Featured Teacher: Leanne

         1. What is your most memorable field trip experience?

I've had so many, but I would have to say seeing the students unfurl a very large flag at Fort McHenry in Baltimore would be the most memorable.  It was like being a part of American history and that fascinated me.

         2. What is something you have learned from your time on Teachers Pay Teachers?

I have learned that collaboration will make you better than you ever thought you could be!  Use the forums, read other blogs, and comment on products that you think are fantastic!

         3. What book inspired you as a student?

As a student, I was inspired by My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. If the main character, Sam, could live off of the land as a boy, I felt I could do anything!

         4. What is something you would like to see in the future, for education?

I would like to see true individualized instruction where students would be able to reach their highest potential.

         5. What is something fun about you that teachers don't know about you?

Well, because I have the personality of a high school cheerleader, most people don't know that I love to ghost hunt!  I watch every ghost show possible and love to read about them all the time!

         6. What is an achievement, in education or otherwise, that you have accomplished?

I became a freelance writer for The Mailbox Magazine for Educators.  I love to write and this opportunity allowed me to have a voice in a highly recognized magazine.  Now, I can have my ideas and activities published to a huge educational audience. 

         7. What was your first 'Free' item that you posted up on Teachers Pay Teachers?  What made you choose that?

My first free item on TeachersPayTeachers was designed to align to a story my students read in their anthologies.  I quickly realized this was limiting and created free items that were more generic.  This way, more people could use them.

         8. What was your first 'Paid' item that you posted up on Teachers Pay Teachers? What made you choose that?        

My first paid item I posted in TeachersPayTeachers was my Comprehensive Sub Plan Binder.  I wanted to save as many people as possible from having to write sub plans, especially in the beginning of the year.  Because I had put so much work into it, I figured charging for it would be fair.

         9.  Your favorite teaching quote is...   

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." ~Albert Einstein

       10. What is your 'Go To' time filler?          

To fill time in class, I usually put on any upbeat song, and have the students dance.  I put a skill we are studying to the beat and have the students sing along.  For example, in word work, we would spell words; in math we would practice facts!                                                                

 by 

Leanne

Leanne’s Store

Report Card Comments for Teachers

Ready Words for Kids

Month by Month Newsletters

Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

Featured Teacher: Casey

            1. What is your most memorable field trip experience?

I took my students to a play for Junie B. Jones this past year. Half way through the play I felt a tug on my ankle and jumped up. One of my students popped up FROM UNDERNEATH my chair! She had come to tell me that she "WAS Junie B!" She also asked me if I "had noticed before how much she was like Junie B." I told her yes and sent her back to her seat the "normal" way.

         2. What is something you have learned from your time on Teachers Pay Teachers?

I have learned that it is important to check and double check and triple check behind yourself when creating new products. There is nothing more embarrassing than selling a product that has an error!

         3. What book inspired you as a student?

A book that I read over and over and over again was "Gone Away Lake" by Elizabeth Enright. I loved the idea of finding an abandoned summer getaway of my very own. That book definitely led to hours of imaginative play. 

4. What is something you would like to see in the future, for education?

I would love to have more time to teach and less time spent doing other "stuff." I know that it is important to document and create student data but I know that I, like many other teachers, feel pulled in so many directions. I am embarrassed by the number of days that I have to give my students independent work so that I can complete all of the necessary paperwork.

         5. What is something fun about you that teachers don't know about you?

I HATED math when I was in school. It was really hard for me and I didn't get the hang of it until I was a high school senior and I had a really AWESOME teacher. He changed my life and probably has no idea!

         6. What is an achievement, in education or otherwise, that you have accomplished?

I am still proud of the fact that I went to a graduated from college. I know that this is a feat that all teachers accomplish but I was the VERY first in my family to do so. I am still paying for it but I wouldn't trade anything for my education and the AMAZING job that I have because of it.

