6th Annual Doodle 4 Google Contest

Students in grades K-12 have the opportunity to win a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology grant for their school. The Doodle 4 Google Contest began 5 years ago, and entries have come from all over the United States. Here is a collection of Google's own doodles which commemorate various events and holidays. This year's theme is "My Best Day Ever.." 

More Information
Application
For Educators
Judging and Prizes

120+ Resources for Your Parents: From Bullying to Special Needs Children

I recently put together a listing of resources for our parents, which covers everything from Bullying to Special Needs Children. I would have liked to add this as another page (tab at the top) but I have reached Blogger's limit of 20 pages. In order to properly bookmark this page, click on the title of the post first. If you have any resources to add, please comment below the post.

BULLYING
Beatbullying- site is for grades K-7

Bullying Prevention Tips- from Edutopia 

The Bully Roundup- interactive game

Bullying-WEBMD's website

The Buzz on Bullying

Cybersafety Pathfinder- on this webpage

Dealing with Bullying- Teen Health's site

Dr. Phil: Bullied to Death- the psychologist speaks about the recent teenage suicides

Developing Your Child's Self Esteem

Girls' Health

How to Spot a Bully- take the quiz

It's My Life- from PBS

Jared High's Story- thirteen year old boy who committed suicide after he was bullied.

Keep Schools Safe

Medline

Nineline- Covenant House's website offers a hotline to assist kids in crisis

No Bully- information includes statistics

Stomp Out Bullying

Stop a Bully- the 3 R's to stop bullying

The Student Pledge to Stop Bullying- your child can sign and submit the pledge

Teens Against Bullying- see how much you really know about bullying

 

COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR KIDS
25 Ways to Talk So Children will Listen
Comunicating with Children

Guidelines for Good Communication with Children

Strategies for Talking with Kids- from PBS Parents

Talking with Kids About Tough Issues- covers drugs, divorce, terrorism, HIV/AIDS, sex

Tips for Parents with Gifted Teens

DIVORCE
DivorceCare- locate local support groups to deal with divorce

DivorceNet- more than 20,000 downloadable documents, divorce library, chat and a daily answer desk

Divorce Source- search by state for information on all issues

Hiring a Lawyer- Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Locator lists each attorney's areas of practice, work experience, education and contact info

DRUGS
The Anti Drug.com - English online service from the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign

Drug Facts-from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Drug-Free America- from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America

La Anti Droga- Spanish online service from the National Youth Anti-DrugMedia Campaign.

National Institute On Drug Abuse- information for parents, teachers and health professionals

Su Familia- National Hispanic Family Health Helpline (1-866-783-2645)

FACT SHEETS

ALA Library Fact Sheets

American Heart Association Statistics Fact Sheets

American Foundation for Childhood Obesity

Australian Immigration Fact Sheets

The Brady Center-guns in our nations schools

Campaign for Free Alcohol Sports TV

Childhood Obesity

DNA

Environmental Technologies Fact Sheets

Fact Sheets on Tobacco and Smoking

Infectious Disease Fact Sheets

Kids' Planet Species Fact Sheets- over 50 species covered

Math Fact Cafe

NASA Facts Online

National Institute for Literacy Fact Sheets

Ocean Planet Fact Sheets

Open Doors 2004- country fact sheets

Planetary Fact Sheets

Population Connection

Rainforest Action Network Fact Sheets

Reading Fact Sheets- from the Department of Education

Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheets

Steroids

Teen Depression & Alcohol

Tobacco Related Health Facts

United States Geological Survey Fact Sheets

HEALTH ISSUES
Allergy and Asthma

Audiology & Speech Language Pathology Programs (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)

Eating Disorders and Pre-Teens & Teens- this site covers anorexia, bulimia & binge eating disorders

Evaluating Health Web Sites- from the Highland Regional Library Cooperative

Find a Dentist (NJ Dental Association)

Find a Family Doctor (American Academy of Family Physicians)

Genetic Counseling Resources (National Society of Genetic Counselors)

Search for Eating Disorder Treatment Providers (National eating Disorders Association)

