Blogs!

Hello!

     Summers are wonderful for teachers not only for the rest and relaxation that comes along with it, but for the time we are now allowed to study and research on teaching topics that we usually cannot afford throughout the year!  One of the items that I researched this summer were teacher blogs.  I receive so many emails about other teaching blogs that I was interested in checking them out.  Hearing about them last year also gave me the idea to start one of my own!
     With the thousands of blogs on the web today, where did I begin?!  Scholastic has created a list of their Top 14 Teacher Blogs which was a great resource for me.  This is where I found one of my favorite blogs, A Year of Reading.

(http://readingyear.blogspot.com/)

     A Year of Reading has a countless number of kid book reviews.  The bloggers on this site are two teachers; one in 5th and another in 3rd.  The slight difference in their grade levels allows them to review a myriad of children's books from all ages.  Sometimes, they even include an adult book or two.  :) There is such a variety that many are some in which I have never even heard!  I love reading about books that might not be on the Bestsellers List but are still great resources to use in the classroom. This blog also includes poetry, uses for the poems and books that are reviewed, book lists, author and illustrator websites as well as a list of blogs that the bloggers follow.  This is where I found another blog that I find is filled with great information, The Nerdy Book Club.

(http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/)

     Besides the fact that I LOVE the title of this blog, it is quite unique because it involves various book reviewers rather than just the creators.  The Nerdy Book Club blog asks other bloggers to submit reviews, top ten lists, and posts about their reading lives.  They are reviewed and if chosen, are posted on the blog.  This format gives multiple bibliophiles the opportunity to be published with a wide variety of tastes, styles, and interests.  If the reviewers have a blog, that is also featured.  Maybe I will be featured on the blog one day.... :)

(http://stepintosecondgrade.blogspot.com/)

     When I was told that I was moving to second grade from 4th and 5th, I truly did not know where to begin.  In order to combat some of my anxiety, I started researching information on the Internet right away.  One of the first resources that I found was from Amy Lemons, a second grade teacher in the south.  Her blog, Step Into Second Grade, is so much fun and made me love my grade change right away!  Her ideas are innovative, creative, and engaging.  I have already taken many from her website and used them in my classroom immediately.  My students LOVE the activities!  One that Lemons created was using the text, The Recess Queen.  What a great book to start the beginning of the year to teach about kindness, respect, school rules, and community.  She posts almost daily and includes student work, pictures, and links if she found her ideas from another website.  Many of her resources are located on Teachers Pay Teachers and a few are even freebies!  She is certainly a dedicated teacher who is passionate about her job; it shines through her blog!

(http://www.3rdgradethoughts.com/)

     Finally, through Pinterest I came across the blog Third Grade Thoughts by a teacher named Stephanie.  I utilized this blog often when I taught 4th and 5th grade due to variety of Daily 5 activities that she posts.  Even though she teaches 3rd grade, I was easily able to modify them to meet my older students' needs.  Now that I am in second grade, it is easier to use the ideas as is.  Just like Step Into Second Grade, the Third Grade Thoughts blog posts pictures of student work to show exactly how it has been used in her classroom.  She also works with Teachers Pay Teachers but many of her items I have gotten as freebies.  Additionally, Stephanie's blog has been featured in many different organizations such as NBC News, Scholastic's Parent & Child magazine, and Really Good Stuff catalog.  This is another great blog to check out!

     I would love to learn about more successful and helpful blogs that I could use in the classroom.  Please feel free to share as well as enjoy the ones I have posted today!