Teachers Pay Teachers Link Up: Everything Earth Day

National Poetry Month

Spring into Poetry!

April is National Poetry Month. Dust off the poetry books and display these wondrous treasures prominently in your classroom. The dynamics of poetry help children learn how to write precisely and concisely, and provide a deep well of language to dip into. Here are five activities to make your poetry unit shine!

1. Poetry Theater

Bring poetry to life through performance. Begin by explaining to students that poetry is meant to be read aloud. Show them a clip from Poetry Alive so they can see how poetry is performed. Form groups of three to four students and assign each group a poem, or let each group find a poem with your approval. Students should decide how to break the poem up into parts, and choreograph movements for reciting their poems. In order to perform, students will need to memorize their parts. After they've had ample time to practice, hold your own poetry theater performances. You can invite parents or another class to watch!

2. Poetry Centers

Set up poetry centers around the classroom. You could have a center with poetry patterns, 

a center with artwork and photos to use as writing inspiration, a center with poetry books to read and perform, a center with basic words to "crack open" and create mental images, a center with poems and blank paper so that students can illustrate poems, and a center with an audio library of poems. There are many possibilities to create centers for students to explore poetry and language in new ways.

3. Poetry Cafe

You can add spice to the end of your poetry unit by turning your classroom into a poetry cafe. Move your desks into tables, add a tablecloth and centerpiece (perhaps something with a small poem), and invite parents in for this special treat. Students act as waiters and waitresses, serving tea and cookies as they await their turn to perform their poetry theater and read aloud their original poems. Take plenty of pictures, and film the performances. 

4. Poetry Portfolio Project

Set students on an independent journey to create their own poetry portfolios.  Students will read a poetry book and write a response to a favorite poem, memorize and recite a classic poem, complete a visual poetry project, and write their own original poetry. Give each student a folder to keep all materials together. You want to give students different choices and opportunities to show off their best work. A poetry portfolio is a great way to bring your entire unit together in one cumulative folder.

Open Mic Poetry Night

Several years ago I started hosting an open mic poetry night at my local Barnes and Noble bookstore. This project began with my class and has turned into a school wide event. One evening each year we gather at Barnes and Noble. Students read aloud their original poetry over the open mic. This has turned into a standing room only event! Ask your PTA/PTO to help advertise the event by running off fliers to send home. Your student council can make posters to hang around the building, and make announcements each morning on the week of the event. Ask teachers to help support the event by making sure that each child has at least one original poem to take to poetry night. On the night of the event, ask students to form a line. Begin by letting them read one poem, and if there is time, they can read more than one. This is a fabulous event that grows each year. Contact your local bookstore to set up your open mic poetry night.

Lisa Frase 
 Lisa's TPT Store

Featured Article Products


Katy Perry's Firework Poetry and Figurative Language

Walt Whitman's O Captain My Captain

Poetry Notebooks K-1

Poetry Lessons on Figurative Language

Simple Poetry

Poetry Package - 7 Assignments to Engage and Involve Students


Poetry, the Music of Our Hearts


Complete Poetry Unit


Bean Poem

Awesome Activities Packet - Poetry and Earth Day

Featured Seller: Megan Mueller

1.   How long have you been on Teachers Pay Teachers?  What made you decide to be a part of it?

I have been on TpT for almost 3 years. I found the site while searching for teaching materials for The Shawshank Redemption by Steven King. I could find no materials anywhere, but followed a link to TpT where someone was selling a few worksheets. I didn’t end up using them; they weren’t quite what I was looking for. So I ended up making my own materials for the unit, and thought, I should sell my own teaching materials. Why not?

2.   When did you know that you wanted to be in education?

My parents are both involved in education. My mom works in special education, and my dad teaches 3^rd grade. They got me interested in elementary education while I was in high school. I often volunteered in my dad’s classroom after school. I ended up teaching high school, and then later, at the college level, but I still love the elementary classroom.

3.   How are you currently involved in education?

I’m currently teaching a few English courses at a community college as an adjunct instructor and loving it. My students need a lot of support to be successful in college, and it’s a joy to work with them.

