We have some new titles on the display shelves at the moment. A community member generously donated a collection of books by Anthony Horowitz - namely the Alex Rider series and the Power of Five series.
These fit into the genres of Adventure and Horror respectively, so should suit a number of the students.
We are missing an odd one here and there from the series - but that's OK.
If people want to read them, I can get them! We can do Inter-library-loans here - and there is always the Public Library, who have a great collection of titles ready and waiting to be borrowed.
So come in and check them out! If these are not your 'thing' let me know what is - and I will do my best to try and provide it for you.
Check out the link below - it takes you to a number of weblinks about free technology/learning tools that can be used in your class. It covers all classes from Primary and up and there are 101 of them - so hopefully there is something there that may catch their attention - or yours!
http://www.docurated.com/101-free-free-try-online-collaborative-learning-tools
Being Friday, all I will say further is - have a great weekend - and see you all on Monday.
Today's post is something a little different - a discussion has been happening in here about the way the English language changes and develops and how different words appear, or come to mean different things.
I can recall my consternation a few years ago, when I gave my grandson a gift and got a big hug and the comment "Thanks grandma - that's totally sick!!" Turned out he WAS happy about it - obviously I hadn't been keeping up with the current teen dialect!! And I am pretty sure it has changed again already!
Anyway, I have a list of words that are still used in the English language, although some maybe not all that often plus a few newer ones.
My challenge is - how many do you know the meaning of? And no, do NOT reach for the keyboard to Google it!!
I would hazard a guess it will depend on your age as to how many you have heard of or know the answer to. Or even WHICH ones you know the answer to. Let's see how you go!
Futz -
Tmesis -
Petrichor -
Illywhacker -
Piscatorial -
Discombobulate -
Frankenfood -
Verjuice -
Infowhelm -
Vidiot -
Gazillionised -
Vexillogy -
Triskaidekaphobia -
Have fun - maybe run it past the kids! Their faces should be interesting! Let me know if you would like me to post the answers next time.
If anyone is interested - February 24th is World Read Aloud Day. This is a day to celebrate the power of words - and is about taking action to show the world that the right to be able to read and to write belongs to all people, whoever and wherever they may be.
World Read Aloud Day asks everyone to take part by grabbing a book, grabbing an audience, even if it is only one other person and reading aloud. You have the right - use it!
Some other ideas to try could include:
* Make bookmarks to hand out with information about the day
* Ask someone from outside the school to come and read aloud to the class
* Make posters about the day and put them up around the school
* Have a classroom discussion about the fact that worldwide at least 793 million people remain illiterate and why this is so bad.
* Maybe each student could read aloud a paragraph from their silent reading books
Make it a day to celebrate the power of words!
We are missing an odd one here and there from the series - but that's OK. 