Teen Depression & Alcohol

INTERNET SAFETY
CyberAngels- world's oldest & largest Internet safety organization

Cybersafety-a page dedicated to safe Internet practices

Cybersmart! -Internet safety tips for elementary school students

Get Netwise- how to steer clear of spammers, hackers, identity theft; keep kids safe online

NetMom- Internet safe house; newsletter, message boards

Parents' Guide to the Internet- U.S. Dept. of Education

PARENTING
About Our Kids- information on mental health for children; resources for parents & professionals, this site is sponsored by the NYU Child Study Center

EmTech- extensive listing of resources for parents

Family Education Network- contains news and articles on all topics; also includes an Idea Exchange area

Family Fun- articles on crafts, cooking, planning parties, traveling etc.
Help and Hope for Single Parents
Help for Parents of Teenagers
Inside the Teenager's Brain- from the PBS program Frontline
Making Lemonade: The Single Parent Network

Mothering Magazine- the magazine of natural family living

New Jersey Cares About Bullying- how to end bullying & how adults can help

New Jersey State Child Welfare and Adoption

ParenTalk Newsletter (pre-teen years)- many issues covered here, from mental development to school issues, physical development, behavior and emotion

Parenthood- online encyclopedia of parenting topics

Parenting Adolescents- award winning site; ask a social worker questions

Parenting at iVillage- ages 15-18

Parents and Teens- from a Christian perspective

Parents Without Partners- international, non-profit organization

Stresses of Single Parenting

Talking with Kids About Tough Issues

What Works- ideas from parents
 

SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN

Arc of the United States- works through education, research & advocacy to "improve the quality of life for children & adults with mental retardation & related developmental disabilities".

Autism: Intervention and Strategies for Success- written by Autism consultant and author Susan Stokes; articles on effective strategies to use with autistic learners, including assistive technology, Asperger’s Syndrome, early childhood interventions, and communication skills.

Autism Society of America

The Center for New Discoveries in Learning- find solutions for ADD, ADHD, dyslexia correction

Center for the Study of Autism

CHADD.org- information on ADD

Down Syndrome

Exceptional Parent Magazine- information, support, outreach, ideas, encouragement for parents of children with disabilities

Federation for Children with Special Needs

Gallaudet University Library- research site contains resources for the deaf

Genetic Diseases Links

Inside the Autism Treatment Maze- see the latest treatment options available for autism and new ways of helping autistic children connect with the world.

International Dyslexia Association

National Attention Deficit Disorder Association

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

New Guides for ADHD Treatment

Our Kids- list of 800 people representing children with varying diagnoses

Parenting a Child with Special Needs

Parents of Kids with Dyslexia

Rett Syndrome

Room 5 Autism-  helps parents and teachers of students with autistic spectrum disorders; contains photos of materials and activities used with autistic children in the classroom.

Special Education News- help with behavior management, conflict resolution; information state by state

Special Olympics

Spina Bifida Association of America

Tourette Syndrome Association

Understanding the Student with Asperger's Syndrome- Karen Williams provides the seven defining characteristics of Asperger's syndrome, as well as suggestions and strategies for addressing these symptoms in the classroom.

United Cerebral Palsy

 

LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? Why not subscribe to this blog or follow me on TWITTER. 

Most Popular Posts in 2012

Thank you to everyone who has followed the blog and shared posts I have made in the past year. With over 230 posts in 2012, I am amazed at all the great people I have met via the Internet. Please let me know if there are any resources you are looking for and I will gladly provide them. These are posts from 2012 that received the most hits:

30 Resources to Help Our Children Cope with Tragedies

60 Titles for Reluctant Readers K-4

18 Places Where You Can Find Free Kindle and Nook Downloads

Study Skills for Your Students: 57 Sites and Apps

340+ Sites with Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts for the iPad

22 Great Places It You Teach Research Skills

56 Books for Reluctant High School Readers

This is the last installment of my books for reluctant readers. Today's list is for high school students. All three lists are available under the tab "Books for Reluctant Readers" at the top of this page. You can download a PDF copy of the high school list here.


