We just returned from Brandon, Vermont after attending a sales meeting for Visual Learning Systems. This company creates science videos that are very high quality and are offered in DVD format, online, or can be purchased and streamed into your schools. With the science adoption year finished you may be looking for supplemental materials and these videos would be a great addition to your science curriculum. Go to visuallearningco.com to find out more and then give us a call! By the way, if you have never been to Vermont, it is well worth the trip. Beautiful countryside and very friendly people.

Reading the Learning Connection site I see a lot of chatter about The Daily Five and The Cafe book. Both of those books are published by Stenhouse and I can send you a free preview copy if you are interested. I cannot advertise on Learning Connection, but if you or someone you know would like to see the book, please email me at bvanmol@aol.com.

First Team Education is so pleased to announce that Peggy Eickhoff is now a partner! You may know Peggy from her previous work as a consultant with Houghton Mifflin or Scott Foresman. Most recently she was a sales rep for Sopris West and then Cambium Learning and Voyager. Peggy will be bringing in new business for First Team as Joe and I continue to service our established customers as well as bringing in new. She is already out there working and we know she will be very successful! Welcome Peggy!!!!!!

Amazing that is almost May!!! Some of you may be holding some form of summer school and if you are looking for an easy to use reading intervention program, go to theroadtoreading.com. This is a complete program for students in grades 1-5 that did not master decoding skills at the early levels. And we know that when kids spend all their energy on figuring out a word, comprehension goes down the drain. This program can be administered by teachers or aids. It includes manipulatives, lesson plans, and all for only $495.00 If you are interested, let me know and I will send you a CD to evaluate.

Science Notebooks

First Team Education is offering a workshop on the basics of science notebooks. If you check the science standards, you will see that writing, discussing, organizing, reading are all mentioned over and over. Using science notebooks in your classroom is a perfect way to help meet those needs in science. If you are interested in knowing more, contact us and I will send you the flyer telling you more.

Is it spring yet?

Haven't posted anything since October and here it is March! Time flies when you're having fun! January saw the start of the science caravans. Joe worked those with Science Companion as well as showing some of our supplemental science materials. We offer leveled books, trade books, and a great video line called Visual Learning. Let us know if you are interested in any of those for your science curriculum.
The Continental Press ISTEP+ materials are a huge hit in Indiana! If you haven't seen them please contact us for a free sample. Continental also has a new line that focuses on the Common Core Standards and we would be happy to send you a sample of that also.
I know it has been a long, snowy winter and many of you have missed too many days of school and are going to have to make them up. But just think, spring break will be here soon and you can take a much needed break and be ready to finish the school year with a few extra days tagged on!

What a week!

First Team Education was everywhere last week. Monday you might have seen Joe working the NCA conference at the Hyatt downtown Indianapolis, or Brenda at the IMLEA at Franklin Middle School. On Tuesday Joe again went to NCA while Brenda drove to Valpo to set up for the Lester Laminack workshop on Wednesday. Brenda had more fun than Joe because she, Lester, and Connie Farrell went out to dinner on Tuesday evening. Always a fun time with those two! Brenda sold books at the workshop on Wednesday and then drove home while Joe attended the state department meeting on the adoption process for Science and then set up for IASCD at the Sheraton at Keystone. Joe worked that meeting on Thursday while Brenda stayed in the office and prepared for the set up on Thursday evening for ITW. After setting up, they had dinner with Dr. Kevin Sue Bailey from the Southern Indiana Writing Project. They always like to add some fun to their work day. Friday was the Indiana Teacher's of Writing conference, which both Brenda and Joe attended. Guess what happened Friday night? A big glass of wine and early to bed!