The Night Before First Grade

It's the night before the Big Day—first grade. Penny is excited to start the year with her best friend right beside her in the same classroom. This humorous take on Clement C. Moore's classic tale has a perfect twist ending that will surprise readers—as well as the “heroine” of the story—and help all about-to-be first-graders through their own back-to-school jitters.

The Night Before Abby’s First Day of School is about Abby being overly excited about school. Abby has never been to day care and this is her very first time being away from her parents and family. Throughout the book, you will read about how Abby night before school was and her first day adventure.

It's time to celebrate kindergarten graduation in Natasha Wing's best-selling series featuring rhyming text in the style of the classic Clement C. Moore holiday poem. Get ready for a major milestone: kindergarten graduation! Of course, there's a lot of preparation the night before as kids prepare for the momentous occasion. This is a great school-year follow-up to The Night Before Kindergarten!

Not last night, but the night before, twenty-four robbers came knocking at my door. I went out to let them in, and this is what they said... This chilling childhood rhyme haunts Camilla's days and nights, but she doesn't know why. Neither does she understand her aversion to jump ropes and her intense dislike for the smell of mahogany. In fact, her name is about all she does know. After witnessing her mother's violent murder, six-year-old Camilla mentally shuts down. The Spanish-style Floridian home Camilla has always known holds too many memories for her father, so he loads Camilla and her three older brothers into 'Old Red' and drives until he sees the 'For Sale' sign in Mount Vernon, Washington. Still unable to reconcile her mother's death, Camilla finds societal norms difficult to adhere to and is easily impacted by her only friend, Savannah. But as the years pass, Savannah's malicious nature makes itself known, and Camilla is powerless to resist her influence. She soon finds herself involved in the murder of her unborn baby's father. Because Camilla is then diagnosed as mentally ill, she is relegated to a nearby mental institution, where her story unfolds with compassion, humor, and shocking truths through a series of hypnotherapy sessions with the intriguing Dr. Rowan. Delve deep into the mind of a mentally unstable woman who has witnessed two brutal murders, and find out what happened Not Last Night, but the Night Before.

It's the most wonderful time... to read a box set of five magical Christmas romances that will get you into the holiday spirit! Merry Cowboy Christmas, by Carolyn Brown 'Tis the night before Christmas, and all through the house is the presence of one wickedly hot cowboy who's come to stay for the holiday! Fiona Logan is everything Jud Dawson thought he'd never find. But with wild weather, nosy neighbors, and a new baby in the family, getting her to admit that she's falling in love might just take a Christmas miracle. Unwrapped, by Katie Lane Contractor Patrick McPherson is deeply committed to his bachelor lifestyle: No strings, no rings. As the Christmas season approaches, however, Patrick still can't quite forget Jacqueline Maguire, his curvalicious one-night stand. Then, when she shows up unexpectedly, all holiday hell breaks loose. Because this year, Patrick is getting the biggest Christmas surprise of his life. Mistletoe Cottage, by Debbie Mason 'Tis the season for love in Harmony Harbor, but it's the last place Sophie DiRossi wants to be. After fleeing many years ago, Sophie is forced to return to the town that harbors a million secrets. Firefighter Liam Gallagher still has some serious feelings for Sophie-and seeing her again sparks a desire so fierce it takes his breath away. Hoping for a little holiday magic, Liam sets out to show Sophie that they deserve a second chance at love. Christmas on Mistletoe Lane, by Annie Rains Mitch Hargrove wants nothing more than to put his hometown in the rearview mirror, but his plans get derailed when he learns he's now half owner of the Sweetwater B&B. The fact that he's given only two months to make the inn a success is a huge problem, but it's his pretty-and incredibly headstrong-partner Kaitlyn Russo who's the real challenge. With the grand reopening fast approaching, will Mitch keep running from the ghosts of Christmas past . . . or will he realize the true gift he's been given? A Christmas Bride, by Hope Ramsay Haunted by regrets and grief, widower David Lyndon has a bah-humbug approach to the holidays-until he's shown the spirit of the season by his daughter and her godmother Willow. Paired up to plan a Christmas wedding for friends, David and Willow will discover that the best gift is the promise of a future spent together.

