As the second oldest of ten cousins, surrounded constantly by kids younger than myself, I feel like I’ve always been a teacher. So I guess it’s only natural that I chose teaching for my first career. Over the course of my twelve years in K-12 education and now, another five at the college level, I’ve gathered many amazing resources and I’d like to take this opportunity to share them with you. If you find yourself in need of any particular ELA, Reading or Writing resource that you don’t see here, head to the Post Office and drop me an email, because I might be able to point you in the right direction. All my best to you in this most challenging and rewarding profession.
Happy Teaching!
P.S. If you’d like 5 GOOD THINGS for TEACHERS delivered to you inbox twice a month, you can sign up here.
P.S.S. If you are looking for resources in the form of videos for teachers and classrooms, head over to the Movie Theater.
Tools
Personally I believe school supply shopping should be a national holiday. Is there anything more exciting than permission to scoop up every desk necessity and pretty planner? I think not. Also, food for thought… we spend a ton of time in our classrooms. Sometimes a purchase that can bring daily joy, relief or fuel for our body and soul, pays for itself. Am I right? Treat yourself!
Rather than save all that goodness for the month of August, I share my favorite school supplies, classroom tools, paper products and over all TEACHER MUST HAVES here, every dang day! You’re weclome!
Happy Shopping!
~ Amanda
Gamify review activities with these buzzers! Bonus, you can pre-record answers or short phrases like “Team 1” to help you distinguish who answered first.
Bring the outside in and create a great learning environment with this roll of ivy foliage. This has been an amazing addition to my own office!
Protect yourself and your stuff from germs with this compact sanitizer. It fits most phones, but can also clean other small objects like keys, hall passes, dry erase markers and more.
Clear up some desk space with these magnetic file holders!
Create full class participation or turn reviewing into a game with these whiteboard paddles.
Multi-purpose! Combat both the stink and noise of your students with this relaxing aromatherapy oil diffuser and sound machine!
Perfect for teacher or student use when you just need to move a bit!
Perfect for blocking off an area of your room and displaying books! Comes in brown too!
Add this one to your stock of classroom games and kiss those indoor recess worries goodbye! :)
Gotta plan a staff gathering? This will help!
Keep your coffee warm, no matter how many times you get interrupted!
No need to skip lunch, pack your bottle with all the good stuff at home and then blend it up at school.
Ice for your smoothies, water bottle and afternoon soda. No more luke-warm beverages for you!
2 cute lanyards for $10? Yes please!
Easy storage solution for those pesky cell phones! :) You could label each slot with a number to keep things organized.
Use this Space Buddy to create a cool reading or writing environment in your classroom!
This little guy projects colorful cosmic displays on the wall, creating an out of this world vibe that can be both relaxing and inspiring.
What an ingenious way to use this kitchen tool in your classroom. Easily and beautifully display books! Love it!
My favorite backpack! Big enough for all the things and durable to last you mutliple years! I’ve had mine for 3 years and it’s still going strong! CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK. BOO. :(
Stickers make everything better!
How can you say no to these cuties?!?!?
Golf Pencils for your classroom! Pre-sharpened and easily recognizable as yours!
Reading stickers to use for rewards and student pick me ups! I bet they’d look great on your water bottle and planner too!
Great for quick feedback!
Sometimes the people in your life (ahem… your co-workers!) need a little pick me up. One of these snarky postcards slid into their school mailbox is the perfect way to bring them a smile. :)
Use to relax during your prep or as you unwind in front of the TV at night!
How fun would these pillows be in a reading corner? Bonus!?! The covers are removable so you can wash them. Plus, on your hard days, grab a cup of caffeine and plop down and take a break. :)
In this blog post I share 6 of my favorite indoor activities that can save your sanity come indoor recess, unplanned time, or reward/incentive days.
Teachers Pay Teachers Store
My TpT store is jam-packed with novel unit studies, foundational middle school reading lessons, writing prompts, rubrics and more. Below you will see a few of my favorite items, but if you want to check out all the teaching word nerd goodness, head over to my full store by clicking here.
Books
I recommend all sorts of fiction books over in the Bookstore or in my First Chapter Friday videos which you can find in the Movie Theater, but here are a few that I use time and again for actual direct instruction or for my own professional deveopment and learning. Click on each book to learn more about it.
