10/1/2016: Get Your Class Ready for Election Season!

Are you talking with your students about voting in this election year?  It is never too early to get the conversation started!  PBS has a great guide to talking about the election

The Spirit of America - Volume 1 is a great collection of my Level D - I readers that have patriotic themes!  Students will read about topics such as voting, Veterans Day, our flag, the United States Constitution, the Liberty Bell, and much more while learning new vocabulary and improving their reading comprehension.

Wonderful to use as your classroom studies about our country, historic holidays, and famous Americans. The collection makes it easy to combine reading, writing, and social studies.

9/29/2016: Celebrating Johnny Appleseed

This week we are wishing a "Happy Birthday" to John Chapman, who later became known as Johnny Appleseed! John was born September 26, 1774, in Leominster, MA. Today you can visit Nova, Ohio, to see the last known tree to be planted by Johnny Appleseed himself,  it is 176 years old! 

My original play “The Tale of Johnny Appleseed” is a great way to learn more about this famous frontiersman with your class!

One user recently gave us this feedback: "How fun! .. and at the perfect level for my first graders. Thanks so much!!"

I am sure your class will also have fun with this readers' theater play.  

7/12/206: Outdoor Summertime Fun!

It is summertime, have you been taking advantage of the warm weather with your summer school students?  Summer is a great time to get outside and explore the natural world as part of your science curriculum.  A great complement to this is my set of “Nature & Science Topics – Leveled Books: First Grade Levels F/G”

You may find bees and ladybugs outside with your students, these are a few of the nature and science topics that your students will read about in this collection of first grade leveled books for levels F and G.

The books are grouped into various collections. This collection includes 6 first grade level F and G books on Nature & Science topics – Level F: A Beehive; The Doctor Visit; Basic Organisms; and The Air You Breathe; Level G: A is for Animal; and Ladybugs.  

User Therese LePage commented  "I love using these books for guided reading and for tutoring! I am always looking for good non-fiction (especially leveled) to use with students and these are a good option. "   Thanks Therese, hopefully other users out there will love them too!

4/11/2016: Happy Birthday Thomas Jefferson!

Are you and your class ready to wish a “Happy Birthday” to Thomas Jefferson?

Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, was born on April 13th, 1743.  He was an important Founding Father, and the main author of the Declaration of Independence.  The Monticello Classroom has some great resources for kids and educators on their website.

My original reader The Founding Fathers is another great resource for your students to learn about Thomas Jefferson and some of his Founding Father peers.  Your class can learn more about some of America’s other fascinating Founding Fathers in my third grade level O reader Ben Franklin - A Man with an Electric Personality my first-grade Level G reader Ben Franklin, my second grade Level L reader John Hancock and a Study of Pronouns.  Your students will learn more about The Liberty Bell, and The United States Flag in my set of leveled books Social Studies Topics - Leveled Books: First Grade Levels H/I

3/24/2016: Women's History Month

As we enter into the end of March, I hope that you are enjoying studying some fascinating women with your class during Women’s History Month.  

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)

3/23/2016: Spring is Here- Looking Ahead to Arbor Day

Spring is officially here!  It is a perfect time to enjoy the beauty of nature- baby animals, flowers, and trees!  Speaking of trees, Arbor Day will soon be here!  According to the Arbor Day Foundation “National Arbor Day is always celebrated on the last Friday in April, but many states observe Arbor Day on different dates throughout the year based on best tree planting times in their area.”  

Performing my original play "Trees – A Joy Forever!" is a great way to celebrate Arbor Day and the arrival of Spring!  This play is written for 2nd - 5th grades and has 11 parts. The play focuses on J. Sterling Morton, the founder of Arbor Day. The play tells the history of Morton’s contribution to establishing Arbor Day as a national holiday through the eyes of the statue (J. Sterling Morton). The statue comes alive when two children walk through Arbor Lodge Historical Park in Nebraska.

This is an original play written for use as readers’ theater, as a part of balanced literacy (Read-Aloud, Shared and Performance Reading or Guided Reading), or for an actual play production. In readers’ theater or through one of the balanced literacy approaches to teaching reading, children are not expected to memorize their lines, yet the reading encourages strong oral skills.

You can find other original readers’ theater plays on my Teachers Pay Teachers site

2/26/2016: Lewis and Clark

Are your students drawn to exciting true stories of explorers?  My reader The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Level T Reader is a great book for combining social studies with reading and language arts!