Grab your backpack and get ready for the second grade in the latest big moment to be celebrated in Natasha Wing's best-selling series! It's the night before a young boy's first day of second grade, and he's excited. He's spent all summer reading and preparing for the year ahead, and he can't wait to learn more about what fun surprises second grade has to offer. Join him and his friends on their journey through the new school year in this delightful story, told in the style of Clement C. Moore's classic tale.

It's the night before class picture day, and kids all down the block are getting ready. Everyone wants to look perfect for the photo. They fix their hair, practice smiles, and choose outfits. At school the next day, they try to stay picture-perfect.

This comprehensive listing and discussion of poetic works supports the standards of all areas of the curriculum, helping librarians and teachers working with kindergarten through middle school students. This second edition of Using Poetry Across the Curriculum: Learning to Love Language offers a comprehensive list of poetry anthologies, poetic picture books, and poetic prose works in a wide variety of subject areas. While it maintains the original edition's focus on ideas and resource lists for integration of poetry into all areas of the curriculum, it is thoroughly revised to cover current issues in education and the wealth of new poetry books available. The book is organized by subject areas commonly taught in elementary and middle schools, and, within these, by the national standards in each area. Numerous examples of poetry and poetic prose that can be used to help students understand and appreciate aspects of the standard are listed. A sampling of units that arise from groups of works, writing and performance ideas, and links across the curriculum is also included. While many teaching ideas and topics provide references to the standards they meet, this title is unique in starting with those standards and making links across them.

Learning and fun go hand-in-hand with these thematically organized story time programs that are linked to adorable, edible crafts. There are kids' cookbooks and there are books with story time suggestions, but no book has combined the two—until now. Story Times Good Enough to Eat!: Thematic Programs with Edible Story Crafts brings these elements together in programs that will engage kids and make every story time special. Both a manual and a recipe book, Story Times Good Enough to Eat! offers thematic programs for major holidays and seasons and includes programs on popular animals and other themes as well. It is designed to educate children by having them listen to the story, then reinforcing the lessons of the story by creating an edible craft to go along with it. Every theme in the book includes a suggested titles list, a brief overview of the program, and a complete recipe and instructions for making the corresponding snack/craft, from yummy school bus cupcakes to mouth-watering sugar cookie sombreros for Cinco de Mayo.

Teaching students to make connections across related texts promotes engagement and improves reading comprehension and content learning. This practical guide explains how to select and teach a wide range of picture books as paired text--two books related by topic, theme, or genre--in grades K-8. The author provides mini-lessons across the content areas, along with hundreds of recommendations for paired text, each linked to specific Common Core standards for reading literature and informational texts. In a large-size format for easy photocopying, the book includes 22 reproducible graphic organizers and other useful tools. Purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials.

After teaching and raising her family for most of her life, Agnes Scofield realizes that she is truly weary of the routine her life has become. But how, at 51, can she establish an identity apart from what has so long defined her? Often eloquent, sometimes blunt, and always full of fire, The Scofield clan is not a family that keeps its opinions to itself. As much as she'd like to, Agnes can no more deflect their adamant advice than she can step down as their matriarch. And despite her newfound freedom, Agnes finds herself becoming even more entangled in the family web. She shepherds her daughter-in-law, Lavinia, who moves in with her own two daughters to escape her husband's drinking. She puts out fires, smoothes fraying nerves, and, stunned as anyone, receives a marriage proposal. Having expected her life to become smaller, Agnes is amazed to see it grow instead. Robb Forman Dew intricately weaves together personal and family life into a richly wrought tapestry of the country in the 1950s and beyond. Being Polite to Hitler is a moving, frank, and surprising portrait of post-World War II America.

