11 Innovative and Inspiring Teachers You Need to Follow

It's the middle of the year and you know you need to change up your wall displays, but there is so little time with the grading, planning, meetings, and prepping for testing.

You need a great lesson to teach division.  Your kids still aren't getting the steps and your colleagues are stumped too.

You want some new and current books to use for guided reading.

You are new to teaching or just finishing your student teaching and want to get fresh ideas.

If you have questions you want answered...  If you have lessons you need to tweak....  Or if you are just looking for some inspiration about this wonderful career you have chosen, then you HAVE to follow these teachers. Their ideas and inspiration will keep you sailing throughout the entire school year.

1. Teaching With a Mountain View
Mary from Teaching With a Mountain View is such a calm soul. She would have been a perfect teacher for me.  I went to her presentation in Vegas and learned so much from her journey.  Her soft voice is calming and inspiring.  The way she presents herself in presentations and through her products and social media, you feel like she is already a friend.  Your students will love her products and they will definitely make your teaching life easier.  The blog posts she shares give a variety of ways to teach.
Blog: http://www.teachingwithamountainview.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teachingwithamountainview
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachingwithamountainview/
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-With-A-Mountain-View

2. An Apple For The Teacher
Kelly from An Apple for the Teacher is a mom of 6 boys.  Yes, you heard me right.  She has 6 boys. She has to be a super woman.  She has taught 3rd -7th grade.  Her blog is full of great ideas to use in the classroom.  Follow her on Facebook to see how she uses her ideas in the classroom, as well as, find great tools she shares.  She has a wealth of knowledge and knows great ideas.  You won't have to search far to find great ideas for your lesson plans.
Blog: http://applefortheteach.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnAppleForTheTeacher
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/applefortheteach/
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kelly-Malloy

3. Blair Turner
Blair Turner's style is amazing.  She has mastered the art of knowing her talents and exploring ways to engage students.  Her blog provides multiple ideas on teaching lessons and tips for teachers on better instruction practices.  Her creative eye will help you organize and design your classroom and find ways to improve that class newsletter.
Blog: http://www.blairturner.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlairTurnerTPT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelessonatatime/
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Blair-Turner

4. Kelli Alaina Wise
Wise is such a great last name for Kelli.  Her patience and guidance in sharing with others is amazing.  If you want ways to set goals for your classroom or to learn how to use Instagram to share what is happening with parents, then you need to check out her tips and tools.  You can also find great freebies and writing graphic organizers in her TPT store.  If you follow her on Instagram you will find many inspiring quotes that speak the heart of what teachers do. One of the things I want to do beyond teaching is to become a writer.  Her Goal Diggers Fun Book helped me map out a plan to write and send manuscripts to agents.  I'm hoping with her guidance 2016 will be the year!
Blog: http://www.kellialaina.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelli.alaina/
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Wise-Words-By-Kelli-Alaina

5. More Than a Worksheet
Sarah from More Than a Worksheet is a STEM expert.  Her lessons tailored to STEM activities are so exciting and engaging.  Your students can learn how to make Snowball Slingers and Candy Heart Chutes.  You will love her blog posts and lessons.  You can sign up for her Daily Creative Thinking Newsletter when you visit her blog.
Blog: http://www.morethanaworksheet.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morethanaworksheet
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/More-Than-A-Worksheet

6. Angela Watson
Angela Watson is a master of many things.  Her tips on working smarter, saving time, and classroom management are a MUST for both new and veteran teachers.  Her podcast let you be inspired on the go.  It's perfect for the mornings you want to get inspired and in the afternoons on the those days that you just want to scream.  She has a plethora of free items on her blog to get your started.  If you want a go-to place to get answers on teaching issues,  The Cornerstone for Teachers is the perfect place.
Blog: http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCornerstoneForTeachers?bookmark_t=page
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angela.watson/
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Angela-Watson

7. Chris Kesler
Are you looking for upper elementary and middle school science? Well look no further!  Chris Kesler has lab bundles, unit studies, and board games to help your students have fun while learning important standards.  From learning about science day demos to interactive science notebooks, he has you covered.
Blog: http://www.keslerscience.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keslerscience
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kesler-Science

