My Favorite Teacher- created Freebies

While I love all of the teacher-created products and resources, and find most of them worth every penny that the seller asks, it is always nice to stumble upon a truly useful freebie; and there are many! In this post, I am going to share with you some teacher-created freebies that I have found useful. There are hundreds, thousands, possibly hundred of thousands of great freebies, so this is just a miniscule dose for you to browse! Feel free to pin , save, and link to this site.

I am also part of a Teaching Freebie Link-up From Blog Hopper..so check out the blogs in this linky link for freebies.




comprehension graphic organizer free

 Also, be sure to check out Manic Mondays at Classroom Freebies to link up your freebies and see other links on Monday. I am linking up my Classroom Labels set, so check it out this coming Monday!

In addition, I have been adding many new FREE products to my store. I have added 30 items to my store in just 3 weeks, so you know it will really be growing, and I have added a lot of freebies as well! My goal is to offer one freebie every week or two at my store, so please take the time to follow the store so you will be posted on all new and free products. Please leave feedback if you can on the freebies also. While you are there, check out my other items, including lesson plans, units, unit supplements, activities, Guided Reading sets, Behavior Management sets, borders, clip art, decorations, word wall cards and flash cards, and much more for various grade levels (k-12, but mostly primary and middle grades).


Without further ado, here are the freebies!:

Our Classroom Schedule Routine Cards by Clever Classroom - This resource has been downloaded over 9,000 times so apparently I am not the only one who sees the usefulness of this freebie. It has cute clip art cards with labels for routines; 96 cards- free!


Descriptive Paragraph Starters by Shari Bithell- 9 sheets to help your students come up with great descriptive writing papers.

Cute Classroom Signs Set - by me(Dannerk)- 3 blue themed signs to use in your classroom, including a class schedule sign, a "welcome to our class" sign, and a "who is in our class?" sign- coordinates with other products , like the Behavior Management Resource packet, in the store.

10 Weekly TPT and Teacher Blog Finds

It's another week, and time for another list of finds from Teachers Pay Teachers or teaching blogs. As I have mentioned before, some of the finds come from my followers, because typically it makes it easier to see your products and possible items I want to feature here. However, not all items are from followers. Also, I noticed as I click on my followers profiles to view their blogs for possible items, many do not have an easily visible link to their blog or store. I just wanted to give ya'll a heads up, because you may want to fix this for easier access to your blogs.  Anyways, here are my 10 weekly finds (remember, this is not a top 10 list..so they are in no particular order): ENJOY!




       

1.) Economy 101 Lapbook from Adventures of a Third Grade Teacher - This seller/blogger has a lot of freebies, but I wanted to showcase this handy, affordably-priced kit. It covers various economic principals and has supplements for your students to use to create an adorable lapbook with foldables. There are some picture examples you should check out!

2.) Go Monkey! Division Go Fish Game by Fern Smith - A cute monkey-themed go fish game for practicing division. This would be a good center activity.

Common Core Resources and Links to Ease the Transition :

Oh Common Core.....I have a love/not-so-much-love relationship with you. I love the concept of common core, but revamping can be tough, and changes are never easy. I love that educators around the nation now have the same standards, and I love how they are aligned through the grade levels. I truly do like the concept of common core..but navigating them can be tricky. I, like many of you, have been actively browsing for common core resources on the web to help ease the transition. As I find more resources I will post them to my blog...but please save this post and repin it if you find it useful..because this will be my main blog post about common core resources. I wanted to showcase as many online resources as possible to you in one concise location.  Let me know if you have any additional links or resources that teachers will find useful for their transition to common core. Thanks a bunch, and happy teaching! :)

Before I begin, I do want to link to my colorful common core posters, so that you can easily (and stylishly) post the standards whenever you need to, and print them out whenever also. They are currently available for third-sixth grades, but hopefully more grades soon. The link is for the ELA/Math third grade combo pack..but from there just check out my store for the other grade levels. If you only need ELA or only need Math, they are available as seperates as well...however the best deal is the combo pack :)  They are all the same style with original styles, and have different color themes depending on the strand of standards.



common core posters




 

Now, onto the links and resources for Common Core (click this highlighted link for the official CC homepage). Enjoy ! :)

1.Pinterest: Pinterest is an amazing place for teachers, but more specifically, common core resources! Here is a specific Pinterest Board aptly titled "Common Core Resources":http://pinterest.com/lianec/common-core-resources/

2.Read Works: For Reading strategies, comprehension, resources, and lessons that are aligned with Common Core.

