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a set of 54 non-fiction stories from Scholastic for K-2 students. The stories are feature pictures and short passages of text that students can read on their own or have read to them by each story's narrator. The collection of stories is divided into eight categories: social studies, science, plants and flowers, environmental stories, civics and government, animals, American history, and community.

a handy site for teachers who are looking for some lesson plan ideas to go along with children's books. The library features picture books, books for early readers, and books for young adults. Each book is linked to a list of activities that could be done either while reading the book or after reading the book. The books themselves are not free (you can buy them online or find them locally) but the listed activities are free for your viewing. Teaching Library is supported through Amazon Affiliate sales so if you purchase a book through their site you will be supporting them.  Applications for Education Teaching Library could be a good resource for teachers struggling to develop a new lesson idea. If you're looking for some new books to add to you classroom, but you're not sure which ones you want, take a look at Teaching Library's suggestions.

Through one of Tony Vincent's Tweets I learned about a wonderful free iPad app from Read Write Think. Read Write Think Trading Cards allows students to create trading cards about people, places, and events both real and fictional. I used the app to create a trading card about Winston Churchill. To create my Winston Churchill trading card I simply selected "real person" from the list of trading card options, uploaded a picture of Winston Churchill that I found on the web, and then filled in the details that the trading card template asked for. My completed trading card can be shared via email, printed, or saved to my iPad's camera roll

Excellent cartoon depicting story mountain. Middle and upper elem reading teachers should see this.

can log in with a class login in order to get book suggestions. Students can log in and write the reviews. Can leave name as a tab. Teacher can stay on top of it. Can put on classroom webpage as book suggestions. Then virtual shelf is available. Gets kids excited about reading

blog post on using Literature Map - a site that would recommend books based on authors you have read.  Good for the young and old.

"paper.li organizes links shared on Twitter into an easy to read newspaper-style format. Newspapers can be created for any Twitter user, list or #tag. A great way to stay on top of all that is shared by the people you follow - even if you are not connected 24/7 !"

FREE Games for Kids. Math, Science, Reading, Grammar, Art, Music, Social Studies, and more

 free children's ebooks that you can view online and or download to your local computer. As Children's Books Forever points out, the books are suitable for use on SmartBoards. There are books available in twelve languages including English, Spanish, German, and Japanese.  Applications for Education This is usually where I would write a suggestion or two for using Children's Books Forever in your classroom. But Kelly actually was an elementary school teacher (I've been in secondary ed my entire career) so I recommend reading Kelly's suggestions for using Children's Books Forever in your classroom.

According to the website, it is currently in beta for a limited time. You can use all the features in the product for the time being. After the beta period, they will decide if some free functions will possibly be restricted in its use. So do be prepared for the site to change in the future. Keep an eye on the site for more information. Read more http://www.whiteboardblog.co.uk/2012/12/make-word-clouds-with-typoeffects/

Excellent blog post with great Web 2.0 tool recommendations.  Quick read that leads to creativity of what next to try!

I highly recommend Audrey Watter's blog in general, and this particular  blog post is essential reading for entrepeneurs and classroom teachers  alike. Do you know the answers to questions posed here?

Great professional development read. Several topics: Assessment, Evaluation, & Curriculum Redesign, Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning, Cooperative and Collaborative Learning, Inquiry-based Learning, and more!

a free Android app for learning and practicing the pronunciations words and phrases in English, Spanish, and French. With Listen & Speak installed on your Android phone or on your Android tablet you can hear the proper pronunciations of hundreds of words and phrases. After hearing a word or phrase read to you, you can speak it back into your device and have your pronunciations graded for you. If you're not happy with your grade, you can repeat the word or phrase as many times as you like until you get it right. Listen & Speak could be a good, free Android app for students learning English, Spanish, or French to use for independent practice. The feedback feature will help students recognize errors in their pronunciations and correct them before moving on to more difficult words and phrases.

Following the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v F.E.C., the growth of Super PACs, and the influx of negative ads this campaign season, some Americans are concerned about the influence of money on our electoral system and our democracy itself. Others point out that wealthy individuals, corporations, and labor unions have always influenced politics and point to the loopholes of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act as the origin of unlimited contributions. Does money = speech, and do any restrictions on campaign contributions violate the First Amendment?  Does money unfairly influence our political process? In this election year, help your students understand and develop their own opinions about these campaign financing issues. Watch a variety of C-SPAN video clips explaining the varying sides, read articles with opposing viewpoints, complete associated activities, and engage students in classroom deliberations.