Who doesn't love brand new, shiny, just-out-of-the-package back-to-school supplies? Ever since I was a kid, shopping for school supplies was one of my favorite end of summer activities! And as a teacher, I always felt like Christmas when unboxing my supply orders or shopping school sales. Amazon is a great resource for must-have teaching supplies and I've listed some of my FAVORITE, must-have teaching supplies from Amazon here. This post includes affiliate links, so I earn a small commission if you purchase through them, BUT I have only included items I've used myself, so you can rest assured these are great supplies! And I'll also mention if I've seen these items cheaper elsewhere. I've organized these supplies into categories to make it easy to find what you're looking for. Also, look for the *TIP note to read little tips for each school supply. Must-have supplies for Centers Plastic sleeves-huge paper saver! I used ... read more
Search Results for: back to school
Back-to-School Read-Aloud for Phonemic Awareness
Don't you love when you find a great book to read aloud? I am always looking for amazing read-alouds and when I found The Hungry Thing by Jan Slepian, I hit the jackpot! It's such a funny story that's perfect for rhyming and phonemic awareness. If you don't have the book, I included links in my Hungry Thing freebie (in my free resource library) that you can use to purchase it (about $5) or to watch it on YouTube for free. Summary: It's about a monster who comes to a village and asks for food but people don't understand its language, then they realize he is just changing the first sound of what he wants. For example, he asks for shmancakes instead of pancakes. Some townspeople make up what the words mean, but a little boy explains what it is the monster wants. The food is revealed each time you turn the page, so it gives kids a chance to guess what the monster wants before finding out. So cute, right?! Every year I use it with my ... read more
What To Do on the First Day of School
The first day of school always brings me joy, excitement, and..... some anxiety! What will I do? How do I set routines up? How do I keep students engaged? What if I don't have enough planned? After 16 years, I still get the 'first day jitters'! Once I meet my sweet students and my day gets underway, though, everything goes smoothly and I can breathe a sigh of relief! If you are wondering what to do on your first day, here are some sample first day lesson plans (and FREEBIES) that I've saved from past years. I always overplan and sometimes don’t even get half done, but I definitely would rather have too much planned than not enough! Take your time, though, and don’t rush through anything because the kids will feel it and your day may not go smoothly. I’d rather not accomplish as much and have a smooth day than accomplish everything but feel rushed and harried. There are 179 more days to go, so don't worry about anything you didn't get ... read more
End Of The Year Student Gift Ideas
It's almost that time of the year. I'm sure many of you have already started counting down the days! While the end of the year is an exciting time for students, it can be a LOT of work for teachers. Between organizing, packing, writing report cards, and classroom management, we still make time to celebrate our students. You don't have to spend a whole lot on end-of-year gifts for your students! But, I know many teachers like to send their students off with a small gift so today, I want to share ten inexpensive end-of-year gift ideas for your students. 1. printable bookmark One inexpensive/no-cost gift idea is to give your students a bookmark to encourage summer reading. I have a free set of ocean-themed bookmarks here! I also have some cute colorful punny bookmarks that match some of my EOY student awards. And of course, what goes better with a bookmark than a BOOK! Scholastic has books for under two dollars ... read more
Books That Are Perfect For The End Of The Year
The end of the school year is a time of mixed emotions. Students have worked hard all year and are almost at the finish line. Some may be excited for their summer vacation, while others may feel anxious to say goodbye. All these emotions can make classroom management a bit of a struggle! However students may be feeling, one way to help them through this transition period is with a good story! Today I wanted to share some book recommendations that are perfect for end-of-the-year read-alouds. I have divided up the books into different categories, but there may be some overlapping themes. School-Focused WHEN IT'S THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL BY MARIBETH BOELTS A young student is excited for the last day of school. He shares all the different things that he will and will NOT do on the last day of school. The focus is on his behavior. This book is a great way to remind students of classroom expectations while also ... read more
