MeeGenius is an online resource for free and pay children's ebooks.
The ebooks can be read on the web or on a wireless device like an iPad. They offer free apps for several wireless devices.
There are currently seven free ebooks.
Students can choose read to me or read it myself.
I like how the words are highlighted as they are being read. The story can be paused and resumed during reading.
The pay ebooks at MeeGenius range from $1.99 to $5.99.
Brian P. Cleary is the author of Quirky, Jerky, Extra Perky: More about Adjectives and other great books about the parts of speech.
His web site, The World of Brian P. Cleary contains resources for students and teachers on words, math, phonics, and more.
I was really excited to find the printable posters and coloring sheets (click on the yellow Pictures & Posters tab). These would be great to hang in a classroom, to create a mini book, or for students to print at home. Students could even make their own posters with words they are working on in class.
Every month Barnes and Noble is featuring a great children's book being read online! Past books have included Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The stories can even be embedded in your website or blog.
The featured book for June is Ladybug Girl at the Beach by David Soman and Jacky Davis:
Here's a fun site to go with The Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series...WimpYourself.
Select a head, eyes, nose, hair. clothing, and accessories to create a character.
Students could create their own "wimpy" characters and write about them or use the characters to create a poster for a book talk.
via www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Recently, I wrote a post about the online version of the book Tess's Tree. I just discovered a companion activity where you can color a picture of Tess online.
I wasn't super excited by a single online coloring page until I noticed the coloring tools. Students can select a color and then "mix" it with the sliders.
I thought this would be a nice way to bring in art related vocabulary like the words hue and saturation.
I was blog hopping recently and found a fabulous idea for cataloging a classroom library! Mrs. Wiggins, a third grade teacher from Virginia, shares about using GuruLib to set up a digital library catalog for her classroom. I love how she was able to sort her books to fit her classroom needs and how her students can use the library to find books in her room! What an awesome use of a digital tool!
I decided to investigate further by signing up and creating a library catalog for myself. You can check out my catalog here.
To get started, begin by completing the free sign up. You will be asked to create a username and password. Then, you can start adding items to your library.
You can find and enter books to your library by title, author, isbn number or even scanning the bar code using a web cam.
I was able to find almost every book from my classroom library...even very old books. I tried scanning a few bar codes. I was only able to scan two books using the camera on my MacBook. It seems like the lighting had to be just right to get the bar codes to scan.
I thought it might take me a long time to enter the books, but it was very quick and easy.
You can also categorize your library into shelves.
This would allow students to easily scan the books in your classroom to find a reading selection. It also offers you a nice record of the books in your room. Definitely worth a look and make sure to check out the blog, Wiggins World for more great teaching ideas!
I was looking around the FunBrain site the other day and came across the online version of Tess's Tree written by Jess M. Brallier and Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. This is a great book dealing with loss and celebrating life.
Tess loved her tree.
She liked to swing on it
and sit in its shade
and catch its leaves in the fall.
When Tess's tree has to come down, Tess is very sad . . . until she finds a way to gather friends and family and celebrate her tree's remarkable life.
This is a book for sharing with people you love, among good friends, or on a quiet day under a favorite tree.~ Product Description from Amazon.
At the end of the online book, there is an opportunity to e-mail the author and illustrator. I could see this leading to a friendly letter (e-mail) lesson.
I was in Barnes and Noble wandering around...as I often do...looking at interesting books on the shelves. The book, Help Your Kids With Math from DK Publishing caught my eye. I'll admit the fun, colorful cover caught my eye and enticed me to grab it. I settled in with the book (and my yummy coffee) and was pleasantly surprised at what I found.
The bright colors and bold graphic design of the pages caught my interest right away. I can easily see how this book would appeal to adults and kids alike. Many tricky math topics were explained in an easy to understand manner. The book contains topics ranging from numbers to trigonometry to probability.
I am considering adding this book to my classroom library as a resource.
After sitting in on Tony Vincent's Awe Your Audience session at NETA, I ran out and looked for the book Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. I quickly found it at my local Barnes and Noble along with his book Presentation Zen Design. I ended up purchasing Presentation Zen Design.
I am loving this book and all of its simple yet powerful ideas for creating and giving presentations. I am excited to re-vamp many of my current PowerPoint presentations. Head to the library or your local bookstore and give this book a read!
I love children's books and often incoporate them into my technology lessons. So in honor of Children's Book Week here are a couple of resources for you. Print a bookmark created by Jeff Kinney, check out these great book lists from Scholastic, or listen to a story read by one of your favorite actors at Storyline. Most important of all grab a good book, curl up, and read!
