I Am Not A Fish!

I Am Not A Fish

Author: Peter Raymundo

Illustrator:

Summary: Edgar, the jellyfish, is just plain confused about his name, so he goes to an underwater support group for some help. There he meets a group of starfish who listen to his concerns. He’s jealous that some animals got fancy names (narwhal, nautilus) and understands why other animals got their names (hammerhead shark, swordfish) but he just can’t understand why he was named Jelly Fish when HE”S NOT A FISH! The author cleverly weaves in facts about fish and jelly fish, all while Edgar goes on a journey to discover that no matter WHAT he is called, he is still HIMSELF! You and your kids will be sure to smile when Charlie the seahorse makes an appearance at the end of the story.

Journaling with Texas 2×2 Books

Journaling with Texas 2x2

I love using the Texas 2×2 books for lessons with my kinder, 1st and 2nd grade classes.  I usually do some sort of “Battle” at the end of the year with the books, and the kids always have a great time! (You can read more about that here.)   But I recently came up with a…

Earth: My First 4.54 Billion Years

Author: Stacy McAnulty

Illustrator: David Litchfield

Summary: Welcome to Planet Awesome…otherwise known as planet Earth! This is a great book full of kid-friendly facts. You and your kids will enjoy learning about the history of Earth through the fabulous illustrations. This book is packed with diagrams, timelines, and even a few jokes along the way. Even better, it ends with a gentle reminder to clean up as you go to take care of planet Earth.

Mystery Animal Guessing Game – Fun with Research!

Mystery Animal

Have you heard about Mystery Animal with Google yet? I came across this really cool website when I was doing animal research with my students.   After spending an evening with my husband playing Mystery Animal, I decided to try it out with my 3rd – 5th graders.  I’m so glad I did, because it was a HUGE HIT! …

How to Evaluate Websites with Elementary Students

Teaching students how to evaluate websites and determine whether they are reliable to use is an important skill, especially these days with the vast amount of information on the internet.  While there are many different acronyms that can be used to help kids remember how to check the validity of a website, I like to…