4.   What would be your advice to people who are considering joining Teachers Pay Teachers?

Definitely do it! It takes quite a while to upload all of your materials, and write a description for each, but once you’ve done it, you just sit back and make money. It’s very exciting getting a check every quarter for my sales. One piece of advice, though, is to be sure to write very clear, detailed descriptions of your products, so that the buyer knows exactly what the product is. Also, every so often, go back and revise the materials. Your buyers want the best product they can get.

5.   What has been a highlight, thus far, about being on Teachers Pay Teachers?

Getting the paycheck is always fun, but I think a better highlight is the fact that the process goes both ways. I like to think that the materials that I sell are helping teachers in need of quality lessons, but I’ve also used the site several times to search for and buy products from other teachers. It’s helped me out several times. There are so many materials on the site, and I always find something helpful.

6.   What is something fun about you that other teachers don’t know?

Although I already said it, I think a lot of people don’t know that I started my career in elementary education. I still use a lot of techniques that I used in the elementary classroom. For example, I graded a test the other day, and I put stickers on the papers that got an ‘A.’ I don’t care what age you are, everyone enjoys getting stickers. J

7.   Do you participate in education outside of the classroom?  In what type of role?

I tutor in the college writing center, which is a lot of fun. Students come in who are motivated to improve their writing, and who really need my help. It’s very rewarding.

8.   What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

I’ve always wanted to be a librarian, because I love to read and do research, and I always thought it would be fun to be able to help students (or anyone) looking for a good book, or needing help finding materials. But that’s close to what I do now, so I don’t know if that counts.

9.   What profession would you not like to do?

Anything that requires me to sit in a cubical all day. I could never be a business major. I love to interact with my students.

10.                Who is your favorite author?  Favorite educational author?  And why?

Just one? Right now, my favorite author is Phillipa Gregory. I’ve been reading all of her book about the Tudors, starting with Catherine of Aragon and ending with Elizabeth. I love historical fiction, and her books are fabulous! As for an educational author, I don’t know if I have a favorite, but I do like Jim Burke’s books on the secondary English classroom. I think he has a lot of good ideas, and I still consult his books from time to time.

by Megan Mueller

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Megan-Mueller

Megan's Favorite Products


     Romeo and Juliet Literature Circle

I really like the literature circle questions I created for Romeo and Juliet. I created questions for students to debate about each act of the play. It’s a great play, and there’s so much for students to talk about! 

Poetry Song Project
I also like the poetry song project that I created. At the beginning of a poetry unit, my students discuss the idea that the best songs are full of poetry. I have them bring in a song, play it for the class, and analyze the song lyrics, looking for poetic elements. It’s a lot of fun, and they learn a lot from it. 

Bring Science Alive with Technology!

As a science teacher, one of my greatest teaching tools is the Internet, and I marvel at some of the fabulous opportunities it offers for both teachers and students.   I try to keep the following words in mind when planning a lesson for students – "Provoke, Relate, Reveal and Involve'. Using the Internet allows me to PROVOKE the students with an interesting question or topic. I can RELATE the topic to them through videos, animations or first-person accounts. I can REVEAL information to them, and lastly (and most importantly), I can INVOLVE them in the process.  Here are some fun and easy suggestions for how you can incorporate the Internet into your teaching practice.

• Look up “animations” for your topic – I teach Geography / Earth Science and have found some excellent websites with quick animations to demonstrate plate tectonics, the rock cycle, weathering, erosion and more.  There are some excellent animation websites for biology, chemistry and physics.  Try the Interactive Activities page to get yourself started

• Use YouTube, Vimeo, SchoolTube, and TeacherTube – all are invaluable and I use them almost daily.  Instead of talking about avalanches, why not go to YouTube and watch a video of a snowboarder racing for his life?  The same can be said for just about anything else -the sound of volcanic mud pots gurgling and sputtering can never be put into words or pictures! Have students sign up to present their favorite “Science Video of the Week” to involve them in the process.

