12/29/2015: Leap Into 2016!

The December holidays have come and gone, and soon school will be back in session.  Why not leap into a new year with some new readers for your class, like my new “Leaping Into Language Arts” readers?

“Leaping into Language Arts” are grammar and writing workbooks that contains instruction and exercises aimed at teaching grammar in the context of practical writing skills.  There are separate books aimed at grades 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Enjoy the rest of 2015!

12/13/2015: Happy St Lucia Day!

It is already mid-December!  In different parts of the world, children may have been celebrating St. Nicholas Day or St Lucia Day as part of their own Christmas season tradition.  In my original play Where in the World is the Spirit of Christmas Detective John T. Brown travels the world to solve the Spirit of Christmas. Along the way he meets children from Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Mexico and Sweden in hopes of finding the Grinch who is missing the holiday spirit. Come and see how others celebrate this holiday and how the Grinch learned that Christmas is really more than things.

My original holiday-themed books and plays are a fun and educational way to add some festivity into your classroom this season.  This is also a time of year when many of our thoughts turn to sweets and treats!  In my original play Candy Land, children play the traditional board game (Candy Land) and when they begin the game by moving their tokens down the Rainbow Trail, a lick of a sucker causes them to be thrown into a land far from home and set off on an adventure with their dog Brownie and a familiar cast of Candy Land characters.  

All of my original plays may be used as readers’ theater, as a part of balanced literacy (Read-Aloud, Shared and Performance Reading or Guided Reading), or for an actual play production. Using plays in literacy-based classrooms promotes active listening for the performers, as well as the audience, and offers an engaging way to teach reading skills.

12/2/2015: Happy (almost) Birthday to Louis Pasteur!

It is already the middle of December, and the birthday the great French chemist and biologist Louis Pasteur is approaching!  Pasteur was born on December 27th, 1822, in France.   His important contributions to science include proving the germ theory of disease, inventing the process of pasteurisation, and producing the first rabies vaccine.  Pasteurization is used to allow us to keep milk longer, to celebrate Pasteur and science try out this fun color changing milk experiment with your class!

If you looking for a way to combine science, history, reading, and writing activities, my

consider checking out on my book “Louis Pasteur - Exploring Pasteurization and Vaccines” on my Teachers Pay Teachers Site

This third grade Level N reader is a three-page story about some of his greatest discoveries,  accompanied by five pages of worksheets which reinforce literacy skills involving reading, language, spelling, and writing.

Please visit my Pintrest page http://www.pinterest.com/havenhillread/ for more ideas on getting students excited for science!