The Future of Print

I don't think there is any doubt that tablet eReaders are going to be a significant part of education in the very near future. I found a video that shows an example of what some of the interactive experiences will soon be for our younger children both in and out of school.

Resources for Grammar and Punctuation

There are many different websites that can be used to teach your students about grammar and punctuation usage. Some of the best are interactive and can serve as fun reinforcement tools for those who are working to retain what they have already learned. Here are a few websites to bookmark and try throughout the school year:
Quizlet– This free flashcard site has hundreds of pre-made English grammar flashcards that can be printed or studied online. Quizlet also allows users to create their own flashcards.
Free Rice- Students can give rice to hungry people when they play the FreeRice English grammar game online. The United Nations World Food Program will donate 10 grains of rice to the needy for every question that is answered correctly. There is no limit to the number of questions that can be answered each day.
SpeakSpeak– Created by an English language teacher from Great Britain, SpeakSpeak provides a large collection of free English grammar and vocabulary exercises. Exercises are available for beginner, intermediate and advanced students.
Chomp Chomp – This site offers definitions for common grammar terms, interactive grammar exercises with accompanying handouts, quick tips and rules, and projector-ready presentations.
Using English.com- Using English is an excellent place to find ESL tools and resources. Useful features include a grammar glossary and reference, printable handouts and worksheets, English quizzes, and a text analysis tool.
Web English Teacher- The Web English Teacher provides many different punctuation resources on her site. Resources include materials and lessons on commas, semicolons, apostrophes, capitalization, and more.
Parapal online- Parapal online provides a wide range of interactive grammar and vocabulary exercises designed to improve listening, writing, and reading skills.
Grammar Bites- This site offers definitions for common grammar terms, interactive grammar exercises with accompanying handouts, quick tips and rules, and projector-ready presentations.
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) – Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab provides more than 200 free resources to help students learn grammar and mechanics, punctuation, style guidelines, and more. The OWL also has a selection of suggested resources for writers and ESL students.
Grammar Girl- Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty provides information on grammar, punctuation, style, and word choices through a free newsletter, blog, and podcasts. Students who visit the Grammar Girl site can also submit questions to be answered by grammar experts.
GrammarBook.com - Created to supplement the bestselling Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, GrammarBook.com provides a free online guide to grammar and punctuation usage. Other free site features include online quizzes, videos and tests.

Great Web Sites for Kids!

Annotated List of Some Great Web Sites for Kids - try them on your Smart Board!
Switcheroozoo: Create new animals, learn about animal habitats, play animals puzzle and memory games.
Giggle Poetry: The self proclaimed number one fun poetry site for kids on the web! Learn to write poetry, create poems online, and read and rate hundreds of poems. Teacher resources available.
Jack Prelutsky: Explore the wacky and inventive poetry of Jack Prelutsky, the first Children’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation.
Jean Marzollo: List of Jean’s books online as well as paper format. Preschoolers can enjoy listening to a book read to them as they view works and illustrations. Short and Long bio of Jean.
Kaboose: Where Family Comes First: Lots of arcade-style games to play online and coloring pages to print out.
Mrs. P: Kids can listen in as Mrs. P (played by Kathy Kinney) reads aloud classic children’s stories. The site also contains interactive games and activities. Requires a high-speed Internet connection.
Wildlife Film Maker: The National Geographic Wildlife Filmmaker allows kids to make animal movies using short clips of a wide variety of animals. With a simple drag-and-drop interface, they can add animal sounds, music and captions. Once a masterpiece is completed, it can be saved on the site to share with family and friends or e-mailed directly to them.

Have Fun!

Proud...Proud...Proud...

It's hard to believe I've been a teacher for 21 years! WOW! I have to admit that it has been a fantastic ride. Of course, I have days where I mumble and grumble...but boy do I LOVE what I do! I love being with the kids the most! It makes me proud to know that I am part of helping create opportunities for our little ones that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Working with teachers and other administrators is a blessing as well. I have had some wonderful mentors over the years and continue to have some great ones even today. It makes me proud when I get excited about a new venture into learning and it becomes contagious. I've been really excited about the use of technology in our schools for quite some time now and Sutton has become a school where the technology is infused in everyday learning activities. I am certainly proud of the teachers for seeing the relevance of technology and being willing to take a risk to grow professionally and to find new ways to engage the students. But every once in awhile a day comes along that makes me exceptionally proud of something or someone. Mrs. Tucker, one of my most favorite people in the whole world and an AWESOME teacher, came to me yesterday and wanted to create a blog to link to our website. She wanted to provide the kids and the parents opportunities to access some of her knowledge as a teacher with the click of a button. Now the fact that she wanted to share her knowledge wasn't the surprise...the surprise came that after 30+ years...well, being a very experienced teacher, she wanted to take such a risk and get out of her comfort zone to continue reaching towards greatness. What a message to me that the great teachers don't even realize that they are great, and that great teachers are never satisfied. I am so proud, proud to have such a great mentor in my life!