• I have a “current events” segment in my class at least once a week – science is happening, and it is happening right now!  Even if we’re not studying earthquakes, I’ll spend some time in class talking about what’s currently going on in Japan, because it’s science in action.  Why not keep up to date on NASA’s latest, keep an eye on crazy weather, have your finger on the pulse of biology research, or learn what’s happening in chemistry or physics? It doesn’t take long to find out by doing a quick Google search.  Have your students look up current events in your topic area, sign up for a week, and then present their information to the class.

• Your local news station is an excellent website to check out – I miss the days of a VCR when it was easy to tape a short news segment on a science topic and bring it in to class.  Now, I can visit the news website and easily show the clip I want.

• Subscribe to Free Technology for Teachers – some of my best Internet finds have come from this website.  

• It’s always important to preview anything you find online… you never know when someone’s going to say or do something inappropriate.  Remember to re-check websites you haven't visited in a while, as content on the Internet can change rapidly.

• If you don’t have access to the Internet at school, or if the video sites are blocked in your district, you can download RealPlayer so that you can save videos to your computer. Another option is to use the website KeepVid to download YouTube videos.

Have fun!

Addie Williams
Addie Williams' TPT Store



Featured Science-Related Products:

Classification of Living Organisms PowerPoint and Notes 6th-12th
Chemical Bonding / Covalent Bonds BINGO 10th-12th
States of Matter Puzzle Squares 2nd-4th
A Day at the Beach file folder game (Water Cycle) 3rd-8th
Living and Nonliving Cut-and-Paste Category Board Pre-K-2nd
Weather and Weather Tools PowerPoint 2nd-7th 
Water Cycle Interactive Clickers Question Set (SMART) 3rd-8th
Ionic and Covalent Bonding Games

Featured Seller: Mr. Blake

1.   How long have you been on Teachers Pay Teachers?  What made you decide to be a part of it?

I joined TPT in the summer of 2008. I had just finished my Ed.S. degree in Educational Technology and heard about TPT from one of my classmates. I have always enjoyed making my own materials for the classroom and TPT seemed like the best way to share those materials with other teachers.

2.   When did you know that you wanted to be in education?

While studying electrical engineering and architecture at LSU, I started working the afterschool and summer programs at the church/school I attended. I fell in love with teaching and decided that’s what I was meant to do.

3.   How are you currently involved in education?

I am currently teaching 2^nd grade (my 17^th year!) and I am one of the technology leaders at my school. My wife and I also teach Sunday School classes at our church with children of various ages.

4.   What would be your advice to people who are considering joining Teachers Pay Teachers?

To quote the Nike ad, “Just do it!” You’re a teacher, so being creative and thinking on your feet comes naturally. Those materials you created for your classroom may also be of great value to many other teachers. Start out with the Basic membership to get your feet wet and upgrade to the Premium membership once you’ve made enough to pay for it.

5.   What has been a highlight, thus far, about being on Teachers Pay Teachers?

Well, aside from making a little extra money, networking with a wonderful group of educators has inspired me to “kick it up a notch” in my creativity in the classroom.

6.   What is something fun about you that other teachers don’t know?

In 1996 I won 3^rd place in Lakeshore Learning’s Great Ideas contest. The item I designed, the Writing Center Caddy, is still sold in their catalog today.

7.   Do you participate in education outside of the classroom?  In what type of role?

Yes, my wife and I teach the preschool and school-aged children in Sunday School at our church. I have also given many afterschool, weekend, and technology conference training sessions, most of them dealing with technology use in the elementary grades classroom. I am also the resident “computer tutor” at my school, always willing to help my fellow teachers with their tech problems and questions.

8.   What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

My next goal in life is to be a published author. I have several books in mind, but haven’t dedicated the time to start writing them. I’m hoping to set some time aside this summer and I hope to preview my new book(s) on TPT by the fall.

9.   What profession would you not like to do?

School Administration! No, thank you! More power to all of you administrators out there, but that’s not the job for me.

