Selling on Teachers Pay Teachers

How to Sell on Teachers Pay Teachers

·       Getting Started: There are two options for selling on teachers pay teachers.

 1.)  Basic- Don’t pay anything, earn 60% of your sales, and pay a $0.30 transaction fee on each sale.  If you do this, don’t price anything under $1.00, because you won’t make any money.

  2.) Premium- Pay $60 for a year-long membership, earn 85% of your sales, and don’t pay any transaction fee. 

Please put my name down for recommending you.  It won’t make any difference in the money you make, but it will help me. Here's the link:  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Signup/referral:MsRachelDale

·       Copyright:  You have to give credit on your documents for every image and font you use.  You can’t use fonts or clipart from Microsoft Word and you can’t use any images from Google.  I learned a lot about copyrighting from Margaret Whisnant's helpful document that you can find here:  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Top-5-Copyright-Questions-for-TpT-TeacherAuthors-258511.

·       Fonts- Downloading fonts is easy and fun.  I get all of my free fonts from www.kevinandamanda.com/fonts.  Another option is www.dafont.com.  

·       Images- Graphics are a little trickier than fonts because making money on an item that uses graphics requires a commercial license.  You either have to buy a commercial license or you can use images from someone who says it’s okay to make a profit while using their graphics.  I use www.etsy.com/shop/kpmdoodles or www.scrappindoodles.com for most of my images; these artists allow teachers to sell without a commercial license.   I have to buy the graphics in sets (around $$3-$6 per set), so I always try to buy graphics that can be used on multiple products.  You must save all of your products and previews as PDF files to lock the images down on the file.   

On the cover page or the last page of your product, give credit to the fonts and images.  Mine says,

Fonts by www.KevinandAmanda.com/fonts

Artwork by KPM Doodles www.kpmdoodles.com Copyright 2010

Artwork by www.scrappindoodles.com

You also need to put your own copyright on each page.  I put it in the footer of each page or use a text box and put it in the bottom corner.  It says, “Copyright © 2013 Rachel Creager.”

You also need to make it so your document can’t be distributed or used by more than one teacher by putting the following statement on your cover page or final page: 

Copyright © 2013 Rachel Creager

All rights reserved by author.

Permission to copy for single classroom use only.

Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only.

Not for public display.

·       Creating:  I create all of my products in Microsoft Word.  I use a lot of text boxes (use the “draw text box” feature to keep everything from moving when you insert a new text box).  You can make the boxes disappear by right clicking and selecting format text box; change the fill and line color to “No color.”  For all text boxes and images, right click and select text wrapping then choose tight to make it easier to move everything around. 

Save it as a PDF document when you are done. You won’t be able to edit once you do this.

·       Thumbnail photos- In your original Word document, select View and set it to 33%.  Then, open the Snipping Tool on your computer.  Use the Snipping Tool to take pictures of 4 different pages of your document.  Make sure the first one is your cover page.  When uploading your document, you will select the box that lets you upload your own thumbnails (using TPT’s thumbnail generator takes a really long time, so this is easier)  then choose these 4 images. 

·       Preview- Go back to your Word document (not the PDF) and add WordArt over top of the document that says Preview(format it to tight and also right click, select Bring to Front or Order, and choose Bring in Front of Text).  Put it on every page and then save this document as a different PDF document.

·      Pricing: I use a handy pricing chart from Rachel Lynette to help price my products. You can find it here:  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-TpT-Pricing-Charts-for-Sellers-141010.  

·     Upload your documents and then pin them to your classroom Pinterest board to get them circulating to the teachers on Pinterest. 

·     Once you’ve done it a few times, it gets much easier.  If you have questions, let me know.

Field Experience Reflection

Field Experience Reflection:

                I taught a lesson in May to a third grade class.  I taught a lesson on Shades of Meaning that integrated reading and writing.  The students were writing concrete poems and we read the book Love that Dog by Sharon Creech.  I used mini-laptops for each of the students so they could access on online thesaurus to find strong synonyms to substitute for some weaker words when writing their poems. 

