My Favorite Tools For Teaching and Learning

As a teacher, I love "stuff."  Sometimes, I feel like I have way too much of it.  But there are many items that I just can't live without.

Here are some of my favorites.
#1 Computer Adapter/Headphone Splitter

Who would have thought an adapter could change your teaching life?  It has.  No more teaching over the loudness of the listening center.  No more kids talking to each other while at listening center. I love this thing!  I don't know why it took me so long to buy it. 

#2 Schedule Cards

Another teacher lifesaver.  These schedule cards are cute and functional.  It keeps our day organized and allows kids to check what we are doing next rather than asking me 10 times.

#3 Pretend Phones

I made these telephones using clip art I found.  All I did was enlarge them and laminate for durability.  I use these alot with my ELD students or very shy students.  It's amazing how kids love to talk on the phone.  I always have these handy. 

#4 Mr. Spaceman

Mr. Spaceman is used during shared and interactive writing.  I keep smaller versions of this one in our community supply buckets for kids who still have difficulty with spacing.

#5 Verb Cards

I love these verb cards!  They are always available during writing.  Many times the pictures spark a student's interest for writing about that topic.  I also use them for our lessons on inflectional verb endings (more on that soon). 

#5 Highlighter Tape

I think I may have it in every color sold!  I like to have us "highlight" the words to match the color-coded high frequency word cards we use for our word wall.  Kids love to use as they read big books during buddy reading.

#6 Smelly Markers

 Nothing makes writing better than a smelly marker.  Give a kid one of these and they are sure to write. 

#7 Grab and Go Notebook

I love my teacher planner.  I bought two of these this summer! I like how functional it is.  I have a large one for my lessons and other student information but also a smaller one that I use for my committee meetings. 

#8 Painter's Tape

I use it everywhere!  It's on my floors to mark where students wait in line and on my door to keep student work up without leaving sticky residue.  It is so versatile.  That's what I like about it.

#9  Puppets and Stuffed Animals

We use these alot!  We use them to sort, for descrpitve writing, for buddy reading, as a sensory object, or for story retell.  The possibilites are endless! But mostly, they are just fun to play with. 

#10 My Son

Having a child has made me a better teacher.  It has given me the knowledge to see things from a different perspective; a child's point of view.  He has shown me to be more patient, love a lot more, and to cherish each day.  You are only a kid once.  As a teacher, I want to make it the best it can be for my little ones at school and also to the one I come home to every night.