For the Love of Books: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

By: Mary Bauer

Mary’s Store on Teachers Pay Teachers

Minli lives in the shadow of Fruitless Mountain.  Her family barely grows enough rice to feed themselves, but Minli buys a goldfish on impulse.  When her mother criticizes her purchase, she sets her pet free and decides to change the family fortune by finding the Old Man of the Moon.

Grace Lin’s book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon reads like a novel-length Chinese folktale with shorter tales in between.  Her artwork enhances this impression.

I have been a Grace Lin fan since the year my niece was adopted from Taiwan, and I have enjoyed buying and sharing her books ever since.

This book is most appropriate for grades 3-6 or a read aloud to a younger child.

To Teach or Not to Teach Shakespeare: “That is the Question!” 11/28/11

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

By Beth Hammett

Visit Beth's Teachers Pay Teachers Store

As a middle school teacher, my decision to teach Shakespeare was simple. In my mind, students needed an introduction to the famous author and his classic works.  After all, the themes of the plays are timeless.  There are also other novels and short stories students will encounter that reference Shakespeare.  It seemed logical that an overview would benefit students and their future teachers.  Were there objections?  Yes, there were high school teachers who opposed my teaching Shakespeare in the earlier years. They argued that the works were already covered in their entirety in eleventh and twelfth grades, but once these colleagues reviewed the lower-level materials, everyone approved of the lesson plan.

Featured Teacher: Stephanie Patten Wrobleski

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

I discovered Teachers Pay Teachers by accident one day about two years ago.  I was just surfing the web for teaching ideas and came across it.  I decided to post a few items as an experiment.  

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

I cannot remember not wanting to be a teacher.  At first, it was a chance to be bossy toward my younger sister and cousins.  Now, it is an opportunity to make a positive impact on my students.

3. How are you currently involved in education?

I am a reading teacher and English teacher in a high school.  I work with grades 9 - 12 teaching core English classes and English academic intervention classes that focus on skill improvement.

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

Take some time to learn from others by reading the blogs and looking at the products of successful sellers.  I have learned so much from the TPT community.

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

The highlight thus far was receiving some really positive feedback from buyers/fellow teachers.

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

I am a former collegiate rugby player.

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

I write for Teach Hub and am involved with the National Writing Project.

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

I would love to dive head first into professional writing.

9. What profession would you not like to do?

I could never work in a situation where I sit at a desk for long periods of time.  I have to move.  I teach on my feet all day long.

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

My favorite author... that's not fair, there are so many.  I do love John Steinbeck because he is a fabulous story teller and loved to write about the underdogs of the world.  Right now my favorite educational author is Kelly Gallagher because what he writes makes sense.  I also admire that, even in the wake of his fame and popularity, he remains grounded in his classroom.

Stephanie Patten Wrobleski

Stephanie's TPT Store

Stephanie's Prized Products

 Romeo and Juliet Teaching Guide for Any Version

I aimed to create a teacher and student friendly resource for the popular Shakespeare play.  I have incorporated journalism writing tasks and rubrics for each act.  Students have fun and learn.

The Parts of Speech Organizer

This easy to use resource makes teaching the parts of speech a little easier.  It is designed to offer varied levels of scaffolding so teachers can decide how much help to give students. 

For the Love of Books: Skippyjon Jones Class Action

By: Melissa
Plug-n-Plan Blog

Melissa's Store on Teachers Pay Teachers

It's time to start practicing your "very best Spanish accent," because our favorite Siamese Chihuahua is back again, and this time he's going to school!  That's right, Skippyjon Jones Class Action is here, so get excited!  This newest adventure featuring the adorable kitty-boy who thinks he's a chihuahua was released this summer (July 2011), making it the 6th Skippyjon Jones picture book by author Judy Schachner.  If you (oh, and your students) loved the first 5 picture books, then you're sure to love the newest adventure. 

