The Teaching Zone
75 Followers
Ocala, Florida, United States
About the store
I am currently an ESE Specialist for my district. Prior to this, I taught Gifted students (GATE) at four schools in Florida for several years. Prior to that, well, I spent more than 20 years during which I taught almost all grade levels, special needs and general education, and worked as a reading coach, an instructional coach and an assistant principal. I've been working in the school system since 1998.
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Programs & methods
Active Listening Quick Response CNN Student News BBC 6 Minute English
This is a pair of worksheets (printable 2 to a page), one that goes with the CNN 10/Student News program, and one that goes with BBC 6 Minute English videos, both available daily for free on YouTube. Active Listening Quick Response Sheets are terrific bellwork to get students’ minds engaged and busy. They also make a good break from the norm. In my gifted elementary classes, my older students keep a current events journal, with entries from the CNN 10, which gives them a good historical refe
2nd - 10th
English Language Arts, Vocabulary
Introduction to SCAMPER PowerPoint for Gifted GATE Classes
This PowerPoint introduces Bob Ehrle's SCAMPER strategy in a fun and visual way. In the midst of it, you'll need to read from his book, SCAMPER: Games and Activities for Imagination Development, so if you don't have a copy, you can find it on Amazon. I'm also posting a guide sheet for the next step, which is referenced in the PowerPoint, so be sure to grab that as well.
1st - 5th
Creative Writing
Also included in:Â Intro to SCAMPER Bundle
Intro to SCAMPER Bundle
Hopefully this will successfully combine my Intro to SCAMPER PowerPoint and my related guide sheet.
1st - 5th
Creative Writing
Thanksgiving Critical Thinking Bundle for Gifted GATE
This is a growing collection of Thanksgiving-related resources from my gifted classroom to yours! It includes a game, First Thanksgiving Truth-Truth-Lie (or 2 lies and a truth), Thanksgiving Cryptograms, and a new bonus file - The Great Turkey Escape - a simple logic problem for gifted littles! I plan on adding more, which will automatically become yours if you invest in this little bundle!
K - 6th
Christmas Winter Wonder Bundle
This is a bundle of all winter holiday / Christmas-themed products in my store. At the moment, that's only 7 things... but the "wonder" part is that I wonder how many things will be added to it in the future! Once you buy it, you'll get them all, forever, as long as you download the updates! So far, this includes A Holiday Problem - a PBL activity, Simple Christmas Matrix logic - an intro to matrix logic for little ones, Reindeer Games Logic 1 and 2 - more complicated matrix logic for upper el
1st - 8th
The Great Turkey Escape Simple Logic Problem
This is a simple, silly, Thanksgiving-themed logic problem I created to use with my 1st and 2nd grade gifted students. It could also be used with older students who haven't learned to solve grid-logic problems yet, or who are struggling with more complicated puzzles.
K - 3rd
Also included in:Â Thanksgiving Critical Thinking Bundle for Gifted GATE
Board Game Quiz Pretest and Project Student Instructions Checklist with Sample
This is a combo pack of the checklist I designed to help my students make sure they've got all of the necessary elements included in their Board Game Project instructions page, PLUS the pretest quiz I give to help get the buy-in I need from kids, parents and administrators, to help them all see that the Board Games unit has legitimate academic value. This is a key element in the success of my project. I hope you'll love it and use it, and leave me feedback about it!
2nd - 10th
For All Subjects
Also included in:Â Board Game Project Bundle
Winter Holiday Glyphs for Christmas and Chanukah Hannukah
This product is a pair of glyphs - one Christmas Tree and one menorah, where students respond to a series of questions about their holiday plans by making changes to the Christmas tree or menorah image. It is a relatively simple task, and one that my students complete independently in a center.
K - 3rd
Also included in:Â Christmas Winter Wonder Bundle
Simple Christmas Matrix Logic for Gifted 1st and 2nd Grade Learners
This is a VERY simple series of 4 logic problems to introduce 1st and 2nd grade gifted students to these fun, critical thinking puzzles, all with a Christmas theme. These are great for folks who teach the process in the gradual release / "I do, we do, you do" method, as you can talk students through the process as you work the larger version on the smart board together, and have 2 independent tries. I've also included a "paper saver" version which reduces the printing needed down to a total o
1st - 2nd
Also included in:Â Christmas Winter Wonder Bundle
Intro to SCAMPER Guide Sheet
This Guide Sheet goes with my PowerPoint, which introduces Bob Ehrle's SCAMPER strategy in a fun and visual way. In the midst of it, you'll need to read from his book, SCAMPER: Games and Activities for Imagination Development, so if you don't have a copy, you can find it on Amazon. Be sure to download the PowerPoint that goes with this document.
2nd - 5th
Creative Writing
Also included in:Â Intro to SCAMPER Bundle
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About the store
Experience
I am currently an ESE Specialist for my district. Prior to this, I taught Gifted students (GATE) at four schools in Florida for several years. Prior to that, well, I spent more than 20 years during which I taught almost all grade levels, special needs and general education, and worked as a reading coach, an instructional coach and an assistant principal. I've been working in the school system since 1998.
Teaching style
I believe the key to being an effective teacher is the relationship you develop with your students. To that end, I worked hard to create a classroom that was a warm, welcoming, colorful and happy environment, and I strived to develop lessons and activities that were fun and engaging, which made students want to come to my class. Then, I topped it off with exciting novels which we read together and talked about. I had a lot of fun teaching, and loved my job. I hope that the activities I have created will help you love yours too.
Awards & shining teacher moments
Hmm. I was runner-up for teacher-of-the-year once. Does that count?
Even better - I had a middle school student come to Open House at my elementary school just to see me and say, "What you taught me has really helped me a lot!" That was a big honor!
My own education history
K-12, Baker School, Baker, Florida
BA - PreK/Primary Education, University of West Florida
MA - Exceptional Student Education, University of Central Florida
EdS - Educational Leadership and Administration, National Louis University
Additional biographical information
I am an empty-nester single mom, with two children in college, currently working as an ESE Specialist, and treasurer of the local teacher's association, in addition to teaching the 9-10 year old primary class in church. I don't have a lot of time to add to my TPT store these days, but I'm happy to do anything I can to support the folks that are still buying the things I've created. I sincerely hope one day I'll have the opportunity to add a lot more to my offerings.
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