I like bookstores!  One of my favorite things to do is check out their clearance tables.  I find more bargains (hopefully not my book) that I take back into the classroom or use for my own professional development. 

The bargain table is usually by the check-out counter and many times there are other items besides books as well.  Calendars, CD’s, workbooks, and trivia games are often piled on the table with the books.  I have even seen school supplies!  My favorite bookstore to search for deals is Barnes and Noble.  They seem to have more accessories, along with their book selection, to choose from. 

Last week, while scrounging through the clearance table at a Borders bookstore at the Syracuse mall, I found The Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words, for $2.99.  This book is awesome!  It list words by themes, instead of alphabetically.  Categories such as history, sports, science, the arts, etc.  There is also a word index, which of course, is alphabetized.

Not only is this book a reference for my students and I, it serves as a new source for the “word of the day” I like to implement in the classroom.  Furthermore, this book can also be used for study hall discipline (see idea #26 on my website).

All teachers spend their own money on items for the classroom.  That is a fact of life.  Bookstore clearance tables are a low cost method to acquire books and other items to supplement your classroom.  Just be sure stay out of the rest of the store…everything else if full price! (Ha! Ha!)

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Be sure to check out the “idea of the week” and “website of the week” at www.energizetheclassroom.com .

-Paul Richmond

 Energize the Classroom

 “Keep it fun!  Keep it relevant!  Keep learning!”