3. Core Planner- This site looks AMAZING! I have not had a chance to really look into it as much as I'd like; but it is free. It is a site created for you to plan, track, record and integrate your Common Core lessons. It looks like a very useful organizing and planning tool for CC.

click the read  more for more resource links below:

Blog Hoppin' Link up and Teachers Pay Teachers Linky Party@ Taking a Walk on the Teaching Side announcement

Hello. The Blog Hoppin Blog is having a link up for Teacher Week. Become a follower of Blog Hoppin’ in order to link up. You have to include the Teacher Week graphic and link back to Blog Hoppin’.  Check out the blog; it has great resources, and be sure to link your blog while you are there.
Also, Teaching Blog Addict has a link up party as well! Click here or click the button below!

Teacher Week Link

 

  ...check out my TPT store too! over 40 items!

Free Stuff I found on the web, and a few new products

Hi all! I hope the week has treated you well. I have a few free resources that I came across and wanted to share with everyone.

First- a free app for Android called, simply enough, "Common Core" by Master Connect Inc.  has all of the common core standards posted and very easy to find. This is a great resource to have take wherever you go. The format is user-friendly; it truly is easy to navigate! More information is available HERE and it is available to download in the Android store.



Second- I came across a great blog (with few followers) that has a lot of wonderful tips and FREE supplementary worksheets..my favorite is the Guided Reading Resource, so click HERE for that link..and then browse the rest of the blog from there. It is called Mrs. Cowan's Blog . I found this section incredibly useful, so do yourself a favor and check it out!


Third- Content Generator Create your Own Flash Review Games site. Uploading and getting the games to actually work can be a bit tricky, but I have had success and created lots of review games for my students that they LOVE and are excellent for reviewing materials (the most popular is Fling the Teacher..but I do find the concept a bit violent almost, so perhaps look into the other games, or use your own judgement..they get all the answers they get to fling a cartoon teacher on a catupult).

Finally- For those of you who have not stopped by my store in a while, please check it out..I went from 10 products to 35 in the last two weeks..so you might want to follow it. I now have Ela, math, and a combo back of super cute, reasonably priced Common Core posters for third, fourth, and fifth grades!


I have new freebies!

   

I have adjective activities bundles!

and more (plus my store has been revamped..it just looks better ) . So, check it out..and stay tuned for this week's 10 Finds coming up in the next few days. If anyone is interested in featuring a product of mine in a blog post, let me know..and you can have it for free! Thank you! Happy blogging ! :)

New Goodies! Borders, Freebies, Common Core, oh my!

polka dot borders

Well everyone, let's face it..summer is just about over. Fall is coming and for schools all over the country, so is common core. Good thing I just posted new fall borders (and cupcake borders) to my store. Oh wait, and I am working on a line of common core posters! I have just ELAR posters, just math posters, and a discounted combo pack with all the standards for third and fifth grade. However, I am planning on having all grade levels up within the next two weeks. Each standard is one per page, and features my popular polka dots borders (with a few enhancements). You can create teacher materials with my borders, and save some time while having an adorable classroom when you check out my printable teacher items in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. I also uploaded a freebie- It is a 5 page packet of 8 basic ELA vocabulary words, 1 blank template to use as labels, tags, etc... and one name card/tag template- cute blue and green theme. Download and leave feedback on the freebie, and be sure to check out everything else!  Enjoy and thank you for your support..my store and blog are growing fast and it is super exciting! :)



Fall Borders




   

cupcake borders

 
  

common core posters set third and fifth

 

   http://imbloghoppin.blogspot.com/

10 Weekly Finds

As mentioned earlier, I am going to post 10 finds from blog or TPT stores that I like. I am not going to do a top 10 though I decided, as there are so many great finds . Basically, this is just a way for people to be aware of some of the items I've found and liked, and for you to maybe get a mention!  If you want to let your blog buddies know about this "10 finds" link, please do so...I am more likely to give shout outs to those who follow my blog, just because I am more likely to be aware of your store and items. :) However, not all items are from followers. Be sure to check out the bottom of this post for my newest product.

So, in no particular order : here are weekly finds you may want to check out!


Compound Words Stuck Together Activity from Teaching With Laughter - A really cute activity to supplement your compound words lesson. It has a peanut butter and jelly theme.

Multiplication Board Games Bundle from Fun Games for Learning - A set of teacher-created multiplication games for  a good price. This seller also had addition, subtraction, and divison games. Good for centers and more. Cute designs too.