8. Keeping Up With Mrs. Harris
Talk about organization!  Meghan from Keeping Up with Mrs. Harris is so organized.  I have learned so much from her Plan With Me Sunday series on getting organized for the week.  The amazing products in her store range from lap books to math games.  Her new products for the Google Classroom are fantastic.  Check out her blog for tons of tips for RTI and managing your time in the classroom.
Blog: http://keepingupwithmrsharris.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keepingupwithmrsharris/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keepingupwithmrsharris/
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Keeping-Up-With-Mrs-Harris

9. Erin Stephen - Snazzy in Second
If you are looking for great wall displays, fun games, or a great craftivity, then Erin from Snazzy in Second has you covered.  Your students will have fun learning and your walls will provide the answers for many student questions.
Blog: http://snazzyinsecond.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Snazzy-in-Second-496327193779636/
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Erin-Stephan-Snazzy-In-Second

10. Hello Literacy
I love the style of Jen from Hello Literacy.  She has a variety of resources to enhance your literacy lessons and centers.  She's great at professional development and I love following her through her travels.  She is definitely bringing change to education.  From fun fonts to close reading passage, your class will be prepared for fun.  Her venture into periscope has brought professional development to your sofa.
Blog: http://www.helloliteracy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helloliteracy
Instagram: http://www.helloliteracy.com/www.instagram.com/hellojenjones
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Hello-Literacy

11. Mandy's Tips 4 Teachers
Mandy from Mandy's Tips 4 Teachers has a wealth of knowledge.  Her blog is a go to place for ideas on teaching math and finding differentiated strategies.  Her math and differentiated ELA posts and resources will have your students engaged and you enjoying teaching. Her writing style makes you feel as though she is talking with you while you plan.
Blog: http://mandys-tips-4-teachers.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MandysTipsforTeachers/
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mandy-Gregory

And if you want to keep up with me, Jessica Zannini from Notes from the Portable, as I share more about my journey through blogging, teaching, parenting, creating, and writing follow the links below.
Blog: http://notesfromtheportable.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicazanninisteacherpayteacherstore
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromtheportable/
TPT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Jessica-Zannini

Cover Photo: michaeljung/Dollar Photo Club

Sweet Treats on the Primary Peach

Happy Groundhog Day everyone!  I am hoping for a sign of spring to come soon.  I need warm, sunny days in the forecast soon.  I am tired of hibernating.

Today I am sharing some great freebies on the Primary Peach.  Please hop on over to download some great treats for February.

Weekly Notes for January 29 (Books, Freebies, Lesson Plans, and More)

Welcome

Book of the week

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena

The current Newbery Award Winner and a Caldecott Honor Book!  Wow, what a book. This is a great book that can be used so many different ways.  The details in this book! This is a great text to use in getting students to dive deeper into descriptions.  You could also use this book to introduce any service projects your school or class may be participating. Last Stop on Market Street is one you can use again and again. 

Lesson of the week

Groundhog Day is approaching. Although it's not a holiday to take up a lot time, I love it. It makes me start the countdown to longer and warmer days. To help teach kids about Groundhog Day I like to use this Poetry Literacy Center. The kids get to have fun while learning.

Fabulous Friday Freebie

Are you still holding on to winter? If so, then check out these Snow Paired Texts created by Ideas By Jivey. She shared this awesome resource on the Primary Peach Blog.

Recipe of the Week
For Christmas my husband got me a bread machine. I have said for years I wanted to try to make my own bread. There is something weird about the way I buy a loaf at the store and a month later it is still hanging around with no mold on it. My daughter loves PBJ sandwiches and I cringe every time I give her a sandwich wondering what preservatives are in the bread. Now I don't have to worry because I know all of the ingredients going into the bread. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and after two tries (I read the helpful reviews and adding the vital wheat gluten, baked it on white bread setting, and used butter instead of shortening) and WOW! My two-year-old eats the bread by itself. It is that yummy. Check out this bread recipe!

Follow me on Pinterest for more Teaching Ideas.

Click this Image to Pin for Later. 

How to Help Students Master Perimeter, Area, and Volume

This post has moved to my new website.  CLICK HERE to continue reading!  

Sharing Sunday - Planning for Testing

I am teaming up with The Primary Peach to bring you the January Edition of Sharing Sunday. This month I am helping you plan for standardized testing.  