                I observed in a fourth grade classroom.  The teacher was conducting a whole group reading lesson using the book Donovan’s Word Jar.  The students each had a copy.  The teacher was doing an excellent job of using the book to teach vocabulary. 

                I also observed in a fifth grade classroom.  This teacher was integrating Social Studies and reading.  The students were reading a text about Abraham Lincoln and participating in a group discussion.  The students were leading the discussion.  This teacher had fabulous classroom management and a very student-centered classroom.

                Overall, it was a great experience to observe these other teachers.  I always come back to my own classroom with tons of ideas after watching another teacher for a few hours.  

Week 7 Booktalk: Historical Fiction

Number the Stars

Historical Fiction Booktalk

Lowry, L. (1989). Number the stars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

            Can you imagine having soldiers question your identity and bust into your home demanding information?  Can you imagine being scared that your best friend and her family will be killed because of their religion?

            This is what happens in the historical fiction book Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  The book is set in the 1940s in Denmark during the Holocaust.  Annemarie Johansen and her best friend, Ellen, were walking home from school one day when they were questioned by soldiers about their identities.  This was scary because Ellen and her family were Jewish.  The girls ran home and told their families.  Ellen stayed with Annemarie and her family, pretending to be Annemarie's deceased sister, while her family figured out an escape plan. 

            The Johansens traveled to visit Annemarie’s uncle who lived near the Swedish border and owned a boat.  While they were there, they had a funeral for Annemarie’s Great-Aunt who didn’t really exist.  The funeral was a set up to allow Jews from all over Denmark to gather and then be taken into Sweden where they would be free.  When Annemarie’s mother breaks her ankle, it is up to Annemarie to deliver a special package that could save everyone.  Will she be able to handle this big responsibility or will the soldiers catch her?  Read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry to find out.

Hear me read the booktalk by clicking the following link: http://vocaroo.com/i/s05GNIgaTXal

Week 8 Reflection: Non-Fiction Book

Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl

Marrin, A. (2009). Years of dust: The story of the dust bowl. New York, NY: Dutton Children’s Books.

Summary:  This is a non-fiction book about the Dust Bowl that occurred in the United States and Canada in the 1930s.  The dust bowl was caused by wind storms blowing across the prairies during a drought creating storms of dust.  The book has great text features such as maps, diagrams, tables, pictures, and captions.  The photographs are especially striking; for example, the photograph of Franklin D. Roosevelt takes up pages 94 and 95 and is fascinating. 

Reflection:  My students complete a history fair project toward the end of the year.  This book would be a great resource to give to them during their research.  There are various text features on every page that add to the text, so this book would also be great to use when teaching about text features.

Classroom Connection:  I will be using this book as part of a text feature lesson that involves task cards.  I will use this book and 22 others (one for each student) and give each student a task card.  The task cards will ask them to use the text features to find information about a topic.  They will pass the books and task cards until they have completed them all.  This lesson meets the following 3^rd grade standard:

·         CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.

Big Questions:  Do you wish you had lived during the dust bowl?  Why or why not?

Reading Log

Reading Log for REOL 536

Genre / Titles you read

             I.      Non-fiction/Informational

1)      Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl by Albert Marrin

2)      Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

          II.      Poetry 

1)      Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

2)      If the Shoe Fits by Laura Beingessner

       III.      Modern Fantasy         

1)      The Illustrated Wee Free Men: A Story of Discworld by Terry Pratchett

2)      The Giver by Lois Lowry

3)      Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

4)      Eragon by Christopher Paolini

       IV.      Historical Fiction      

1)      Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor

2)      Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

3)      Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

          V.      Traditional         

1)      Jack Tales (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema

       VI.      Realistic Fiction 

1)      Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

2)      Dogsong by Gary Paulsen

3)      Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

4)      Holes by Louis Sachar

5)      Under the Same Sky by Cynthia DeFelice

    VII.      Picture Books

1)      Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young. (required for discussion – do NOT use on blog)

