BBC- The Little Animal Activity Centre- books August 20, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Books, ELA, SMART Board, Websites.Tags: INteractive books
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Another great BBC site to share … The Little Animal Activity Centre-books. This site offers three interactive books that are animated and quite fun! It should be noted that this is a British site, so some of the words used may not be familiar and/or may be spelled differently for some students. For nonreaders there is the option to have the books read. For use on the SMARTBoard each book presents well and has several opportunities to reinforce both cause/effect and following direction objectives. ENJOY!
Sit, Stay, Read. August 16, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Books, ELA.Tags: ELA, reading, Sit Stay Read
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I saw this video and thought it interesting from both the perspective of a teacher and a dog lover. I am always amazed at what the power of a dog’s unconditional love can do to motivate and raise one’s self-worth. I have brought my little 4 pound Yorkie, Spencer, to my classroom on a few occassions and once everyone finishes with their oooooooooo’s and ahahahah’s (because he is just the cutest dog EVER!!), they quickly begin to respond positively to his presence. So watch and enjoy!
Fablevision is simply FABULOUS! June 1, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Books, ELA, SMART Board, Websites, art.Tags: ELA, fables, Fablevision
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I have enjoyed the Fabulous FABLEVISION website for a few years now and I have to admit it is one of my favorites! I very much enjoy the tales they share in the Fable Library- my favorites being The Blue Shoe, Deep Spring, The Clever Stick and of course The North Star. Each of the tales presents with inspirational words, coupled with the vision and belief that we all can make a positive difference not only in our lives, but in the lives of others. That we are each unique and need to celebbrate and embrace who we are and not to be afraid to follow our dreams. A wonderful message for all to hear. I find myself referring to these books throughout the year in my classroom to reinforce social skills, cooperation and the “Yes I Can” theme. TeleFables are Flash books you can read online or download. The site also has free basic interactive games that work well on the SMARTBoard. When you explore the site you will also discover other worthwhile features like Educator’s Resources, Fable Radio, etc.
Peter Reynolds, the founder of Fablevision and the author and illustrator of many delightful, creative, thought provoking books is AWESOME! He recently was interviewed by a CBS Boston news station about his passion to inspire children, educators and families through his work- click here to view the clip. Many thanks to Mr. Reynolds from me, someone who is enjoying, and more importantly appreciating every step of my journey to the North Star. 
What’s Wrong With Timmy? May 1, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Books, Down Syndrome, Special Education.Tags: Disability, Down Syndrome, Maria Shriver, Special needs
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Yesterday when I brought Darren for his annual physical this young boy who was at the doctor’s office looked at Darren and stated “Mommy, that boy’s face looks really funny.” It was obvious that his mother was embarrassed and didn’t know what to say and quickly pulled the little boy to another area, scolded him for making the comment and told him to be quiet. After getting Darren’s permission to talk to this boy about him I went over and explained that Darren has Down Syndrome, which is why he looks different, but that Darren is just like him in so many other way. During our conversation I was reminded of the book ”What’s Wrong With Timmy?” by Maria Shriver, because Timmy reminds me of our Darren- someone who lives life to have fun, give love, never judges and just wants to be accepted for who he is. Darren has brightened our lives and definitely reminds me each and every day what is important in life. Believe me when I have had a rough day at work and I come home to Darren’s “Be Happy” attitude, all of the problems seem to melt away.
The essence of this book is best explained by Maria Shriver when she writes, “Anytime children see children who look, talk, or act differently, their first question usually is, “What’s wrong with them?” My hope is that this little book will help children understand that kids with disabilities are not to be feared, pitied, or ridiculed, but are to be embraced, challenged, and included. It is, I believe, one way to teach our children that no matter how we are born, we are all God’s unique children.”
So if you haven’t read this book with your children yet, you might want to put it on your “have to read” list.
“The Lives They Left Behind” April 20, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Books, Special Education, Websites.Tags: , Autism, book, Special Education, Website
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I learned about a very interesting, thought provoking website today from a college friend. She thought I might be interested in this site knowing that my teaching career had started at a state institution. An institution where, when it was first opened, the primary diagnosis for admittance was Epilepsy and not MR. I often wondered about the circumstances that the people who lived there had faced when they were placed. This institution became their “home” and a place that many chose not to leave, when given a choice. So many “what if” questions would pop into my head when I would come to know many of the folks who lived there. Anyway, back to the website– it’s called The Willard Suitcase Exhibit Online. As explained on the site: “When Willard Psychiatric Center in New York’s Finger Lakes closed in 1995, workers discovered hundreds of suitcases in the attic of an abandoned building. The suitcases and their contents bear witness to the rich, complex lives their owners lived prior to being committed to Willard. They speak about aspirations, accomplishments, community connections, but also about loss and isolation.” After more research I discovered that this site is based on a book:
“The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic” by Darby Penney and Peter Stastny. Photographs by Lisa Rinzler. Based on almost 10 years of historical
detective work…. about the lives of 10 people who were committed to Willard State Hospital in New York’s Finger Lakes during the first half of the 20th century.” The book is now on my- “to read” list.
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter April 11, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Books, Special Education.Tags: Down Syndrome, Lifetime Movie, Special Education, Special needs
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This book by Kim Edwards is on my list of top 5 favorite books. Perhaps it’s in part due to the fact that my first job in Special Ed was at a State Institution. Many of the people who lived there had been placed there at birth. I remember often thinking “what if” alot– what if Sarah had grown up in a home, what if Johnny had had the opportunity to go to a public school, what if Timmy didn’t have to share a bedroom with 50 other people, what if they had early intervention, what if they could make choices about their lives, what if… This book, in many ways, addressed many of my “what if” questions and reaffirmed my belief that one person can make a difference in the life of someone who lives with a disability. This book also struck home because we have opened our home and our hearts to a young man with Down Syndrome and it has been the most rewarding journey.
Now back to the reason for this post– The Lifetime Channel has turned this wonderful book into a movie which will air tomorrow night, April 12th at 9PM. An excerpt- ”The birth of a child should be the happiest moment in a couple’s life. But when a doctor’s wife has twins, one of whom has Down syndrome, this physician makes the difficult decision to send one of his babies away. An attending nurse discovers his plan and intervenes, putting into motion events that will haunt the doc, his wife and his son for the next 20 years.”
So read the book, watch the movie…. and have your Kleenex ready.
Read a “Looky Book”! March 31, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Books, SMART Board, Special Education, Websites.Tags: Books, reading, SMARTBoard, Website
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If you haven’t checked out the website www.lookybook.com you might want to take a minute to do so! I came across this website when I started a Google search for books online. I should let you know up front that this is a website designed to sell books. It may not work for all classrooms, but the reason I like this site is because you can view and read over 200 picture books, for free, with no obligation. I would recommend that you register (it’s free) to eliminate the requests to purchase the book while reading. Using the SMART Board today we read ”Owls” by Gail Gibbons. It was a perfect activity since we are learning about animal habitats. The books are not interactive (students can, however, touch the screen to turn the pages), but having the book projected onto the screen is a plus for my students. I read the pages using a pen light to highlight the words, asked comprehension questions and had students identify the illustrations, etc. The one negative is that the ease of reading the text is dependent on the size of the text in each book. The illustrations, however, in all the books I have used are wonderful and a great spring board for picture identification, prediction, composition, etc. The other obvious advantage and time saving feature of this site is that you can simply review books that you might want to use in your classroom without having to go to the library. All in all it definitely is worth a “Looky Book”!
