Useful websites and resources

I wanted to share with you all some useful websites for various teaching needs.

Reproducibles and Worksheets:
Try going to the scholastic printables page for ready to use reproducibles and worksheets. Click here for this website.

There is also a site for games as well as reproducibles (worksheets, awards, etc) at http://www.primarygames.com/ You can go to the Print Zone section and print out the reproducibles.

A site called abcteach has worksheets, writing prompts, and more (note some resources are available to members only, usually the ones at the bottom).

A similar site called A to Z Teacher Stuff has reproducibles for teachers. There is also a useful link for Character Education materials here.

Another site is called http://www.ezschool.com/ and has resources for various subjects and grade levels.

At the http://www.gradebook.org site there are a number of resources for teachers (ranging from worksheets to awards). Click on Primary teachers or Secondary teachers depending on what you teach.

Websites that provide links to useful sites:
There is a website called The Best on the Web for Teachers where you can find links to many useful websites.

Another useful site that indexes useful websites for teachers is Sites for Teachers.


Creating your own crossword puzzles, wordsearches, and boardgames:
There is a great free website called Puzzlemaker where you can make and print your own crossword puzzles, wordsearches, etc to supplement your lessons. Click here for this website.

To create your own boardgame, you can go to the Bare Books company and and purchase a kit that has a blank, durable game board (just like real boardgames), spinner, money, cards, and any other item you can think of. Great too for if you want to create your own family boardgame, you can even print out digital photos of each family member and attach that to the playing pieces to move around the game. (See more about the Bare Books company in my section about Publishing in this same post).

Grants/Funding:

There is a great program called Adopt a Classroom where you can submit a request for your classroom to be adopted. Then a company looking to donate money to your classroom will adopt you (they get a tax deduction to do so by the organizers of Adopt a Classroom). The website handles all the logistics, all you have to do is type up your wish list and when you get adopted, you get to choose materials from various online stores, such as Staples. I did this one year and it was amazing -- so easy to do and we got so many great supplies -- the students were excited when our packages of materials started arriving and we were so thankful. It is a win-win situation because the companies can also get a tax deduction for helping your classroom. Click here to go directly to this site.

Teacher Supplies and Books:
Check out the Scholastic Teacher Store because they often have impressive sales where products are down to $1.00 (called Dollar Day sales) and they also have a Bargain Bin section. Click here to go to their site.

Some stores that are useful for supplies are: Big Lots (especially for items like scissors or prizes), 99 cent store or Dollar Tree (great for plastic tubs to store classroom library books by category), and stores like Target.

To keep track of notes you give to parents/students/administrators and have a record of them, you can buy the Carson-Dellosa Publishing Teacher form booklet that is carbonless and has two parts (one part you write on and give to the person, the other keeps a copy of what you just wrote). This is great for if you are in a hurry, but want to keep documentation of notes to parents/students/administrators. They are really convenient.

One way to help the environment while finding free materials is to join your local freecycle organization. This is where people offer free items for you to pick up in your own city. Oftentimes I will see people post free children's books, classroom supplies, stationary, toys, and so on.

There is always your public library as a source for books for your classroom (especially if you are learning about a special topic and want more books for research projects). They also usually have a bookstore at the library with cheap children's books.

Videos:
Ask your school if they have a subscription to Discovery United Streaming videos. A website where you can search for educational videos online.

Brainpop is a website that has short educational film clips that teach about specific academic topics. They also have a quiz at the end of each clip. Some film clips are available for free and the link I provided are the free films. Check with your school site to see if they have a membership, in which case all the films would be free for you as a teacher with your school's log in information.

Games:
There are some fun math games for students to play and reinforce their skills at http://www.coolmath4kids.com/ (the games are divided by categories, such as fractions and times tables).

There is a site called http://www.funbrain.com/ that also has a section for teachers. Click here to go to the teacher section. On this site you can search for games based on the state standards or curriculum.

Drama:

Order amazing plays or musicals that come with CDs and scripts and everything. Fantastic company!!! The website is http://www.mtimusicalworlds.com/ Their website has links for Broadway Junior shows, Kids Collection, and Disney Collection. I ordered from this company when my Drama class did a production of Seussical the Musical. A great musical as it appeals to audiences of all ages and has great songs and the beloved characters from Dr. Seuss's books.


