This year has me scatter-brained and trying to stay organized with everything being thrown my way. I keep coming across some awesome resources and have put together a list for you. I know that there are many more out there, but here are 17 Teacher Resources You Might Not Know You’ve Been Missing Out On. #5 is by far my favorite!
Resource #1 – No Prep Phonics Booklets
This resource is a great supplement to any literacy program. There are 1-2 booklets for each of the 100+ phonics skills and word families included in this bundle. Each booklet includes a variety of activities: Rainbow Writing, Sentence Construction, Word Writing, Fluency and Comprehension, and a Home Activity. Also available in digital format.
“These phonics booklets are amazing! Little to no prep and have been a great resource for my students to use. They love taking them home to share with their caring adults.” ~ Shannon J.
#2 – Dry Erase Clipboards
I have been using these a lot this year. My students are able to go outside and can either complete papers they’ve been given, or use the whiteboard side for responses. During the time of social distancing, it has really helped to have this versatile item.
Resource #3 – Paperless Morning Meeting Slides
Are you looking for an easy way to start your morning routine? Do you need a few minutes to take attendance, talk to parents, or get ready for the day? Morning meeting slides are the answer! This resource includes 245 slides for the entire school year. Give each student a notebook to record their responses each day and you are done!
“My students love using this for morning work. I love that it is brightly colored and engaging. I also like that each day is different but by them being the same kind of concept it lets the students know what to expect. It’s really a great resource.” ~ Ashley B.
#4 – Amazon Basics Thermal Laminator
I got tired of the laminator at school breaking down, so I bought my own. It has been a lifesaver! I am able to prep centers and other materials that need laminating. And catch up on Netflix shows while I cut it all out. ? Make sure you grab some laminating pouches too.
#5 – Editable Spelling and Word Work
This resource has saved me so much time planning and prepping for my word work center and spelling homework. Type in the words on the word list and they populate onto all of the other 29 activities in the bundle. Then just choose the ones you want, click print, and copy. Enjoy the time you’ve gained back!
“This pack is AWESOME! I love typing in the words once and having it translate to every page. The students are loving the activities!” ~ Katie B.
Resource #6 – Iris Project Cases
I organize all of my literacy and math center materials in these cases. It saves me so much time. When each month comes around, I open the case, pull out my centers, make any copies, and am done. They nicely stack on top of each other, so if you are short on storage space, they are great!
#7 – Reading Comprehension Mega Bundle
I have found over the years that I am constantly trying to find enough fluency passages to cover all of the reading levels in my classroom. This fluency bundle is exactly what I was looking for. There are 480 passages that cover 4 different reading levels. (Practically First, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade) This resource is available in digital format also. ?
“This product is perfect for increasing fluency and reading comprehension skills in my students. I am so appreciative of the different levels as it makes it so easy for me to differentiate for all of my students! Thank you!” ~ Susan G.
#8 – Flair Pens
The excitement I get when I open a new pack of Flair pens… the small joys of a teacher. LOL These are by far my favorite kind of pen to grade with, color with, and write with. You can also grab the Amazon Basics version of these pens for a lower price. ?
Resource #9 – No Prep Phonics Poems with Questions
Finding poetry for young learners is always difficult and can be quite time-consuming. These phonics poems are short (which is great for struggling readers) and focus on a specific phonics skill. There are over 200 different poems to choose from and make a great pair with the phonics booklets mentioned earlier. They now also come with comprehension questions and in digital format.
“I used this resource during our ELA centers time at our fluency center. The students loved the poems and on the days that we used the poems I didn’t need to redirect the students as often as on days that we used different stories.” ~ Kaytlyn D.
#10 – Dry Erase Pocket Pouches
I have saved so much paper with these! This year, I have had to use individual student centers, with most of them being response mats. It is really nice to just give each student a dry erase pouch and they can slide papers in and out as they work each day. I don’t have to make copies every day and students still get to experience hands-on learning.
#11 – Grammar Interactive Notebooks
When I used to see grammar on our daily schedule, I would cringe. It was not an enjoyable subject to teach, and also one my students didn’t really want to learn. With these grammar interactive notebooks, we have made grammar instruction fun! Students get to work through grammar skills in a hands-on way, while creating a reference they can use in later grammar lessons, or to strengthen their writing.
“This was the best tool I could have purchased! It made planning easier and gave my students engaging grammar activities that were fun and reinforced the skills and intended objective. This tool gave my students a year-long journal of grammar that they could look back on as a resource.” ~ Janelle F.
Resource #12 – X-Acto Pencil Sharpener
This is the king of all pencil sharpeners. When it goes on sale, you definitely don’t want to miss out on this resource for your classroom. I actually have two; one for my use, and one for the students to use. So far, I’ve had mine for a few years and it has withstood student sharpening. ??
#13 – Printable Morning Work
I mentioned our morning meeting slides above, but if you like giving your students something that they have to hand in each day, then this bundle is for you. There are 180 pages of spiraled literacy and math review for kinder, 1st, and 2nd grades. Each page has the week and day listed on the top to help keep you organized. Another no prep resource, just print, copy, and done. ❤️
“I LOVE THIS MORNING WORK! I’ve used this for YEARS now and it is great. I love the content it covers and I never plan to give it up. A true time-saver!” ~ Victoria L.
#14 – Erasable Highlighters
What is this magic that you speak of and where have these been all my life?!
Resource #15 – Sight Word Activities
I have been into this “no-prep” mode lately, trying to make things easier with everything on my plate. We have many sight word activities that are no prep and easy to use in your classroom. They follow the Fry’s Wordlist and most include the first 300 words (kinder-2nd grade). My favorites are the sight word printables, sight word menus, and our NEW sight word passages. Sight words are very important for students to learn so that they aren’t spending all of their decoding energy on those simple words (many of which don’t follow the phonics rules…?)
“My students loved finding and coloring their sight words. They felt very confident and even pointed out the sight words in other books. Loved it!” ~ Amy L.
#16 – Magnetic Curtain Rod
The magnetic curtain rod helps me to hang up all of my anchor charts and posters around the classroom. I can hang charts from my whiteboards and take them down if needed as well. It has been really nice to have this flexibility when it comes to hanging posters and charts in the classroom.
#17 – 1:1 Math and Literacy Centers
These centers have been a great way for me to continue using hands-on activities during small group or independent work. Each center is for an individual student, so we can continue to follow social distancing rules while providing kinesthetic activities for our students. They are also low prep. Just print, add the necessary manipulative, and hand it to the students.
These 17 Teacher Resources You Might Not Know You’ve Been Missing Out On have really helped me to continue teaching and stay organized. They are definitely some of the most popular resources we offer from Education to the Core, as well as the most recommended teacher products from Amazon.
If you have any resources that you are in love with, please share them in the comments below. I am always on the lookout for new teaching items that will strengthen my instruction or classroom set-up.
Written by: Janessa Fletcher
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