Have you ever come across a new book that fits perfectly with a lesson you do or an idea you have and then you uncontrollably break out into a happy dance!?  That’s exactly how I felt when I came across this book: Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak Ph.D.       I…

     Have I told you that I love buying and advertising new books for the library!?  (I personally think that it’s directly tied to my love of new school supplies!)  When the new books come in, my receptionist lets me know right away, and I always do a HAPPY DANCE as I go pick…

     In a previous post in October, I had described my lesson using the Reading Brain Hat  where students practice “turning their brain on” and thinking when reading a Fiction story.        In November, I took the same concept, and used the brain hat to introduce the different type of thinking that should…

     I’ve started doing BOOK TASTINGS this year, and the level of excitement about books has really grown! So much so, that the students are constantly asking me to put a book on hold for them.  I created these book request forms to help manage the process.       The process is pretty simple.  Students…

       Have you heard about the National Digital Learning Day?  It’s a nationwide event that the Alliance for Excellent Education is officially hosting on Wednesday, February 5th, 2014 in Washington, DC.  They are hoping to spread the word through this website to encourage schools around the nation to participate.   The purpose of this event is to highlight innovative educators…