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The Teacher Studio

Learning, thinking, creating

Back to School SALE!

It’s TIME!  The official Teachers Pay Teachers Back to School Sale is happening today!   I try to not do shameless product plugs…but at these sale times, I do like to showcase some of my favorite products you may not know about.

I also have a freebie if you want to grab it as well!

OK…so now some of my absolute favorite resources…

My number 1.  My fraction unit.  This unit literally took months and months and was a true labor of love as my students and I worked through it.  I believe it to deepen true understanding of fractions at a level no textbook I have seen provide, and I love that you can use it as a complete replacement unit or use parts of it to supplement a textbook.  

This huge bundle has the fraction unit plus NINE more quality resources for you to use as you immerse your students in fraction work this year.

 Then it gets tricky to choose…

Another set of “favorites” are my word problem bundles because I am PASSIONATE about getting our students to do more problem solving and whether or not you have a series you love, a series you despise, or no series at all–we ALL need to have more word problems on hand to use as class warm ups, cooperative problems solving, stations, and more.  My bundles of word problems are pretty popular and I have gotten lots of feedback about what a time saver they are.  Here are a few!

Another thing I feel pretty passionate about is helping students learn to be independent readers and book lovers!  These two resources have been helpful to hundreds of teachers who are looking for new ways to keep their kids reading, to track their reading, to build excitement about books, and to realize that reading is a personal and enjoyable experience.  The calendars are updated yearly so you only need to buy it one time.
I know lots of you have used my concept sorts over the last year, so I had to include my latest one. If you haven’t tried using concept sorts–either that YOU have made or that you got from me…you seriously HAVE to try.  It is so much fun–and you can see how much more deeply your students will think about the topics.  I have more in the works–but this one is a GREAT one for back to school because it really gets them thinking about the concept of “equals”–the foundation of SO much math work!  There are also fraction, multiplication, geometry, and angle sorts available so far in my store–and a bundle as well!
In staying with a math theme, developing number sense is SO important–and many students move to the intermediate grades with a less sophisticated understanding of our place value system than we would like.  Using number limes in an open ended way has really helped me both see where my students’ understanding is AND help me create lessons and practice opportunities for them. Last year I created a resource using the numbers 0-1,000 and it was a perfect thing for first quarter.  As the year went on, I realized that I wanted to do more with the higher numbers, so this resource was born!  It is a challenge for many at first, but you will see their understanding grow as you work through these and share ideas as a class. I have both sets available and on sale.
Along the same line, I feel pretty strongly about helping students learn to tackle challenging problems–even problems that may have more than one answer–so that they learn the trait of perseverance.  So often students are unwilling to take risks when they come to my class OR math has always been so easy for them that they don’t know what to do when they encounter something tricky.  Thus, “Perseverance Problems” were born.  In my class, I used them in a few different ways–from cooperative problem-solving exercises to challenge work for some of my top students.  This is definitely one of my favorites–so check it out!
Another product line that has made a HUGE difference in my classroom is my Thinker Tasks.  These open ended problems area great for whole class, small groups, or fast finishers.  They are all differentiated and students can work at their own pace–some doing just a bit of it, and others taking full advantage.  There are 7 different products in the line now–and a bundle of all 7 at a reduced price.  See what you think!
Using formative assessment is SO key to making good instructional decisions.  I found myself CONSTANTLY creating exit and entrance slips to go with my lessons–so I created this resource as a time saver!  Each one has a whole bunch of “empty” slips for you to use to tailor to your lessons–almost like graphic organizers.  New to this?  I have given suggestions for use for EACH one!  Check out the preview for me.  I use these ALL. THE.  TIME.
Finally, last year I was complaining to my friend about how my students over the years seem to lack the creativity they had years ago and we chatted and put blame on everything from TV to video games to our textbooks and so on.  I went home that night and decided to do something about it! Over the next months, 6 different “activities” were born and all 6 of them are included in this bundle.  This is rapidly becoming one of my best sellers–and my students LOVE them!  See what you think!
I also am in love with my latest line of novel studies including one for the AMAZING “Fish in a Tree” book.  Have you read it?  If not, I highly highly recommend it!  
And finally, my “Maps and Globes” unit is done…this is how I start the year and it is full of projects, creative thinking, interactive notebook components, assessments, and more.  I am super proud of the level of challenge–AND the level of fun!
You may also know I have a TON of math games…I have started bundling them together in sets of “like” games to make planning easy.  They even have labels included for labeling bags or bins!  Here is one…there are 3 sets so far and more on the way!
So…this is just a small handful of the many products in my store…and after the sale is finished, this post will be hidden from view!  If you end up purchasing any–I’d love to hear what you think!  Stop by my STORE or my FACEBOOK page and check things out!