2)      Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

3)      Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

4)      The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith

5)      Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

6)      Finders Keepers by Will & Nicolas

7)      Tuesday by David Wiesner

8)      The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

9)      The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

10)  A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead

11)  Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! By Mo Willems

12)  Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Week 6 Booktalk: Under the Same Sky (Realistic Fiction)

Week 6 Booktalk: Under the Same Sky (Realistic Fiction)

DeFelice, C. (2003). Under the same sky. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Click the link to hear my booktalk:  http://vocaroo.com/i/s0RhoE5eJBm4

Have you ever worked hard to get something and then realized it wasn’t what you wanted after all?  You always want what you can’t have, right?

Under the Same Sky by Cynthia DeFelice is a realistic fiction chapter book that you won’t be able to put down!  Fourteen-year-old Joe desperately wants a motorbike, but his parents can’t afford to get him one.  His dad makes a deal with Joe that he can work on the farm, with the migrant workers, all summer to earn money for the bike.  Joe spends his summer with Manuel, the crew boss, and Luisa, a pretty, young worker, and many other crew members.  It wasn’t pleasant work; on page 32, it says, “Let’s just say I wasn’t chilly for long.  Soon the sun was beating down.  This was good because it drove away the hordes of mosquitoes that tormented me at first, but awful because I was wearing a black T-shirt.  I felt as if every ray from the sun was drawn directly from the sky onto my sweating back.  Finally, I took off the shirt and stuffed it into the pocket of my jeans, which helped a little, but not much.”  

A tough summer ensues as several of the crew members are threatened with deportation and people from town want the migrant workers to leave.  What will happen to the crew?  How will Joe’s relationship with the crew change his life?   You need to read Under the Same Sky by Cynthia DeFelice to find out.

Week 5: Poetry Reflection

Whipple, L. (2002). If the shoe fits: Stories of Cinderella. New York, NY: Margaret K McElderry Books.

       Summary:  This is a specialized book of poems that are all about Cinderella.  The poems are written from various points of view, for example: some of the poems are from the point of view of the evil-stepsisters, the fairy godmother, Cinderella, etc. The poem called The Rat’s Ride has great examples of onomatopoeias, such as the line from page 40 that says, “Eeek, eeek! Squeeeak, squeeeak, squeeeak!”  The illustrations are drawn using a media that appears to be colored pencil.  The figures are drawn as cartoons.

Reflection:  My students will love this collection of poems because Cinderella is a familiar character to them and the poems are funny.  I will be using one of the poems from this book as a fluency poem during our fairy tale unit.  My students read one poem every day for a week; they focus on a different element of fluency (accuracy, rate, expression, etc.) each day.

Classroom Connection:  If the Shoe Fits is a great book to use when comparing and contrasting different characters and their point of view.  I would first teach my students about narrators and point of view then ask them to identify the narrator in each poem.  Then, I would give them a graphic organizer that has room to compare and contract four different characters' thoughts, feelings, and actions.  To tie in writing, I would ask my students to write a bio poem about one of characters from Cinderella.

·       

The fourth grade common core standard that these activities will meet is:

·          CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.6 Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.

·         Big Questions: How do you know who the narrator is in each poem?  

SLMS Interview

Interviewee: Kelly Fischer, Library Media Specialist at Dixie Magnet Elementary

o How can the library help me to be a better teacher? The library is full of resources that many teachers unfortunately aren't always aware of.  The professional development section is full of resources for different units, and others are available for purchase at your request!  The library is no longer just a place for books!  Books are just the beginning of an inquiry based project.

o   How can you help me teach? The sky is the limit.  I'm excited that we will be moving to a flexible schedule this year.  I am at your disposal.  I would love to plan with you, to look at your goals and see how we can work together to plan, design, teach and assess any lesson!!!

