I'm so excited to have soooo many new followers and to be blogging again with my new computer! It is truly summer here in Tallahassee and so families are heading to the beach each weekend. Growing up on the east coast I have lots of wonderful memories of fun times at the beach with my cousins. I know that many of you don't live near a beach and ...

Whether you teach in the city or the county young children love to read and learn about the farm, especially all the animals that live there. When I taught in Alaska many children were unfamiliar with farm life and farm animals. Teaching about the farm is also a wonderful way to bring the farm to life for many children living in poverty. It can ...

April is National Poetry month and a perfect time for celebrating spring with poems. I have put together a few websites and books that you might want to check out. For me I think poetry should be part of every Balanced Literacy Curriculum not only for students to read but to write and share as well. How about teaming up with another teacher and ...

I was so excited to see so many wonderful free resources on Earth Day that I wanted to make sure to share them with all of you. It seems that Earth Day becomes more and more important to teach about how each and everyone of us can do something to help our earth.  Let's start with Scholastic. If you click on the picture below you will find lots of ...

Do you know the differences between Frogs and Toads? Did you know that Toads walk because of their short hind legs? I learned a lot about Frogs and Toads when I was researching my unit on Frogs and Toads. Many of your students read the Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel so why not add a non-fiction unit and   compare fictional frogs and toads to ...

Woo-hoo, the numbers are in and my students have been learning!  Just finished all the sight word and reading assessments and wow, I am so amazed at the improvements and growth in confidence.  One student alone managed to learn 31 new sight words and I've only been using this resource for eight weeks.  Such a proud teacher I am!  Anyway, here's ...

My new FAVORITE curation tool is Pearltrees.  I can sync pearltrees on ipad, desktop, phone, AND the district Blackboard page. Here’s my OTES pearltree for resources: Click to view these resources in Pearltrees!

February is so full of celebrations so I'm happy that we celebrate and honor African Americans all month long. Using biographies and poems is a great way to teach students about many wonderful African Americans who have contributed so much to our country. Many of them whose bravery and courage paved the way for others even against great odds. I ...

As one of my weaknesses has always been science, I am working hard to begin understanding science content through curriculum work.  I needed a one-page (ok, 3-page!) guide to the content in grades 6-10, and I thought I’d pass along in case anyone else needed one as well. Progression of Science Content in Ohio’s New Learning Standards

Martin Luther King was a great leader of the Civil Rights Movement in America. On the 3rd Monday in January we celebrate his birthday and honor his life and work for peace, justice and equality. Below are some great resources for celebrating Martin Luther King Day.  If you are looking for the best books for Read Alouds for Grades 1-4  just click ...