10.                Who is your favorite author?  Favorite educational author?  And why?

My favorite author is J.R.R. Tolkien. I love his Middle Earth writings and have read most of them several times. My favorite educational author is Debbie Diller. I love her practical writing style and how she gets to the “meat” of the issues that classroom teachers face.

by Mr. Blake
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/John-Blake-14/Products

Mr. Blake's Products

-Dolch Sight Word Assessment Kit
I developed this kit out necessity in my own classroom because I wanted an easy way to monitor my students’ progress with their sight words. I love being able to make individualized flashcards for each child with just a few clicks; the parents love it, too!

- Literacy Work Stations
When it comes to schedules and routines in the classroom, I am definitely a “paperclip.” I created the Literacy Work Stations and Small Group Meeting Schedule to help organize my literacy block. Using the framework of Debbie Diller’s Literacy Work Stations I modified the plan to work in my classroom. This schedule allows my students to move fluidly from station to station and it provides me with a time to meet with all of my students throughout the week.

Homework: Meaningful Reinforcement or Families’ Worst Nightmare?

With 27 years of experience teaching high school biology and chemistry and two teenage daughters in high school, I have developed strong views about homework. Actually, my views on homework have changed over the years. At the beginning of my teaching career, I gave homework every night, whether it was needed or not. When my own daughters entered school, however, I quickly began to realize that homework can be a nightmare once it leaves our desks and arrives at home.

I have found that many teachers are unrealistic in their expectations concerning homework. We have to remember that in high school, a student has 5 other classes in addition to our own. If we each give an hour of homework, the student then has 6 hours of homework at night. Some homework is of little value to students since it is never assessed. Other assignments are irrelevant to the learning in class, include vague directions or expectations, or cover material that has not yet been taught. It’s time to change the way we think about homework.

I am still a believer in homework. Students must review the material learned at school, and they must practice using this material outside of the school setting, but my views about homework have definitely changed. I now put more thought into each assignment, making sure that it is a quality assignment that will be beneficial to the student.

When I am considering giving homework, I think about the following points when preparing the assignment. Some teachers may agree with these points, and some may not. Please feel free to write a comment, and let the discussion begin!

• Homework is an essential part of the learning process, but should be assigned with care. The assignment should be meaningful and should contribute to student learning. What is your goal in assigning this work to the student?
• The homework should be directly related to the ongoing instructional process of the classroom.
• Homework assignments should be given to reinforce concepts already taught in class, not as a means of covering new material because the teacher ran out of time.
• Consider how much time will be required to complete the assignment, remembering that students have homework in all of their classes. It is not possible for students to complete two-hour assignments in every class, every night.
• Clear and concise directions for completing the assignment should be given. Students need to know specifically what they are expected to accomplish.
• If the homework is important enough to assign, teachers should take the time to discuss the assignment and to answer questions about it. That will mean leaving enough time at the end of class to explain directions and answer questions before students leave.
• Will students receive a grade for the assignment? Teachers should indicate in advance how the completed assignment will be scored, and how the scores will contribute to the overall grade.
• When the assignment is due, the teacher should take the time to do one or a combination of the following:
• take it up and grade it
• give individual feedback
• give some sort of credit for completion
• ask if there are any questions about the assignment
• Teachers should be cautious about making out-of-class group projects that require students to get together outside of school. Many students will experience difficulty meeting with their groups through no fault of their own.

I hope this provides food for thought and seeds for discussion in the comments section. Good luck in your teaching!

Amy Brown

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Science-Stuff



Featured Article Products

Homework Contract

Homework Vocab Bingo

Homework Prep

Biology Homework Cells

Punnett Squares

Time Punch Card

Reading Response Sheets

Worksheets for any Word Use

Critical Thinking Worksheets

Missed Homework Form

Featured Seller: Jer

. 1  How long have you been on Teachers Pay Teachers?  What made you decide to be a part of it?

I have been a part of TPT since May 2009.  I had been looking for lessons on-line, with a general Google search, and I kept getting directed to TPT.  I bought a power point on the French Revolution and was impressed with the product.  Then I bought a vocabulary power point and knew that I could do a better job than that.