          7.  Your favorite teaching quote is...   

Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater. - Gail Godwin

          8. What is your 'Go To' time filler?          

 When I have down time I LOVE to sing a song! My kids really get into songs with motion. Eventually they want to lead the songs themselves which gives me a quick minute to get supplies ready for the next lesson etc.                                                               

 by Casey

Casey’s TpT Store

Number of the Week

 Skip Counting Dino Puzzles

Holiday Helpers

It's time for some yearly holiday helpers! As always, Teacher 2 Teacher will take an end-of-year break with new posts beginning January 6, 2013. A huge "Thank You!" to patrons and readers who have made the blog a hit in the educational market. 

Want to share your favorite lesson with others? Do you have a best teaching practice that works in the classroom? Do you have expertise that could benefit other teachers? If so, think about writing for Teachers 2 Teachers.   





Related Teacher Pay Teacher Products:

Free Grab Bag of Classroom Resources and Printables  FREE!
ESL December Holiday Flashcard Packet  FREE!
Student Note for the Holiday  FREE!
New Year's Reflection  FREE!
Winter Holiday Writing Prompts and Coloring Sheets  FREE!
New Year's Reading and Writing Resolutions  FREE! 
Christmas and Hanukkah Tic-Tac-Toe Journal Prompts  FREE!
Christmas Fun Booklet for Students  $2.00
Santa's North Pole Bingo for Early Learners  $2.00
Christmas Holiday Cause and Effect Practice Activity  $2.00
Math Adventures with Jimmy Jump Drive  $2.00
Chinese New Year Ready to Make Books and Activities  $2.50
Place Value Smartboard  $3.00
QR Code Measurement Fun  $3.00
Comparing Numbers Using =   $3.00
Study Skills Spreadsheet  $3.50

Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year!
From the Staff at Teacher 2 Teacher

Featured Teacher: Karen Hester

  1. What is your most memorable field trip experience?

I was with some kids at the Texas State Fair, and we saw Oprah Winfrey!

  2. What is something you have learned from your time on Teachers Pay Teachers?

I need to be patient....

   3. What book inspired you as a student?

Several... All of the Little House books, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Caddie Woodlawn. Those are the books that lit my imagination and turned me into a lifelong reader.

4.. What is something you would like to see in the future, for education?

I would like to see educators treated with the respect they deserve.

 5. What is something fun about you that teachers don't know about you?

Well, I really love to read, and I am crazy about vampire stories. Right now I'm currently devouring the Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse series. The combination of supernatural and southern quirkiness cracks me up.

 6. What is an achievement, in education or otherwise, that you have accomplished?

In the past few years, I have had several former students that are now grown adults contact me and tell me that I made a difference in their lives. Wow!

 7. What was your first 'Free' item that you posted up on Teachers Pay Teachers?  What made you choose that?

I posted a set of clipboard organization sheets. I wanted to post something that I really used, was straightforward and easy to use, and could be modified for personal use.

8. What was your first 'Paid' item that you posted up on Teachers Pay Teachers? What made you choose that?        

My first paid item was "10 to 20 and Beyond!" which is a set of center activities. I chose that because after years in upper elementary, I am new to "little people". I really struggled last year, so I am working on creating center ideas that I would use in my room.

9.  Your favorite teaching quote is...   

"Right is right, no matter who around you is doing wrong."

10. What is your 'Go To' time filler?          

Exploring far away places on Google Earth.                                                                

 by Karen Hester

Karen’s TpT Store

10 to 20 and Beyond?

Ones, Tens, Hundreds

Book Look: Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel
Review by: Lisa Howard
Visit Lisa's Blog
Email Lisa


Recommended for: Kindergarten and up


Hanukkah begins at sundown December 8. Celebrate with your students by sharing the book Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel. In the book, Hershel arrives at a new town just in time for Hanukkah, but the town is strangely dark. No familiar Hanukkah candles flicker in the windows. It is goblins, Hershel discovers, that keep the townspeople from celebrating . The town’s goblins like to smash dreidels, destroy menorahs, and throw latkes on the ground. The goblins hate Hanukkah.

Even though he is new to town, Hershel bravely volunteers to stop the goblins and save Hanukkah. Armed with only pickles, eggs, and a menorah, he climbs the hill to the synagogue to face down the goblins. Each night Hershel meets new a new goblin, and each night he defeats it with his swiftness and logic. As in the story of the Maccabees’ victory over the Greeks (the reason we celebrate Hanukkah), it is Hershel’s clever planning that carries him through each confrontation.

