Breaking Down the Basics
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Montgomery, Alabama, United States
About the store
Teaching is not a solo adventure! We need each other and have so much to learn from each other. Since I opened my TPT store in 2017, my mission has been to share the kinds of organizational and instructional resources that have worked for me and I hope they can help you too!
Since August 2012, I have taught learners at the middle school and high school level. The majority of my career has been in a self-contained special education classroom for students with severe disabilities.
Before I became a teacher, I spent a year as a paraprofessional in a preschool classroom for kids with autism. While I had always been drawn to this field, that year cemented my desire to pursue this professionally.
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The Boxcar Children {A Complete Novel Study Unit}
This is a HUGE resource with everything you and your students will need to enjoy EVERY CHAPTER of this classic children's book! I LOVE doing novel studies with my students! And what’s better than a great novel study? A novel study unit that is easy to use and ready to go!FOR EACH CHAPTER, YOU GET:• 3-5 Vocabulary word cards • 1 Vocabulary worksheet (targeting the definition and then applied use of each word) • 1 Cause and Effect worksheet • 1 Summarizing worksheet (with word bank) • 1 Mult
1st - 4th
Balanced Literacy, Literature, Reading Strategies
Main Idea Task Cards with Real Pictures {Set 2}
Teaching students how to find the main idea can be a real challenge! One of the best ways is to give your students lots of practice and opportunities to start discriminating between details and the main idea. Also, using real pictures is a great way to make sure your materials are appropriate for your age group and grade! This resource includes: 40 Main idea featuring real photos and 3 answer choicesAn answer keyFor more practice, check out: Main Idea Task Cards with Real Pictures {Set 1}Main
K - 3rd
Balanced Literacy, Literature, Reading Strategies
Also included in: Main Idea Task Cards with Real Pictures *BUNDLE*
Magic Tree House Book 1: Dinosaurs Before Dark {A No-Prep Novel Study}
This is a HUGE and ready-to-use resource! With over 140 pages of already differentiated activities, this is a must-have! The Magic Tree House series is great for readers who are ready for chapter books but still need something relatively simple. This novel study has everything you need to easily differentiate your instruction for your learners! See for yourself by downloading a FREE sample. Just click {HERE}! Novel studies are a great way to teach several literacy skills at once. Whet
1st - 4th
Balanced Literacy, Literature
Also included in: Magic Tree House Book Novel Study BUNDLE {Books 1-4}
Jake the Fake Keeps It Real {A Complete Novel Study}
Do you need an easy to use novel study featuring a hilarious and diverse set of characters? Look no further. Novel studies are a great way to teach several literacy skills at once. Whether your students read the novel on their own or you read it aloud, engaging with this absolutely hilarious novel is one of the best experiences you can give your students! For each chapter, you’ll find: one vocabulary worksheetone chapter mapone multiple-choice quiztwo short answer question quizzes (two differ
3rd - 6th
Balanced Literacy, Literature
Magic Tree House Book 5: Night of the Ninjas {No Prep Novel Study}
Jack and Annie are off to Japan to save Morgan! This novel study is a fun and effective way to teach several literacy skills simultaneously and includes everything you need to differentiate instruction for your learners. This HUGE, ready-to-use novel study is a great way to teach several literacy skills simultaneously. With over 170 pages, you will engage students with a wide variety of abilities! Whether your students read the novel on their own or you read it aloud, engaging with Night o
1st - 4th
Novel Studies, Reading
Magic Tree House Book 6: Afternoon on the Amazon {No Prep Novel Study}
Jack and Annie are off to the rainforest in their quest to save Morgan! This novel study is a fun and effective way to teach several literacy skills simultaneously and includes everything you need to differentiate instruction for your learners. This HUGE, ready-to-use novel study is a great way to teach several literacy skills simultaneously. With over 170 pages, you will engage students with a wide variety of abilities! Whether your students read the novel independently or you read it alou
1st - 4th
Novel Studies, Reading
The Boxcar Children #12 Houseboat Mystery {A No-Prep Novel Study}
The Boxcar Children series is one of my all-time favorites for read-alouds! Novel studies are a great way to teach several literacy skills at once. Whether your students read the novel on their own or you read it aloud, engaging with this captivating novel is one of the best experiences you can give your students! For each chapter, this resource includes: • vocabulary practice • multiple-choice questions • true-false questions • short answer questions • easy to use answer keys • Differentiate
3rd - 6th
Balanced Literacy, Literature
Counting LIKE Coins Clip Cards - BUNDLE
If your students are practicing coin counting skills, you need this! Starting with like coins is a great way to expand on basic skills such as skip counting and 1:1 correspondence. Also, counting money is a critical skill that each and every student needs! This product contains: 480 Total clip cards! (Yes, you read that right!!) This is a HUGE resource that can be used in any part of your instruction. Task cards are an awesome way to target and fine tune specific skills for your students.