2.   When did you know that you wanted to be in education?

Since 6^th grade; I was chosen to be a safety for the kindergarteners on the school bus and loved the chance to help other students.  My favorite summer activity was always playing “school” with my younger sisters and their friends.  In high school I tutored on a volunteer basis for the fun and love of education.

3.   How are you currently involved in education?

Currently I am a classroom teacher for 9-12 grades in French I – IV.  I began and moderate a Modern Language Honor Society at our school to foster continued study and appreciation of the languages and their associated cultures.  I also moderate an active French Club and take students to France every other year during spring break.

4.   What would be your advice to people who are considering joining Teachers Pay Teachers?

It is well worth the premium membership fee; mine paid for itself in just the first month that I joined.  You are doing the work anyways for your classes, so you may as well put a bit more effort in to have it look nice and neat so that you can list it and have it sell well.  Other teachers are doing the same units that you are!

5.   What has been a highlight, thus far, about being on Teachers Pay Teachers?

It has made me focus on what works well.  It has strengthened the creative side of me.  I try to have more of a variety of activities for each topic so that I always have a choice based on how well the students understand, how cooperative they are being and how old or new the topic is. 

6.   What is something fun about you that other teachers don’t know?

I love to sew and create unique outfits, accessories and home furnishings. 

7.   Do you participate in education outside of the classroom?  In what type of role?

Not at the present time.  I have done many different things over the years, but right now I am concentrating on my classes (I am developing a foreign language program for lower level students) and on creating products for TPT.

8.   What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

None; education is where my passion is.  Although, I was a seamstress for 12 years while I stayed at home and raised my children.

9.   What profession would you not like to do?

Politician; their life is under a microscope and they are frequently under attack by those who disagree.

10.   Who is your favorite author?  Favorite educational author?  And why?

John Grisham; I like the intricacy of his stories and I like to try to figure things out before the end of the book.  I also like not having to remember anything about the book except that it was an interesting story. 

Harry Wong; he has some great ideas on how students learn best.

By Jer
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/jer

Jer's Featured Items:

 - I like my “Inspecteur / Inspector” activities.  They give students a chance to get out of their seats, move around, talk to friends and STILL be doing classwork.  Students read a question out loud, working on reading and speaking skills; they listen and understand what they hear; they read and find the appropriate response.  They are a great activity that uses many skills.

Inspecteur/Inspector Activities

- My 4 by 4 activities; students work in small groups and arrange 16 index cards in a 4 x 4 grid.  All adjacent sides must match.  My 4 by 4 with passé composé is great for reviewing all 4 groups of verbs (regular, irregular past participles, être verbs & reflexive verbs).  “Nous nous sommes” requires a reflexive verb that has agreement for masculine plural; “sorti” requires a masculine singular subject with être.

4 by 4 activities 

How do I become a seller on Teachers Pay Teachers?

Note: This article is a condensed version of a longer one which includes step-by-step directions as well as ideas for increasing sales on Teachers Pay Teachers. Download the full article (PDF) for free to read more.

Making the choice about whether or not to start selling your lessons and materials can seem like an easy one; but knowing the best way in which to get it going may take a bit more finesse. We're here to provide some assistance.

When you create your membership you have two choices of how you want to join to sell products: premium and free. We highly recommend the premium seller account. It may take a while to build up a customer base and to create products, but it will be worth it in the long run.

We also recommend that you create a Paypal account. It's the fastest and easiest way to get paid each quarter. Just click the link to sign up.

With those steps out of the way, you are now ready to start listing your products! Here are some important tips to keep in mind when posting new items.

• The “Upload Preview File” is recommended for products with more than 3-4 pages. For this process, only copy a small portion of your document to be previewed. Save the preview with a separate file name.
  
• Create a title for your product that you would search for if you were looking for a similar product on Google. You may want to look at other product title listings from us or from other sellers to get a good idea.
• Include a detailed product description. Your product description should basically tell a potential buyer about the product. Avoid saying that this is the greatest product in the world.
• When you get to generating thumbnails, you will have a choice. You can either choose to use the thumbnail generator provided by TPT or choose to use your own thumbnails. Generally, we generate our own thumbnails using a program that you may have called “Snipping Tool”. Sometimes the generator from TPT is either slow or just doesn’t work too well.

