Advance Preparation for a Substitute Is a Must

Dear Teacher Friends,

It's finally the end of a long and stressful school year. You deserve a restful and fun vacation. This tip is one that will help make your next school year get off to a great start. Preparing this now, before you need it, will be so reassuring.

One of the biggest worries for teachers is what to do if you have an unexpected need to be absent. Sometimes you just don't feel like writing out a lesson plan that incorporates the lessons you have been working on in class. At other times, during a family crisis, you don't have time to think about a lesson plan at all. You have to pack, or go to the hospital, or rush in to help a family member who needs you. 

At such times, I always relied on a folder that I kept in the drawer of my desk. 

I would call a teacher friend at my school and ask them to get the folder out of my drawer and put it on my desktop. In addition to the lessons I had prepared, the folder contained my schedule, my seating charts, notes about my class rules, information about the teachers' lunchroom and break room, fire drill information, and any other helpful information I thought a substitute might need.

My go-to lesson was a short story that students would read in class and worksheets they would use to analyze the story. In the folder, I included printed copies of the story and the worksheets. You will find that lesson here.

If I had to be absent for more than one day, I had my teacher friend pull out a second folder in which I had placed a different lesson that could take up to a week to complete. You will find that FREE lesson here.

If you prefer lessons for distance learning, I have many resources that you could use. My Google Drive resources are here, and my BOOM Cards are here.

I learned that if you take the time to prepare these two folders before you need them, they can be a lifesaver later on. 

Take a look at all of the fantastic lessons you could use as substitute plans that were written by teachers who write for TeachersPayTeachers.com. These lessons are classroom-tested and ready to print and use. Why not download them and get your folders ready? Enjoy!

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a fun and restful summer break.

Here are some interesting blog posts my teacher friends in The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative wrote. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Two Day Sale on TpT April 6 & 7

Are you ready to grab some amazing products from the teacher/authors on TeachersPayTeachers.com and SAVE BIG?

This site-wide two-day sale (April 6th and 7th) is a huge bonus for teachers who want no-prep materials to help them finish out the 2021 spring semester. 

Whether you teach remotely, in the classroom, or a hybrid version of both, you will find lessons and resources that will make your job easier. 

At the same time, you can save up to 25% if you enter the code FORYOU21 at checkout.

If you use any version of my Simple Steps to Sentence Sense program, you will find some new BOOM Card™ decks that will allow your students to practice each step and receive immediate feedback. 

It's a win-win for you. You could even use it as a quiz before giving students the final test in each step. Why not wish-list the ones you need now and buy them for 25% off tomorrow.

Here are links to the BOOM Card™ decks on TpT

Step 1 - Prepositional Phrases

Step 2 - The Verb

Step 3 -  The Subject

Step 4 - Action and Linking Verb Complements

Step 5 - Adjectives and Adverbs

Step 6 - Verbal and Appositive Phrases

Step 7 - Adjective, Adverb, and Noun Clauses

Step 8 - Classifying Sentences 

            (Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound/Complex)

If you're not using the Simple Steps to Sentence Sense program, but you've heard how easy it is to use and how much your students are going to love it, now is the perfect time to save 25%. 

You will find those products here.

Thanks for reading,

Charlene

Back to School on TpT

Tomorrow, August 4th and Wednesday, August 5th everything in my TpT store will be 20% off including bundles. If you add the code BTS20 at checkout, TpT will give you an additional 5% off. 

I have many distance learning resources that you can use in Google Drive. They include lessons, exercises, and the answers. You will find them here.

Have you tried BOOM Cards? They are self-grading digital task cards that your students will love. I have created several decks. You will find them here. Play the previews to see what you think.

My big news is that now all three editions of Simple Steps to Sentence Sense are now in Google Drive and students will type their work into text boxes on GOOGLE Slides.

Simple Steps to Sentence Sense for Elementary and ESL

Simple Steps to Sentence Sense for Middle School

Simple Steps to Sentence Sense for High School

BUNDLES are always a bargain, but during a TpT sale, they become a SUPER BARGAIN. I have some new bundles in my store. Click here to see them.

Please stay well and safe. If I can help you, please send me an email at booksbycharlenetess@gmail.com.

All the best,
Charlene

 

Sun, Sand, and Savings Week is Coming Soon

This summer, a group of teachers who write lessons for TeachersPayTeachers.com will participate in a sale that will offer fantastic savings. A special selection of products will be priced at $1 and $2.