Backyard BBQ ELAR and Math activities from First Grade with Mrs. Snowden - An adorable BBQ themed activity bundle for both ELA and Math at a great price, that is jam packed with activities for various things including synonyms, antonyms, graphing, telling time, word wall, and sentences.

Class Rules Poster Set FREEBIE!- from  Extra Special Teaching  - A great FREE set of rules signs for your classroom, with cute visual clip art to remind your students of your expectations.

Fall Themed Morning Work Pack (common core aligned) from Kroger's Kindergarten-  20 pages of morning work sheets focusing on common core aligned math, reading, and writing skills.

"Ocean Life" themed parts of speech signs- from The Peanut Gallery - These are adorable and priced right!

Pig Themed Back to School Bundle- from 2nd Grade Pig Pen - I love pigs, so I love this  bundle of back-to-school goodies all with a cute pink and green pig theme. It is 44 pages long, and includes lots of templates and forms. 

Free Colorful Work Stations Signs from  Mrs. Standford's Class- free and perfect for centers!

Johnny Appleseed Thematic Unit   - It is 65 pages, well priced, and has tons of cute items in it including KWL charts, science lessons, drawing activities, lessons, anchor charts, and more

Pretty Frames - cheap, cute, whimsical frames to use in your teacher-created products

classroom reward certificates

For a little self-promotion- I really like and will be putting to use my new classroom reward certificates bundle..my store is growing. I now have over twenty items and more items to come, so check it out!

Freebies!

Hello all. I have free
lessons, hall passes, bookmark templates, and now free pig clip art and a free border. Check it out in my TPT store.

My newest TPT Items, discounts, cheapies, borders for use on your materials, and what's to come on this blog!

  

Hello Blog buddies. I will soon be posting lots of new helpful and fun posts. I plan on doing a weekly wrap up of my top 10 teacher made finds from around the web and linking to them. I will be browsing other teacher blogs and Pinterest to do so. Please follow my blog, so I will know about and be able to follow yours. In doing so, some of your products might be in the weekly top 10 and linked to! I will be posting my first weekly top 10 within the next few days, so be on the lookout!

Unfortunately, I have not been able to blog as much as I'd like the past few days because I have been hard at work on a few products for my TPT store.  As I always do, I will be having a 15% off sale for the first 3 days of these products. I recommend you follow my TPT store, because I frequently post new items that are for all various grade levels and topics, and you will be able to see when I list new items- which will always be 15% off the first few days.  By the way, I permanently lowered my Behavior Management packet price by $2 and it is 15% off so grab it now!

hippo themed border pack

I apologize for the blurriness.. I am waiting on a battery for my other laptop and will upload better images then. My newest products are: 

BORDERS- colorful polka dot borders. or diagonal stripe  or Hippo themed borders(diagonal and hippos only .png). I am going to begin posting lots more of these. However, my first set has 9 designs saved in jpg. and png. and is great for all the materials you create! Plus, they're affordable!

Animal ABC cards - a complete set of nearly 4" by 3" upper and lower case cards with cute cartoon animals that begin with the corresponding letter. There is also a few free clip arts and symbols to cut out. These are perfect for letter/sound recognition, flash cards, bulletin board decorations, signs, posters, and much more!! CUTE and cheap !
 

2 font; printable bulletin board letters, numbers and symbols set- pretty blue

Includes 2 different font sets of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Also, a free clip art page. Print, cut, laminate. Never buy die-cuts again ! Perfect for bulletin boards, posters, and signs.

My Favorite Dollar Tree Finds for Teachers

Where I live, we have Dollar Trees in nearly every city and they are awesome! Everything is $1! This store is a wonderful place for teachers. Keep in mind though, just because something is $1 does not mean it is a good deal. Some of these items can be found cheaper elsewhere, or just are not quality products. For this reason, I am going to share with you some of my favorite dollar tree items! If you do not have a dollar tree near you, you can order from them in bulk, or perhaps a similar style store is near you with similar items.

Frugal Favorite Finds:

Cute 12-packs of pencils - These are nice to have as back-ups, but I use these for rewards, prizes and Birthdays.

Artificial flowers and vases to go with them-  The Dollar Tree has a huge selection of artificial flowers, and they do not look extremely cheap and tacky. Many of you are probably wondering why flowers and vases are even on my list for teachers. Well, flowers make a room more bright and happy. I like to buy bright tumblers or plastic vases, and make cheap flower arrangements for my room. The kids love it, I love it..and it's a cheap way to add some decor to your room.

