3/31/2015: Anniversary of the First Official Map of the United States

Do you study geography with your class?  You may be interested to know that the first official map of the United States was published on March 31, 1784 by Abel Buell, a silversmith turned mapmaker. Buell published his map in the Connecticut Journal.  March 31 1784 was seven months after the Treaty of Paris had ended the American Revolutionary War.  Buell himself claimed that this map was “the first ever compiled, engraved, and finished by one man, and an American.”

My book original book Directions - First Grade Level I Reader is great for social studies or geography unit! This book is also included in First Grade Leveled Books: Level I – Set 1.  

My first grade Level C reader “A Map and a Globe” is also dedicated to geography.  it can be found in Social Studies Topics – Levels C – E. For higher grade level, the story “Finding the Mississippi – Using a Map and Globe” is included in my third grade level N – Set 1

3/17/2015: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Haven Hill Learning!

My original reader Shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day is a fun, informative book for St. Patrick's Day or a social studies unit on Ireland or holidays.

Also, your class can "go green" with my original reader Do Your Part to Save the Earth, a wonderful way to talk with your class about the important ways people can adapt their habits to help protect wildlife. It is accompanied by six pages of worksheets which reinforce literacy skills involving reading, language, spelling, and writing as well as science concepts. Your class can explore more science topics while building their reading skills in some of my other original readers, including the Leveled Book Series Nature & Science Topics – Leveled Books: Kindergarten Levels A/B, Nature & Science Topics – Leveled Books: First Grade Levels F/G and Nature & Science Topics – Leveled Books: First Grade Levels H/I.

3/16/2015: Amelia Earhart and Women's History Month

March is well under way, and I hope that you have been enjoying some interesting Women’s History Month lessons with your class. The official website http://womenshistorymonth.gov/ is full of engaging resources.  For example, your students can use the Smithsonian X 3D Explorer to take a virtual look at Amelia Earhart’s Flight Suit

Your class can also learn more about this ground-breaking female pilot in my reader “Amelia Earhart - Soaring High.”

March is the perfect time to share my collection of leveled readers Famous Women in History: Leveled Books for Grades 2 - 4 with your class.  This series includes books on eight notable American women, including Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton and Helen Keller.   My Teachers Pay Teachers site also includes individual readers on other remarkable women such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Sojourner Truth, among others.

3/10/2015: Happy 150th Anniversary to "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"

2015 is the 150th anniversary of the classic book “Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland.”

Mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who is better known as Lewis Carroll, is the author of “Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland” and its sequel “Through the Looking Glass.”   

Besides being lots of fun to read, these stories are also full of adventures for the brain.  

The BBC shares how the stories of Alice and her adventures are now inspiring modern neuroscientists.  A fascinating story from NPR shares that the first version of the Alice story that he wrote for the real Alice Liddel had no mathematical references, but the books now contain many clever math references.

Your students will be able to study math and vocabulary with my Math Topics readers.  This original series of leveled books is written to incorporate the Fountas and Pinnell leveled vocabulary, Rebecca Sitton spelling words, and general core curriculum standards for grades K-6 in the United States.

3/9/2015: Thank you for your feedback!

Thank you to those of you who have tried out my books with your class and have shared such positive feedback on my Teachers Pay Teachers site!

Recent feedback includes a response "President's Day: First Grade Leveled Book - Level C": “This was perfect for President's Day!”

Also, a comment by a first grade teacher regarding "Actions of a Brave Six-Year Old, Ruby Bridges":

WOW! I believe I have almost everyone of your products on my wish list after discovering your store! I purchased this product along with the Thomas Edison packet for my first graders. We just wrapped up our unit on American Contributors and several of my girls fell in love with the story of Ruby Bridges. Even though this is a 3rd grade level my entire class begged for their own Ruby Bridges packet after seeing a copy. So, thank you for providing me with a resource that I could use for several lessons!!! Thank you for all of your amazing products!

Thank you again for taking the time to visit my blog and to try out my books, I hope that you all continue to enjoy sharing them with your students!

3/8/2015: Happy International Women's Day!

Happy International Women’s Day!

International Women’s Day was first celebrated on March 19, 1911 by people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.  In some parts of the world today International Women’s Day is celebrated in a similar way to our Mother’s Day celebrations in America.  

In the United States, International Women’s Day falls during our celebration of Women’s History Month.  

According to the United Nations “International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.  This year’s theme, “Empowering Women - Empowering Humanity: Picture It!”  envisions a world where all women and girls can picture making their own choices to shape their lives.

March is the perfect time to share my collection of leveled readers Famous Women in History: Leveled Books for Grades 2 - 4 with your class.  This series includes books on eight notable American women, including Clara Barton and Helen Keller.   My Teachers Pay Teachers site also includes individual readers on other remarkable women such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Sojourner Truth, among others.  

3/2/2015: Happy Read Across America Day 2015!

Welcome to March, and happy Read Across America Day!  Read Across America Day is a celebration of reading that takes place nationwide every year on (or around) March 2nd to celebrate Theodor Seuss Geisel’s, also known as Dr Seuss’s, birthday.

Seusville, the official website of Dr. Seuss and his books offers some fun online games and activities that your students can play to interact with some of their favorite Dr Seuss characters, such as the Grinch, or the Cat in the Hat.  Another great way to celebrate Read Across America Day is to build your students reading skills by learning more about the author himself.  My original Second Grade Level K Reader Dr. Seuss - Best-Selling Children's Author is a biography that tells the story of Dr. Seuss.

This second grade level K guided reading book comes with four companion worksheets which reinforce literacy skills involving reading, language, spelling, and writing. Specific concepts, skills, and vocabulary targeted in this reader are listed on the first page of the story. Please check out my Pintrest Read Across America Day board for more engaging ideas for your classroom.