• Home
  • Blog
  • Free Resource Library
  • TpT Store
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Teaching with Intentionality

Ideas and Resources for Purposeful Teaching

back-to-school

Favorite Freebies

August 3, 2016

ShareTweetGooglePinterestMail
I’ve been humming this tune as I put my classroom back together after a restful (but HOT!) summer.  I know it’s a song we hear in December, but I can’t help but love the resources I have found on TeachersPayTeachers.  When I search this site, I find myself being inspired by the many incredible gems offered by such creative teacher-authors.  And to top it all off, many of these finds are free!  Here are just a few of my favorite freebies that helped decorate, organize, and assist with the functionality of my classroom as I prepare for Back-to-School.

Bulletin Board Helpers…

I refer to different genre throughout the year as I introduce new stories.  Michelle McElhinny created this wonderful freebie, Genre Posters, which includes a wide variety of mini-posters that describe each type of genre.  This display only includes the genre I teach in 3rd grade.  However, there are more posters in this generous freebie than what is seen in this picture.  You can check out this resource and download by clicking the link above!
I’m loving my CAFÉ and VOICES bulletin boards.  Casey of Bright Ideas in Third Grade made my day when I came across her Daily 5 Letters Combo Pack, Color Block CAFE Headers, Writing VOICES Letters Combo Pack, & Writing VOICES headers.  The colors she uses in these resources go well with my chalkboard décor and can brighten up any room.  Her headers include general “I can…” statements to remind students the importance of each component in CAFÉ and VOICES.  Note: The cute Hot Mugs graphics were designed by Sarah Pecorino Illustrations.  They were so fitting for this board, I couldn’t resist buying this clip art.
To top it off, Down Under Teacher has made my life a lot easier with these CAFÉ Strategy Cards for comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanded vocabulary.  I printed, laminated, and sorted the strategies so that I will have easy access to them throughout the year as I introduce these strategies.  As you can see, they are clipped together, placed into their pockets, and are ready to go.

Getting Organized…

I love the idea of clearing off my desk and putting supplies where they’re easily accessible.  Jana Guerra We Heart 1st has this fabulous freebie for getting teachers organized.  What’s more, these Chalk and Arrows labels are editable!  These pockets hang above my desk, leaving more surface space for other important things.  These can be easily used to organize student supplies as well.

 

 

Classroom Management…

As teachers, we all have our own classroom nightmares.  For most of us, the management of student pencils is one of them: the student without one, but had one a minute ago or the whirring of the pencil sharpener during the most inopportune times.  The Wise Owl has answered teachers’ prayers with her Winning the Pencil War resource!  This incentive system is a win-win for both teachers and students.  Teachers don’t have to hear the pencil sharpener during the instructional day, and students are motivated to keep track of their pencils.

We all know having a great positive behavior system in place before school starts, is crucial.  We want to give students specific praise for the good habits we are trying to instill in them.  Christy Howe has designed a resource, I Was Caught Being… Good!, that includes 12 different certificates for positive behaviors.  In this resource, she shares the way she implements this reward system in her classroom, from creating a “Character Counts” bulletin board to sharing with family and friends.  These awards are editable as well, which means you can choose the specific behaviors whether they are academic, personal, or social and create awards to fit your students’ needs.

 

Back to School…

Meet and greet at the beginning of the year is a great time for parents to get to know you as a teacher.  It’s just as important for us to get to know our students and families.  I have gleaned a lot of information from using my Back to School Parent Survey.  It’s a great questionnaire to put on students’ desks when parents come to Back to School Night.  This survey allows parents to share a little bit about their child and give some insight to things of which you may need to be aware, without pulling you aside for a deeper conversation in a room full people.  This has been a lifesaver because it allows me the freedom to spend equal time meeting and greeting all families, parents feel they have an opportunity to express what they want me to know, and the information is on the completed surveys so I can refer to them at any time.