It took about 10 years of teaching to realize I need to really jump the ball on preparing for standardized testing.  I would feel the crunch as faculty meetings were filled with testing information and the date of the test drew closer.  I finally realized that January was a great place for me to start getting my students ready for testing.  

As a result of starting early, I found that we were all less stressed and were ready to dive in the first day of testing.  My students had ample time to reflect and ask questions so as the days drew closer my test anxiety kids were happier and my students who waited until the day of the test to ask questions that I couldn’t answer asked questions earlier.  

Below you will find reading and math resources, freebies, and blog posts geared toward 3rd grade testing standards. (These can be adapted to meet other grade level standards.) Click on the image to download the PDF that contains all of the links.

Sneaking these test prep activities in your lessons in January, will give students extra time to use these skills on their classroom assessments as well.

Head back to the Primary Peach for MORE January fun and freebies.

9 Tips to Help You Survive Standardized Testing

This article has moved to the new site.  

Weekly Notes (Books, Lessons, Freebies and More) 11/20/15

Books, lessons, and freebies.  Here is a treat for you this Thanksgiving.  I hope you are either already on vacation or just two school days away from a much needed break.

Book of the Week
I've been revisiting an old book Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg.  After a 5-year hiatus from writing, I am finally trying to get over the fear I've felt of the page.  I've enjoyed putting words on paper again and this book is inspiring me to get over myself and get on the page.

Lesson of the Week
This week I like to focus on poetry.  It is a week filled with activity and poetry is quick and easy. These 4 poems by Jack Prelutsky will get everyone in the holiday mood and reflecting on their Thanksgiving Traditions.  You can get this November A Poem Each Week for FREE.

Fabulous Friday Freebie
My wonderful friend, Erin Shurbutt from Snazzy in Second made these wonderful Properties of Addition posters.  I love how I can use these at centers and have them on the walls.  A little velcro on the back makes them easy to move.


My Favorite Pin of the Week

This bread!  This will be an appetizer for my Thanksgiving Day.  I can't wait.  

Recipe of the Week
About a year ago my husband and I completed Whole 30.  We have spent the past year trying to stick to the 80/20 rule.  80% of the time we follow Whole 30 and the other 205 we eat what we want. One of the staple meals we fix is Paleo Italian Meatballs from Tastes of Lizzy T's. This makes a lot of food and we are set for lunches, dinners, and snacks.  In the recipe you can find the link for the a sauce and how to cook spaghetti squash.


Finding Time for Me
After a 20 year hiatus from the high school swim team, I dove back into the pool.  I hate working out. I hate running, and watching the clock, I hate gym class teachers who are super excited about working out and want me to yell and count.  But, I love water.  Today I got over myself, put my 1 year old in the gym daycare and did laps in the pool.  I feel great!  My entire body feels alive.  I was alone for 25 minutes with nothing but myself and a pool.  The only sounds were my breath and splashing and my brain actually relaxed.  To top if off, I hopped in the hot tub for 5 minutes and was able to shower and put my make up on without someone wanting to be held or play with my brushes. This will be my thing.  My 25 minutes of silence.

Teaching Poetry

CLICK HERE TO FIND THE NEWLY UPDATED POST WITH THE FREE VOCABULARY BOOK AND A NEW POETRY CLOSE READ FOR ANY POEM! 

Don't leave, we have moved but you can still get this free download!  Just hop on over to my new site. You will find plenty of free lessons and ideas on poetry, classroom management, and more!

October Poems

This article has moved to the new site.  

September A Poem Each Week

 Click to Access this FREE September A Poem Each Week resource. 

Don't leave, we have moved but you can still get this free download!  Just hop on over to my new site. You will find plenty of free lessons and ideas on poetry, classroom management, and more!

The #1 Way to Improve Student Behavior

  

Click here to read about and access the FREE Student Self-Assessment.  

Don't leave, we have moved but you can still get this free download!  Just hop on over to my new site. You will find plenty of free lessons and ideas on poetry, classroom management, and more!  

Plan With Me Sundays - Downsizing

Planning, to-do lists, and organizing are all things I LOVE to do.  However, they are also the things that keep me from getting things done.  I just spent the last few days at the Teachers Pay Teachers conference and one of the biggest takeaways came from Chris Kesler of Kesler Science.  He referenced a book called The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan.  I couldn't resist a new read, so I downloaded it on my iBooks and started reading.  The book talks about the one thing you should put your energy into each day.  For me a stay-at-home mom who blogs and creates products for Teachers Pay Teachers I have a lot of directions to go each day.  Here is a look at my week last week.