This time, Mama Junebug's little mischief-maker sneaks off into his closet when doggie school is placed off limits.  There he meets up with his old friends, Los Chimichangos, and goes paw-to-paw with wooly-bully.  There's no doubt Skippyjon will have you chuckling away as you follow him through the most disorganized school day ever! 

The storyline is brand new, but your kids will welcome the familiarity of structure and rhymes used throughout the Skippyjon stories.  Even though much of the imaginative language involves translation through the addition of "-ito" to the end of words, Schachner also throws in a handful of actual Spanish vocabulary.  I always love involving my Spanish speaking students as we read, drawing on their knowledge of the language.  Their faces light up as they recognize words from their native language and swell with pride as you ask them to explain what they mean.  I find this particularly important for my entering level ESOL / ELL students.

Aside from the wonderful storytelling which transports you into the wild imagination of a kitten convinced he's a dog, there is so much more than entertainment to be found in the story.  As a teacher you can use the faux Spanish and actual Spanish words to teach your students to use context clues to decipher meaning.  The story is also great for fluency and decoding practice.  The rhythmic writing provides a great practice ground for fluency as students read to self and read to others while the chants and made-up words throughout the story challenge students to use their reading strategies to decode the unknown words.  Fun and educational!

Truth be told, I'm not really sure who gets more excited about these Skippyjon Jones books: me or my students?  I think we must feed off of each other.  Though it's hard for me to choose my absolute favorite Skippyjon adventure, my students definitively voted Skippyjon Jones Class Action as their new favorite.  Whichever installation you love best, none have disappointed, so I for one will be waiting anxiously for my next opportunity to join my big-eared friend on his next trip into the closet!

Check out the book trailer from Amazon!

Online Resources

By Carolyn Wilhelm

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Wise-Owl-Factory/Products

Students are excited when computer time rolls around!  There are so many online resources to use when teaching or letting children use computers at home or at school.  The many options can be overwhelming.  A great way to narrow choices for site selections is by using the following criteria:

 1. No or limited advertising

 2. Educational values

 3. Benefits for teachers and parents

 4. Associated with nationally known groups or businesses

 5. Students should be able to explain what they learned

 6. Includes SMART Board use that engages all students in the class

First, limited or no advertising is an important requirement, especially for young viewers.  However, there is still the need to teach children not to follow extra links that look enticing without asking permission and being willing to accept “no” for an answer.

Second, reinforce that cheating to complete online activities is not acceptable.  Many students use codes, tricks, or advice from friends to win while playing electronic games at home.  Therefore, they are very familiar with such techniques.  Parents and teachers need to point out that getting to the end of activities is not the goal whether working at home or on school computers.  The goal is to learn.

Third, the best sites have teacher or parent resources associated with them.  If you look at home pages for educational sites, there are varieties of free resources and materials for students, parents, and teachers.

Fourth, the sites should be associated with nationally known groups or businesses that are likely to remain in business over time.  These are the most excellent and reliable types of sites.  Websites that look like they could change hands tomorrow may disappear quickly.  Also, be sure to review new sites for appropriate child content.  Remember, parents and teachers need to be nearby during children’s computer uses.

Fifth, children should be able to explain what they learned during computer time.  The best sites offer print-outs of activities, which children are happy to share.  If children simply "had fun", check the site for education values then assess whether new or different sites might be needed.  Having fun, although it can be a motivational component of the lesson, is not the goal of educational computer time.

Sixth, if SMART Boards are available in classrooms, educational sites meeting the above criteria should be able to hold interests of students for whole group site demonstrations.  SMART Boards save time in computer labs, and they help students avoid advertising links. 

By following these simple guidelines when looking for appropriate online resources for students, your computer lessons will be educational, as well as engaging and fun!

