Stuff and Things
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Hillsborough, North Carolina, United States
About the store
I taught environmental education first, it continues to be a great foundation for my nearly two decades in the classroom.
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How we Say it: Tone of Voice
Early product, but solid lesson-- I tidied it up a bit in 2025, still not 'cute' but really effective. I use this activity at the beginning of the year to set the ‘tone’ of my classroom. We talk about how the tone of your voice can change the meaning of your words. Students, in pairs, read phrases in different tones and try to guess the tone. I have chosen anger, frustration, snarky, sad, and happy as the tones. I specifically chose snarky, which I think of as mean sarcasm, for my budding middle
2nd - 9th
English Language Arts, For All Subjects, Speaking & Listening
Post Winter Break: Find Someone Who Activity
A great way to have students share their activities over a break. This one is geared towards the winter break, but can easily be changed to reflect any break.
I don't do a lot of activities like this, but it helps with my classroom culture when we return as it allows them to talk during morning work. They want to talk when they return from break, so this gives them that freedom and makes it part of their 'school work.'
2nd - 10th
Becoming a Founding Father
Students embody a Founding Father from the days of Constitutional debate. This activity leads into a mock debate or reader's theater of the Constitutional Convention.
4th - 10th
U.S. History
Desk Labels for Easy Groupings
Need a quick way to make groups of two, three, four or six? On each desk there is now an easy way for students to quickly find groups, while reinforcing classroom content. These are made with 7th grade science in mind, vocabulary and images taken from lessons. However, you can update them to make your curriculum. Students use the colored border, background, numbers, pictures, vocabulary and cities around the world to make different groupings. Colored backgrounds make groups of 6 Images make grou
5th - 12th
For All Subjects, General Science, Vocabulary
Greetings from Planet __ Research Slides
I created this easy set of planet research slides during the remote school days. I have used it in the 6th grade classroom for students needing more scaffolding and have used it whole class when I needed the planets mini unit to be even quicker! Included in this purchase is a set of 20 simple slides you can easily copy per student, partner or groups. Provide them with student friendly research links about the planets. NASA has great resources. The slides all contain sentence starters and reminde
4th - 8th
Astronomy, General Science, Science
Proving Character Traits
We need to read about what a character says, does, and how others react to the character to prove his/her traits. I wrote this story with those ideas in mind. I've used this three times, once as a homework, another time as a test and a third time to begin explaining how to use quotes to prove an answer. Enjoy!
4th - 8th
Close Reading, Literature, Reading Strategies
CCSS
RL.5.1
, RL.5.3
Partner Book Club
Two week independent fiction book club geared toward fifth grade common core standards. This is to be used after the teaching of all the fiction skills.
Students were asked to use all their resources to help them answer the open-ended reader's response questions.
5th - 7th
Literature, Reading, Writing
CCSS
RL.5.1
, RL.5.2
, RL.5.3
 +1
Multiplication Strategies Notes
Student note sheet about multiplication strategies, including an example, benefits and drawbacks to each:
--Standard Algorithm
--Partial Products
--Area Model/Box Method
--Distributive Property
--Array
Answer key is included, however, you can of course take any notes or observations created as a class.
4th - 6th
Basic Operations, Math
CCSS
4.NBT.B.5
, 5.NBT.B.5
Fiction Thinkmarks
These "thinkmarks," were used as a reading workshop seatwork activity to parallel the minilesson. I collected these as a sort of 'exit ticket,' and could quickly evaluate if my minilesson could be transferred to their own texts. The small circles on each one are for their class number.
Thinkmarks include:
Character Traits
Plot Diagram
Inference
Theme
Vocabulary (this is a whole page for their literacy notebooks, consider it a bonus :-) )
4th - 6th
Literature, Reading Strategies
Homophones Test
For word study one week I did homophones:
To, too, two
There, their, they're
your, you're
This was my assessment, I did not remind of them of the homophones, they had to choose the word that best fit and make sure it was a homophone. This simple assessment worked well!
4th - 6th
Spelling, Writing
CCSS
L.5.5c
State Project: Dive Deeper
These mini-projects were created as an add on to a larger state project, giving kids choice of creative ways to display their research. However, you can use these two choice menus as a stand alone project as well.
