Everyday your brain comes up with a new item to try in class with your students. Mine is the same way. It never seems to shut down. I am always looking at everything as a chance to teach my students something new yet cover some they need to know.

It the first case, it's about their own cellphones and what if they weren't so new. What would George Washington or some other famous person have done with his or hers. What Apps word they have had, what contacts wold they have had or text messages would they have had?

The other item was my wanting to make the students do a Venn Diagram like they are studying in ELA. So my first thought was how to get them to do one without the "fight" they have over them. So I made one with ME on one side since I do or have done so many of the current things they do. Now they just have to do the right-hand side themselves and see what WE have in common.

The ANTI-SALE

Strange as it sounds, I am having an “Anti-Sale” sale – kind-of, sort-of. Anyway I figured that Paul and TpT could use the money because I will never get any of it. I marked everything up to $1 from FREE. I am also posting several new items that I have created to use with my own students in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks to all of you who have sent me messages about my “cemetery lesson”. I have that almost finished too. I will be posting it for a buck just as soon as I am finished.

Hunter Games

I have enjoyed reading the last couple of weeks. I got hooked on the Hunger Games by way of a gift vard a student gave me at Christmas. I ventured over to our local Books-A-Million store and right there inside the front door was a display of the HG books. I have seen students reading the book but was sure I would like it. But I did realize I had a $30 card so I bought the paperback copy of book one. I figured that if I didn’t like it there was going to be a big loss. I purchase several other books and went on my way.

Two weeks later I wanted something to read so I picked it up with the intent that When I got some new magazines in the main I would move on to them and put the HG back on a shelf somewhere. There’s where I was wrong. Ms. Collins hooked me after the first couple of chapters – and HOOKED I was. The book began slowly but like a freight train it began to move faster and faster and faster. Suddenly I could not put the book down. Katniss and Peeta had me by the eyeballs. I have never read so fast and so devoutly. Within two days I was finished and left hanging. I wanted to know what happened to them.

I rush out to B-A-M to buy book two. I had read all the reviews and everyone said book two was okay but book three was better. I waited te movie trailers, read the online comments, and searched the web for blogs and reviews. I wanted to read more about Haymitch and the Capital and Prim and Gale.

Book two again began slow but kept my attention and it chugged along. It was okay but now as afst paced at book on. But since I wanted to know what happened to Katniss I read and read. It took four days but I finished it. I had to read in and around my teaching but the kids were amazed to see an “old teacher reading” as one girl put it. She said she never saw a teacher really reading one of their books. I had to tell her I was just wanting to get to book three. Catching Fire was a good book and I found out another teacher had just finished book one the day before. There fore, I gave here my copy of book two and sent her on her way while I got book three.

Mockingjay, book three of the trilogy, was okay but not that good of a read. It took me and four days to read but like the first on, it began so slow. So ver-r-r-r-y slow. But it did begin t pick up steam and moved along nicely without any hint of what was coming. Within the last few pages I had a ton of bricks dropped on me and the book took a complete turn. I was not expecting it. Nowhere in book one or two - or even the beginning of book three did I see it coming. Sure I had hope something like that would happen because I didn’t like Katnis being played as a pawn but never in my wildest dreams did I see this coming. But then again, I was reading so fast because I was so hooked.

The epilog was also a tearjerker. It may have only been a few pages but it came down to what I wanted to happen. Even more so. I almost hate to see the books come to an end. Now several people are telling me what books to read next. I figure I need to get away for a bit, watch a little TV then find that new set to read.