From this fifth-grade Level T reader, students will learn about the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark who traveled through the western U.S. all the way to the Pacific Ocean to map the new lands of the Louisiana Purchase.

This reader "The Lewis and Clark Expedition" is included in a collection of other Level T readers - Level T - Set 1. That set includes 10 books:

- What are the Chances?;

- The Colonial Period;

- The Lewis and Clark Expedition;

- Delta, Canyon, Sand Dunes – Impact of Weathering and Erosion;

- I Pledge Allegiance;

- Lady Liberty Welcomes All;

- A Series of Firsts – The 2008 Presidential Elections;

- Cesar Chavez – “Si Se Puede” (“Yes, it can be done”);

- Name Your Sources;

- 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – Washington, D.C. – The White House

Find these books, and more, at my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

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)

2/24/2016: Looking Ahead to Read Across America Day!

As February draws to a close,I am looking forward to March and 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.  This year it is being celebrated on Wednesday March 2nd by thousands of schools and libraries across the country.

A great way to celebrate Read Across America Day is reading my reader Second Grade Level K Reader Dr. Seuss - Best-Selling Children's Author with your class. This original book 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.

2/23/2015:Orville and Wilbur Wright - Free Spirits

I wrote recently about some of my original books on inventors.  If you are looking for other inventor options, check out my original reader Orville and Wilbur Wright - Free Spirits.  

In this Level T reader your students will learn facts about Orville and Wilbur Wright, who were early pioneers of flight, and their invention of a flying machine.

This is a great resource to combine social studies and language arts.  The book comes with 5 companion worksheets which reinforce literacy skills involving reading, language, spelling, and writing. Specific concepts, skills, and vocabulary targeted in this 5th grade Level T reader are listed on the first page of the story.

This story is one of the books in the collection of Level T - Set 2 readers. The ten books in that collection are:

- Alternative Energy Sources – Wind, Solar, Geothermal, and Hydroelectric Power;

- John Deere – An Improved Plow;

- Founding of St. Augustine, 1565;

- Orville and Wilbur Wright – Free Spirits;

- Fun with Words – Simile, Metaphor, and Onomatopoeia;

- The Greatness of the Plains;

- Causes and Effects of the French and Indian War;

- Sedimentary Rock, Fossils, and Fossil Fuels;

- The Manifest Destiny;

- Metric Conversions.

Find these books, and more, at my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

2/23/2015: Sam Houston

March is just a week away!  On March 2, 1793  Sam Houston was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia.  Do your students enjoy reading biographies?  In my first-grade Level G reader Sam Houston: Hero of Texas students will learn about Sam Houston, who was a governor of Tennessee and Texas and who fought for Texas' freedom from Mexico. He is also the namesake of Houston, Texas.  

The book is sold as a single book as well as part of two collections of books -

Level G (Set 1) and Social Studies Topics: First-grade level F/G books which includes:

F: Constitution Day; Facts about the Alamo; Garrett Morgan;

Jobs; Alexander Graham Bell; G: Why Work?; San Jacinto Day;

Statue of Liberty; Sam Houston; and Ben Franklin

2/16/2016: February is a fabulous time to study inventors!

Do your kids enjoy tinkering and expressing their creativity?

February is a particularly great time to bring inventors into your lessons to inspire your students to explore their own innovative ideas for inventions.  It is the birth month of many famous inventors, and famous African-American inventors are also fun to study as part of Black History Month.  For example, my first-grade level F reader Garrett Morgan: Inventor, will describe to your students the important inventions this great African-American inventor made, including the traffic signal light. This is one of the books contained in the collection of leveled readers entitled "Famous African-Americans in U.S. History, Leveled Books for Grades 1 – 3."

February 11th is the birthday of birthday of Thomas Edison.  My first grade level E reader “Thomas Edison: Inventor” will teach your students interesting facts while they will build their vocabulary and improve their reading comprehension.  Benjamin Franklin recently had a birthday, on January 17th.   In Benjamin Franklin, my first-grade Level G reader, students will learn about this famous American  statesman, writer, printer, scientist, and inventor.

Combining reading and social studies activities, this first-grade Level F reader provides interesting facts about Alexander Graham Bell- Inventor of the Telephone. Your students will build their vocabulary and improve their reading comprehension as they read the story, answer questions, and have fun with the criss cross puzzle.  My second grade leveled reader "Robert Fulton - Steamboat Inventor" provides a brief history of Robert Fulton's life and his love for invention. Steamboats, a submarine, and canal systems were some of the projects he worked on during his lifetime. I hope that you enjoy exploring inventions and inspiring creativity in your own classroom.