On the morning of the first day of school, kids stroll in at different times.  Some are very early and some might have found their way in after the bell.  I always like to have something on students’ desks that require little direction from me and that will keep them busy as parents come in and introduce themselves (if they’ve missed the meet and greet).  This All About Me Pennant Banner by KimMiller is a perfect activity to get students settled that first morning.  It is also a perfect ice-breaker for students when they pair and share once they are done.

There are so many great freebies on TpT that can make this your best year ever!  What’s one of your great finds?  Please share links to any awesome gems in the comment area below that have beautified, organized, or helped you manage your classroom better.  We all love a great resource!

*Clip art for heading by Sarah Pecorino Illustrations and Digital Designs & Art.

More Resources

Grab even more resources found in my TpT store, and sign up for my free resource library to gain access to exclusive freebies only found on my website.

  

back-to-school classroom management classroom organization freebies
by laine 

About laine

View all posts by laine

Related Posts

  • Launching Reader’s Workshop

Find It Fast!

Using Fables to Teach Reading Standards

Let’s Get Social!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Pinterest

Facebook

Instagram

A Bad Case of Stripes is an awesome book 📚 to A Bad Case of Stripes is an awesome book 📚  to teach character trait analysis and message!  I love 😍 when I can take a few lines from the text and turn it into a language lesson- adjectives, similes, and nouns. "Camilla was striped from head to toe.  She looked like a rainbow 🌈 ," lent itself to the imagination💭 of all my third graders.  She was a leopard🐆 , a disco ball🕺, a zebra🦓, a tree🌳, a chicken🐔, a fish🐟... You name it, my students brainstormed so many adjectives and thought of great comparisons that would represent those adjectives so well.  Lessons like this, you can't help but love what you do. 💗 
You can find a link 🔗 in my profile. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Read-Aloud-and-Book-Companion-Bad-Case-of-Stripes-RL32-33-36-37-4177690 *
*
*
#teachersofig #weareteachers #iteachupperelementary #iteachuppergrades #teachersofthegram #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteachthirdgrade #iteachthird #elementaryteacher #elementaryteachers #teacherspayteachers #teacherspayteachersfreebie #teacherspayteachersresources #iteachthirdgraders #teachingwithintention #intentionalteacher #anchorcharts #readingstrategies #readinganchorcharts #instateachers #instateacher #iteachela #teachingreading #readaloud #readalouds #iteachreading #interactivereading #interactivereadaloud #studentengagement
So after finding adjectives in our poem, I gave st So after finding adjectives in our poem, I gave students a list of rhyming foods. Students worked in partners to come up with their own versus using adjectives to describe  foods to add to Sarah Silvia Cynthia Stout’s garbage problem. ❤️ I love when poetry lends itself to so many authentic activities. Loved the student engagement. *
*
*
#teachersofig #weareteachers #iteachupperelementary #iteachuppergrades #teachersofthegram #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteachthirdgrade #iteachthird #elementaryteacher #elementaryteachers #teacherspayteachers #teacherspayteachersfreebie #teacherspayteachersresources #iteachthirdgraders #teachingwithintention #intentionalteacher #anchorcharts #readingstrategies #readinganchorcharts #instateachers #instateacher #iteachela #teachingreading #readaloud #readalouds #iteachreading #interactivereading #interactivereadaloud #studentengagement
Love, love, love ❤️ 💕❤️ my Emoji pillow Love, love, love ❤️ 💕❤️ my Emoji pillows and rolled towels for an easy way to create seating flexibility in my classroom during read-to-self time and partner reading.  I usually start out with students finding a place in the room to read, and as I walk around to listen 👂 to students read or talk about their reading, ⁣
⁣
I choose those who are totally engaged in their reading activity to grab a towel or pillow and find a comfortable place to read.  Each day is a new day for students to practice reading expectations, so I really like to select different students who are trying to apply what good readers do. ⁣