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins is a Caldecott Award-winning children’s book that begs to be read aloud. The humorous illustrations and wisecracking dialogue keep the sometimes dark book from becoming scary. It is a treasure for kindergarten and up.

HOTS or Bloom's Taxonomy

by Barb Evans

Teachers Pay Teachers Storefront: Barbara Evans

It's about time educators revisited Higher Order Thinking Skills or HOTS.  Most teachers have some knowledge of Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. However, did you know Benjamin is not actually the author of the taxonomy? It bears his name because he chaired the committee that developed it. Therefore, the next time someone asks you to chair a committee, you may want to say "Yes!"

It seems as though Bloom's Taxonomy has been around forever, and, actually, it has been around since 1956, according to Overbaugh and Schultz, who wrote “Bloom’s Taxonomy”. It has, however, changed over the decades. When first proposed, the taxonomy dealt with three domains of education: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. The goal of the three domains was to produce holistic education. Over time, however, the cognitive domain has become the taxonomy we think of when Bloom's Taxonomy is mentioned.

The taxonomy is constructed as a scaffold; the lower levels must be broad and strong in order for the upper levels to be built. In an age of standardized testing mania, knowledge and comprehension, the foundation levels, are the name of the game. Since those are the most easily evaluated components, performance is naturally based on those levels. Thus, mostly teachers of gifted and talented students have time to work on upper levels of the taxonomy since their students, presumably, have the requisite knowledge and understanding.

Here are two versions of Bloom's Taxonomy:

Teachers everywhere need to break out of their shells and push their students to work in the higher levels. Our children deserve to be grade A educated.

Visit Barbara's Blog and related products:

One Dollar Words Freebie   FREE!
Story Sleuths I (Caldecott Books)  $3.50

Triads 1  $3.60  

Related Teachers Pay Teachers Products:

 

December Holiday/Winter Creative Writing Paper  FREE!
FREE Hanukkah Word Search & Vocabulary Matching FREE!
Holiday Coordinate Graphing / Ordered Pairs Practice FREE!

Silly Santa Saying: Fun Figurative Language for the Holidays  $2.00

Word Wall Sampler Pack  $3.00
Dr. Seuss Biography and Activities for All Books $4.00

Christmas Santa's Special Classroom Delivery Bundle  $6.95

Featured Teacher: Brooke Beverly Conway

            1. What is your most memorable field trip experience?

My students one year went on a field trip to Nature's Classroom.  This outdoor learning opportunity brought me back to my experience as a year-round camp director.  It was amazing to see the kids trudging through the mud, investigating nature, dissecting creatures, learning to build forts, building campfires, picking edible plants, etc.  For weeks after this field trip, my kids would go out and explore their own backyard and bring in different leaves, bugs (yuck!), interesting rocks, etc. to share with their classmates.  You could tell that this field trip really grabbed their attention.

         2. What is something you have learned from your time on Teachers Pay Teachers?

I have learned so many things from the wonderful educators who collaborate on this site.  One of the simplest things I have learned, but has saved me so much time is to create projects in powerpoint because it is so much easier to manipulate clipart and word art.  They also inspired me to start a blog.  Check it out at www.3rdgradetroops.blogspot.com .

         3. What book inspired you as a student?

I'm laughing out loud as I write this, but I have always loved “The Pain and The Great One”.  I used to tell my younger sister that she was the pain, and I of course, was the great one.  I wrote many sequels to this story in my elementary school career during different story writing times (it wasn't called "writer's workshop" back then!)

4. What is something you would like to see in the future, for education?

I would love for schools to be infused with technology.  The interactive and engaging learning opportunities that are available, or will be available, for students will truly enhance learning.  It would be great if the government invested more money in education as well!

         5. What is something fun about you that teachers don't know about you?

I used to work as a year-round camp director!  I think that is where I realized that when children have fun, are engaged in what they are learning about, and make connections so that they truly remember a lesson. 