Publishing:
A great way for students to feel like real writers and publish their work is to provide them with Bare Books. The website http://www.barebooks.com/ has tons of affordable hard bound books for kids to write and illustrate on -- these last a long time, in fact, I have a friend who still has hers from when she was a child.

This same website also has products for creating step flip charts (great for practicing facts), durable baby books, calendars, and more. I find these products to be reasonably priced. One year I motivated my 3rd graders to do the writing process by having them write their stories into their Bare Book once they had edited them and had the final draft approved by me or my teacher's aide. They then had a long-lasting collection of their stories and were so proud to see their work in hard bound book. It also helped them understand that writers do not instantly publish their work, instead they revise their drafts and then publish their final draft. By getting to include their story into their Bare Book only once they had done the full writing process, it helped them want to revise and not just try to stop after the first draft. They also had fun doing the illustrations and cover.

Character Education Websites:
Check out http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/chared.htm for a list of useful websites to use when teaching Character Education.


Also look through my posts about Character Education by clicking here

Find more Character Education resources at http://www.gradebook.org/Character%20Development.htm


On the A to Z Teacher Stuff website there is also a section on Character Education here.

Check out my latest posts

Now it's your turn...I would like to hear from you :).

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to share other resources that you have come across. To email this post to others, just click on the email link at the bottom of this post (icon looks like an envelope).

Character Education: Love

Here are some ideas to teach about Love.

There is a fun book called "My Map Book" by Sara Fanelli (all of it was done by a young girl). I came across this from one of my professors at UC Santa Barbara and I loved it. This book has different maps she has drawn ranging from a map of her room to a map of her tummy. Towards the middle of the book is a page called "Map of My Heart" where she writes and draws people and things that she loves. You can show this to your students and then have them draw their own map of their heart.

Here is an example of how a completed Map of My Heart would look:

(On a side note: You can also use some of the other pages for other subjects in the classroom. For example, to teach about timelines there is a page in the book called "Map of My Day" or they can learn about maps in general from the page about "Map of My Neighborhood")

Click on the picture of this book to find out more about it on Amazon:

A great song to is called "Caring and Compassion" by Red Grammer and Pamela Phillips Oland on the album "Be Bop Your Best".

Click on the image of the CD to find out more on Amazon.

Now it's your turn...I would like to hear from you :). 

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to share other resources that you have come across. To email this post to others, just click on the email link at the bottom of this post (icon looks like an envelope).

Character Education: Justice

Ideas for teaching about Justice.
You can also explain that to be just means to be fair and to share with others.

When discussing justice in your classes, you can make cards that say "justice" on one side and "not justice" (or the word justice crossed out, like "justice") on the other side. Then give examples and have the children hold up the side that says "justice" if they think the example shows justice or the side that says "not justice" if they think the example does not show justice. You can make the cards out of index cards or card stock. This helps keeps the students engaged in the discussion and moves them towards being more active participants rather than just passively listening.

I used the following examples for our discussion  (I have put a J in front of the examples that show justice):                   

1. 
   
   (J) Sharing crayons with others.
2. 
   
   (J) Following the rules when playing a game.
3. 
   
   Taking away someone's toy without asking to use it.
4. 
   
   (J) Making sure everyone gets a slice of cake.
5. 
   
   Cutting in front of others in line without permission.
6. 
   
   (J) Taking equal turns on the swing.
7. 
   
   (J) Finding a game everyone can enjoy.
8. 
   
   Taking someone's candy if they were mean to you.

 (Note: you may want to provide less examples if the children are getting antsy)

You can then give the students a chance to raise their hand and offer their own examples and have the rest of the children hold up their cards to say if that child's example shows "justice" or "not justice." When I did this in our class, the children seemed to enjoy giving their own examples. It also encourages children to listen to each other's examples because they know they will be having to raise their card after hearing it.

