Hello and welcome parents and students! I am excited for a great year! I have created this website as a resource for the parents, so they can be informed with what is going on in the classroom. This site is also useful for the students. It will include links to various games and activities that will help them practice the skills they will be learning in the classroom. For the state standards, please feel free to utilize the Indiana State Standards website link I have posted here for you.

A little bit about myself. I was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois. I attended Valparaiso University in Indiana, where I majored in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education. In my spare time, I enjoy reading books, watching movies, and spending time with my family and friends. For more about myself, feel free to view my introduction powerpoint posted on this site.

Browse these links of different art websites. Take virtual tours of art museums, play with paintings, and so much more.

Museums
Tour the Louvre! Look at some paintings and sculptures in this magnificent museum.
Smithsonian Museums Take a tour of all 19 museums within the Smithsonian!
Play With Art Take various art pieces and get creative!
Field Museum Exhibits Learn about Sue the Dinosaur and other fun exhibits
Explore the Waters Take a dive in the water and learn about many different animals

Lesson Resources
Art Lessons This site provides numerous of examples to incorporate theater, music, and art with other subjects!
Crayola Lessons Find artistic lesson plans for any age level
Incorporating Arts in the Classroom Learn how to use art in other content areas
Art Institute Lessons Use the Chicago Art Institute to develop lessons for students
Historical Art Take history and make it fun with the arts
Jackson Pollock Create art like the artist
Grabba Beast Create your own monster!

Songs
All About Grammar Learn songs about the different areas of grammar
Spelling Songs Learn the rules used in spelling
Science Songs Learn science by singing!
Math Songs Review addition and subtraction with songs
History Songs Learn about the Presidents of the United States!

Reader's Theater
School Stories Find scripts on stories about school
Animals Act out different animals in these short scripts about animals
Hedgie's Surprise Jan Brett's books comes to life in this Reader's Theater script
Scripts This site contains scripts for popular children stories
Fictional Stories View a sample of fictional Reader's Theater scripts

Necessity of Arts Integration
Art Resources Find various books and articles on why art in the classroom is important
Why Music? These broadcastings explain why music is so important to learning
Music Education This resources gives the history behind music education
Standards View the MENC standards for Music

Feel free to view my PowerPoint to learn more about me! I have also included a parent letter in this section.

Your students will have a ball in math this year! They will continue to expand their counting skills, including a celebration of the 100th day of school. The students will be learning things including telling time, counting money, as well as sequencing and patterns. Check out the Math Resources link for some fun games!

This year, your students will be learning to read! We will work on letters, letter sounds, and phonics. There are a fun games online that are interactive for the students. It includes review of letter sounds, and encourages the student to practice their reading skills. Click on the Learn to Read link to access these fun games! Students can also work on reviewing their sight words and phonic elements with Fun with Phonics!

1. Indiana State Standards

2. Education World

3. Classroom Management

4. Lesson Plan Ideas

5. School-Home Activities

6. Overview of Special Education Laws

7. What is Computer Assisted Technology

8. Computer Assisted Technology for Reading

9. Computer Assisted Technology for Math

10. Assistive Technology Products

11. More Assistive Technology

I have also included a few templates for various things that could be used in the classroom.

We will be doing a lot of writing this year! Students will learn both upper and lower case letters of the alphabet. They will also learn how to structure simple sentences. Students will become familiar with the simple punctuation elements for writing sentences. Have your child do some of the Writing Activities as practice. The activities range from writing stories, to creating silly sentences.

Valparaiso University
Holly Anderson