My heart is pounding out of my check just looking at this!  I had no clear direction and the daily stress to get it done was overwhelming.  My take for now is that each day I need one focus.  Today my one thing is getting my house back in order. This may be why I am writing this sitting on the bathroom floor while one kid is going to the potty and the other one is doing the buckles on his high chair for the 4 millionth time.  Tomorrow, I have a babysitter coming in the morning and that will be my creation time.  I am not leaving to go to a coffee shop.  I am going to sit at my desk and create.  I moved my collaboration time with Snazzy in Second to a Goggle Hangout where I could meet and talk with her during nap time.  And with the screen share option on Google Hangout, I can show her everything I wanted on the computer.  This way I can focus on talking with her without feeling the stress of creating and vice versa.  Here is my plan for this week.

Yes, it isn't just one thing, but for a planner like me I am taking small steps. This one is a list that I feel I can complete!  To help keep my mom brain in order I made a Weekly List separate from the what I was doing each day so I wouldn't forget some of the little things my family needed or things for me to work on that didn't have to get done.  (Thank you DRG ceramics for my favorite mug.)

My next step for planning this week is to get a grasp on social media.  I have felt swamped with social media and the need to learn and use it all.  But guess what, I don't have to do it all.  Such a simple thought for some people but for me this was a huge ah ha moment.  I have downsized a lot of my social media.  Instagram and Facebook are easy for me.  I have created a list of hashtags in my notes section of my phone (thank you Miss Kindergarten and Apple and ABC's for that tip), and then I can just copy and paste any I need.

I have been doing the free trial of tailwind for Pinterest and made the leap to the paid version. Now, Pinterest can be a once a week thing and keep me from scrolling and making notes and then forgetting to pin in my prime hours.  Twitter has scared me for a while and it's the one I know the least about.  I want to learn more about it and Twitter is now going be my learning zone, not a focus for my week.

On my planner I noted times to check and post to FB and Instagram and days to focus on pinning and learning twitter.  Now I don't feel the need to have my phone in hand all day.

There you have it, my ways to plan less and do more.  What tips have you found to help reduce planning and time on social media?  I need to keep downsizing my daily list.

Happy Sunday! 

Jessica 

Great Books to Start Your School Year

There's nothing better than a good book to kick start the school year!  Books can set teacher expectations, model writing lessons, and motivate students to read.  I have gathered my favorite school year starters and presented ideas to use for the teaching standards while enjoying the story.

1. First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg (K-5th Grade)

I love irony. It's the ironic story that sticks with me. This picture book finds a way to connect to everyone in the classroom that first day of school. 

Suggestions:

A. For a pre reading strategy have students jot down (on post-it notes or with a chalk talk) what makes them nervous on the first day of school. You may want to share these before you read. A great way to get the students moving is to make a target in your reading area on the floor. Read each post-it note aloud.  Students who stand in the middle are really nervous about that thing. In the second ring they are kind of nervous and the third ring it's no big deal to them. This is a great way for you to get a quick assessment of the personalities in your classroom. I always find that if I participate and let my students know what makes me nervous then they are more honest with their fears and worries. You can always ask students to explain why something is a big deal to them or not that big of a deal. 

B. Completing a story map as you read the book can help preview or review the story elements.
C. Journal Writing Ideas:
1. What was your first day of school like today?
2. Have you ever been new to a school?  Describe your fears and worries.
3. Opinion Piece - Do you think teachers really get nervous about the first day of school?  Why or why not?

2. There's A Boy in the Girls's Bathroom by Louis Sachar (3rd-5th Grade)

This is a great chapter book to help students discuss how to get along with others. Louis Sachar does an excellent job of developing the characters in this book.  Most students can identify with the traits of the students in this book and understand the frustrations.
A. Create a character chart of each of the main characters in the book.  List traits of these characters.  (You may want to do a mini-lesson on character traits as a preview or review).  As you read have the students suggest ways they could deal with the issues presented by the characters.
B. Play charades of some ways to handle situations in the classroom.  (Ex: Someone bumps into you.  Someone hurts your feelings.  Someone moves away.)

