Teacher Appreciation Week

It's a hectic, exciting time of year for teachers! We're juggling concert rehearsals, awards nights, drama performances, track meets, graduation celebrations, and of course reviewing for end-of-year assessments. That's why Teacher Appreciation Week is such a welcome burst of sunshine to our busy schedules.

Just in time, Teachers Pay Teachers is throwing its Teacher Appreciation sale May 4 and 5. Time to dust off those wish lists and fill up the shopping cart!

To get ready for this fun sale, I've updated all the store graphics on my TPT store, Brevity. 

The cute potted plant image came from handdrawngoods.com, which you should totally check out.

Inspiration to tinker with graphic design has come from many directions recently, but one of my favorites is Michelle Emerson's YouTube channel, Pocketful of Primary. Michelle teaches 4th grade in Maryland, and she has tons of ideas for using educational technology, hybrid teaching, digital planning, classroom organization, and more. Best of all, she's upbeat and positive, which is what I am looking for in a teacher YouTuber!

And to wrap up this brief missive, if you're looking for an end-of-year read-aloud for the middle grades, look no further than By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman. It's a laugh-aloud tale of a boy and a butler who need to strike it rich in the goldfields of California to save the family fortune. My nine-year-old loved it, and we stake our claim that it's our new favorite book.

Hope you have a happy week of appreciation for everything that you do.

Amy

Visit Brevity on Teachers Pay Teachers During the Sitewide Back to School Sale for 25% Off

What will you find in my store on TPT?

• Core-aligned resources for teaching secondary English
• Resources to combat bullying at all grade levels
• Free encouraging eCards
• Vocabulary and anticipation guides
• Leadership in Band of Brothers unit
• American Literature lesson plans and resources
• Famous Quotes in Shakespeare wall doc packs
• and much more!

Visit Brevity on TPT during the sitewide Back-to-School sale August 6 and 7 to receive 25% off your total purchase. Now is the time to stock up on all those items on your wishlist!

Thanks for visiting!

Back to School Sale at Brevity on Teachers Pay Teachers

Welcome to August, teachers!

I'm excited to announce the Back to School sale at my shop, Brevity, on Teachers Pay Teachers! It's the first time I've participated in this fun sale, and I'm offering a 20% discount off all items in my store! The sale runs for just two days, so I hope you'll swing by and check out all the great deals and steals August 1-2! Remember, TPT shops offer freebies, too, so do yourself a favor, stock up and make your life easier this school year.

What will you find at Brevity on TPT?

• Resources for teaching literary elements in Shakespeare using famous quotes (Common Core aligned!)
• Encouraging e-cards for teachers
• Lesson plan and resources for teaching about bullying prevention at all grade levels
• Leadership in Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose unit plan for high school (Common Core aligned!)
• Core-aligned literature and writing resources and more

8 Encouraging ECards for Teachers, Summer/Fall Collection

What else is new at Christian Teacher, Public School?

Dalene Parker (left) with Amy Ballard

I just got back from a wonderful visit with family in South Carolina and Kentucky. One of the added blessings of the trip was finally getting to meet my friend, author Dalene Vickery Parker, for the first time! Dalene and I talked about teaching, family, faith, and lots of other things over coffee at Due South Coffee in Taylors, SC. It was great to see her and talk with her instead of just exchanging emails and texts. 

If you haven't had a chance to read Dalene's books, please visit her on Amazon. Christian Teachers in Public Schools is a fantastic resource and an encouragement for the heart of the busy teacher. Words to Live By is a devotional focusing on one spirit-building word per week.

During my stay at my parents' home in Kentucky, my sister took me to an open mic at Etcetera Coffeehouse in Paducah. I got to read several poems from my chapbook, Landlocked. The room wasn't packed, but the crowd was great. And I highly recommend the coffee!

In other news, I decided to get off Facebook, so that means Christian Teacher, Public School is also off Facebook. You can still reach me by clicking on "Comments" below each post, or through my Web site, amyballard.com. Thanks for following!

I was recently challenged to organize a prayer walk to invite God's watchcare over staff and students at my school for the upcoming year. We'll see if my busy life can take that on, but in the meantime, let's all stop and pray right now for the new school year. I wish you all the best as you begin teaching soon!

Blessings,

Amy

Triple Entry Journals for Character Analysis in Lord of the Flies

Need resources for Lord of the Flies? I've just created a character analysis tool that will get students talking and writing about the text. Triple-entry journals are fun and easy, and they put the focus where it should be—on the text. The journals in this pack are designed for each of the four main characters in Lord of the Flies, but here's an open version you can use with any novel to analyze any aspect of the text.

