Free Back-to-School Resources for Teachers

It's back-to-school time! Which means it's time to bring you a collection of resources from teachers to help you get back into the swing of things at school.

Each page in these eight Back-to-School resources sampler includes a back-to-school tip, a link to a free downloadable resource, and another resource (priced) that you can check out if you like that teacher's style.

We wish you the best school year and hope you find many great ideas, tips, and freebies to help you get through this school year!

You can download all of the books here:

Grades 7-12 Back to School Science Sampler 

Grades 7-12 Back to School Math Sampler 

Grades 7-12 Back to School Social Studies and Foreign Language Sampler

Grades 7-12 Back to School English Language Arts Sampler

Grades 5-6 Back to School Sampler

Grades 3-4 Back to School Sampler

Grades 1-2 Back to School Sampler

Grades PreK-K Back to School Sampler

Are You Ready for Back-to-School?

Going back to school in the fall is always a mixed bag of emotions: excitement, anticipation, nervousness, and, yes, overwhelming stress. There is a reason teachers need breaks throughout the year: the planning, grading, and performing in the classroom for the toughest audience out there is both mentally and physically exhausting.

But part of your workload and stress can be diminished.

Instead of spending your entire prep time altering your textbook lesson to work for your students, why not try materials that have been tried and tested in the classroom already by real teachers?

I've posted many new resources in my store this summer, with a lot more to come. You can check them all out here: Tracee Orman on TpT

I've also collaborated with my friends at the Literary League, which is a group of secondary language arts teachers, to let you know we'll be having a sale starting tonight and running through August 4th. Don't miss out on it! Use the code BTS15 at checkout to get an additional 10% our already-marked 20% off stores!

Visit their stores here:

Danielle Knight (Study All

Knight)

Darlene Anne- ELA

Buffet

Mrs. Spangler

in the Middle

Created by

MrHughes

The Classroom

Sparrow

The Daring

English Teacher

ELA Everyday

Juggling ELA

Nouvelle

Literary

Sherri

Making

Meaning with Melissa

2

Peas and a Dog

Secondary Solutions-Simply Novel

Addie

Williams

Linda Jennifer

Fisher Reyna

Education

The Creative

Classroom

Stacey

Lloyd

Room 213

Brynn Allison

Open

Classroom

Perfetto Writing

Room

Secondary

Sara

Tracee

Orman

James

Whitaker

The Superhero

Teacher

Created for

Learning

Brain Waves

Instruction

Teachers Are Heroes Sale on TeachersPayTeachers

IT'S EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER DAY! SALE THROUGH FEB. 26th!

We all know that teachers are heroes. Every day there are countless acts of heroism by teachers: complimenting the student who has a low self-esteem, providing a snack for the student who forgot hers, giving an encouraging smile to the shy student as he begins his speech, stopping a bully from picking on another student, standing up to and speaking out to an administrator or board member about an unfair policy, grading 150 essays in record time, and so on. 

Teachers often don't realize how these small acts can make a huge difference in the lives of their students. And it's time to give back to all of those who work hard to make each and every day in a child's life worthwhile. 

That's why TeachersPayTeachers will be having a site-wide sale Wednesday, Feb. 25th. Use the code HEROES at checkout to receive 10%, plus get an additional 20% off from the following secondary sellers' stores. (See list, below.)

I will also be having 20% off EVERYTHING in my store. If you haven't checked out my newest resources, please do. I think you and your students will enjoy them!

Click here to see what's NEW in my store! 

Check out all these great Secondary teacher-authors, who will be having a sale in their stores on Wednesday:

Danielle Knight (Study All Knight) 

The Classroom Sparrow 

Michele Luck's Social Studies 

Getting Nerdy with Mel and Gerdy

Mad Science Lessons 

Juggling ELA 

Krystal Mills - Lessons From The Middle 

Teaching High School Math 

To the square inch- Kate Bing Coners 

Charlene Tess 

Pamela Kranz

The Creative Classroom

Kristin Lee

Mrs. Brosseau's Binder 

James Whitaker's SophistThoughts

Darlene Anne

ELA Everyday

Lessons With Coffee

Teaching FSL

Room 213

MissMathDork

Lindsay Perro 

Liz's Lessons 

21st Century Math Projects

The SuperHERO Teacher

Science Stuff 

Kate's Classroom Cafe 

A Space to Create

Addie Williams 

Created by MrHughes

Leah Cleary

Secondary Solutions

All Things Algebra 

Tracee Orman 

4mulaFun 

Live Love Math

Ruth S.

2 Peas and a Dog

FisherReyna Education

Rachel Friedrich

Linda Jennifer

For the Love of Teaching Math

The Career Ready Teacher 

Connie

Mrs S's Health and PE Resources

Using Bell Ringers and Exit Slips for Quick Assessments

Implementing the Common Core State Standards does not have to be a difficult chore for teachers. There are many ways you can quickly assess student learning and measure their levels of understanding.

While teachers will see a push for more writing, the samples need not be lengthy essays. Quick writes—a paragraph summary or a few sentences that show evidence from a tex—count as a writing activity. This is where bell ringers and exit slips can come in handy. The smaller size is less intimidating for students, yet they still practice essential skills.

I've included some examples of how I use quick writes in the form of bell ringers (given at the beginning of class) and exit slips (due at the end of class) to gauge student learning. These are from my two Common Core Bell Ringers  & Exit Slips bundles: Volume 1 and Volume 2.