o   What resources can I use in my units this yearWe have over 10,000 books in print and a lab of 30 computers at your disposal!  I can create, or help you create Webquests or other engaging models for your students. 

o   What book sets would you recommend that I use this year? I recommend Literature Circles.  Students need to be placed in homogeneous groups and choose high interest and appropriate literature to read and discuss.  We have over 50 sets of 8-10 books in the AV room.  I can resend a list including the summary, Lexile level, and quantities to you.  I also recommend you look through the electronic ebooks to be used on the ipads/ipods.  I can also order anything you need, if it meets our curriculum standards and budget.  

o   What kinds of collaboration do you suggest we could do this year? Let's begin with the Big3 or Big6 skills.  I would love to start the students off from day 1.  We can take any broad topic or narrow skill and begin implementing the inquiry based model.  

o   Talk to me about the policies and procedures of the library.  Is there a manual?  What do you do when a parent/teacher/principal challenges a book?  Is there a form or a policy to follow? There is a manual and it is adopted by our district, as well as our school.  I can send you a link as it's quite lengthy.  It discusses our selection policy and how I handle the process of selecting high interest and relevant, curriculum supportive materials.  If a book is challenged, I ask (in accordance with the policy) that the concerned party completes the consideration form.  It asks them to read the entire work and comment on specifics as to why there is a concern. The book stays in circulation, although I would recommend a different book for the child.  A committee, comprised of the LMS, the principal, two teachers and a parent is assembled. They would have the opportunity to read the book as well, and weigh the value of the book against the concern. I would present research about the book using my approved selection materials such as Kirkus Review, Horn Book, School Library Journal, etc.  The policy and process is also lengthy.  Policies and procedures are important from checking out certain numbers of books, to length, to when students may come.  

o   What electronic resources do we have?  Are there any that students can check out?  This coming year, students will have new access to Pebble Go Databases and Brain Hive ebooks.  They will have continued access to KYVL and the many databases through it such as Grolier, Searchasaurus and more!  Tumblebooks is also a resource. 

o   How can you help my students when they come in for independent research?  I am hoping our schedule continues to allow me to work with students using the Big6 inquiry method.  I've worked hard over the past few years to do this with 4th and 5th grade, and hope through collaboration to begin even in K this year.  It's my main goal to teach students to be critical and ethical users of information.  I want them to know a variety of reliable resources to use in their search, including both print and non-print.  I also want them to evaluate multiple resources for the reliability and relevance. It doesn't stop at the research.  Once finding the information they need to know what to do with it, how to organize and create a finished product of communication with an intended audience. Sometimes its through a written report, other times it may include technology such as a podcast or online tool. 

Week 4 Reflection (Traditional)

REOL 536

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears

Aardema, V. (2004). Why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young

Readers.

Summary:  This West African tale explains the chain of events that happened one day in the jungle.  This chain of events, which began with a mosquito lying to an iguana, caused a baby owl to die.  After the owl died, the mother owl would not hoot for the sun to come up, so King Lion had to call the council together to figure out who was at fault.  The story eventually explains why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears. 

Reflection:  This is a great story to use when teaching myths because this is a classic myth in the way that it explains how something (mosquitoes buzzing in people’s ears) came about.  There are many onomatopoeias used throughout the story, such as, “badamin, badamin,” used on page 4 to communicate the sound of the iguana.  The illustrations are brightly colored and the media appears to be cut paper that has been pieced together; I especially like the way the owls look on page 7.  This reminds me of a book that I read with my students called Happy Birthday, Mr. Kang. 

·         Classroom Connection:  This would be a good story for students to recount since the story has a chronological text structure.  Students could draw the events from the story on cards, switch the cards around, and their partner could recount the story by putting the cards in order.  I would also love to see what students will conclude is the central message to this myth.  The third grade common core standard that these activities will meet is:

•  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

·         Big Questions: Do you think this is the real reason why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears?  If not, why do you think they do that? 