Here’s what we recommend in regards to posting products:

• Post products that are of the highest quality. In general, poor products will result in poor sales.
• If possible, include pictures on your products to make them more attractive. Your pictures must not be copyrighted photos or pictures from the Internet. We recommend subscribing to Clipart.com or another reputable site.
• Your prices must be reasonable. Even though you may have spent twenty hours creating a document, it may only sell for $6.50. On the other hand, don't under price your products. If you're unsure about pricing, look around the site for products similar to yours to get an idea.
  
• Make sure when you post an item you have an appropriate grade level in mind. Posting a product for K-12 is not reality.
• Boost your sales by including an attractive cover page. This gives your work a professional, polished look. You may want to model your cover page after the style of teacher resource books.
• Include an answer key if appropriate for your product, along with detailed directions for the teacher and students. Make it easy for a teacher to pick up your product and begin using it right away.
  

We hope you have found the above information useful.

Thanks!
Brian and Eric
Wise Guys
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Wise-Guys


This week's featured products are all FREEBIES! Wahoo!

Monohybrid Genetic Problems

FREE Westward Expansion Powerpoint

FREE Probability Products w/ M&Ms

FREE Phone Spelling Activity

FREE Missed Homework Form

Communication: An Educator’s Greatest Tool for Student Success

Communication is an essential part of our everyday lives. As educators, we understand that communication between school and home can be one of the most powerful tools that we use to ensure student success.

            Educators face the daily challenge of building a community of learners in their classrooms, even though these learners come from a variety of backgrounds. Effective home-school communication is one way that we can level the playing field for our students. By providing equal access to important information, we never have to worry about someone being left out.

            What are some ways that we can communicate between home and school? Our new digital era has provided wonderful tools such as wikis, blogs, Twitter, web pages, and email as ways to share information; however, does everyone have equal access to these forms of technology at home? In some areas, this may certainly be the case, but in others there may be a significant number of families who are out of the loop. This creates a communication gap that provides yet another hurdle to teachers who are trying to keep their students’ families informed.

            So how do we close the communication gap? First, we must know our students and their families. Through the use of surveys and interest inventories, we can find out a tremendous amount about the home life of our students and the access to technology they have. If your school collects email addresses from families at registration, then you can send out an email invitation to complete an online survey. There are many free online survey sites, but I have found Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com) to be an easy site to use and share. Providing online and paper copies of the same survey insures that no one is left out of this information gathering process.

            Our next step in closing the communication gap is providing as much information as we can in as many formats as we can. Many teachers send home paper newsletters each week or month to keep their families informed of school happenings. How about posting that same information on a class wiki or blog? A weekly email blast with the newsletter attached and important information highlighted in the message is another great way to share what is going on in your classroom. I currently have a class wiki and a Teacher Web account (as our digital scrapbook). I also send home weekly newsletters and occasional email blasts to keep my families informed. It’s important to print out any emails you send to your entire class and send them to those families who do not have access. One way to manage this task is to give yourself (and any volunteers or student helpers) a visual guide to which students need paper copies. To do this, you can use a sticker on the folders or “mailboxes” that you use for sending home papers, to show which students need the paper copies.

            Don’t forget that communication goes two ways. Make sure your parents have several ways to contact you. Have you thought about generating a QR Code containing your contact information? You have probably seen these blocky-looking bar codes around. Apps are available for many smart phones which allow the user to scan the code and get the information. When you generate a QR code with contact information, many of the apps will even open up your contacts to allow you to save all of the information quickly. Include your contact phone number at school, your email address, the school’s mailing address, and your blog or web page. This would be a good thing to share at your open house or registration day. Of course, you’ll want to provide this information in regular text as well for those who are not equipped. An easy QR code generator can be found at zxing.appspot.com/generator, and a good basic QR code reader app is Red Laser, which is available for iPhone and Android.