Choice Menu A has 6 different options which reach different learning types and ask more complex work of the students.
Choice Menu B has 4 options, all of which have the same titles as Choice Menu A. Menu B is created for below grade level students, or, to be completed for students w
3rd - 6th
Geography, Other (Social Studies), U.S. History
There Their They're Review Game: Countdown
A simple review game which can be played as a group or individually. Students need a way to write down and show you their answers quickly, individual whiteboards work perfectly with this slideshow. Sentences with blanks appear and students must choose there, their or they're quickly, while you countdown (hence the name of the game).
4th - 7th
ELA Test Prep, English Language Arts, Writing
CCSS
L.5.5
Comma Hunt
This letter uses the six typical comma rules. After teaching a lesson on these rules, I have students complete this comma hunt. They've loved arguing over where a comma should go. Have them fold the bottom backwards, hiding it until they've finished.
This sheet uses these rules:
Commas for:
1) Lists
2) When you are introducing someone
3) interrupting a thought
4) Speaker tags.
5) Double Adjectives
EX: Sh
4th - 10th
English Language Arts, Writing
CCSS
L.5.1
, L.5.2
Forms of Decimals
This worksheet is a review of the standard form, expanded form and the word form of decimal numbers. After you print it, you need to fill in the answer key, or delete that box. I've used this as an extension post-seatwork and as a math station. Having the answer key allows students to grade their own work.
4th - 6th
Decimals
CCSS
5.NBT.A.3a
Student Weekly Progress Report
Students fill out this progress report every Monday, using their graded assignments, memory and tests from the previous week.
I then sign them and add comments during my planning time on Monday, returning them to then be signed by their parents. This allows the burden of responsibility to be placed on the student, the one ultimately responsible for their own learning. However, it gives me the opportunity to encourage and comment on their goals. Also, I can make sure they are accurately represe
3rd - 6th
For All Subjects
Statements about Multiplying Fractions
Using statements about multiplication, students work to prove the statements are true for whole numbers, and then evaluate whether or not those statements are true when multiplying fractions.
5th - 6th
Basic Operations, Fractions
Respect Exit Tickets
A simple exit ticket you can use to hear your students goals and plans, or you can post in a public place to emphasize a culture of respect in your hallways and school. Designed to do one a week or a class period, or whenever you just need them to reflect for a moment on the importance of respect and being respectful.
4th - 12th
Classroom Community, For All Subjects, School Counseling
Partner Editing: Using Accountable Talk
This worksheet helps guide students into giving thoughtful feedback. While improving an assignment through editing, students also increase their own editing abilities and the idea that criticism can be beneficial.
4th - 10th
Creative Writing, Writing, Writing-Essays
CCSS
W.5.5
, W.6.5
Visual Models to find Equivalent Fractions
This interactive note sheet, intended to be cut and glued into a math journal, shows three different visual methods to finding common denominators. I intended to be a reference for more difficult common denominators. Also, I used it as a review after teaching all the methods, to make sure we had a solid model of the visual methods in our notes. Using colored pencils is a nice touch!
4th - 7th
Fractions
CCSS
5.NF.A.1
, 5.NF.A.2
Goal Setting
I use this worksheet before parent conferences, so that we can discuss the goals students want to set for the next quarter. We then pick one of the goals to write on a post it on their desk so they don't forget about their goal.
3rd - 6th
Character Education, For All Subjects, Other (ELA)
Showing 1-20 of 23 results
About the store
Experience
I taught environmental education first, it continues to be a great foundation for my nearly two decades in the classroom.
Awards & shining teacher moments
My school's Teacher of the Year 2015-2016 and 2020-2021
Additional biographical information
The name "Stuff and Things," is a tribute to my first 5th grade class. We discussed the need to be more descriptive and avoid saying 'stuff and things' in our writing and speaking and then it became our inside joke. So, since my creations do not fit nicely into one box, they are stuff and things.
I currently teach K-8 STEM, allowing me a great big swath of creative freedom. I've taught middle school science, 5th grade and 2nd grade. I started on TPT when we all only gave each other free resources and I loved the genuine sharing for our students benefits. Message me if price is an issue (it does add up!) and your school will not reimburse.
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