Storyline Online and David Shannon

You may already know of this fabulous web resource. The Screen Actors Guild has famous actors (and Al Gore) reading storybooks aloud with the text along the bottom. Who wouldn't want James Earl Jones to read them a story? The kindergartners were able to enjoy David Shannon's A Bad Case of Stripes read to them by Sean Astin. He reads it so well the students were engrossed.

Having another voice read them a story complemented our study of David Shannon. The kindergartners have heard me read many of his books. This week kindergartners will learn to draw David. They'll learn why David's teeth are pointy, why his eyes are lopsided, why his nostrils are different sizes, and why there are no holes in his ears. Ask your child why.

If you would like to enjoy a story read aloud click here- Storyline Online.

Pebble Go and Worldbook Online for 3rd grade reports

Third graders will begin to work on animal reports this week.Besides books there are several online resources students can access to find information.
WorldBook Online is available through a district subscription. PebbleGo is available through a school subscription. (I only point that our because I would love to see the school district make this wonderful resource available to all elementary students.) 

The PebbleGo database is filled with nonfiction books on mammals, insects, amphipeans, dinosaurs and more! Most creatures have video clips and many have sound clips. Students can choose to have the text read aloud. 

Worldbook Online is an online encyclopedia available in two different versions- student and kids. There is a read aloud function and entries can be translated in many languages: Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese are just a few choices.

These databases and others and ebooks are all available through our school's MackinVia account. Ask your student about how to log on.