The Teaching Terrarium

What's the most important thing about teaching writing for me? Teaching my students that they don't need me to tell them when they have made an error. That's why I love handy tools like this one that compiles many of the most commonly misspelled words so that they can double-check their writing on their own. It's great because: 1) I don't have to spend hours writing notes on their drafts that students usually don't read anyway. 2) It gives them the life-long skill of double-checking their

Need a quick review with your 6th grade Reading students before the the test? This handout reviews tips and strategies specific to the passage types found on the STAAR exam. It looks great printed on brightly colored paper!

Looking for extra STAAR formatted questions to help your students practice their literary analysis skills? Here is a ready-to-go set that includes a fiction passage with STAAR formatted questions plus questions that have been updated for the 2022 test revisions along with an Expository Essay prompt. Set includes: 1 2 page passage 4 multiple choice questoins in the new format 1 short answer question 1 Expository/Informational prompt Great for tutoring, benchmark clean ups, or timed writing!

Looking for extra STAAR formatted questions to help your students learn to recognize run-ons, comma splices, and fragments? Here is a worksheet to help you out! Students can learn to master this type of question on the exam without having to actually look at an editing text -- just look for the incorrect use of commas, verb tense, and periods. Teacher answer key included along with answer explanations. Great for tutoring or benchmark cleanups!

Help your students take charge of their learning by using this tutoring tracking sheet. All of the tested STAAR items have been turned into student friendly "I Can" statements that can be used as skills are taught or reviewed during tutoring so that you can make sure your students are ready for the test! As students learn the skill, they check it off and indicate when the skill was learned. This could also be used at the beginning of the year to allow students to preview what will be learned

Have you ever wanted to start a gratitude journal yourself or with your students? Well, this no-prep printable journal is packed full of prompts, journal pages, and activities that you can use alone or with your students! Practicing the art of gratitude is shown to increase happiness and promote relaxation. Cute, colorful pages make adding SEL (social-emotional learning activities) to your classroom or daily life fast, easy, and meaningful. The journal contains 22-pages so you can pick your fa

Help your students take charge of their learning by using this tutoring tracking sheet. All of the tested STAAR items have been turned into student-friendly "I Can" statements that can be used as skills are taught or reviewed during tutoring so that you can make sure your students are ready for the test! As students learn the skill, they check it off and indicate when the skill was learned. This could also be used at the beginning of the year to allow students to preview what will be learned dur

Help your students take charge of their learning by using this tutoring tracking sheet. All of the tested STAAR items have been turned into student friendly "I Can" statements that can be used as skills are taught or reviewed during tutoring so that you can make sure your students are ready for the test! As students learn the skill, they check it off and indicate when the skill was learned. This could also be used at the beginning of the year to allow students to preview what will be learned dur

Help your students take charge of their learning by using this tutoring tracking sheet. All of the tested STAAR items have been turned into student friendly "I Can" statements that can be used as skills are taught or reviewed during tutoring so that you can make sure your students are ready for the test! As students learn the skill, they check it off and indicate when the skill was learned. This could also be used at the beginning of the year to allow students to preview what will be learned dur

Looking for a quick but meaningful writing activity? Well, look no further. This no-prep activity gets middle and high school students writing fast. Read aloud "What Do You Do with a Chance?" by Kobi Yamata or show the read-aloud on YouTube and then let them write! What is it? - links to an online read-aloud of "What Do You Do with an Chance?" by Kobi Yamada - expository writing prompt for essay writing - expository writing prompt for short response writing - presentation with prompt and guided

Looking for a quick but meaningful writing activity? Well, look no further. This no-prep activity gets middle and high school students writing fast. Read aloud "What Do You Do with an Idea?" by Kobi Yamata or show the read-aloud on YouTube and then let them write! What is it? - links to an online read-aloud of "What Do You Do with an Idea?" by Kobi Yamada - expository writing prompt for essay writing - expository writing prompt for short response writing - presentation with prompt and guided

Teacher life can get hard, so I made a thing to help me make sure that I survive first, starting with food. It reduces my stress to plan ahead for what I am eating even if it is just for one day, a few days, or (if I'm feeling sassy) a whole week. This super easy chart will help you think through what you are eating for the next three days or for the week. In order to make this an actual stress-relieving, self-care tool: I start with what I already have in my house - its easier and cheaper t