You should NEVER sacrifice creative thought; it should still be encouraged alongside other skills.

Both bundles have received rave reviews by teachers and students alike. One unique feature I include: the Common Core Standard on every single slip, so you (and your students) know exactly which skills you are practicing or assessing.

Use prompts that practice the Core standards, yet still encourage creative thought. Your students will be more engaged and will put more thought and effort into the activity. The activity above practices the third reading standard, which asks students to analyze the characters actions over time. By asking students to eliminate a character, they must think both critically and creatively to understand how that character impacted the plot and other characters.

Above, students are asked to relate a famous quote with the text. By forcing them to make those connections, they have to synthesize the information they've read.

Another quick assessment is my "What's Hot? What's Not?" activity. Students must select parts from the text that display both positive and negative aspects or connotations. 

If you find yourself stressing about implementing the Core standards, DON'T! I have over 200 different activities to practice every single reading standard for both literature and nonfiction that can be implemented immediately. (See Volume 1 and Volume 2.) 

I've been using the activities in my classroom for several years with great success. Feel free to comment or ask a question below. Thanks for stopping by!

Creative Writing "Happy New Year" Activities

Happy New Year! I know it's been some time since I've blogged, but we've been traveling to see family, creating new lessons, relaxing, and enjoying the holidays. I hope that you, too, have been able to enjoy this time with family and friends.

I wanted to let you know about a free download I have for teachers to use this new year. It's my "2013 New Year Creative Writing Activities." Hopefully this will help with your lesson planning when you return to school after break.

It includes four short writing activities for students that also practice critical-thinking skills.

The first is writing a new-year resolution. I defined a resolution for the students and prompted them to think about what they wish to achieve and HOW they will go about obtaining that goal. I think it's important to include the "how" because some may resolve to do things that they could not possibly achieve. On the last page of this packet is a variation of his writing exercise that can be used for the first day of school or first day of the semester with a new group of students.

After your students finish writing about their goals, file them away for the rest of the year. Bring them back out on the last day of school and let them see how much they have achieved over the past few months. Students love looking back at things they've written.

The next activity is writing a list of the top 20 things they want to do in 2013 and the top 13 things they hope to avoid or not do. An example might be "Earn an A in class" for top 20 and "Turn in late work" for bottom 13.

Another activity is writing an acrostic poem using the numbers 2-0-1-3. It forces the students to think of the number as separate words. An example might be:
  Two months of searching
  Zero purchases
  One goal
  Three prospects for the perfect prom dress.

The final activity is a classroom scavenger hunt. Students are prompted to find certain things based on the numbers 2-0-1-3. Then they have to create their own clues for their classmates.

These activities could be a nice addition to a time capsule or writing portfolio. I hope you and your students enjoy them. If you do, please consider checking out my other creative writing and critical-thinking activities:

 Creative Activities for ANY Novel or Story

These new products are aligned with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. Please see their product descriptions for the full list of standards alignment.

Character Cell Phone Activity

Character Trading Cards Activity

Happy Holidays From Your Favorite TpT Teachers!

Last year Rachel Lynette from Minds in Bloom started a wonderful holiday tradition to thank the supporters of TeachersPayTeachers: a free holiday eBook filled with free holiday tips and links to free teaching downloads from TpT teacher authors.

This year the book has been split up into separate books based on grade level. The grades 7-12 was compiled by Addie Williams of Addie Education and can be downloaded here:

My page from the book looks like this:

 There is one broken link to my Common Core Writing PEEL Chart and Graphic Organizer. Sorry about that!

Rachel Lynette compiled the grades 3-6 book, which can be found here:

My page from the 3-6 book is for a free clipart download:

Here are the other Holiday eBooks:

PreK-K and Grades 1-2

And from all the contributors and myself, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season and fantastic winter break!

Teaching Resources I Use Weekly

I could not live without these resources. That seems like a stretch, but it really isn't. It has taken me years to create and compile them and I always find room for adding and improving them, as well. That's why these two resources are the ones I turn to for so many reasons: when I need a sub, when I want to liven class up, when we have 10 minutes left and I want to challenge my students. I use them weekly and I hope you'll find them as useful, as well.

A Year of Journal Prompts {Common Core Correlated} - Almost 400 writing exercises in all! You won't need to look anywhere else for a writing prompt; I utilized history and popular culture so the prompts are relevant and engaging. Includes handouts to prompt your students.

Each month has 15-20 detailed prompts, for a total of 196. 

In addition, it contains:

• 73 quote prompts

• 88 anytime prompts 

and 45 one-liners, for a total of 402 writing prompts!

Creative Activities for ANY Novel or Story - This packet is still one of my all-time favorite resources. I utilize it often for both shorter creative prompts/activities and for longer project assignments in my classroom. I recently updated it to include even more activities and handouts, plus rubrics for assessment. There's a reason why it has remained in my top three best-selling products of all time.

The file is up to 41 pages, plus it has links to websites with additional resources. If you teach in a 1:1 school, there are several online projects. I incorporated technology into several older ideas. The page above shows the many handouts you can use with your students.

I just finished my Common Core Vocabulary Graphic Organizers tonight, so I'll blog more about those another day. But here's a link if you want to check them out!

Word Up! Vocabulary Organizers Correlated with the Common Core State Standards