Dr. Seuess real name…...

Did you know Dr. Seuss isn't his real name…… and hat he really isn't a doctor.  If you thought that was his name well you are wrong.  Its Theodore Seuss Gusiel.  

Theodor Seuss Geisal was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts.  He published hi first children’s book under the name Dr. Seuss in 1937.  It was called, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.  It took him a very long time to publish his first book but he never gave up.  After that he was on a roll.  He kept creating children’s books that grew into the world’s most famous collections    



I love reading Dr. Suess books to my class.  His books in my opinion are some of the best picture books.  I bought all of his books for my first grade classroom.  His books teach word families, rhymes, blends, digraphs  and long and short vowel sounds.  

Students love acting books out...

Students love to act of what they learn.  Especially after reading a good book.  Many teachers like to incorporate readers theater in their classroom.

Reader’s theatre is a great way to get students engaged and learning about literature.  During reader’ theatre students read from prepared scripts and act out what they are saying.  This is when students can show their creative sides.  Some students can even create their own scripts and re write the story.  This would be a great project for a middle school ELA project. 

Reader’s theatre can also help students who are shy and need a bit of encouragement. 

The picture of the website above is Reading A-Z.  This is a great website to use for pre-made scripts for students.  Many of the scripts are free.  This website has many other learning tools for students.

Check it out at www.readinga-z.com

Students and non-fiction

After presenting my group workshop, I have learned alot more about non-fiction.  It is very important to expose students to non- fiction when teaching. In the Common Core shifts it requires students to be exposed to fiction and non-fiction.  My students are exposed to large amounts of nonfiction through the Domain in the Common Core.  The last non-fiction topic my class learned about was the human body. Students learned about the heart, circulatory system, digestive, system, and skeletal system.   The pictures for the read aloud did a great job depicting that particular system. 

I believe my students were very engaged in this non fiction topic because they were able to relate it back to themselves.  For example when we learned about the circulatory system, students were able to feel their pulse.

Live Binder are great!!!

Live binders is a great tool to use for organizing your work.  I love using live binders for my MSMC classes.  It is a great place to store projects and papers and share them.  This tool is accessible as an app or on the computer.  

In the classroom…...

It is great to use with middle and high schools students as well.  Instead of assigning worksheets, teachers can assign online projects that bring a richer environment of learning to the classroom.  Instead of students putting together a folder with all their work and assignments to be shared with one person at a time, students can create e-portfolios to be shared with hundreds of people at once.