This is an example of the two sides of the cards:

I also came across a story online called "Fran the Fair Frog" which you can download for free as a pdf file. You can then use the Frog Craft heart shape theme as an arts and crafts project. It makes a really cute frog out of heart shaped parts. I then typed up some tips on how to be fair and taped it to the back of the frog that each child made. You can find the story "Fran the Fair Frog" and also the heart shaped frog craft by going to http://www.first-school.ws/THEME/animals/amphibians.htm

This is how the end product will look (I glued the tips of how to be fair on the back):

Now it's your turn...I would like to hear from you :).

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to share other resources that you have come across. To email this post to others, just click on the email link at the bottom of this post (icon looks like an envelope).

Character Education: Kindness

Some ideas for Kindness:

A great song to use is called "Kindness" and it is from the album "Be Bop Your Best" by Red Grammer.

You can find out more on Amazon by clicking on the CD picture:

This whole album is a great resource for teaching character/virtues education. For more info, go to http://www.redgrammer.com/.

You can also have the children make coupon books/cards for their friends/family. I cut out heart shapes from pretty flower wrapping paper and gave one to each child to tape the edges onto the inside of their card. This made a heart-shaped pocket inside their card. I then made flower shaped coupons for them to store inside the heart-shaped vase (pocket). The coupons could say things like, "This coupon is good for: cleaning my room."

This is how the coupons look:

This is how the inside of the card could look:

Here is a free pdf file of the coupons I created. You can download or print to pdf and use for your own class. The stem has the "This coupon is good for" and the flower part is blank for the children to write in something like: "A big hug" (or you can help them write it in):

Kindness Coupons

Now it's your turn...I would like to hear from you :).

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to share other resources that you have come across. To email this post to others, just click on the email link at the bottom of this post (icon looks like an envelope).

Character Education: Unity

Here are some activities and resources for teaching about Unity:

The Ruhi Book 3 lesson on Unity, includes a beautiful song that starts with:

"We are drops of one ocean,

           We are pearls of one sea,

           Come and join us in our quest for unity,

           It's a way of life for you and me..."

To get the lyrics and music, CDs with this song, and other Ruhi Book 3 materials, you can go to  http://www.ruhiresources.org/

Also from this lesson is a Baha'i quote: "So powerful is the light of unity that it can illumine the whole earth."

One of my all time favorite books that can be used to teach multicultural education or character education is called "The Crayon Box That Talked" by Shane DeRolf (it was based on an anti-racism campaign). Kids love it and the illustrations are adorable. It is about a box of crayons where the crayons don't get along. Eventually a girl comes and buys them and uses all the different colors to draw a picture. They then start to realize how special they each are. I love the ending part:   

"We are a box of crayons,
                Each one of us unique,
                But when we get together...
                The picture is complete."

You can get more info about this book on Amazon by clicking on the book here:

You can also have children make a collage with pictures they cut out that show people working together in unity.

Anyways, those are just some extra ideas you might want to use to supplement your lessons on unity.

Now it's your turn...I would like to hear from you :).

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to share other resources that you have come across. To email this post to others, just click on the email link at the bottom of this post (icon looks like an envelope).

Character Education (useful websites)

Check out http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/chared.htm for a list of useful websites to use when teaching Character Education.

Also look through my posts about Character Education by clicking here

Find more Character Education resources at http://www.gradebook.org/Character%20Development.htm

On the A to Z Teacher Stuff website there is also a section on Character Education here.

Check out my latest posts

Now it's your turn...I would like to hear from you :).

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to share other resources that you have come across. To email this post to others, just click on the email link at the bottom of this post (icon looks like an envelope).

Educational Videos

Ask your school if they have a subscription to Discovery United Streaming videos. A website where you can search for educational videos online.

Brainpop is a website that has short educational film clips that teach about specific academic topics. They also have a quiz at the end of each clip. Some film clips are available for free and the link I provided are the free films. Check with your school site to see if they have a membership, in which case all the films would be free for you as a teacher with your school's log in information.

Check out my latest posts

Now it's your turn...I would like to hear from you :).

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to share other resources that you have come across. To email this post to others, just click on the email link at the bottom of this post (icon looks like an envelope).

Educational Games Online

There are some fun math games for students to play and reinforce their skills at http://www.coolmath4kids.com/ (the games are divided by categories, such as fractions and times tables).