         6. What is an achievement, in education or otherwise, that you have accomplished?

I have had several teaching ideas published in the Mailbox Magazine.  Both the Mailbox Magazine, and TpT inspire me to think outside of the box to find ideas that will really grab my student's attention!

         7. What was your first 'Free' item that you posted up on Teachers Pay Teachers?  What made you choose that?

I posted a French Fry Book Project.  I posted this product because I had just completed it with my students in my classroom.  I liked it because it was a twist on a book project that I hadn't seen before. 

8. What was your first 'Paid' item that you posted up on Teachers Pay Teachers? What made you choose that?        

My first paid product was probably not my best product.  It was a math review worksheet packet.  Today, I feel that my task card sets, and powerpoints are my best products.

9.  Your favorite teaching quote is...   

"The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes, and leads you onto the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth."

--Dan Rather

10. What is your 'Go To' time filler?          

I enjoy having kids pull out their dry erase boards and markers for a quick game review.  It is quick and easy, and everyone is involved in the learning process.  I also have "I'm Done, Now What" centers set up around my room for fast finishers to work on, so everyone is always actively engaged in a productive learning opportunity.

I also have powerpoint template games where students there is hidden treasure, or a hidden candy, etc. that can be used as a review for any concept.  This is great for a quick review for science or social studies test, or to give a little extra practice for a tricky math concept or spelling words.                                                                 

 by Brooke Beverly Conway

Brooke’s TpT Store

Newspaper Task Cards
Writing Personal Narratives – Powerpoint and Worksheets

Listening Center Task Cards and Reader Response Activities

CyberMonday and Tuesday is About Sharing

It's finally here--CyberMonday and Tuesday! As educators, we've anticipated and waited all year for one of Teachers Pay Teachers biggest sales (up to 28% off!). 

However, currently, there are many fellow teachers who are in need of help and support. A huge "Thank You!" to those who have started projects to help out less-fortunate friends and neighbors across the world. If you have such a site, please post it in the Comments section to receive more donations. For example, Teachers Help Teachers, by Laurah Jurca of The ESOL Odyssey; she set up a site for donations of school products to Hurricane Sandy educators. After all, that is what CyberMonday and Tuesday are about--thankfulness for a place to share great products that help educators!


The upcoming weeks are the perfect time to encourage students to help others in need. Motivating students to volunteer during the holidays is simple. Find projects students can create and give. Everything from cut-outs of holiday themed items to impersonal letters to thank you cards can bring smiles of joy to faces. Donate the hand-made products to adult living centers, hospitals, and nursing homes. Also, students can volunteer to perform charitable work, such as reading to elderly patients or performing a play at a nursing home. Homeless shelters need extra hands and so do food kitchens. Frequently, students need to look no further than their own neighborhoods to volunteer their time. They might try babysitting for busy parents, putting up Christmas decoration, or raking leaves. A school toy drive or community project, such as collecting books, is a excellent way to promote volunteerism.  

Show students the holiday season is about giving rather than receiving. 

Related Teachers Pay Teachers Products:
 
Winter Holidays Tips and Freebies FREE!
Elf Hunt Game   FREE! 
ESL December Holiday Flashcard Packet  FREE!
Santa Christmas Holiday Coordinate Graphing/Ordered Pairs  FREE!
Christmas Fun Booklet  $1.49
Santa's Silly Sayings: Figurative Language   $2.00
Christmas Holiday Cause and Effect Hands-on Practice  $2.00
Vocab Four Square  $2.30
Christmas Math   $3.00
Weather and Climate Unit Study  $3.18
Christmas Tales to Write and Publish  $5.00
Kinder Christmas Activity Packet  $5.00
5 Es Unit Plan Electricity Its Elementary      $5.96
Christmas Fun Pack--Math, Literacy, & Fun  $8.50

Featured Teacher: Emma Farrell

            1. What is your most memorable field trip experience?

I'm from Australia, and I would have to say the Australian Museum. At the time, I taught grade one in a low socio-economic, high NESB area of Sydney. The students and their families mainly stayed in their suburb and couldn't always afford to go on outings. I just loved seeing my students' faces light up as they moved through the city and the museum. I will never forget it. They would all be finishing high school now!