⁣
⁣
What do you do to help motivate your kiddos to focus on engagement while independently reading or reading with a partner? ⁣
❓❓❓ ⁣
⁣
#teachersofig #weareteachers #iteachupperelementary #iteachuppergrades #teachersofthegram #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteachthirdgrade #iteachthird #elementaryteacher #elementaryteachers #iteachthirdgraders #teachingwithintention #intentionalteacher #readingstrategies #readinganchorcharts #instateachers #instateacher #iteachela #teachingreading #iteachreading #studentengagement
Fluency Friday was awesome today❗️ Students re Fluency Friday was awesome today❗️ Students read the poem Sarah Silvia Cynthia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out, by Shel Silverstein. We highlighted adjectives throughout the poem and even used a list of rhyming foods and thought of great adjectives to describe those foods to create our own versus to add to the garbage heap. This Friday the 13th 🗓 / full moon 🌕 didn’t have a chance to get our ELA block off track!
*
*
#teachersofig #weareteachers #iteachupperelementary #iteachuppergrades #teachersofthegram #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteachthirdgrade #iteachthird #elementaryteacher #elementaryteachers #teacherspayteachers #teacherspayteachersfreebie #teacherspayteachersresources #iteachthirdgraders #teachingwithintention #intentionalteacher #anchorcharts #readingstrategies #readinganchorcharts #instateachers #instateacher #iteachela #teachingreading #readaloud #readalouds #iteachreading #interactivereading #interactivereadaloud #studentengagement
As we begin the school year strong, one of the mos As we begin the school year strong, one of the most important reading activities I do with my 3rd-grade students is a method I use to increase student engagement 💯. Though there are benefits to turn-and-talks during 📖 read alouds, I still struggled with not getting a true sense of what my individual kiddos were getting and what was a struggle or misconception. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
The Think🤔, Jot ✏️, Share 💬  method provides for my students an opportunity to think about the question in front of them, jot their ideas once they've had a moment of think time, and share their thoughts with a partner.  While I'm able to engage with students during think and share times to offer support, the biggest plus is that I have a formative assessment that gives me so much insight 🔍 into their application of the focus standard and their written expression.  I also use response booklets to plan my next steps👣. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
⁣⁣
In addition to this, I can repurpose my read aloud to teach multiple focus standards, and my students have an opportunity to reanalyze a familiar text with a different purpose for reading. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
⁣⁣
If you want to increase your students' engagement during read aloud time, you can find a 🔗link in my profile for this Think, Jot, Share post.  The resource provides a complete guide for implementation, management, and preplanned questions for literature standards to make planning a breeze.....and so much more. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
⁣⁣
What do you do to increase your students' engagement during read alouds? ❓❓❓⁣⁣
⁣⁣
⁣⁣
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Read-Aloud-Booklets-Book-Companion-RL3-2-3-3-3-4-3-6-3-7-4182596⁣⁣
*⁣⁣
*⁣⁣
*⁣⁣
#teachersofig #weareteachers #iteachupperelementary #iteachuppergrades #teachersofthegram #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteachthirdgrade #iteachthird #elementaryteacher #elementaryteachers #teacherspayteachers #teacherspayteachersfreebie #teacherspayteachersresources #iteachthirdgraders #teachingwithintention #intentionalteacher #anchorcharts #readingstrategies #readinganchorcharts #instateachers #instateacher #iteachela #teachingreading #readaloud #readalouds #iteachreading #interactivereading #interactivereadaloud #studentengagement
I love lifting a line from our interactive read al I love lifting a line from our interactive read aloud and using it as a mentor sentence. With this sentence, my students had a great discussion about how some nouns can become adjectives.  i.e. though butter and peppermints can be nouns, they describe the tea and cookies in this particular sentence. ⁣
