next observation in two weeks! 

More Information About the Author

My name is Kendra Musick. I was born in Charleston, WV, and moved to Arcadia, FL when I was 4 months old. I lived in Arcadia until the 3rd grade, then moved to Lake Placid, Fl. I loved living in Lake Placid and have great memories there! I moved to Fort Myers when I was entering my freshman year of high school. I attended and graduated from Evangelical Christian School in 2006. I attened Edison College and received my Associates from there. I started at FGCU my junior year of college in the college of education program. I can't wait to graduate on May 2, 2010!!! After receiving my degree in Elementary Education, I plan to continue with my education to receive my Masters in Speech Pathology or Elementary Education.

I work at ECS pre-school as a substitute or teacher aide during the morning and after the main school students are out of school, I am the lead teacher for the K-4 and Kindergarten group. I absolutely love working with my kids! The inspire me and bring joy to me on a daily basis!

I love love love my family! They have done so much for me and I could never thank them enough! My parents now live 2 hours away from me, and it's tough sometimes because I am very close to them. I also have a younger brother, Justin, who is 17 and is going to be a senior next year. I love my grandparents and my great-grandma is my world! I love them all to pieces. My mom teaches 1st grade at a public school in Lakeland and has been teaching for 20 years. My dad is an RN and a ER manager in Lake Wales, FL.

I am getting married to the love of my life this December 12th! I am beyond ecstatic to finally be marrying him! Me and Matt have been together since sophomores in high school. My best friend introduced us and we clicked ever since. He means everything to me and I am truly blessed to have him as my future husband. He is the greatest thing that has happened to me. He is attending FGCU as well and is majoring in Civil Engineering. We love to go to movies, dinner, and to the beach! We also love to race his Lightning on the weekends and just hanging out with our friends.

Litracy History Information...

When I was a child...
I loved to read as a child!! I started reading chapter books when I was in the second grade. I remember I loved reading The Baby-Sitters Club series books. My parents would read to me every night, and I have them to thank for my love of reading today.

When I was a Middle-schooler...
My best friends and I loved books written by Lurlene McDaniel. We would take turns buying them and reading them. My favorite was called Angel of Hope.

When I was a High-schooler...
I still loved to read in high school whenever I got the chance. Nicholas Sparks was and still is my favorite author and I look forward to reading every book he comes out with! My favorites are The Notebook, A Walk To Remember, and The Rescue.