         2. What is something you have learned from your time on Teachers Pay Teachers?

I have learned that teachers require high quality resources. Teachers alike are busy and need to save time, getting easy to use, high quality resources.  I also know that I love the ease of finding and purchasing great resources on TpT.

         3. What book inspired you as a student?

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle.

4. What is something you would like to see in the future, for education?

Two full-time teachers in every classroom! One trained classroom teacher and one trainee or untrained teacher. It would address so many issues and make everything easier for all stakeholders.

         5. What is something fun about you that teachers don't know about you?

I am a crazy amateur photographer and take my camera with me where ever I go.

         6. What is an achievement, in education or otherwise, that you have accomplished?

I was lucky enough to finish university in the top 5% for my year. This meant that I was a targeted graduate and was lucky enough to walk into a full-time, on-class teaching position with Kindergarten.

         7. What was your first 'Free' item that you posted up on Teachers Pay Teachers?  What made you choose that?

FREE Dolch Track my Reading Games. I thought it was a new twist on assessing reading words. It is my featured item and my most popular freebie to date.

8. What was your first 'Paid' item that you posted up on Teachers Pay Teachers? What made you choose that?        

Oh wow, I can't remember, let me have a look! Oh, I remember now..... it was my 6 x 100 Most Used Words Snakes & Ladders Games. I posted it first because it was one of my top sellers in my Ebay store.

9.  Your favorite teaching quote is...   

I have so many, this quote is the one that appeals best to my philosophy!

If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn. By Ignacio Estrada.

10. What is your 'Go To' time filler?          

Playing with our 6 year-old, yellow Labrador, photography and walking.                                                                

 by Emma Farrell

Emma’s TpT Store

 Owl Themed Blank Classroom Labels - 48 pages
 Spelling Strategy Posters - 20 pages
 Spelling Rules Posters (35) and Award - 17 pages

A TpT Thanksgiving

There are many reasons to be thankful during Thanksgiving. Currently, however, there are many teachers who are in need of help during the holiday season. Economic hardships and natural disasters, such as Hurricane Sandy, have left some teachers struggling to return to classrooms and their profession. How can you be of help? Laurah Jurca of ESOL Odyssey blog has come up with a solution for Hurricane Sandy victims that involves teachers helping teachers:

How can I help?
If you are a teacher or have a store on TpT or TN, then please consider donating some of your products or materials to a teacher in need! If you are interested, please click the "teachers helping teachers" button below and fill out the requested information.Teachers of all grade levels are welcome and encouraged to participate! I will send out an e-mail when it is time to send in your donated product, and I will handle separating the products into grade-level bundles for distribution and distributing to schools and teachers in need.

Join in!

1. Click the "Teachers help Teachers" button below and fill your information into the form.
2. If you have a blog, blog about this and add the button below to your post, and link it to this blogpost. (this can be done by copying the image and inserting it into your post, then copying the link location and linking the picture). If you don't have a blog but still wish to donate and share, then pintrest, Facebook and Twitter about it!
3. Join the linky party below and link to your blog post (if you have a blog) or your TpT store if you do not have a blog.

Helping teachers affected by Hurricane Sandy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From the Tchr2tchr Administrative Staff 



Related Teachers Pay Teachers Products:  

Main Idea and Norman Rockwell  FREE!
Thanksgiving Analogies Worksheet  FREE!
Thanksgiving Writing Prompts  FREE! 
Thanksgiving Fun Booklet  $1.49
Every Holiday and Season Bingo Boards  $3.00
ELL/ESL/ELD 5 Days of Grammar Lesson Plans  $3.50
Super Science Set  $15.00

Featured Teacher: Anna Colley

            1. What is your most memorable field trip experience?

You know, I always loved field trips, and a lot of my colleagues hated them. Yes, it took more energy than a regular school day, but I guess I'm like a kid in that I loved breaking the routine and seeing something new and interesting. I never had a horrible field trip experience that would burn it on my memory, so all of the field trips kind of stand out in my mind. I really enjoyed visiting Stone Mountain Park and taking kids to the Antebellum Plantation and Barnyard. I also remember going to the Weinman Mineral Museum. I really thought that part of that particular trip was going to be a waste of time; rocks and minerals weren't even part of our science curriculum. It turned out to be the best part of the trip. We got to see a moon rock, pan for gems, and explore fossils. That was over 10 years ago and those students tell me they still remember it.