11/22/63- Stephen King

Blank Confession- Pete Hautman

Bluford High Series- (various authors)

The Book Thief- Marcus Zusak

Box Out- John Coy

Breathing Underwater- Alex Finn

Chasing Lincoln's Killer- James L. Swanson

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul- Jack Canfield

The Chocolate War- Robert Cormier

Cirque du Freak Series- Darren Shan

City of Glass Series- Cassandra Clare

The Coldest Winter Ever- Sister Souljah

Dairy Queen- Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Dope Sick- Walter Dean Myers

The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)- Kody Keplinger

Fat Kid Rules the World- K.L. Going

The Fault in Our Stars- John Green

Feed- M.T. Anderson

The First Part Last- Angela Johnson

The Giver- Lois Lowry

Glimpse- Carol Lynch Williams

Gone Series- Michael Grant

Gossip Girl Series-Cecily von Ziegesar

Guinness Book of World Records- any year, any book

Hunger Games Trilogy- Suzanne Collins

I'd Tell you I Love you, But Then I'd Have to Kill You- Ally Carter

Just Listen- Sarah Dessen

King Dork- Frank Portman

The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini

Life of Pi- Yann Martel

Looking for Alaska- John Green

Monster- Walter Dean Myers

My Sister's Keeper- Jodi Picoult

One Hundred Young Americans- Michael Franzini

Paper Towns- John Green

Payback Time-Carl Deuker

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky

Push- Sapphire

Rikers High- Paul Volponi

Ripley's Believe it or Not- any year, any issue

Rooftop- Paul Volponi

Scars- Cheryl Rainfield

Seventeen Ultimate Guide to Style: How to Find Your Perfect Look- Ann Shoket

Shiver Trilogy- Maggie Stiefvater

Someone Like You- Sarah Dessen

Star Wars Character Encyclopedia- DK Publishing

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes- Chris Crutcher

Stuck in Neutral- Terry Trueman

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)- Sarah Mylnokski

The Top Ten of Everything- Caroline Ash

The Truth About Forever- Sarah Dessen

Twilight Series- Stephenie Meyer

Uglies Trilogy- Scott Westerfeld

Vampire Academy Series- Richelle Mead

What I Saw and How I Lied- Judy Blundell

Zombie High Yearbook '64- Jeff Busch

Being Green: Try the CleanPrint Browser Tool

CleanPrint  works with all browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari, by allowing you to delete, images, text (You can change the font size as well) and ads before printing. Less printing means less ink and less paper. NOTE: You most likely will need your school tech person to download the add-on for Firefox and Internet Explorer. I was able to get the bookmarklet for Chrome. (Couldn't see about Safari because my school has all PCs)

 
Thanks to Free Technology for Teachers for posting.

60 Titles for Reluctant Readers K-4

This is a follow-up post to books for reluctant middle school readers.  The last of these posts will cover grades 9-12. You can download a copy of the list below HERE.

 PICTURE BOOKS
The Adventures of Taxi Dog- Debra Barracca

Bad Kitty Books- Nick Bruel

The Berenstain Bears- Stan and Jan Berenstain

Clifford Books-Norman Bridwell

Corduroy Books- Don Freeman

Curious George Books- H.A. Ray

Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten! The Story of Little Red Riding Hood as Told by the Wolf- Trisha Speed Shashkan

I Spy Books- Jean Marzollo

Knuffle Bunny- Mo Willems

No, David!- David Shannon

Olivia and the Fairy Princesses- Ian Falconer

Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day?