2/4/2016:Cyrus McCormick - A New Way to Cut Crops

I hope that you have been enjoying February so far with your students!  We started off with Groundhog Day and there is so much amazing Black History to celebrate for all of Black History Month!

It may soon be winter, but soon spring will be springing up and that means plants! Early spring is a great time to discuss plants, gardens, and how we grow our food.  A new addition to my TpT Store is Cyrus McCormick - A New Way to Cut Crops

This is a great book for integrating literacy and social studies. In this third-grade Level O reader, students will learn about Cyrus McCormick and his invention of the mechanical reaper which helped to revolutionize agriculture.

The book is sold as a single book as well as part of my Level O - Set 2 collection of 6 books:

• Bill Martin, Jr. - America’s Favorite Children’s Author;

• Cyrus McCormick – A New Way to Cut Crops;

• Helen Keller: Spelling W-A-T-E-R;

• Mary Kay of Mary Kay Cosmetics;

• Famous Amos Cookies; and

• Bill Gates, Riches beyond Money

1/25/2016: Groundhog's Day is Almost Here!

Groundhog’s Day is almost here! According to popular lore, if the groundhog sees his shadow on February 2nd we will be in for six more weeks of winter.  If he does not, we will get an early spring!  Probably the best-known groundhog is Phil in Punxsutawney, PA, "The Home of the Groundhog!" The official Groundhog’s Day site has a lot of great resources for educators.

If you are looking for another fun resource, your students will have fun learning interesting facts about Groundhog's Day and groundhogs when they read this play "Happy Groundhog's Day" and take part in the original card game "I Have, Who Has? – All about Groundhogs", included with the play. This fun, interactive game will have your class ask and answer questions to help reinforce facts and information shared in the play.

Written with 28 parts, the play is set at a school where the students meet the legendary groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, and are excited to learn all about Groundhog’s Day. Information about groundhogs is reviewed with a special game their teacher made for them.  

You can select this great play as your bonus item for the rest of this month! During the month of January, for each one of the new language arts books you purchase (Leaping into Language Arts series for grades 1 – 5), you can select an additional item of your choice FREE from my TpT store

After your purchase of the language arts book is made, send to me your name, email address, the grade level(s) of the language arts book(s) purchased and the TITLE(s) OF THE ITEM YOU WOULD LIKE FREE. 

Send to my personal email at: foxvalleytutor@gmail.com   I will mail out your FREE item(s) ASAP. 

1/20/2016: Start 2016 Inspired- Storewide Sale!

Start 2016 inspired!  Haven Hill Learning is participating in the sitewide TpT sale on Jan 20-21.  For these days only, enjoy 20 % off products in my TpT store and then use code START16 to get additional savings!

1/18/2016: For January, buy a Language Arts book and select an additional item FREE!

I hope that you have been enjoying 2016 so far!  

During the month of January, for each one of the new language arts books you purchase (Leaping into Language Arts series for grades 1 – 5), you can select an additional item of your choice FREE from my TpT store at https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Sue-Peterson-3911   

After your purchase of the language arts book is made, send to me your name, email address, the grade level(s) of the language arts book(s) purchased and the TITLE(s) OF THE ITEM YOU WOULD LIKE FREE. 

Send to my personal email at: foxvalleytutor@gmail.com   I will mail out your FREE item(s) ASAP. 

Thank you for your purchase(s)!

1/17/2016: It is Almost Martin Luther King Jr Day!

It is almost Martin Luther King Jr Day!

The week Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a wonderful time to teach your students about the life and legacy of the great American Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I have created two original plays about Dr. King, I Have A Dream - The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and The Dream - A Play about Martin Luther King, Jr.

These plays are complete with a teaching guide that lists questions before and after reading the play, words to preview, and extension activities, your students will have fun, build self-confidence and increase in reading fluency, comprehension and vocabulary development.

You can read more about Dr. King in my reader Martin Luther King, Jr. - First Grade Level D Reader.  My original series of leveled books is written to incorporate the Fountas and Pinnell leveled vocabulary, Rebecca Sitton spelling words, and common core curriculum standards for grades K-6 in the United States. They are great materials for Black History Month in February as well!