            Lastly, communication is an ongoing process that will only get better as you use it more. You have to stay up-to-date with your district’s communication policies and allowable practices, but don’t be afraid to try out new forms of communication. I just found out about Eye Jot (www.eyejot.com), which is a free video email service. Using your webcam, you can produce a simple video message then send it out to your contacts. Everyone may not have email, but you may be able to produce a similar video and burn it to a DVD to send home with those who don’t. A similar tool, FotoBabble (www.fotobabble.com), allows you to load a photo, or a series of photos, and add audio commentary. You can also tag images with “hotspots” that link to related web pages. Imagine having each child record a sentence or two about a class project, or even capturing a photo of a note passed in class with an audio message to Mom and Dad! Depending on your district’s policies, you may be able to achieve a similar result with text messaging. The non-technology equivalent would be to print a photo with a quick typed message underneath.

            Though it may add a little extra to our already-busy workload, effective communication is a great way for teachers, students, and their families to stay on the same page. It may even save you time in dealing with miscommunications or confused parents! The products below may save you more time in organizing your home-school communication.

John Blake, Ed.S.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/John-Blake-14/Products

Additional TPT Products

• Student Performance Notes     
• What to say, to help your child read
• Parent Handbook Template
• Parent Conference in English & Spanish
• Home & School Communication Book
•  Teacher Conference Notes
•  Family Communication/Contact Log

Thursday Round Up #6

Welcome to Weekly Round up #6. Once again we have a wide variety of teaching resources all on sale for three days only!


St. Patrick's Day Math & Literacy Activities grades 1-2
Have fun learning during the month of March with this St. Patrick’s activity packet. This packet includes 25 pages of math and literacy activities to use with 1st and 2nd grade students.
Teacher Gone Digital

St. Patrick's Day Numbers Game grades K-1
Celebrate St. Patrick's day while playing with these four-leaf clover math puzzles. Each clover represents a number, and students put the clover together by matching numerals with number words and corresponding groups of four-leaf clovers. There are 10 clovers in all, divided into forty cards, and this game can be done in small-groups, as a whole-group activity, or placed in math centers.
FlapJack Lapbooks

St. Patrick's Day - Leprechaun Emergent Reader grades K-2
Kindergarten,first and second grade students can strengthen their emergent reading and writing skills as they celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Great for guided reading or as a literacy station activity.  Two formats are included - a mini-book to print, fold and staple and a larger version in which the students can write their own text. Both versions include the cover and 8 pages.
D Conway

Homophones:  Lessons, Homework, Tests, Writing grades 4-8
This eighty-six page resource covers thirty-one sets of commonly used (and misused!) homophones (sixty-six individual words).   Each lesson is organized in sets of sentences that can function as instructional examples, homework, and a test.  Students will also use the words in original sentences and in compositions.  Comulative tests are included along with full answer keys.
Margaret Whisnant

Math Enrichment Worksheets - 22 Pages with Answer Keys grades 3-6
TpT Top 50 Product! This is a bundle of 22 challenging and fun math activities. These activities reinforce basic skills in fun and interesting ways. Most require some logic or critical thinking. They can be used as supplemental materials with an entire class, with highly capable students, at a math center, or as homework
Rachel Lynette

16 Reading Worksheets to Use with Any Picture Book or Short Story grades 3-8
"This pdf file contains 16 reading worksheets & activities that can be used with and fiction picture book or short story. Most of the worksheets can zbe used with novels as well. You can use them for the whole class or small groups (book clubs).
Lisa Frase

Find it First!  grades 1-12
It's such a simple concept, and SO much fun! I've played this game with elementary students and high schoolers alike, and they just love it! (The high schoolers are pretty funny-- they love to feel like a kid again!)
Here are just a few ideas to try with the gameboards: -Time -Vocabulary Words -Numbers -Conjugated  verbs -Math problems
LaProfesora

Holiday and Season Slides to Greet Your Class, 2011-2014 grades K-4
Be prepared with welcoming slides for holidays, special days, and the changing of the seasons for 2011-2014.  All dates are listed on the  slides, most have animation, and all are highly illustrated.
Wise Owl