K - 3rd
Differentiated Calendar Math
This product contains 5 different levels of single-page calendar math worksheets. (************************Revised to add a "0.5" level for learners who need more basic calendar math practice!***********************) Feedback is greatly appreciated! ___________________________________________ For more information on breaking down the basics for your students, check out...Breaking Down the Basics on TPTBreaking Down the Basics on PinterestBreaking Down the Basics on FacebookBreaking Down the Ba
PreK - 12th
Math
All About Coins Bundle {4 Adapted Books}
Money skills can seem abstract and be difficult for students. Targeting the features of each coin is a great way to help them master this important skill! Each of these books can be used at any point in the instructional cycle. THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS 4 BOOKS: "All About Pennies""All About Nickels""All About Dimes""All About Quarter"EACH BOOK CONTAINS THESE PARTS: Detailed and illustrated directions on how to put each book togetherData sheets to record student progress.Version One is the adapted
K - 2nd
Math
Basic Money Skills Task Cards
Task cards have so many uses! You can use them during direct instruction, guided practice, or for independent practice. Your students can use clothes pins, paper clips, dry erase markers, or wet erase markers to respond. This download contains 100 task cards focusing on a wide variety of basic money skills!! These are ideal for students who are learning to identify basic characteristics of coins. There are 5 labels so these task cards can be divided into groups of 20 cards. For more ti
K - 6th
Math
Reading Comprehension Task Cards - BUNDLE
This product contains a total of 120 task cards! If you have a classroom with students on varying reading levels, you NEED this. All cards are no-frills and printer friendly as they only require black ink, but you can print them on color paper or card stock for some extra flair! Once you prep these, you will use them again and again! Strong reading comprehension is built one line at a time. These task cards are perfect for centers, independent workstations, or small group instruction to help
K - 4th
Balanced Literacy, Reading
Sequencing Clip Strips {Is this the Correct Order?}
Sequencing is a progressive skill that touches nearly every content area and is also a critical life skill. This resource can be used in small group, as an auditory memory game, or as independent practice. This resource contains: 39 Sequencing clip stripsLabels for bags/ tubs___________________________________________ For more information on breaking down the basics for your students, check out...Breaking Down the Basics on TPTBreaking Down the Basics on PinterestBreaking Down the Basics on F
2nd - 5th
Reading Strategies
The Boxcar Children {Novel Study of Chapter 1}
This product is a sample of the full novel study for the first book in The Boxcar Children series. This is an AWESOME way to work on multiple reading skills while experiencing this delightful and timeless story! To use, simply print and go! Each chapter contains:• 3-5 Vocabulary words • 1 Vocab worksheet • 1 Cause and Effect worksheet • 1 Summarizing worksheet (with word bank) • 1 Multiple choice assessment • 1 Open-ended questions worksheet • Answer key The FULL version also contains graphi
1st - 4th
Balanced Literacy, Reading
Preprimer Fluency Sentences Flashcards {No Prep!}
One of the challenges of teaching sight words is avoiding “Robot Reading”. This resource contains sentences using the Dolch Preprimer words divided into 4 groups. Each group has 10 words. As soon as students master the first group, they are ready to start reading sentences. These fluency flashcards are ideal for partner work, small group time, independent work. Once the sentences are mastered, the cards can be sent home for additional practice or moved to a guided practice station to be reviewe
PreK - 2nd
English Language Arts, Reading
Directional Terms Task Cards
Understanding directional terms is a critical skill for every student! This resource provides your students with the opportunity to practice matching sentences with pictures. There are 2 sets. The first set uses images that are illustrated and visually simpler. The second set uses actual photos and may be a good option for older learners. This resource contains: Set 1: 20 cards with sentence options based on simple illustrations.Set 1 addresses these directional terms: on, under, behind, next to
