"Footnotes" for History Buffs

Here is a great Website for finding actual artifacts to use with your lessons.  Footnote helps you find and share historical documents.  The Footnote Blog gives you practical ideas of how to use the Site.

Recipes and Thankfulness

Happy Thanksgiving!  I thought you would enjoy these cute scarecrows.  They look like my parents who created them.   "Mimi and Pa" are standing guard over the pecans.

What a wonderful time to focus on friends and family and be thankful for our blessings.  I thought I would share a few of my favorite recipes.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

 

http://hubpages.com/hub/Cheesecake_Factory_Pumpkin_cheesecake_recipe

 

I used the Bon Appetit recipe without the sour cream topping.  So, you could use the first recipe listed and just make it with a gingersnap crust.  Serve it with whipped cream, caramel sauce drizzle and gingersnap crumbs on top!

 

Cranberry Sauce

http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/orange_cranberry_sauce.htm

 

The first 4 ingredients are a must, but the spices are up to you. 

 

 

Pumpkin Bread

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001110257

 

This is an easy recipe that always turns out nicely.  Just don't over mix the batter.  Makes 2 loaves.

Book Adventure

Book Adventure (bookadventure.com) is a free resource for children, parents, and teachers sponsored by the Sylvan Learning Foundation. Users can create book lists from over 7,000 recommended titles, access multiple choice quizzes, even earn prizes. 
I was looking for books to use in a unit on Tall Tales.  I went to the Book List and chose books by grade level and category.  It will make my trip to the library or Scholastic Bookroom easier. 
The Teacher's Lounge is filled with tips and links that will make planning literacy lessons much easier.  I know that you will enjoy this Website.  Barnes and Noble also sponsors a Website that offers a discount and ideas for the books listed in Book Adventure. 
It takes a few minutes to register. Be sure to uncheck the offers and emails if you don't want them in your in-box.

Engaging Young Readers

I have been thinking about our young readers and how we can encourage them to enjoy books.  Finding just right books for younger readers (DRA levels 4-16) can be difficult.  The following books are about toys and will appeal to boys and girls.  You can use the links to promote the books and get ideas for using them in your classroom. 

Monkey and Me, by Emily Gravett, is about a little girl and her toy monkey.  The author reads the book aloud here.

Traction Man is Here, by Mini Grey, is a rowdy ride for young readers.  Traction Man is an action figure who takes readers on an adventure within a little boy's imagination.
Traction Man Is Here! (Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards (Awards))

Cool Cars and Trucks, by Sean Kenny, is a hands-on book for young children who like to build with LEGO’s.  The author talks about the book here.   He has another book, Cool Robots.