Visit my store, Brevity, on Teachers Pay Teachers for more resources that are aligned with the standards you need to teach!

New Free Thank You ECard: You Brightened My Day

You Brightened My Day eCard

Here's a new eCard from my store, Brevity, on TPT. It's free to download and share, and the square shape makes this one easy to post on social media. Enjoy!

Leadership in Band of Brothers Unit

Now available from Brevity on TPT

It's been about a year in the making, but my Leadership in Band of Brothers unit is finally complete. Writing a Common Core-aligned unit was the main requirement of the Idaho Coaching Network class I took throughout the last school year, and my unit for the class was inspired by binge-watching the documentary film series Band of Brothers with my husband. While I wasn't sure some of the material in the film itself would be appropriate to show in class, I knew that the story of the 101st Airborne and Easy Company would be highly engaging to my sophomores.

The motif of Leadership often comes up in everyday conversations with high school students, not just when it's prompted by literature studies. Kids want to be leaders, and they need vivid examples of real-life leaders to emulate. Maj. Richard "Dick" Winters of Easy Company fills those shoes perfectly. Leadership in Band of Brothers gives students the opportunity to learn from the D-Day heroism of Winters and his men and to reflect upon leadership traits in their own lives.

I test drove the rough draft of the unit this past spring with success, though some areas needed to be revised afterward. Now the revision is done, and it's finally time to make the unit available on Teachers Pay Teachers! I feel like a proud Mama.

Here's a snippet from the TPT description:

Designed for 10th grade Social Studies or ELA classes, the plan is ten pages with links to some 30 additional pages of materials. Students will read Chapters 1-5 of Stephen E. Ambrose's bestselling nonfiction book Band of Brothers, the basis for the documentary film series. Students will also engage in learning activities such as Document Based Inquiry, close reading, script writing, reflective self-survey, and recording a radio broadcast.

Classroom tested, Common Core aligned, and ready to teach. All you need to provide is the book Band of Brothers or access to the first five chapters. High quality unit lasts three weeks or more and pairs well with other WWII readings such as The Book Thief.

I hope the unit finds a home in lots of Social Studies and ELA classrooms. Now to finish prepping for conference day! Have a great weekend.

Find Christian Teacher, Public School Elsewhere on the Web

Christian teachers belong in public schools as a ray of sunlight in a darkening world, an example of the believer to a world that is seeking. They can't thrive without God's help, though. They need the Holy Spirit to guide and to go before them. And they need encouragement from fellow believers who know that the struggle is not in vain. That's why Christian Teacher, Public School is here. To offer encouragement and light for dark days.

If you agree with the message of this blog, won't you follow us by email? You can also follow the Christian Teacher, Public School board on Pinterest and find us on Facebook.

8 Encouraging eCards for Teachers, Summer and Fall Collection

Support this blog by shopping at Brevity on Teachers Pay Teachers, where I offer many freebies in addition to resources on bullying prevention, literary elements in Shakespeare, and classroom management. See my latest eCards for back to school!

You can also help support Christian Teacher, Public School by shopping with our affiliate links for excellent products from Dayspring Cards Inc. and Dover Publications. I don't advertise for companies I haven't used and loved for years. Right now, both companies are having summer sales. Dover is offering up to 75% off on summer clearance through July 25, and Dayspring creates a sense of suspense with their Secret Summer Sale (shh!!), where you can use code SUMMER30 to get 30% off their top ten summer gifts.

Best of all, you can share this blog with teacher friends. Thanks for reading and blessing me! Teachers need encouragement, and I hope this is a great place to find it.

Visit Brevity on Teachers Pay Teachers

Julius Caesar Wall Docs

Find lessons and activities to start the year right at Brevity, my store on Teachers Pay Teachers. I create teacher resources for character education, Shakespeare, writing, bullying prevention, and classroom management. There are several fun freebies to brighten your day. The shop's motto is "Short and sweet for busy teachers."

Teachers Pay Teachers

Find lessons and activities to end the year on a high note at Brevity, my store on Teachers Pay Teachers. The shop's motto is "Short and sweet for busy teachers."

Brevity

Stop by my shop on Teachers Pay Teachers for resources on bullying prevention, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar. Watch for freebies, too! The shop is called Brevity--short and sweet for busy teachers.