12/21/2014: Happy Holidays, and looking ahead to 2015

Happy holiday season to all, and thank you to everyone who helped to make the Holiday Sale at my Teachers Pay Teachers store such a success!  There are still a few days until Christmas, and still time for some of my original holiday plays such as Ding-a-Ling, the Christmas Bell

Written with 18 parts including Ding-a-Ling, the Christmas Bell, and friends, the other bells who tease Ding-a-Ling for falling and not being able to make a clear sound, this play shows how Santa is rescued in a very unexpected way.

I have written plays for use in my own classroom for many years. I am pleased to be able to share them with teachers all over the country through Teachers Pay Teachers.

For those of you who are looking ahead to the New Year, January will bring Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Right now I am offering Martin Luther King, Jr. - First Grade Level D Reader as a FREE DOWNLOAD!  This reader comes with two worksheets which reinforce literacy skills involving reading, language, spelling, and writing. Specific concepts, skills, and vocabulary targeted in the reader are listed on the first page of the story.  I also offer two original plays about Dr. King at my store.  Happy holidays, and happy reading!

12/15/2014: Happy Bill of Rights Day!

Happy Bill of Rights Day!  December 15th is officially Bill of Rights Day in the United States.  The Bill of Rights is the name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution.  December 15 was declared Bill of Rights Day in 1941 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights Institute has some fantastic, free educator resources on their website. My original set of leveled books Third Grade Leveled Books: Level N - Set 3 includes a reader all about The Bill of Rights.  Covering science, social studies, and language arts topics, this set of leveled books will help your students build their vocabulary and improve their reading comprehension while learning interesting facts.

Our Holiday Sale is the perfect time to stock up on books and plays for your classroom!  On December 17th-20th all books and plays from our Teachers Pay Teachers store will be 20% off!

12/14/14: Holiday Sale December 17-20!

The month of December is flying by!  Besides the December holidays, December is also Read a New Book Month.  My original holiday-themed plays are a fun and educational way to add some festivity into your classroom this season.  

These original plays may be used as readers’ theater, as a part of balanced literacy (Read-Aloud, Shared and Performance Reading or Guided Reading), or for an actual play production. Using plays in literacy-based classrooms promotes active listening for the performers, as well as the audience, and offers an engaging way to teach reading skills.

Our Holiday Sale is the perfect time to stock up!  On December 17th-20th all books and plays from our Teachers Pay Teachers store will be 20% off!

Besides the December holidays, now is also a great time to plan ahead for important upcoming dates such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month.

12/8/14: Happy Belated St. Nicholas Day!

Belated Happy St. Nicholas Day!  In the Western Christian calendar the feast day of St Nicholas is observed on December 6th.  Today this day is most widely celebrated in Europe, and different countries have their own way of celebrating on this special day.  In some countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, children will leave out an empty shoe the night before for St Nicholas to fill with presents and sweets.  Your students can learn more about Christmas traditions from around the world with my original play Where in the World is the Spirit of Christmas?

Written with 21 parts, Detective John T. Brown travels the world to solve the Spirit of Christmas. Along the way he meets children from Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Mexico and Sweden in hopes of finding the Grinch who is missing the holiday spirit. Come and see how others celebrate this holiday and how the Grinch learned that Christmas is really more than things. Please also be sure to check out my my full selection of original holiday plays at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  

Thank you, users for all of your your kind and thoughtful feedback. For "First Grade Leveled Books: Level H - Set 1" user Karen Anderson commented:

“These stories are very helpful in providing activities for my students that are meaningful and practical. interest level is good for both boys and girls!”

12/1/2014: Welcome to December!

December is here, and the winter holiday season has arrived!  What fun seasonal activities do you have planned for your class?  

Perhaps consider bringing one of my original holiday-themed plays into your classroom this season.  

These original plays may be used as readers’ theater, as a part of balanced literacy (Read-Aloud, Shared and Performance Reading or Guided Reading), or for an actual play production. Using plays in literacy-based classrooms promotes active listening for the performers, as well as the audience, and offers an engaging way to teach reading skills.

Now that our Super Cyber Saving Sale is here it is the perfect time to stock up!  On December 1st 12:01AM (ET) through December 2nd 11:59PM (ET) we will be offering 20% off as part of a sitewide sale.  Just use promo code “TPTCYBER” when you check out!