⁣
⁣
My students enjoy mentor sentence activities so much, they sometimes like to go the extra mile and illustrate their cloned version of the sentence.  In this sentence, students had our principal, Mr. Price setting up a table with hot cocoa ☕️ and ice cream cake 🍰, the kind with sprinkles on top. ❤️ I just love the illustrations. ⁣
⁣
⁣
#teachersofig #weareteachers #iteachupperelementary #iteachuppergrades #teachersofthegram #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteachthirdgrade #iteachthird #elementaryteacher #elementaryteachers #teacherspayteachers #teacherspayteachersfreebie #teacherspayteachersresources #iteachthirdgraders #teachingwithintention #intentionalteacher #anchorcharts #readingstrategies #readinganchorcharts #instateachers #instateacher #iteachela #teachingreading #readaloud #readalouds #iteachreading #interactivereading #interactivereadaloud #studentengagement
I love 💖 how our school celebrates Grandparents I love 💖 how our school celebrates Grandparents' Day. 👩‍🦳🧓 All grandparents are invited to have school breakfast with our kiddos.  Our family resource coordinator sets up decorated tables in the cafeteria and the gym so students have a nice place to have a pleasant meal with their loved ones. 📸 She also sets up this photo bench to capture this special day. ⁣
What does your school do for Grandparents’ Day? ❓❓❓
⁣
#grandparentsday  #teachersofig #weareteachers #iteachupperelementary #iteachuppergrades #teachersofthegram #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteachthirdgrade #iteachthird #elementaryteacher #elementaryteachers
📸Picture day is one of the many things going on 📸Picture day is one of the many things going on at the beginning of the year.  I love seeing all my kiddos dressed up and ready to say cheese.🧀 ⁣
⁣
Unfortunately for Stanley Birdbaum, he got his dates mixed up. 🗓️ You would think dressing for crazy hair day on picture day would be disastrous…but not for Stanley, thanks to his great classroom community of friends and a teacher who knows how to turn a bad day into a great one. 💕 ⁣
⁣
If you haven't read 📖 Crazy Hair Day to your kiddos, it's a wonderful read, especially around picture day. I LoVe reading this story to my kids each year.  This book shows kids how they can show up for one another when friends aren't having such a great day. ⁣
⁣
What picture books about friendship do you absolutely love and read every year? ❓❓❓ *⁣
*⁣
*⁣
*⁣
*⁣
#teachersofig #weareteachers #iteachupperelementary #iteachuppergrades #teachersofthegram #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteachthirdgrade #iteachthird #elementaryteacher #elementaryteachers #iteachthirdgraders #teachingwithintention #intentionalteacher #readingstrategies #instateachers #instateacher #iteachela #teachingreading #readaloud #readalouds #iteachreading #interactivereading #interactivereadaloud #studentengagement⁣
#picturedayatschool
Dot Day is coming up next week! 💕 This book is Dot Day is coming up next week! 💕 This book is a great way to celebrate the day and kick off growth mindset 🌱🧠 in your classroom. If you don’t have the book, there is a great animated video of the book online 🖥. Just google The Dot, by Peter Reynolds.  Your kiddos will love seeing how the main character goes from having a fixed mindset to a growth mindset all because of a dot. 😍⁣
⁣
⁣Need some activities to go with the story or to launch or foster growth mindset in your classroom?  Click the link in my profile. 🔗https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Dot-by-Peter-Reynolds-Growth-Mindset-Activities-Poster-3302113⁣
⁣
#teachersofig #weareteachers #iteachupperelementary #iteachuppergrades #teachersofthegram #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteachthirdgrade #iteachthird #elementaryteacher #elementaryteachers #teacherspayteachers #dotday #teacherspayteachersresources #iteachthirdgraders #teachingwithintention #dotday2019  #anchorcharts #readingstrategies #readinganchorcharts #instateachers #instateacher #iteachela #teachingreading #readaloud #readalouds #iteachreading #interactivereading #interactivereadaloud #studentengagement

Copyright © 2021 · Prima Donna theme by Georgia Lou Studios

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Teaching with Intentionality
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.