The sales will continue from June 22nd to July 27th. It is the perfect time to stock up on resources that you can use for the new school year. Each week there will be a $1 sale on digital resources that may be especially useful in the fall. These will include BOOM cards, Google Drive Digital Lessons, and Interactive PDF lessons.

I am in the process of choosing which of my resources will be in the sale. I plan to include some of my best selling products and put them on sale for the amazing price of $1 and $2. Don't miss your chance to get these now, as the price will go back up on July 28th.

You will also have an opportunity to enter a contest each week for exciting Giveaway Prizes.

Visit and follow my Facebook Page for the latest information on the sale and frequent updates.

http://www.facebook.com/booksbycharlenetess

I hope your summer is going great, and that you are safe and well!

Thanks for reading.

Teachers Helping Teachers with Distance Learning

In this stressful time, it is gratifying to know that many of the teacher-authors for TeachersPayTeachers.com are trying to do whatever they can to help teachers adjust to distance learning. Teachers who write for TpT are uploading quality resources daily that are helpful and easy to use. Many of the resources are FREE and most are low cost. You will find resources that will make your job easier and make distance learning successful for your students. I am homeschooling my grandson, and I will be doing it while he is at his house, and I am at mine. It will be different, but we will make it work. He's a great kid! We will be using Google Drive resources and BOOM cards. I am creating new ones whenever he needs to review a concept we have studied. He loves the instant feedback he gets from BOOM cards, and I love that they are self-grading. You can use Boom Cards with an unlimited number of students by using the Fast Play option, which is available in all Boom memberships, including the free one. If you want/need to track the progress of more than 5 students, then you'd have to have a paid BOOM membership. Right now, BOOM is giving teachers their Ultimate membership free through June 2020 because of COVID. Here's the link: https://wow.boomlearning.com/covid. Here are links to some of my resources that will work for distance learning. Whether you use these resources with your own children or the children in your virtual classroom, I hope you will find something useful. Free resources on TpT +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Free Simple Steps to Sentence Sense Videos on YouTube Step 1: Prepositional Phrases Step 2: The Verb Step 3: the Subject Step 4A: Action Verb Complements Step 4L: Linking Verb Complements Step 5: Modifiers (adjectives and adverbs) Step 6: Phrases  Step 7: Clauses Step 8: Classifying Sentences +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Resources under $5 Google Drive Digital Resources on TpT Digital BOOM Cards Link to My Store ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I also send out a newsletter with tips and freebies. If you would like to subscribe, click here and receive a free lesson. Thanks for reading. I know we are experiencing frightening times, but I also know that we will make it through this and be stronger and wiser. If I can help you with any lessons, you can send me an email at charlenetess@yahoo.com. Best wishes, Here are some helpful blog posts from some of my teacher friends. You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

BOOM Cards™ Are an Exciting New Way to Learn

I love it when I discover a new way for students to learn that will help teachers 

and make their lives easier.

I haven't been this excited about creating new lessons in a long time. For years, I tried to present lessons that students could complete on the computer and have fun while learning. The problem was that there was no way for them to have immediate feedback, and the teacher had to grade what they had done.

Next came task cards, but still, the teacher had to get involved to provide feedback and grades.

And now, there are BOOM cards. Rachel Lynette, a veteran TpT member, and an expert on task cards teamed up with an innovative company to make digital BOOM cards. Now, students can practice concepts they have learned by "playing" BOOM cards. They get immediate feedback, and if they get the answer wrong they can try again. And, even better, they are self-grading. The teacher gets a report on all student activity.

It's amazing. Students ask for them. They LOVE playing BOOM cards.

Try it for yourself:

CLICK HERE TO TRY

CLICK HERE TO TRY

CLICK HERE TO TRY

The exciting thing is that you can create your own BOOM Cards and tailor them to your students' needs. You can use them for practice and for quizzes. You can find out what you need to know here.

BOOM decks are not expensive and they save the teacher so much time. Most of the ones I created come with a mini-lesson. If you would like to see more examples of BOOM cards, click here.

Note: If you have an idea for BOOM cards that you would like for me to create for your students, send me an email at charlenetess@yahoo.com.

Be sure to read the helpful and interesting blog posts below.

Thanks for reading,

Charlene

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