Reading Comprehension Cut & Paste Passages: Spring
Description back to school; reading comprehension passages Part of a growing bundle on sale! ❤️Reading Cut & Paste passages: The BUNDLE amazingaprildollardeals Want to really motivate your kids to show comprehension? Ask them to BUILD! Kids read the simple passages, then cut and paste to show comprehension! By pasting the pieces in the correct place to go with the story, they demonstrate understanding and practice fine motor skills! ***DIFFERENTIATED*** Version 1: picture word bank kids can refer to when reading words are underlined to remind kids to refer to the word bank Version 2: no word bank *sets have extra pieces so kids have to determine which are really necessary to complete the scene. ⭐10 SPRING-THEMED SETS: *Easter egg hunt *First day of spring *Lost kite *Catching bugs *Catching a leprechaun *Leprechaun ... read more
Tips for New Teachers
Hey there, new teacher, and welcome! Right now, you are probably feeling so many different emotions and have tons of questions. My goal is to help answer some of those questions with this mini-survival new teacher tips kit and help make you feel more confident in getting started in this amazing career! Now, I said amazing, not easy! The first piece of advice I want to share is to NOT try to do everything perfectly this year. It took me many years to realize that “Done is better than perfect.” There are SO many different aspects of teaching, that it’s impossible to be an expert in all areas, especially when starting out, especially on the elementary level, and ESPECIALLY with the added unknown factors of Covid and distance-learning. One of the most important things to do is to stay organized, as it’ll help you work smarter (not harder!). So, in an effort to be efficient, I’ve organized this post into the following ... read more
25+ Classroom Organization Tips For the New Year
If you're anything like me, you love to start the new year very organized! It may not always last as long as I plan, but I do take some measures to refresh, improve, and organize my systems for the remainder of the year. When I started this list of classroom organization tips, I had no idea I would have so many. Talk about the mother lode of organization tips! I asked the teachers in my FaceBook group for their best tips as well and they came through with some gems! You'll see them quoted throughout. To make it a little less overwhelming and to save you time, I've organized them into categories. Make sure to grab your organization freebie before you go! ORGANIZE YOUR TASKS: PRIORITIZE! Organize your to-do list! A comprehensive to-do list in one place is overwhelming and wastes time! Use the freebie below to organize and prioritize your tasks. Edit the headings to meet your needs, print and laminate, then use post-it notes ... read more
The best books for Teaching sequencing and retelling
Recently on my blog, I discussed the importance of teaching sequencing with teaching tips and activity ideas. One of my tips for teaching sequencing was to practice with simple texts. Texts that have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Today, I wanted to share 16 of my favorite books for teaching sequencing. When making this list, I tried to have a balance between relatively newer books and some classics that will most likely be in your school library. Missing from this list are Jan Brett (The Mitten) and Laura Numeroff (If You Give…) as their books are among the first that come to mind when thinking about sequencing books. You are most likely using these books for your sequencing lessons already as they are fantastic. I have a Sequencing and Story Retell Pack for Laura Numeroff Books in my shop. Some of Jan Brett's books, as well as many listed below, are included in my Sequencing and Story Retell Pop-ups and Pocket ... read more
6 Ways to Boost Students’ Confidence for Guided Reading
Some kids LOVE when they get called for guided reading. They may cheer, get their book baggie, and skip over to you with a smile. But, some kids dread it and drag their feet across the room to your table. If lack of confidence is the culprit for their lack of motivation, then you'll want to read this post. I'll share 6 ways to boost your students' confidence to get them ready for a great guided reading session! FOLLOW THE SAME ROUTINES AND EXPECTATIONS If students know what to expect during your guided reading session, they'll feel more confident about participating. Read this post for my warm-up routine and this one for the components of a guided reading lesson. START WITH A REREAD, OR EASY TEXT Sometimes students may give up easily when approaching a challenging text. Start by having them reread familiar text. They'll feel successful at reading and be more willing to take risks with difficult texts. They can ... read more