One Woman's Journey of Advocacy, Faith, and Positivity "You only have three to five years to live." On the day she was diagnosed with HIV and thrust from the confines of her suburban mom bubble into the scary and unpredictable world of AIDS, Julie promptly found herself fighting for her life and rights amidst a disease she never imagined would hijack her future. With three young children, her family began making every effort to create lasting memories while simultaneously managing the debilitating side effects of early meds. They hid her illness for four years, fearing her children would suffer stigma and discrimination often experienced in the early days of the disease. Her diagnosis began a path of advocacy, faith, and positivity despite her life' s detour. Now, Julie advocates for better healthcare outcomes for women through the personal stories and reflections from her life. Her health journey creates space for those walking through their own family or medical crises to be seen and supported. "Some books tell you what to do or offer an outline for life... this book does not do that. The stories that make up Still Positive, offered something different and impactful. ... I couldn' t put it down." &– Danielle Eylander, Early Reader

When a little boy finally decides what to bring to the celebration of the one hundredth day of school, he has no idea what a surprise it will be for everyone.

The New York Times bestselling journalist and author of The Girls from Ames, Jeffrey Zaslow, takes us to a multi- generational family owned small-town bridal shop to explore the emotional lives of women in the 21st century. You may not have heard of Fowler, Michigan, much less Becker's Bridal. But for the thousands of women who have stepped inside, Becker's is the site of some of the most important moments of their lives-moments that speak to us all. Housed in a former bank, the boutique owners transformed the vault into a "magic room," with soft church lighting, a circular pedestal, and mirrors that make lifelong dreams come true. Illuminating the poignant aspects of a woman's journey to the altar, The Magic Room tells the stories of memorable women on the brink of commitment. Run by the same family for years, Becker's has witnessed transformations in how America views the institution of marriage; some of the shop's clientele are becoming stepmothers, or starting married life for a second time. In The Girls from Ames, beloved author Jeffrey Zaslow used friendships to explore the emotional lives of women. In The Magic Room, he turns his perceptive eye to weddings and weaves together secrets, memories and family tales to explore the hopes and dreams we have for our daughters.

Clinical psychologist Sandra Shaw Dawood, Ph.D., shares her heartfelt and playful communication with God through the symbols He has provided her. Through wordplay, poetry, and autobiographical excerpts, she exposes her struggle to turn negative thoughts and events into positive healthy thoughts by her interpretation of God's symbols that are just for her. Dr. Dawood delves into everyday events and creates meaningful interpretations of what she sees and experiences as being symbols from God to assist her in the daily rigors of life-these are her Eye Statements from God. She has developed her own symbols that bring her particular joy in her relationship with God. She recognized many patterns throughout her life in positively overcoming tragedy, abandonment, fear, pain, and depression.

Beloved for the lens of the strange he places on small-town life, Steven Millhauser further reveals in Voices in the Night the darkest parts of our inner selves to brilliant and dazzling effect. Here are stories of wondrously imaginative hyperrealism, stories that pose unsettling what-ifs or that find barely perceivable evils within the safe boundaries of our towns, homes, and even our bodies. Here, too, are stories culled from religion and fables: from Samuel, who in the masterly "A Voice in the Night" hears the voice of God calling him in the night; to a young, pre-enlightenment Buddha; to Rapunzel and her Prince awakened only to everyday disappointment. Heightened by magic, the divine, and the uncanny, shot through with sly humour, Voices in the Night seamlessly combines the whimsy and surprise of the familiar with intoxicating fantasies that take us beyond our daily lives, all done with the hallmark sleight of hand and astonishing virtuosity of one of our greatest modern storytellers.

Nicknamed "The Duchess" by a tongue-tied editor early in her career, Virginia Marmaduke is the First Lady of Chicago print journalism. She was the first woman to: cover both crime and sports for Windy City newspapers; be named (by Mayor Daley Sr.) to the Chicago Board of Health; be named Press Veteran of the Year by the Chicago Press Veterans Association; and to be inducted into Chicago's Journalism Hall of Fame.First with the Chicago Sun, then the Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune, the Duchess's newspaper career ran parallel to the 20th Century. She covered, as she called it, "blood, guts and sex," as well as presidents, natural disasters, women's issues, and-notably-humanitarian causes.This volume, the first on the life and career of Virginia Marmaduke, reprints many of the famous articles from her Chicago heyday. Additionally, it documents her childhood in Carbondale, Illinois, her first newspaper job, and her return to Southern Illinois where she became a community booster, humanitarian, and beloved "all-Illinoisian."

