An Apple For The Teacher

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

The Best Book Deals this Week April 12, 2020

If you are looking for some new reading material for you or your students, here are some great book deals going on now!

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog. All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.

BOOK DEALS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS WEEK!

If you haven't signed up already, you don't want to miss this deal on Kindle Unlimited! You get access to more than a million books, tons of magazines, and books that include audible narration.

This is Not That Kind of Book is perfect for introducing genres or types of books to your students! This fun mash-up of just about every picture book you could ever have will have your kids laughing out loud! I especially love the little apple!

My students always LOVE all of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books! You can get the first one for under $5 on kindle or FREE with Kindle Unlimited right now.

My students are big Jim Benton fans, and they have fallen in love with his newest series, Catwad. They are going to be so excited that book 3 is finally out! You can get a great deal on both the Kindle version and the paperback.

They also LOVE graphic novels. Invisible Emmie has been a big favorite this year, and you can find a great deal on the Kindle version.

The Princess in Black series is another fan favorite! You can get it for FREE on Kindle Unlimited right now.

One of my students' favorite picture books this year was The Bad Seed. It's about a sunflower seed with a bad attitude! But, what happens when he starts to change? You can grab this for FREE with Kindle Unlimited.

What books have you been reading while you are staying at home? Leave a comment below to let me know! I am always looking for new books to read!

And before you go, head on over to enter one of our giveaways!

Monday, April 13, 2020

Teacher Giveaway! Weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway April 13, 2020

Teacher Giveaway!

This Giveaway is Over! Please visit our Giveaway page to enter our current giveaway. Sign up HERE to be alerted about all of our future giveaways!

$25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway

Every week one lucky teacher gets to go on a Teachers pay Teachers shopping spree! Will it be you this week?

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card

Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 4/20/20 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media? Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Building Classroom Community - When You are Distance Teaching

What does classroom community look like when you aren't even in the classroom? How can you build relationships when you are distance teaching?

It may seem daunting to think about continuing to grow relationships with your students while we are all teaching remotely, but it is possible!

Here are some tips and ideas for building your classroom community from a distance.

1. Reach-out and Check in with students AND parents.

The most important thing right now is to check-in regularly with your students and their parents while you can't see them in class. Consider using a service like Class Dojo or Classtag to send daily check-in messages with your families. Pick 3-4 students a day to reach out to personally so that it isn't quite as big a chore.

2. Host Social Gatherings via video

Consider hosting virtual meetings via Zoom or Google Hangouts just for the purpose of letting your students socialize with each other. You might play fun games such as virtual scavenger hunts or Would You Rather?

Provide opportunities for those students who are unable to attend the meetings (due to parent work, or lack of devices) to participate in some way. Maybe they can pre-record a video, or write a letter to be shared with the other students.

3. Co-Create Classroom Rules and Norms

Just like at the beginning of the school year when you created classroom rules and norms with your students, you may want to do this again for the on-line environment. What are some rules for taking turns while talking? How do we encourage equal participation? What types of comments should we leave our classmates if we are collaborating on-line?

4. Continue Classroom Rituals Such as Read Alouds and Morning Meetings

Consider continuing some of the classroom rituals you may have already had in place virtually. If you had a morning meeting, host a weekly one using a virtual meeting. If you had a question of the day, consider using a padlet to have students answer remotely. Many teachers are continuing to read stories to their students each day via Facebook groups or YouTube.

5. Let Students Share Their Lives

I don't know about you, but I have seen more pets, siblings, favorite toys, and even more glimpses into the lives of my students than ever before thanks to Zoom! Whether through Zoom or emailed pictures, have your students share the things in their lives right now that are important to them. My students have found more in common with each other as they share.

I share with them too! Like this picture of our bearded dragon, who looks like he is ready to give a news report. Pictures like this also make great writing prompts!

I also shared this picture of my son, Luke with a bear!

I shared how we took this picture on my Facebook page here. If you aren't already following there, be sure to follow for even more teaching ideas, memes, tips, and more!

Before you go, head on over to enter one of our giveaways!

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Spring Color By Number Worksheets

Hey there, teacher friends! If you're looking for a fun and engaging way to practice math facts with your students while celebrating the Spring season, look no further than these Spring Color-by-Number Worksheets!

Not only are they a great way to keep your students engaged and excited about math, but they'll also get to enjoy coloring in fun Spring-themed pictures while they practice essential math skills such as addition and multiplication.

I wanted to make fun of Spring color by number versions since it is still pretty cold where we live, but we are all anxious for Spring! Check out this adorable Spring Color by Number addition worksheet!

Speaking from personal experience, my students absolutely adore these color-by-number worksheets and can't get enough of them! And who can blame them? Color-by-number activities are not only entertaining, but they're also a fantastic way to get students to practice their math facts without even realizing it.

I love that they can't wait to practice essential math skills such as addition facts and multiplication facts while coloring fun spring-themed coloring pictures!

Spring Color by Number Addition

Spring Color by Number Multiplication

If you're specifically looking to target multiplication skills, then you're in luck because we have a whole set of Spring Color-by-Number Multiplication Worksheetsavailable! These worksheets feature eight Spring-themed pages for your students to color, each one focusing on a different multiplication fact.

And of course, we also have Spring Color-by-Number Addition Worksheets available as well.

What is Color by Number?

Color-by-number is an activity for a variety of ages. They usually have a picture or illustration that is divided by lines into sections. Each section contains a number or a problem to solve. There is a key included that tells you what color each section should be based on what is written in the section.

Supplies Needed for Spring Color by Number

* Printable Spring Color by Number Worksheets

* Colored Pencils, Markers, or Crayons

* Printer

* Printer Paper

Directions for Spring Color By Number

1. Download and print the Spring Color by Number printables.

2. Begin coloring the picture based on the answers to each section and the color key code.

So if you're looking to help your students sharpen their math skills this Spring season while also having fun, be sure to check out our Spring Color-by-Number Worksheets today! And if you have any requests for additional math skills or themes, just leave a comment below and we'll see what we can do. Happy Spring!

Save even more (over 50%) by buying them in the four-season color-by-number sets!