PreK - 2nd
Grammar, Reading, Vocabulary
Counting LIKE Coins Clip Cards - Dollar Sign Only
These clip cards will give your students practice with critical coin counting skills! Use these for independent practice, in small groups, or during direct and small group instruction. This product contains: 160 Total clip cards! This is a huge resource that can be used in any part of your instruction. Task cards are an awesome way to target and fine tune specific skills for your students. These cards can be laminated and used with a dry erase marker, a wet erase markers, clothespin, pape
K - 4th
Also included in: Counting LIKE Coins Clip Cards - BUNDLE
Basic Skills Math Mats
These mats are ideal for use in whole group or small groups to build skills through LOTS of practice. Using dry erase sleeves or sheet protectors with dry erase markers is a great way to get that extra practice and save paper at the same time! This product includes mats for the following skills:Telling Time (Analog clock)Place valueWorking with a ten frameWorking with double ten framesAdding or subtracting with regroupingNumber bondsFractions of a circleFractions of a squareFact FamiliesFor mor
K - 3rd
Basic Operations, Fractions, Numbers
True or False? {Task Cards}
Do your students need extra practice discriminating between “true” and “false” statements? These task cards specifically target this critical skill! These are ideal for use in a small group or independent setting. This product contains: 40 task cards labels for storage bags or tubs___________________________________________ For more information on breaking down the basics for your students, check out...Breaking Down the Basics on TPTBreaking Down the Basics on PinterestBreaking Down the Bas
K - 3rd
Balanced Literacy, ELA Test Prep
Calendar Skills File Folder Activities
Looking for a way to increase your students’ calendar skills? With 9 different file folder activities, students can practice identifying the many ways to write the date. Color AND black and white versions included. This resource contains: 18 Total file folder activities (9 in color and 9 black and white) to help students learn to generalize their understanding of how dates can be written (i.e. 2-19-18, 2/19/18, Feb. 19, 2018, and so on). Students need to fluent and automatic with calendaring
K - 3rd
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About the store
Experience
Teaching is not a solo adventure! We need each other and have so much to learn from each other. Since I opened my TPT store in 2017, my mission has been to share the kinds of organizational and instructional resources that have worked for me and I hope they can help you too!
Since August 2012, I have taught learners at the middle school and high school level. The majority of my career has been in a self-contained special education classroom for students with severe disabilities.
Before I became a teacher, I spent a year as a paraprofessional in a preschool classroom for kids with autism. While I had always been drawn to this field, that year cemented my desire to pursue this professionally.
Teaching style
I believe in teaching functional academics. Not only do I want my students to learn basic skills, I want them to be able to take those skills and apply them in their lives as they go forward. My sincerest wish is for my learners to be as independent as possible.
Awards & shining teacher moments
May 2011 - Received a fellowship to study autism and behavioral disorders as a part of my Master's degree.
May 2017 - Received "the Extra Mile" award from Montgomery County Public Schools
December 2020 - Teacher of the Year, Pike Road High School
January 2021 - Teacher of the Year, Secondary level - Pike Road Schools
My own education history
May 2016 - Graduated from University of Alabama at Birmingham with a bachelor's degree in Theatre with a concentration in Production Stage Management
December 2012 - Graduated from Auburn University with a Master's degree in Collaborative Education with an emphasis in autism and behavioral disorders
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