There is a site called http://www.funbrain.com/ that also has a section for teachers. Click here to go to the teacher section. On this site you can search for games based on the state standards or curriculum.

Check out my latest posts

Now it's your turn...I would like to hear from you :).

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to share other resources that you have come across. To email this post to others, just click on the email link at the bottom of this post (icon looks like an envelope).

Teacher Supplies and Books

Check out the Scholastic Teacher Store because they often have impressive sales where products are down to $1.00 (called Dollar Day sales) and they also have a Bargain Bin section. Click here to go to their site.

Some stores that are useful for supplies are: Big Lots (especially for items like scissors or prizes), 99 cent store or Dollar Tree (great for plastic tubs to store classroom library books by category), and stores like Target.

To keep track of notes you give to parents/students/administrators and have a record of them, you can buy the Carson-Dellosa Publishing Teacher form booklet that is carbonless and has two parts (one part you write on and give to the person, the other keeps a copy of what you just wrote). This is great for if you are in a hurry, but want to keep documentation of notes to parents/students/administrators. They are really convenient.

One way to help the environment while finding free materials is to join your local freecycle organization. This is where people offer free items for you to pick up in your own city. Oftentimes I will see people post free children's books, classroom supplies, stationary, toys, and so on.

I have created a teacher store through Amazon that is focused on Children's books, Children's songs, and School Supplies. Click here to see the store.

There is always your public library as a source for books for your classroom (especially if you are learning about a special topic and want more books for research projects). They also usually have a bookstore at the library with cheap children's books.

Check out my latest posts

Now it's your turn...I would like to hear from you :).

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to share other resources that you have come across. To email this post to others, just click on the email link at the bottom of this post (icon looks like an envelope).

Grants and Funding

There is a great program called Adopt a Classroom where you can submit a request for your classroom to be adopted. Then a company looking to donate money to your classroom will adopt you (they get a tax deduction to do so by the organizers of Adopt a Classroom). The website handles all the logistics, all you have to do is type up your wish list and when you get adopted, you get to choose materials from various online stores, such as Staples. I did this one year and it was amazing -- so easy to do and we got so many great supplies -- the students were excited when our packages of materials started arriving and we were so thankful. It is a win-win situation because the companies can also get a tax deduction for helping your classroom. Click here to go directly to this site.

Check out my latest posts

Now it's your turn...I would like to hear from you :).

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to share other resources that you have come across. To email this post to others, just click on the email link at the bottom of this post (icon looks like an envelope).

Creating your own wordsearches, crosswords, boardgames, etc

There is a great free website called Puzzlemaker where you can make and print your own crossword puzzles, wordsearches, etc to supplement your lessons. Click here for this website.

To create your own boardgame, you can go to the Bare Books company and and purchase a kit that has a blank, durable game board (just like real boardgames), spinner, money, cards, and any other item you can think of. Great too for if you want to create your own family boardgame, you can even print out digital photos of each family member and attach that to the playing pieces to move around the game. (See more about the Bare Books company in my section about Publishing in this same post).

Check out my latest posts

Now it's your turn...I would like to hear from you :).

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to share other resources that you have come across. To email this post to others, just click on the email link at the bottom of this post (icon looks like an envelope).

Reproducibles and Worksheets

Try going to the scholastic printables page for ready to use reproducibles and worksheets. Click here for this website.

There is also a site for games as well as reproducibles (worksheets, awards, etc) at http://www.primarygames.com/ You can go to the Print Zone section and print out the reproducibles.

A site called abcteach has worksheets, writing prompts, and more (note some resources are available to members only, usually the ones at the bottom).

A similar site called A to Z Teacher Stuff has reproducibles for teachers. There is also a useful link for Character Education materials here.

Another site is called http://www.ezschool.com/ and has resources for various subjects and grade levels.

At the http://www.gradebook.org site there are a number of resources for teachers (ranging from worksheets to awards). Click on Primary teachers or Secondary teachers depending on what you teach.

Check out my latest posts

Now it's your turn...I would like to hear from you :).

Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to share other resources that you have come across. To email this post to others, just click on the email link at the bottom of this post (icon looks like an envelope).