Week 3 Book Reflection: The Giver

Week 3 Book Reflection (Fantasy)

REOL 536

The Giver

Lowry, L. (1993). The giver. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Summary: Jonas has become a twelve this year and he was given a prestigious title.  He will be trained as “the giver” who will receive all of the memories from past generations.  It is an honor to be selected, but he will endure much pain and alienation as he is trained to assume the role.  With the knowledge he receives, Jonas begins to understand the control the government has over the citizens as they make everyone comfortable at all times.  He knows something must be done, but what can he do to stop the injustice?

Reflection: The genre of this book is modern fantasy, characterized by supernatural events, a futuristic setting, and unusual situations.  The setting is America about two hundred years in the future.  The story is unique and touches on political and ethical issues without being forthcoming about them.  The vivid descriptions of the memories that Jonas receives are powerful. 

Classroom Connection:  This is a great book to use when teaching imagery or character.  Jonas is a thoughtful boy, which is evidenced by the way he takes all of the memories from the Giver and thinks through how they affect the people in his life.  His actions are motivated by events from the story, so it relates well to the following standard:

·         Common Core Standard RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events

I would ask my students to make a Jonas trading card.  On one side, they will draw a picture of him from one of the events in the story.  On the other side, they will give some basic information about him and then explain his motivation for his actions. 

Big Questions:  Which of the memories that Jonas received was your favorite?  Why? 

Would you accept the role of “the giver” if it was assigned to you?

Week 2 Booktalk

REOL 536

A Sick Day for Amos McGee

  Stead, P. (2010). A sick day for Amos McGee. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.

Have you ever been sick?  Did you have to stay home?  That is what happened to Amos McGee in the book, A Sick Day for Amos McGee.  In this fantasy picture book, Amos went to visit his friends, Elephant, Tortoise, Penguin, and Owl, at the zoo every day.  One day, he woke up sick and was not able to go to the zoo.  What do you think happened?  Read Philip Stead’s book, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, to find out!

Week 2 Book Reflection

REOL 536

Jumanji

Van Allsburg, C. (1981). Jumanji. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

I had never read this popular picture book by Chris Van Allsburg and I was delighted by the story. 

Summary:  Two bored children were looking for some entertainment after their parents left them home alone for the afternoon.  The children found a board game in the park with a warning note attached.  They ignored the warning and took the game home anyway.  As they began to play the game, wild animals and natural disasters began to appear inside their house!  Their house was being destroyed and they were in danger, but they had to keep playing because the game would not end until someone won.

Reflection:  The illustrations are realistic and, even though they are black and white, they are truly works of art; I can understand why this book is a Caldecott Award winner.  The genre of this book is fantasy because it could not happen in real life.  The plot is unique and creative with a very pleasant ending.  The characters are given a lot of depth because there are only two main characters; even though the events in the story are unrealistic, the children are very believable. 

 Classroom Connection:  This book could be used in first through fifth grade classrooms.  It would be easy to tie this book into a math lesson.  For example, game boards and spinners tie in well with fractions. Students could use fractions to determine their probability of landing on a certain spot on the game board.  They could compare fractions on spinners to determine which color they are most likely to land on when it is their turn.  This fits into the Common Core standards for third grade.   

·         Common Core Standard 3.NF.1:  Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.

·         Common Core Standard 3.NF.3d:  Compare two fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator by reasoning about their size. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, or <, and justify the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model.

 Big Question:  If you found a game in the park with a warning label on it, would you take it home?  Why or why not? 

Introduction

Hello!  My name is Rachel Creager.  This is my second year teaching 3rd grade at Dixie Magnet Elementary in Lexington, KY.  I LOVE working with third graders; it's the perfect age, in my opinion.  Reading is my favorite subject to teach and my third graders are usually just getting into chapter books, so it's a fun time for everybody.  I got married last summer to my wonderful husband, Patrick.  We have a black lab mix puppy named Zoey.  In my sparse spare time, I enjoy baking, reading, and running.  I'm looking forward to taking this course!