• Home
  • Read My Blog
  • Shop My TpT Store

Sarah Plum

K-5 Resources for Diverse Classrooms

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Running a Classroom
    • Decor & Themes
    • Organization
    • Character Education
    • Communication
    • Family Engagement
  • Content Areas
    • Mathematics
    • Reading
    • Writing
    • Social Studies
    • Science
  • Student Populations
    • English Language Learners (ELLs)
    • Gifted & Talented
    • Special Education
    • Title I
  • Grade Levels
    • 2nd Grade
    • 3rd Grade
  • Technology
    • Tech for Teachers
    • Tech for Students
    • Tech for Parents
  • Everything Else
    • Professional Development
    • Teaching Philosophy
    • Editorials
  • Product Catalog
You are here: Home / Archives for Freebie

The Key To Communication: A Link-Up

August 2, 2014 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 3 Comments

Communication. It’s an obvious focus for teachers and administrators, but it’s not an easy focus. There are many barriers to communication, including, but not limited to: time, money, language, and energy. Despite these barriers, however, it’s critical to student and teacher success to establish open lines of communication between home and school.
The district in which I teach is very diverse. There are DOZENS upon DOZENS of languages spoken. In my classroom alone last year there were six different languages represented. Unfortunately, I only speak two: English and Spanish. Luckily, my district provides translation services of both print materials and in-person or on-the-phone communication. Many districts across the United States offer similar resources — you just need to know where to look and how to access it.
But even within your own classroom, there are several things you can do to start the year off right with strong communication. Here are a few that I use myself:

Before the year even starts, and before “Meet the Teacher,” I send home postcards to my students. I write a short, personalized message to them and their families, and include the date/time of our Open House event. Whenever possible, I write in the language noted on their emergency card — even if it means planning ahead and enlisting the help of colleagues that speak another language. {You can head over to my FB fan page to grab these as your August freebie!} These postcards set the tone for communication between parents/students and you; they are friendly, inviting, and put families at ease. It’s a small way to show you care.
If money is a barrier and stamps aren’t something you’re able to come by before school starts, have these ready to hand students at your “Meet the Teacher” event. The sentiment remains the same, and you can add a smile-bonus as you hand it to them! {Tip: place a fun sticker over the “Place Postage Here” spot!}

When you first meet families — at “Meet the Teacher” — or have your first opportunity to send home communication, send home a business card. I made this simple business card in PowerPoint — and you can too! I made a text box 2.5″ wide by 1.5″ tall, added a graphic, and typed in my information. I then grouped it all together {CTRL+A and then “group” in the “arrange” menu}, and copied them several times on the page.
When I handed them out I gave families two copies: one laminated with a small magnet on the back (for quick fridge reference!), and one unlaminated for their wallet. All of my parents LOVED receiving this and several remarked throughout the year how easy it was to contact me because they had my information on-hand. If you make it easy for parents to contact you, they will. Establish open lines of communication with a single card!

The last thing I do at the beginning of the year is have parents fill out an information form to establish a contact log. This form isn’t intended as an emergency contact form, but rather as a tool for me to hear what *they* want me to know about their child and what they, as a parent, expect this year. Expectations are SUCH an important, and in my opinion, overlooked piece of the puzzle when it comes to communication. I urge you to try something new this year and ask for parent’s expectations — I think you will find it gives you a great foundation from which to build key communication.
This form then goes into my teacher binder where I house student information pages, data, etc., and I use it nearly-daily. When I make contact with a parent, I log it. Documentation of parent contact can be important when issues arise, but it’s also important for you, the teacher.
Are you making contact with parents regularly? Are you sharing a child’s successes, not just instances of misbehavior or academic deficits? Regular positive communication is critical. I’ve linked a free copy of this form for you to use — keep the lines of communication open, and free of cobwebs!

Three simple, low-to-no cost ways to establish communication from the start of the school year and keep it going all year long: send home a postcard, send home a business card, and establish a contact log.
I would love for you to link up below and share what your “Key to Communication” is for the beginning of the year! Grab the graphic at the top of the post {right-click, “Save As”}, link back here, and join the linky below. I look forward to hearing from you and reading your tips & tricks!

An InLinkz Link-up


Filed Under: Other Tagged With: communication, Freebie, home-school connection, link-up, organization

Throwback Thursday — A Teacher Tip, FREEBIE, and a Giveaway Winner!

