Read for the Record: Ladybug Girl!

I am so happy that Jumpstart's Read for the Record has introduced this series to me!  I think I've seen it in stores, but dismissed it as a younger book.  Boy, was I wrong!  There are different books available:  Ladybug Girl (the original), Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad, Ladybug Girl at the Beach, and Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy are the ones I'm focusing on.

So, our school LOVES to do up events, such as Read for the Record.  It's snowed for Snowy Day (2010), saw an actual llama for Llama Llama Red Pajamas (2011), and this year, it's Ladybug Girl!  Students and faculty are encouraged to dress as their favorite bug on Thursday, October 4 (yep, this Thursday!) and we are having a school-wide assembly that morning!  Our second grade team has the high school football team members coming to read to our kids that day and we are celebrating by decorating cupcakes and having lemonade, just like in the book!

So, for my author study this week, of course we are focusing on Ladybug Girl books by Jacky Davis and David Soman!  Instead of spending a fortune on the books, we are saving money...as well as donating books...by using "We Give Books."  This is such a great site I utilize throughout the year!  It's completely free and has a ton of books to read aloud to your students on there! You can even create an Bug Squad ID on there.  Check out mine! :)

So, my students love doing activities with each of our read-alouds, so I've put together some activities for some of the books and posted them on TpT.  I've posted the first book, Ladybug Girl, FREE!  The others have activities that include sequencing, visualizing, and creating their own bug super power!  Check them out at TpT:  Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy and Ladybug Girl at the Beach! 

Hope you'll join us in Read for the Record on "We Give Books" so you can also make a donation of free books to needy children around the world.  Doesn't cost much - just reading the book!

More Read Aloud Activities!

So, I've been putting together packs with 3 more read-alouds to use in the classroom--something that would be great to pull out when you have a sub!  Directions are included, so it makes it a little easier to leave it all together in a packet to pull when you need it. :) 


The books I focused on this time are Julius by Syd Hoff (Danny the Dinosaur fame), Zack's Alligator, and Billy and the Magic String.  These can all usually be found in your school library if they're not already in your classroom! 


Through today, they're only 50 cents at my Teacher's Notebook store!

Summer Vacation? Not Really....

Any of the rest of you have that?  I mean, I can sleep in and set my own schedule (yippeee!), but right now I'm helping a friend in her classroom merge her items with that of a retiring teacher who left her 30+ years of things (which are GOOD!).  I always have my "to do" list over the summer, so other than sleeping in and not going into my classroom (they ban us until the floors are done!), it's very similar to my school-year weekends! :)

Well, as we merge the 1,001 books together :) and organize them into categories and tubs, we ended up with a pile of classic, good stories, but nowhere to classify them.  I suggested we make them "sub plan" books...you know, where you're able to pull one and have a sub read it aloud to the class and have a few follow-up activities.

I mean, if you're like me, don't you write about 5 pages of sub plans?  I drag myself in unless I'm running a fever because those plans are so lengthy (but they have to be!).  

Anyway, so last night I focused on two of her books...In a People House and It's Not Easy Being a Bunny and came up with two activities.  I LOVE working with books and follow-up activities (guess it's the media specialist in me!), so I enjoyed doing it (yes, my husband says I'm weird!).  This way, I also know I'm helping her out (and myself as well...even though she teaches Kindergarten and I am second...I could use some of the activities for my lower readers!).....we're going to slip the book and activities in a ziploc bag and have it in a tote so she can just pull it for her sub to use, with directions and everything!  

Thought I'd share the idea as well as the links to the two books below on TpT and TN.  Still having my sale on TN....so if you'd like to check it out....each packet is 50 cents through this Saturday or Sunday, I believe!