Middle Ages - Package of 5 Engaging and Fun Projects grades 4-10
A collection of some of my BEST SELLERS on TpT - Everything you need for 5 great projects to use during a Middle Ages Unit.  Can easily be adapted to different ages ranges / abilities! 
Addie Williams

Let's Make Words! Short Vowel Word Family Literacy Station Activities grades K-2
Working with word families is an effective way to get kids reading and help them learn to decode longer words. This book can be used in a variety of ways, to make learning to read a hands-on experience. This book is packed with 65 different word families to get your students well on their way to becoming awesome readers!
Hilary Lewis

Checklist for a Foolproof Field Trip grades PreK-8
Field trips can be a valuable educational experience with some prior planning. This two page checklist helps you think through the critical details while not neglecting the key components that provide an educational and safe experience for both you and your students. The checklist is divided into eight main categories.  Simply place a checkmark in one of the three response columns as you plan – "Yes", "No, but Should Have", and "Not Needed".
scipi

March Reading Writing and Math Ideas grades  grades 3-5
March is full of fun events: Read Across America Celebration, St. Patrick's Day and even the NCAA Basketball Tournament. This 36 page activity packet is full of great ideas for those special events.
Wise Guys

Preschool, Kindergarten, & First Grade Reading & Math Games--
These games are a great way to connect with parents.  I send them home so students get extra skills practice in a fun way while parents get to see what their child is working on at school!  This collection includes 11 math games and 12 reading games.  Check out the "download preview" for a FREE sample reading game! 
Teacher Tam

Viruses and Bacteria Powerpoint with Notes for Teacher and Student grades 7-10
This powerpoint is on “Viruses and Bacteria”. It consists of 58 slides that are colorful, informative and visually stimulating. Pictures and diagrams are included that will greatly enhance your instruction to your students. This product also includes a set of notes for the teacher (10 pages) and a set of notes for the student (12 pages).
Science Stuff

Spanish Conversation Cards - Oral Speaking Activity grades 7-12
Get your beginning Spanish students speaking! Over 168 questions for your students to ask and respond to. Cards to be printed measure 2.75 x 3.8 inches. Divided into 8 topics covered in Spanish I and makes a good review in Spanish II.
Justin-B

Probability PowerPoint grades 1-3
This highly engaging power point will help your students learn the concept of probability in a variety of ways. (One of my best sellers)
dijobaker

EQUIVALENT FRACTIONS Card Game Math practice activity - Fraction Match grades 4-6
This is a 24-card game for practicing identifying pairs of equivalent fractions. Kids spread out the cards and take turns trying to find equivalent pairs. Kids can check the cards' backs to see if they are correct! Afterwards, students can complete the accompanying worksheet, recording all of the pairs they found and writing multiplication and division rules for each pair.
Patrick Shaffer

Plants Reader's Theater Script grades 2-5
Tie fluency and science together with this 4 1/2 page script about plants that is ready to use in your classroom. The script focuses on the parts of a plant, the life cycle of a plant, and what photosynthesis is. The script is set-up for a small group / center, but it can be easily adapted to include more students.
Beverlyteacher

Springtime Math and Literacy Centers: Grades 3 and 4
Catch spring fever with these colorful and engaging springtime math and literacy centers! All centers are "laminate-and-cut" style and can be used year after year in your classroom. Skills include: addition, multiplication, contractions, prefixes, suffixes and more!
Shelley Gray

Spring Making Words Lesson grades 5-8
This is a spring themed making words lesson. All words are derived from the mystery word "precipitation" and are based on certain word families. The resource includes a worksheet for students, an answer key and word cards placed in presentation order.
Terry-Lynn McLeod

That's it for this week. If you submitted a product and it isn't here, it means that you didn't turn in your form soon enough to make this week's Round Up. Look for your product in next week's Round Up. We have several products ready to go for next week, but there is still room for more. If you would like your product to be included, just fill out this super easy, handy-dandy form. All TpT sellers are welcome to participate and new sellers are especially encouraged to submit.