July 24, 2014 by Sarah Plum(itallo) Leave a Comment

What a week this has been! It’s the last week of summer school {PtL!}, I released the “NOT Your Average Teacher Planner” {thank you to all of you fabulous folks that purchased it or have contacted me with compliments on it!}, I’ve started working on a HUGE year-long math project {more on that later this week}, and I’ve been preparing for one of my favorite people in the world to visit me! Phew — I need a frappuccino just from typing that!
Today is Throwback Thursday, and I’m sharing with you a freebie {my most downloaded} I made at the very beginning of this blog and a tip that has saved my perfectionist self in the classroom more times than I can count! I hope the freebie {which is on my “to update” list, just in case it’s not already long enough} is something that can be of use to you, and that you enjoy the teacher-tip that comes along with it!
But before I go and do my last minute errands before picking up my sweet sweet cousin at the airport {1:30am y’all — I’m going to need some coffee since I trek home, get her settled, then head back to summer school at 7am!} I need to announce the winner of my giveaway!
I’ve been so touched by the increased support this week, and I hope those of you that liked my Facebook page, followed me on Bloglovin’, and commented will stick around — I look forward to many giveaways, freebies, tips, and products to share with you in the coming months. Your support means the world!
Without further adieu, the winner is…
a Rafflecopter giveaway
So Jessica, congratulations and I’ll be e-mailing you shortly!
If you didn’t win, be on the lookout for a FB Fan Freebie in the next few days… you may just get yourself a little taste of my planner so you can be ready for August! 🙂
 ***************************************
One of the things I do throughout the year is have my students to think like scientists — because they are! So we talk frequently about science process skills, and the components of each. I created a set of process skills posters to help me (and you, too!) discuss the skills with students and make them a more intentional part of our science discovery.
 I do have plans to make a kinder and firstie-friendly version.
I put all the posters together and hung them vertically — using binder rings — to save space. Space is a premium in ANY classroom, but it’s important to refer to academic vocabulary often and have it available for students to see.
Hanging also makes it easy to remove, move, or store.
When I was making these originally I was SO frustrated in my quest to hang them. I’m a total perfectionist {duh, I mean, have you met me?} and getting the holes for binder rings aligned was a *beast*. But I did it! How?
I used your regular, cheap, and most importantly — abundant three-hole reinforcers! All I did was measure where I wanted them on each poster and placed a reinforcer. Then I was able to punch the hole using it as a guide (you can actually feel the hole-punch “sink” a small amount to the right spot) and they turned out perfectly.
So the next time you need the perfectly aligned hole — use a reinforcer! And don’t forget to head on over to my TpT store to grab your set of science process skills posters. I hope you enjoy them!

Filed Under: Other Tagged With: anchor charts, Freebie, giveaway, science, Throwback Thursday

Sector 7 {Book Talk Tuesday} + FREEBIE

July 22, 2014 by Sarah Plum(itallo) Leave a Comment

Raise your hand if you love picture books — I know I do! My husband would tell you I love them a little too much… as evidenced by the hundreds of pounds of books sitting in our garage waiting to be re-organized into an extensive classroom library for my littles. I’m linking up with the one-and-only Deanna Jump today to share about one way I use picture books in the classroom.
I love picture books — of all sorts — but as a teacher of English Language Learners (ELL’s), I love wordless picture books most of all.
The benefits to wordless picture books are many, and research supports their use in ALL types of classrooms (and at all levels). Some of the benefits include:
  • developing vocabulary and oral language
  • developing visual literacy
  • developing an unencumbered understanding of story structure
  • offering inspiration for students as authors
  • and best of all… fostering independence as readers! {Hello, Daily 5!!!}

I love to start off my year by doing a few book studies using only wordless picture books. This allows my students to feel comfortable interacting and contributing to discussion without the anxiety they can sometimes feel as ELL’s or beginning readers — there are no unfamiliar vocabulary words burdening their understanding and discussion of a text!
This year I used one of David Wisener’s fabulous texts, Sector 7.

You can immediately see from the cover how this text would draw students in! Often, a student’s background knowledge or experiences limit them subconsciously when choosing texts, but what student hasn’t gazed at the clouds above? I know all of my kiddos immediately gasped and were sitting at attention waiting to see (and discuss) more!
One of the important things to do when sharing a wordless picture book is decide how you want to share it. Do you want to ask leading questions? Do you want to model for students how to narrate a wordless picture book? Do you want to just display the illustrations and let students share rapid-fire?
Sector 7 was the first wordless book I shared with students this past year, so I chose to do a little bit of all three. I began by making a prediction based on the cover and had students share theirs. Then, I modeled narrating a page.
“This looks to me a bit like a factory. But something seems strange… mysterious even. There are clouds coming out of a door labeled ‘Cloud Dispatch Center’! Hm… I wonder what’s inside the building? And wait — I see a little boy, riding on a cloud! My goodness, he must be scared and excited, all at the same time!”
Students, once they see there aren’t any right or wrong observations, begin to make all kinds of wonderful contributions to a discussion and narration of a wordless picture book.
What I love about Sector 7, in particular, are the many connections students (and teachers) can make, and the extension activities that are possible! Students will absolutely see themselves in the little boy whisked away to the Cloud Dispatch Center, and they too will want to sketch designs for clouds-to-be!
If the skies are clear — head outside after reading! Let students illustrate and write about the clouds they see, and how they might’ve come to be. Were those clouds from the Dispatch Center, too? Or were they created some other way?
I created a reader’s response for you to use with your students — two different prompts, both in primary and regular lines. Click on the image below to download! I hope you enjoy this book and find a use for it and other wordless picture books in your classroom!