Die- Cut Letters and Numbers- For $1? Yes please! Granted, the packs are somewhat small and the letters are also, I find they are still useful for most of your die-cut needs.

Stack and Nest Plastic Bins- These are amazing to have for organizing goods in the classroom and for using in center or small group work.

My First Giveaway Winners Announced !

In order to be fair...I put everyones names into a raffle generator. The three winners of my giveaway, who will each receive two items of their choice from my Teachers Pay Teachers Store or my Etsy Shop . The winners are:

Leslie at The Groovy Teacher

Megan at I Teach: What's Your Superpower?

and

Mrs. Hoang at Mrs. Hoang's Kindergarten

Congratulations. I plan on having a BIG collaborative giveaway when I do reach 100 followers..so be on the lookout for that and in the meantime thanks for everyone's support!

Winners: Be on the look out for an email from me.

A Fellow Blogger's Big 100+ Followers Giveaway!

Check out this blog and post at  Teaching Fabulous Firsties . Corinna is have a big giveaway to celebrate 100+ followers. Many fellow bloggers are helping her celebrate by donating some of their fabulous materials for the giveaway. My own Behavior Management Packet is among the MANY items included in the giveaway. Check out her blog and try winning some great prizes.

The Top 10 Essential Teacher Materials

When I first began teaching, I spent tons of money on odds and ends, especially stocking up at the beginning of the year. Half of those items I rarely used, and some of those items I still did not have enough of. It is important for teachers beginning their career to know what is most important to stock up on at those beginning of the school year sales, and for when their school system lets them order materials. We have to be good at budgeting and getting what is most important. Below are what I found to be my top 10 most needed things throughout the school year. I work at a school that, unfortunately, does not have have an abundance of these items. I plan on asking for donations of some of these items from parents at the beginning of the year. Staples, Office Depot, and Office Max always have great deals on many essentials (we're talking a penny), so check ads (available online too) and shop every week at the start of the school year. I am also curious if others find that my essentials list is similar to theirs, and what other teachers found they needed most, so please post in the comments section with suggestions for all the teachers out there.

       

The Essentials Top 10

10.) glue sticks

9.) pencil sharpeners

8.) staplers                                                           

7.) crayons

6.)scissors

5.) dry erase markers

4.) tissues

3.) copy paper

2.) pencils

1.) hand sanitizer 

You can never have too much hand sanitizer!

So, does my top 10 list look similar to yours? I'd love to know!

Teachers Pay Teachers HUGE SALE!

Exciting News: Teachers Pay Teachers is having a BIG sale this weekend, and most sellers are participating. You can save up to 28% off! All of my items in my store are 20% off from now until August 13th, so jump at the chance. While you are there,  follow my store so you will be the first to know of new items and sales! I posted a link to a post where you can add your sale link for the weekend or see some of the teachers who are having sales.

Teacher Tam's Educational Adventures: Back to School Sale on Teachers Pay Teachers!

Some of my items that will be 20% off are:

Behavior Management Packet

My new Comprehensive Behavior Management Packet- now only $4.80











 My Billy Bakes a Cake: Greater Than/ Less than Book now only $2.11

My Community Helpers Unit packet: now only $3.08!

Community Helpers Unit

and many more (including a few free items)! Again: check out all my products and follow My Teachers Pay Teachers Store !

Edible Lessons

Who doesn't love a deliciously edible lesson? I know as a student, I always found such lessons extremely memorable, and I am sure students still echo the same sentiments.  You want to limit how often you do such lessons, for health and money purposes and so your students don't begin to think the only way they can learn is by eating.  A good way to incorporate such lesson is as a class reward. As you know there are many, many edible lessons. One of my favorites is using candy, or for healthier purposes raisins, cheerios, etc.., as math manipulatives. Incorporate these treats into lessons for sorting, adding, multiplying, fractions; the opportunities are many. I have posted a couple of my favorite edible ideas as well. If you are a teacher that has a great edible lesson that you would like to share, post a link to it in the comments and I might just choose to feature a link to you and your lesson in an upcoming post.

1.. Bake a cake!- Bake and decorate a cake to go along with whatever unit or lesson you are teaching. Get creative! Be sure to take pictures and talk about the cake design with students  and incorporate it into a lesson. Perhaps have students make observations. 

For a night and day Lesson I created the following cake: I was pressed for time, so it's nothing fancy and was very cheap to make. I'm sure you crafty, amazing teachers can really make some amazing cakes..in fact, if you decide to make a cake, feel free to share it with us! (The picture of course)

night and day edible lesson