Dr. Seuss Books

The Polar Express- Chris Van Allsburg

The Three Ninja Pigs- Corey Rosen Schwartz

Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak

Where's Waldo Books- Martin Handford

CHAPTER BOOKS and BEYOND
Arthur- Marc Brown

The Big Field- by Mike Lupica

Big Nate Series- Lincoln Peirce

Boxcar Children Series- Gertrude Chandler

Amber Brown Series- Paula Danziger

The Baseball Card Adventures- Dan Gutman

Brian's Winter- Gary Paulsen

Bunnicula Series- James Howe

Cam Jansen Series- David Adler

Captain Underpants Collection- Dav Pilky

The Chet Gecko Mysteries- Bruce Hale

Mr. Chickee's Funny Money- Christopher Paul Curtis

The Cricket in Times Square- George Selden

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series- Jeff Kinney

Encyclopedia Brown Series- Donald J. Sobol

Fantastic Mr. Fox- Roald Dahl

Flat Stanley Collection- Jeff Brown

Freckle Juice- Judy Blume

Frindle- Andrew Clements

Frog and Toad Series- Arnold Lobel

Goosebumps Series- R.L. Stine

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup- Sharon Creech

James and the Giant Peach- Roald Dahl

Judy Moody Series- Megan McDonald

Junie B. Jones Books- Barbara Park

The Kids of the Polk Street School Series- Patricia Reilly Giff

Lawn Boy- Gary Paulsen

Lunch Money- Andrew Clements

The Magic School Bus Series- Joanna  Cole

Magic Tree House Series- Mary Pope Osborne

Matt Christopher's Sports Series

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane- Kate DiCamillo

My Teacher is an Alien- Bruce Coville

The Ralph Mouse Collection- Beverly Cleary

Ribsy- Beverly Cleary

Shiloh- Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Sideways Stories from Wayside School- Louis Sachar

Skinny-Bones- Barbara Park

Stuart Little- E.B. White

Superfudge- Judy Blume

The Twits- Roald Dahl

My Weird School Daze Series- Dan Gutman

Wonder- R.J. Palacio

30 Resources to Help Our Children Cope with Tragedies

 There are no words I can say about what happened in Newtown, Connecticut without getting on my soapbox about gun control. This madness has to end. (Here is a timeline of worldwide school shootings and mass shootings since 1996.) As teachers, we go through lock-down drills on a regular basis, praying that we will never have a real life and death situation. If not for those practice drills, teachers in Newtown would not have known what to do on Friday. Angela Maiers posted "There is No Lesson Plan for Tragedy-Teachers YOU Know What to Do" on her blog. It is a must-read. My heart is so heavy and I have been asking "why" just like everyone else. I am anxious about going to work tomorrow, not because I don't feel safe, but because I'm worried about our kids and how they have reacted to Friday's massacre. Here are resources to aid you and to aid parents in helping kids deal with the violence.





10 Tips to Help Your Kids Deal with Violence- from Parenting Press 

10 Ways to Put Brakes on Mass Shootings in Schools- from CNN

10 Ways to Talk to Students About Sensitive Issues in the News- New York Times guest post

Checklist to Help Prevent Violence in Schools- 10 things you can do 

Columbine Legacy: Schools Safer?- from CBS News

Dealing with Tragedy: Tips and Resources for Teachers and Parents

Discussing Hate and Violence with Your Children- from the National PTA 

Hello Grief- "a place to share about grief and loss"
 
Helping Children Cope with Tragic Events- many sources from Share My Lesson 

Helping Kids Cope with Violence in the News- child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Bob Hilt gives advice in a video

Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of School Shootings- from the American Psychological Association



How to Talk to Kids About a School Shooting

How to Talk to Kids About Violence- 2011 article from the Washington Post

No Lesson Plan for Tragedy- from Teaching Tolerance, this was written 5 years after Columbine

Preparing for the Worst Case Scenario- written by Kristopher Sill

School Violence and the News- from Kids' Health 

Six Lessons from the Horrors of a School Shooting- from Dr. Michele Borba, Education Consultant

Taking Aim at Violence in Schools- New York Times Learning Network lesson plan

Talking and Teaching About the Tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut- resources from the New York Times Learning Network



Talking to Children About Violence from the NASP (National Association of School Psychologists)

Talking to Kids About School Violence- downloadable PDF files cover guidelines for schools, recognizing when children need help, caring for kids after trauma, disaster and death

Talking with Kids About News- from PBS parents

TeacherVision Resources on School Violence

TeachersFirst Resources for School Violence-  10 resource links

Tragic Events in the News- The late Mister Rogers on video with advice on this page to aid parents

Tips for Talking to Children About the Shooting- from the New York Times health section

Unspeakable Tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary- from Edutopia; many links from Edutopia and other sites listed