3. Love That Dog by Sharon Creech (3rd-5th Grade)

This is the perfect book to kick off a year long poetry unit. The narrator is a boy who doesn't like poetry, however he comes to love and appreciate it.  This book is good to use at the beginning of the year because it doesn't have a lot of words.  I always found poetry to be the best way to start the year and assess my students reading and writing abilities without the stress of reading a lot of words (especially in 4th and 5th grade).  Another great thing about this book is it is written in free verse and for students who have trouble reading, this is great!  Why?  Because there are no rules!
1. Have students keep a summary journal where they reflect or retell what you read that day.  Have them write the reflection in free verse style.
2. Study the poems that were used and are located in the back of the novel.
3. Kick off a poem of the day activity.
4. Use along with a poetry unit.  Check out my second, third, fourth, and fifth grade units on Teachers Pay Teachers. 

4. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (1st-5th Grade)

This is my all time favorite book. I have read it aloud to students from first through fifth grade. I would have thought a story about a china doll rabbit would not interest my boys, but the journey of Edward Tulane brings in all of my students. I have recommended this book to many other teachers and they say their students are immediately drawn in.
Suggestions:
A. For second and third grade this would be a great book to make a story map.
B. You could also look at the sequence of events  as both readers or at looking at how to organize a story to write.
C. With the upper grades I uses this to introduce theme. It doesn't take long for students to understand that this book is trying to teach us to love and think of others. And of course a book where the ending makes your students gasp is always a huge bonus!
D. I also found this great FREE resource online at http://www.edwardtulane.com/.

5. My Garden by Kevin Henkes (K-3rd Grade)

The beginning of this book is pretty realistic and then the imagination of the narrator takes us into a garden that is truely her alone.  

Suggestions: 

A. This a great book to use for a beginning of the year writing lesson.  Students can write about what they might find in their garden.  I found that this was a great piece of writing to allow for students to add artwork and complete pretty quickly.  I typically used this as the first writing piece I posted for a display of student work. 

B. Use this book to begin an author study on Kevin Henkes.  I am still amazed at how many different populations of students love Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. 

6. Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sacher (2nd-5th Grade)

The characters in this book are ones your students will love. The great thing about this book is you don't have to read it in order to follow what is happening. I find each time I read this book all my extra copies get checked out. Many times this is the dollar book in the Scholastic book orders.
Suggestions: 

A. This is a great book to use for character traits. You can create a chart with adjectives describing each character.
B. Teach students how to summarize by modeling (with student help) writing summaries of each character.  At the end of the book, students could make trading cards of their favorite character. On the front draw a picture of the character.  On the back list character traits and have the students write their own summary of the chapter.  Remind students that summaries are not long and only focus on the important points.  

7. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (4th-5th Grade)

I'm am not a science fiction lover. The only other scifi I really enjoyed was A Wrinkle In Time. And lucky for me the main character of this book always keep a copy of it with her. A book to motivate and keep you students on the edge of their seats.
Suggestions:
A. Just read and enjoy. The book itself will keep students engaged and spark discussions.
B. Read back to back with A Wrinkle In Time and compare and contrast the stories.
C. Record characters, setting, and plot with specific details.  

8. Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos  (3rd-5th Grade)

I loved the audiobook version of this story. The author is the reader and he makes Joey jump off the page! In my opinion the best audiobooks are the ones read by the author. They know the characters better than anyone.  Joey works really hard at being his best, but spending the summer with his dad makes it really hard.  The dad is this book has a drinking problem, so you may want a heads up on this topic in case questions arise.
Suggestions:
A. This would be a great book to use along with There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom.  Students could compare and contrast Joey and Bradley.
B. Several sections of this book show the worries and anxiety of Joey.  This would be a great chance to discuss ways to deal with worry.  Create a chart or slide with student suggestions of how Joey could/does deal with worry.  Health seems to have taken the backseat in the curriculum these days.  With more and more pressure put on some students this would be an important talk for students.  

If you need time to squeeze in running records or organize all of the paperwork coming in, preview the audiobook of each of these books and let an actor read aloud. I always found adding some audiobooks allowed my students to hear more readers so they could enhance their fluency and expression.