         2. What is something you have learned from your time on Teachers Pay Teachers?

I've learned to improve my teaching resources so that they're better for someone else to use by including full directions, tips for use, and other supplementary materials.

         3. What book inspired you as a student?

I loved the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. I really wanted to be a writer when I was a kid.

4. What is something you would like to see in the future, for education?

I would love for government to scale back its love affair with testing and look at more authentic ways to evaluate student and teacher success. It's not as easy to standardize across the nation, but if done correctly, it will give a more accurate picture. I would love to see the current climate of pressure on teachers change. Teachers are some of the hardest working professionals I know, but it has felt for the last few years like there is a stranglehold on us. We are looked at with suspicion and there is so much talk about "bad teachers" and what needs to be done with them. In the meantime we are given less and less to work with--more furlough days, less money, and some districts are even giving up instructional days. I really feel for new teachers who have never known the profession any other way.

         5. What is something fun about you that teachers don't know about you?

Before beginning my teaching career, I worked as a movie projectionist, technical support operator, Chinese restaurant waitress, and dorm security rover. I'm 5'1" and utterly nonathletic, so the fact that I worked security always gives people a laugh.

         6. What is an achievement, in education or otherwise, that you have accomplished?

I am really proud of all of the work I have done in my current position as a school technology coordinator at a public special needs school. In two short years I have become somewhat versed in assistive technology and have presented introductory workshops to other educators, created a brand-new school website from scratch, taught a weekly computer lab special to about 300 three- and four-year-olds, set up, organized, implemented, and maintained a set of schoolwide OneNote notebooks, worked with vendors, managed a budget of about $20,000, and provided lots and lots of training to the staff. It was a huge transition moving from the fourth grade classroom into what I do now, but I've never been happier in my career.

         7. What was your first 'Free' item that you posted up on Teachers Pay Teachers?  What made you choose that?

My first freebie was the Yearlong, Semi-Quarterly Book Share Project (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Yearlong-Semi-quarterly-Book-Share-Project). I started this project my first year of teaching and grew it, tweaked it, and loved it for 8 years before I joined Teachers Pay Teachers. I knew it was a good example of my work because it was so extensive. Five years later it's been downloaded more than 43,000 times! I got lots of requests for a version that teachers could edit, so I eventually updated it, added more resources to it, and posted a customizable version for sale. (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Customizable-Yearlong-Semi-Quarterly-Book-Share-Project)

8. What was your first 'Paid' item that you posted up on Teachers Pay Teachers? What made you choose that?        

My first paid item was a literature and writing graphic organizer package. I used a lot of graphic organizers during my reading centers, and I was really just trying to think of something I could make and post to see what would happen. I came up with some ideas that were a bit different than the ones I had used before and created them. I still sell some of these now and then, but as my first product, they aren't as polished as the newer resources. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Literature-Writing-Graphic-Organizer-Package

9.  Your favorite teaching quote is...   

"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." -Frederick Douglass

10. What is your 'Go To' time filler?          

                                                                

I'm terribly addicted to TV. I have lots of favorite shows: Dexter, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Parenthood, Once Upon a Time, Walking Dead, Modern Family, Raising Hope. I also enjoy discovering cancelled shows that I missed the first time around thanks to streaming services: Veronica Mars, United States of Tara, Life on Mars. I know it's low-brow, but it's a fun escape. In my defense, I do read a lot too!

 by 

Anna Colley

Anna’s TpT Store

Fall and Winter Ordered Pairs Pack, $10.00 (currently on sale for $8.00)
Graph the Constellations, $3.00
Down on the Farm Cause & Effect File Folder Game, $3.00