Filed Under: Other Tagged With: Book Talk Tuesday, ELL and ESL strategies, Freebie, reader's response, wordless picture books, Writing

Five for Friday

August 9, 2013 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 5 Comments

I do love a good linky party, so I’m very happy to be linking up with Kacey from Doodle Bugs Teaching for my first Five for Friday!

1. I’m still very much in vacation withdrawal… though the trip up was long (10 hours, y’all — it usually only takes 6!), I so enjoyed my time with our NY family. It was awesome to be able to be there to celebrate our incredible nephew’s graduation and bon voyage to college, and to be able to introduce him to his godson Henry. I miss everyone so much already!
2. The pile of lamination grows. And grows. Will I ever be finished cutting it? Le sigh.

3. I’m starting to get incredibly nervous about leaving this little guy each day. I’m nursing this time around, which has created a whole host of concerns and conundrums I never had with my first, William. I’m working around the logistics of being a nursing working Mom, pumping, etc. But most of all — I’m trying to figure out how I’ll not be a weepy mess the first week of leaving him! I stayed home with William until he was 11 months old, so this is a new one for me.

4. Yesterday was the first time our new second grade team met to plan — and boy was it awesome! I’m so happy to be joined by two fabulous ladies this year, and know that we’ll create an incredible year for our kiddos. To celebrate our new team, I made each of them (and myself) a back-to-school planning binder, complete with dividers and note pages for everything I could think of.


5. And speaking of that Back-to-School Planning Binder… how would you like to have one? I decided to start creating exclusive Facebook fan freebies, and finally figured out how to set it all up. To celebrate, I’m posting this 100 page freebie for you to enjoy! Just come on over to my Facebook page, select the “Fan Freebies!” tab, and like my page.


Filed Under: Other Tagged With: Family Fun, Five for Friday, Freebie, Made of Lamination, Plan-Plan-Plan

I *did* make it on Monday…

August 15, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 5 Comments

I’m almost two days late. But that’s okay. We’ll pretend that I indeed posted this Monday morning.
I fully intended to post a few more items on my TPT store during the Back to School sale, but that never happened. My to-do list ran away from me, my nearly three year old decided that he didn’t need to listen to Mommy anymore, and I got a little carried away. With this.
I started out with the plan to make my “pick me” bucket. I thought that since my kiddos are my “lollipop guild” and lollipops are featured on my student data binder I should do lollipops. So I made the labels, and started to affix them to my trusty popsicle sticks.
I had this nagging feeling. Come on. You know you want to go all out.

My car drove itself to AC Moore. My debit card purchased cellophane, cookie sticks, and ribbon. And then my hands, independent of my brain, made these:

Your eyes aren’t seeing things. Those are lollipop numbers wrapped in cellophane and tied with a ribbon. Yes. I went there.
The metal pot is an antique, and unbreakable. It reminds me of something you might see in Dorothy’s house, which is why I chose it over a plastic pot from Walmart (which I might’ve hot-glued ribbon and a label to before I changed my mind). I’m on the fence about a label. What do you think?
As a mea-culpa for not posting anything new so you could enjoy 28% savings, I’ve uploaded the numbers in three sizes (4″, 3″, and 1.5″ diameter) to my TPT store. You can grab them by clicking on the image below — I hope you find them useful!

I’ll be back tomorrow night to share the first progress pictures of my classroom — I’m spending the whole day there tomorrow cleaning it out and arranging it (once or twice or five times) before I start decorating. Wish me luck… and not clumsiness!

Filed Under: Other Tagged With: Classroom Decor, Freebie, Monday Made It, Teachers Pay Teachers, The Wizard of Oz

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Next Page »

About the Author

Sarah Plum(itallo) is a teacher of emerging multilinguals and 21st Century Grant coordinator in Virginia. She writes curriculum for inclusive classrooms and presents professional development on a variety of topics.

Read more about Sarah and her background in education here.

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in