May 2009
Monthly Archive
Stopping the Summer Slide
Posted by Karen on 11 May 2009 | Posted in: Barnes & Noble, Curriculum Associates, Scholastic, Summer Reading, Teachers' Choice Awards, The Horn Book, eSpindle
No doubt you still have plenty to do before the school year ends—including suggesting summertime learning opportunities for your students. Here’s a quick list of summer options that students and parents will be glad to know about!
| Send students to a virtual reading camp! With the Scholastic Summer Challenge, students compete with readers from across the country. Each student joins one of four teams, and the teams compete for points based on how many minutes they spend reading. Participation in other book-related activities, games, polls, message boards, and more allows students to earn more points. The winning team will give a donation to a national charity of their choice. |  |
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Looking for a summer reading list to suggest? Look no further! The children’s literature experts at The Horn Book have posted their picks. Click here to see the list of picture books, early readers, and more. |
| Keep students’ vocabulary and spelling on track with a free summer subscription at eSpindle Learning. Up to 100 schools will qualify. Click here, then enter “summer” into the comments field. The eSpindle site is a winner of the Learning® Magazine 2008 Teachers’ Choice Award for the Family. |  |
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Join Barnes & Noble and author Rick Riordan, creator of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, in encouraging lots of summertime reading. Students in grades 1-6 sign up and read any eight books. Then they bring their completed reading journal to Barnes & Noble between May 26 and September 7. They’ll get to choose a free book featuring Biscuit, Fancy Nancy, Clarice Bean, Percy Jackson, or another literary luminary. |
| Teaching summer school this year? These kits from Curriculum Associates are designed to help you raise struggling students’ achievement. Each kit has a pacing chart, lesson plans, quick diagnosis, targeted instruction, built-in assessments, and more. Kits cover different aspects of reading, writing, and math and include materials for 15 students. |  |
With options like these, summer is going to be filled with fun and learning! Enjoy!
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| Karen |
P.S. Did you know that this is Children’s Book Week? The Mailbox® e-newsletter features free book-related activities for preschool and elementary grades. Enjoy!
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School-Year Countdown?
Posted by Karen on 01 May 2009 | Posted in: Calypso Systems, Creative Teaching Press, Digital Wish, HarperCollins, Inspiration Software, National Science Teachers Association, Reading Is Fundamental, Thomas Built Buses, US Airways
The number of days left in the school year may be dwindling, but there are still plenty of exciting contests and free programs that are going strong! Check these out to add some extra fun in the remaining weeks.
| Here’s a new way to reflect on the school year! The Inspired Kids Contest challenges you to use Kidspiration software to reflect on the year’s events with your class. The teacher who submits the most inspiring lesson plan wins a 10-computer license for Kidspiration, accompanying lesson plan books, and a digital camera. The contest ends May 11, 2009. |  |
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Show the world how you use your favorite products from Creative Teaching Press in the classroom! Between now and May 21, post a video on YouTube. If your video is the most popular, you’ll win $500 in CTP products. Click here to learn more! |
| The National Science Teachers Association is working to reduce attrition among those new to the profession. To do that, science educators entering their second or third year of teaching are invited to apply to the NSTA New Science Teacher Academy. Those selected receive online mentoring, web-based professional development, financial support to attend the NSTA national conference, and more. Applications are due June 1, 2009. |  |
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Transform your classroom and integrate new technology with a grant from Calypso Systems. The Be Heard School Grant provides wireless microphones, amplifiers, and speakers for three K-12 schools. The goal is to use the technology to improve attention, increase motivation, and help special-needs students succeed. Applications are due June 5, 2009. |
| School bus drivers aren’t just responsible for transporting students safely–they’re also role models! To recognize outstanding bus drivers, Thomas Built Buses invites students in grades K-6 to nominate favorite drivers in the Children’s Choice School Bus Driver of the Year essay contest. A student submits an essay of 90 words or less describing what makes his or her driver special. The winning student receives a $1,000 savings bond and a laptop; the winning driver receives a $1,000 Visa gift card. Entries are due June 30, 2009. |  |
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Challenge students to log the minutes they spend reading in the “Fly With US. Read With Kids” campaign. Sponsored by US Airways and Reading Is Fundamental, the contest aims to help children discover the joy of reading. Participants will be entered to win a Disney vacation, US Airways gift cards, and other prizes. The program runs through June 30, 2009. |
Opportunities like these are too good to miss. Have fun!
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| Karen |
P.S. Speaking of too good to miss, Flat Stanley is back with a new geography-themed series and a new website! The new books, The Mount Rushmore Calamity and The Great Egyptian Grave Robbery, just went on sale. Don’t miss the activities and extras at www.flatstanleybooks.com.