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First Grade Mega Math Bundle for SMART Board $7.00

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Christmas Adjectives Practice Writing Bulletin Board $3.00

Simple Machines Hot Spots for SMART Board $1.50Winter Writing Prompts with Coloring Sheets Free!
Steps to a Great Paper Free!
Antonym Dogs $3.00
Tic-Tac-Toe Journal Prompts Choice Grids 252 Great Prompts $3.75

Featured Teacher: Charlene Tess

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

I have been with Teachers Pay Teachers from almost the very beginning in July of 2006. I had published an ebook, Simple Steps to Sentence Sense, that I was selling from my website. When I discovered TpT, I realized I had many units and materials that might benefit other teachers, so I joined and began selling those products also.

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

My grandmother and my mother were both teachers. I grew up in a family that values education. In college, I became a substitute teacher to earn money for tuition, and after my first day in the classrooom, I was hooked. I changed my major to education, and never looked back. I taught in public schools for 34 years, and have worked as an educational consultant and as a creative writing teacher for adult education classes.

3. How are you currently involved in education?

I teach creative writing classes to adults, write educational materials, and write an educational blog.

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

It is a wonderful place to share materials that have been successful in your classrooms, and it is a great place to meet and converse with other teachers. I would advise anyone to join and participate.

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

I have enjoyed getting to know other teachers who sell materials on TpT, and I have enjoyed corresponding with people who have purchased my products.

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

I write romance novels, and general fiction as well as nonfiction grammar workbooks.

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

I am an educational consultant.

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

I am happy with the professions I have chosen.

9.   What profession would you not like to do?

I would not enjoy a profession that required mathematical skills.

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

James Lee Burke is one of the most gifted authors I have ever read. His use of imagery and his strong, realistic characters are as well drawn as many of those in the literature books being taught in classrooms today.

Richard Lederer is my favorite educational author. He is witty and wise and I learn something every time I read him.

Charlene Tess 
Charlene's TPT Store

Charlene's Prized Products

I am most proud of my Simple Steps to Sentence Sense books that have been used in classrooms since 1996. I developed a method of teaching grammar and sentence structure in the early '60's. It works. My students and teachers who have used my books agree, that learning grammar this way makes it easy and fun.

Simple Steps to Sentence Sense - High School

Simple Steps to Sentence Sense - Middle School

Turkey Talk

By Crystal Radke

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kreative-In-Kinder

Let’s talk turkey! It doesn’t matter what grade you teach, there are many lessons that involve this funny bird. Last week, I drew a turkey on a piece of art paper. 

Then, I let my kindergarteners color it. This activity is good for students’ fine motor skills, and they take ownership of the project if they help create it.

What else can be done with this big bird? Use different colored sticky notes and label them with: adjectives, colors, nouns, facts about turkeys, and their body parts. The possibilities are endless! Large Thanksgiving pictures can be turned into interactive writing charts. For example, a Native American Indian, a teepee, and a pilgrim can be used to write about cultures, lifestyles, settings, and symbolism throughout your Thanksgiving unit.

Another holiday learning activity students enjoy the week before Thanksgiving break is to read aloud Monster Sandwich by Joy Cowley. Create a chart of items students want to place on their Monster Sandwich. Then, have students sign up to bring goodies for a “Thanksgiving Feast” to build a Monster Sandwich.



Make sure students have jobs, such as cutting tomatoes, handing out plates, seating guests… Finally, feast as a group! I never thought I would share a six foot sandwich layered with cucumbers and a side of Cheetos, but my students loved this activity.


The project is a great way to make a connection with the text while learning about pilgrims and Native American Indians.

These Thanksgiving holiday learning activities will have your students using higher level thinking skills. Remember to give your students opportunities to expand on what they have learned and to apply concepts to real life for lasting connections. Students will be THANKFUL for your contributions to interactive learning!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Turkey Teaching! Thanksgiving & Pilgrims Literacy & Math Centers Unit $5.00
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Thanksgiving Activities Packet: Writing Prompts, Word Search, & More $1.95