2/25/2016: Ready for Women's History Month?

We still have  the rest of February left to continue to celebrate Black History Month, but soon March, and Women's History Month will be upon us!  The official website http://womenshistorymonth.gov/ is full of engaging resources.   

My collection of leveled readers, "Famous Women in History" is an excellent way to build literacy skills while learning more about Women’s History.  This collection of leveled readers for second through fourth grade features stories about eight women and their contributions to history.  This series includes books on eight notable American women, including Clara Barton, Helen Keller,Eleanor Roosevelt and Sojourner Truth, among others.

Explore all of them on my Teachers Pay Teachers site:

Amelia Earhart -- Airplane Pilot (level L)

Abigail Adams -- First Lady & Crusader for People’s Rights (level L)

Clara Barton -- Founder of the American Red Cross (level N)

Maria Mitchell -- Astronomer (level N)

Helen Keller -- Inspirational Speaker (level O)

Ellen Ochoa -- Astronaut (level P)

Laura Ingalls Wilder -- Pioneer and Author (level P)

Millie Hughes-Fulford -- Scientist in Space (level R)

3/8/2014 Happy International Women's Day!

Happy International Women’s Day!

Perhaps you have seen the video on Google’s homepage, which includes women from all around the world including activist Malala Yousafzai and Dalia Grybauskaitė the President of Lithuania.  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.  

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, “Equality for women is progress for all”  emphasizes how gender equality, empowerment of women, women’s full enjoyment of human rights and the eradication of poverty are essential to economic and social development. It also stresses the vital role of women as agents of development.”  In the United States, International Women’s Day falls during our celebration of Women’s History Month.  

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.  

3/3/2014 Happy Women's History Month: Helen Keller Meets Anne Sullivan

It is now officially the month of March, Women’s History Month!

On this date in 1887 the famous activist, speaker, and writer Helen Keller met her longtime teacher and companion Anne Sullivan for the first time, when Keller was six years old and Sullivan was twenty.  Helen Keller was left deaf and blind after an illness when she was only a year old.  Helen Keller’s parents were advised by a doctor to visit the inventor and scientist Alexander Graham Bell.  Bell put them in touch with a school for the blind, and the director asked former student Sullivan, who was visually impaired herself, to tutor Keller.   Sullivan taught Keller how to spell word, and the read and write, by having Keller touch different objects and then writing the words on her hand.  

Eventually, Helen Keller learned to speak, as well as learning how to read braille and use sign language.  Your class can learn more about Helen Keller’s life and accomplishments in my original reader Helen Keller: Spelling W-A-T-E-R.  This third-grade level O reader comes with five 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.

Another of my original readers, Alexander Graham Bell - Inventor of the Telephone is a first-grade Level F reader that provides interesting facts about Alexander Graham Bell.  

Helen Keller: Spelling W-A-T-E-R is one of the books in the collection "Famous Women in History - Leveled Books for Grades 2 - 4" which features stories about eight women and their contributions to history, perfect for celebrating Women’s History Month:

Amelia Earhart - Airplane Pilot (level L)

Abigail Adams - First Lady & Crusader for People’s Rights (level L)

Clara Barton - Founder of the American Red Cross (level N)

Maria Mitchell - Astronomer (level N)

Helen Keller - Inspirational Speaker (level O)

Ellen Ochoa - Astronaut (level P)

Laura Ingalls Wilder - Pioneer and Author (level P)

Millie Hughes-Fulford - Scientist in Space (level R)

2/27/2014 Dr. Seuss and Helen Keller

Read Across America Day, Dr. Seuss’s Birthday, is less than a week away now!  Are you ready to celebrate with your class?  Because Dr Seuss’s official birthday, March 2nd, is on a Sunday this year it will be celebrated by educators on Monday, March 3rd.  Did you know that the NEA has also  awarded Read Across America events grants to 18 state affiliates for  Read Across America events and activities?  See what celebrations may be happening in your area.  No matter where you may be located, the NEA provides this free Read Across America 2014 Hats Off to Reading Classroom Activity Guide.  

Another fun way for your class to celebrate reading and the birthday of Dr. Seuss is my original biography, Second Grade Level K Reader Dr. Seuss - Best-Selling Children's Author.  

Someone else who knew a lot about the power of language and reading was Helen Keller.  In another of my original biographies, Helen Keller: Spelling W-A-T-E-R your students will learn about the special life of Helen Keller, who overcame being blind, deaf, and mute to reach many accomplishments. This third-grade level O reader comes with five 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.

This story is one of the books in the collection "Famous Women in History - Leveled Books for Grades 2 - 4" which features stories about eight women and their contributions to history. These books are a great selection for March, Women's History Month!