Hooray for Spring! Bring it on. April showers bring April Milestone Achievers by the dozen — let’s say hello to our 12 milestone teachers kicking off the month of April.
Bring On 12 April Milestone Achievers
1. Deana Kahlenberg from North Carolina is Primary Punch
Try her: Math Movers: BUNDLE PACK
Her tip: “This pack contains 10 different Math Mover Games aligned to the CCSS for 2nd graders. Games can be used for the entire year and encourage students to engage in math talks while solving each problem. My teaching tip is that I always try to make my lessons fun, engaging, and memorable. The math mover games accomplish all three while also bringing students together to collaborate and share their thinking. Each game is also available separately.”
2. Leslie from Indiana is KindergartenWorks
Try her: Composing and Decomposing Numbers (11-19) Differentiated Materials
Her tip: “This FUN, differentiated set of materials is designed to help students get the practice and repetition needed to gain mastery in composing and decomposing numbers 11-99. Simple to implement. Ready to go. You’ll LOVE it!”
3. From New York, it’s Jennifer Drake
Try her: Interactive Notebook: Spring! PreK-1 CC Aligned Activities For ELA, Math & More!
Her tip: “Interactive Notebooks can be used effectively in kindergarten and my students have proven that to me this year! I have colored adhesive tabs that mark out ELA, Math, and Science sections in their notebooks. We use them in centers and the students know that the ‘blue’ tab is for Math, ‘red’ is for Reading, and ‘green’ is for Science. They go to the colored tab for the day’s entry, find the next blank page and complete the day’s activity! Our notebooks are brimming with all we have learned this year and are a wonderful keepsake for parents to document their child’s year in kindergarten!”
4. Shelly Anton from Iowa is Promoting Success
Try her: Free Fractions Math Task Cards Common Core Aligned
Her tip: “Brain research supports the connection between movement and learning. Evidence from imaging sources, anatomical studies, and clinical data shows that moderate movement enhances cognitive processing. My store features task cards for many content areas, which allows teachers to easily create movement in the classroom while increasing student achievement.”
5. Florida’s Sarah Wiggins is More Than a Worksheet
Try her: Poetry Stretches–52 Task Cards to Prepare Students for Writing Poetry
Her tip: “Writing poetry can be intimidating for teachers and students, so before jumping in and writing a full poem, try some warm ups! Have students do a simple and quick daily ‘poetry stretch’ independently, as a whole class, or as part of a small group literacy center. They will practice using imagery, rhyme, onomatopoeia, and many other skills that will help develop their poetry writing skills.”
6. Tracy Glover from Ohio is Teaching Second Grade
Try her: Print and Work Literacy Printables (Worksheets) Activities Cut and Paste
Her tip: “I use these printables for quick review and assessments. They are also great for individual seat-work and literacy stations.”
7. From Mahopac, New York Meet Ms Jessica
Try her: Cloud Types Interactive E-Books and Games for Smartboard BUNDLE!
Her tip: “My students are absolutely addicted to the interactive e-books that I’ve been making! In order to meet the Common Core Standards and really encourage my students to enjoy non-fiction texts, I started writing these books with interactive questions and components (sound clips, movement, etc.). Every few pages there is a question that checks for comprehension of what they just read. When we answer the question, we go back into the text to find where the answer was so that we can confirm that we were correct. They love it… and they’re practicing test taking skills without even knowing it!”
8. From TX and CA, Meet Karen Ostlund and Sheryl Mercier — The Duo Behind Science and Kids (Since 1995)
Try their: NGSS Grade 1 Engineering Project Build a Communication Device
Their tip: “For Science Inquiry and Engineering Design to be effective, students must be able to work together, manipulate equipment, and be in charge of their learning. It is often difficult to manage. Classroom Rules should be few in number and stated positively (not negatively, such as, Do NOT do this or that). We have used the following classroom rules successfully:
1. Help me teach.
2. Help others learn.
3. Be prepared to learn.
Introduce the rules by asking students for examples of how they can help you teach, help others learn, and how they can be prepared to learn. Off task behaviors can be addressed using these 3 classroom rules. For example, if a student disrupts another student, you can ask, ‘Is that helping me teach? Is that helping others learn?’ Students can easily remember these 3 rules but we suggest posting them in your classroom.”
9. From Texas, Meet Kimberly Cavett
Try her: Countdown to Summer: End of Year Activities
Her tip: “The end of the year is fast approaching and this product is perfect for reviewing what you’ve done all year and reflecting on what’s to come. This unit includes a memory book, letter templates, class books, and activities to countdown the last two weeks of school!”
10. Meet Florida’s Kristen Brooks
Try her: Mo Willems MEGA Activity Pack
Her tip: “An author study is a great way to celebrate and learn about an author while incorporating many learned skills. I love ending the school year with author studies, enabling my students to take the skills they have learned throughout the year, and use them on many different books, while comparing/contrasting books by the same author. They really love it, and feel like little author’s themselves! This pack celebrates the books of Mo Willems and provides many Common Core themed resources, craftivities, and all around fun! Your little learners will surely enjoy everything it has to offer!”
11. Jean from Australia is The Teacher Gene
Try her: End of Year Awards (Editable/Customizable) The Blobby Student Awards
Her tip: “Valuing students, discovering and nurturing their unique qualities and helping each child recognize their worth is at the heart of what we do as teachers. These awards are a great way to celebrate a diverse range of student achievement in a novel way! Simply choose an award from the 30 color or black and white certificates, type student name and roll out the red carpet! The end of the year will be here before you know it. Take the stress out of your End of Year Awards Ceremony with these bright and editable certificates!”
12. Introducing Oklahoma’s Jennifer Knopf
Try her: Media Sounds RTI Pack with Short Vowel CVC Words
Her tip: “I use this for intervention with my 1st grade students in small groups. It focuses on distinguishing short vowel sounds fun games and activities and includes recoding sheets to monitor student progress!”
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Like what you see and want to know more about Teachers Pay Teachers? Remember, these Teacher-Authors didn’t reach their milestones overnight. It takes a lot of hard work, but it can be done! Check out “A Top 10 Look Back on 2013.” If you’re interested in becoming a Teacher-Author on TpT, you can learn more here. And if you want to be a part of our very first TpT conference taking place this summer, see how here.