Teaching Thirty Years of My Life I think I wanted to be a teacher because I thought it was important. I wanted to do something important. I stayed teaching because much of the time it was fun, and I was I never bored! Think about the times you have watched a little kid do something miraculous, amazing, or hilarious. Kids are fun to watch! They surprise you and keep you young. You cannot help but remember the good and hard times of growing up without actually having to do it over. The flip side to this is the number of times you may have been annoyed with your own child, teenager, adult daughter or son and of course the times you were so angry you couldn't function? Well, multiply that feeling by seventy-five kids each year for thirty years. I'd like to say a thing or two about state and federal mandated tests. Actually, I'd like to say a lot. Thus far, no one has asked for my opinion, but here it is! The feds and the states want the public schools to be accountable. Our society wants assurances the tax dollars they spend will produce educated kids. I get it! Side note: The conspiracy part of my brain cannot help but wonder if the anti-public school fringe has found a way to target the public school system and reduce tax dollars going to this endeavor. Is it possible the people doling out the funds and the mandates for public schools are hoping for failure? Or maybe they just have no clue as to what is needed to educate all of America's children (not just a very few privileged children)? All our children must receive a great education if America wants to remain a worldwide powerhouse. It's amazing to me all the talk about evaluating teachers on student test scores, especially if that measurement is based on an arbitrary cut score; 80 percent, pass, 79 percent, fail. Students are not piece parts. Students cannot and should not be measured like bolts on an assembly line; in-tolerance, out-of-tolerance. People are multi-dimensional. A test will never tell us all that a child knows or doesn't know. In the kindest words, this idea of measuring students and evaluating teachers on a single, high-stakes test is very misguided. More to the point, this is a really stupid idea and a very dangerous practice! Whatever happened to the notion "All kids can learn, but not always at the same time or same rate." When did we ever want people in America to be the same? We all benefit from our differences! When I look over and reflect on the variety and diversity (new buzz word of the decade) of my fellow teachers, not one of us is like the other. Our teaching styles are vastly different. We relate to students differently. We relate with each other differently. We all work together to teach and maximize our students' time with us. I might be less annoyed if student improvement was used as a measure of teacher effectiveness. Even this approach has major flaws. A teacher has a student for nine months. In my case, students are thirteen or fourteen years old. They have had thirteen or fourteen years of prior experiences and baggage before getting to me. Five of those years, school was not even a part of their lives. Research tells us when kids come to school in kindergarten the variances are huge. The thought is, as a school, we should be able to narrow the variances. What actually happens is these variances increase. Is the school or the teachers responsible for this? No! What is going on? Teachers usually have students for about six to seven hours a day and 180 days a year. In the state of Kansas this equates to at least 1116 hours each year. Even if we as a nation ever went to year-round school, the number of days probably wouldn't increase significantly; the days would just be spread out. This might help, might not. Most of the research I've read is not conclusive one way or the other. Time allocated for school learning amounts to just under twenty percent of the hours in a year, 365 days. Teachers can te

Dr. Ginnelle Ries has witnessed proof that this life is not the end and miracles do happen. Take a Deep Breath is two memoirs intertwined into one. The first is the story of Ginnelle, a girl who from a young age strives to achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. It chronicles her life as she struggles with the insecurities of her younger years and her simple wish to be loved. It shares her poignant relationship with her father, her resiliency as she attends medical school as a single mother on welfare, and the stories of the patients she will never forget. You will rejoice with her as she finds love and grieve with her as she loses loved ones. Living through a life-threatening illness brings her full circle and to a point where she can finally say, "No matter what, it will be okay." The second and more important story is the spiritual one, not distinct but rather woven intimately within Ginnelle's life. You will share in her spiritual growth and discovery and the stories of miraculous healings, guardian angels, and messages from loved ones who have passed. You will be beside her as she hears her husband recount his life-after-death experience and be with her as she witnessed something during the death of a loved one that convinced her that this life is not the end. Take a Deep Breath will make you laugh, will make you cry, but, more importantly, will give you hope that we are not alone; this life is not the end; and miracles do happen.