Save Big on Task Cards and Other Teaching Resources at the Spring Cleaning Sale!

Spring cleaning is not much fun, but sales are, so I am having one this weekend, March 30-31! Everything in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store will be 20% off! So now is a great time to get what you need to finish off the school year.

Here are a few timely things you might be interested in:

Poetry Patterns and Activities is perfect for National Poetry Month, and sooooo easy! Each printable includes a fun poem pattern, an example, and room for guided practice. Once your students have the hang of the poetry type, you can extend the activity incorporating your their best poems into a book or art project.

These bright and cheerful Spring ELA Task Cards will help your students review a wide variety of English Language Arts Skills. They are multiple choice, which makes them perfect for centers, games, or test prep. Speaking of test prep....

Third Grade Math Test Prep and Fourth Grade Math Test Prep can really help your students to review and help you get a handle on what they do and do not understand. The cards are multiple choice and cover most of the Common Core Standards.

If you want to give your kids a break from testing, while keeping their brains engaged, consider picking up these WordLink Task Cards. The challenges on these cards are similar to the game TriBonds. Each card features three words. The challenge is to find the word that links the three words together. So, for camp, place, and wild, the linking word is fire. They are challenging for adults too!

Finally, if you love task cards, consider buying in bundles. You can find all of my bundles here, and this Parts of Speech Bundle is the latest set. When you buy in bundles, you save money. The bigger the bundle, the greater the savings.

I have recently updated my Task Card Catalog. The Catalog has all of my task cards listed (with links) by subject alphabetically. Some people find this easier than browsing the TpT Store.

I am not the only one having a Spring Cleaning Sale. Check out some of my other awesome TpT friends below!

Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentence Posters - FREE!

I originally created these sentence types posters and handout as part of a task card product, but I have decided to offer just these four resources for free. Use them as a reminder to help your students understand these three types of sentences.

If you are interested in digging a little deeper, you may want to check out this double set of task cards that I created to help students become fluent with simple, compound, and complex sentences. At first, I was planning to make just one set that would help students to identify these sentences, and I did make that set. It has a pretty straightforward multiple choice format. Here is a sample card:

But then, as I dug deeper into Common Core, I found that for students to really gain fluency with types of sentences, they need to create them and change them from one sentence type to another. With that in mind, I created a second, more challenging set. The cards are short answer and vary between several formats. Sometimes they must change a sentence, while other times they are adding a clause, or taking one away. Here are two sample cards: 

This second set of cards support these Common Core Standards for grades 4-7:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.1f Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.2c Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.3a Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.1a Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in general and their function in particular sentences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.3a Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.1a Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.1b Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas.

In theory, they also support this standard for grade three, but I believe this set is too difficult for most third grade students:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.1i Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.

Both sets contain 32 cards, answer sheets and answer keys. There are also four challenge cards included that can be used with every other card in the set. For example, Challenge Card 1 for the second set of cards requires the student to identify the dependent and independent clauses in the sentence he or she wrote for as an answer. Challenge Card 3 asks the student to add a prepositional phrase to the answer sentence. 

If you would like to take a closer look, you can find both sets here. 

I hope the posters (and the task cards, should you choose to purchase them) make learning sentence types a little easier for your students!

Books about Friendship - Recommended by Teachers

Making friends is not easy for every child. If some of your students are struggling, or if you just have one of those classes that doesn't get along, reading a pertinent book out loud could help. I asked my Facebook followers for their favorite books about friendship, and of course they had all kinds of great ideas. Thanks so much to all who contributed! If you want more details on a particular title, just click on the image and you will be taken to Amazon where you can read more.

Chapter Books

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes 
I like the chapter book The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes to start the school year in 4th grade. It has a wonderful message about not standing by and watching while someone else gets bullied. It also teaches kids not to be a follower.
-Michelle Byram James 

Great for talking about friendship and bullying. I always start out the year with it with my 4th graders.

-Susan Neel

Wonder by R J. Palacio
Sometimes being a good friend is hard.

-Sarah Miller

Wonder... New book!! I so love it!!!

-Stacey Thomas McNerney

Rules by Cynthia Lord
I love that one of the main characters in this book is an EC child and the relationship that builds.
 -Lisa Travis

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

We find friends everywhere and in the least likely people and places.
-Danielle Dillon

For my fourth graders I use Because of Winn-Dixie to show that friendship comes in all shapes and sizes/ages.
-Cindy Corp

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton 
I don't know how "old" you want to go, but my 7th graders read "The Outsiders" every year and it is always well-received.
-Laurel Stone



Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Charlotte's Web to show what friends are willing to do for each other.
-Cindy Corp

Friends come in all packages. In the end it is true friendship that endures!
-Gardner's Book Service


greatest book about friendship ever! We used it in 4th grade as a whole novel study, including vocabulary, comprehension tests and lots of crafts.
-Linda Jones Doherty

Farfallina & Marcel by Holly Keller  
It is about how friendship changes as we grow and develop (but told cleverly). It points out that even though we may be different, bigger etc, we can still be friends because the friendship is greater than the change.


-Karina Darling
Lions of Little Rock by Krisin Levin
The Lions of Little Rock...story of two girls of different races in the 60s and their friendship. Very powerful book.-Amanda Rayburn







There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar is one of my favorite read alouds with my 4th graders. The students can relate to the characters, and they learn valuable lessons about true friendship and acceptance from Bradley Chalkers and Jeff Fishkin.
-Melany McCauslin Rios



Just As Long As We're Together by Judy Blume
 One of my childhood favorite chapter books is Just As Long As We're Together by Judy Blume. It always reminds me of the song "Make New Friends," the words of which go "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold. A circle is round. It has no end. That's how long I want to be your be your friend."
-Josette Soard Nase


The Sorta Sisters by Adrian Fogelin
I just finished reading The Sorta Sisters by Adrian Fogelin, which is about two girls who have never met, but become friends through writing letters back and forth to each other. It would be neat to somehow incorporate reading this book with a pen pal activity.
-Josette Soard Nase 


Surprises According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
I like any Humphrey the Hamster books. They seem too young for my 4th graders but they love Humphrey. He is a classroom hamster who helps his human classmates with problems ranging from bullying to hurt feelings. He helps out some of the adults, as well. I also like the way the students in Humphrey's class have personalities and lives that are found in my class.
-Rachel Geyer



Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
Tells a story of an unlikely friendship between two boys who rely on each other's strengths to overcome their own weaknesses.
-Krista Moser 

Two unlikely misfits find friendship. I have never met a middle school kid that did relate to that book.
-Charlee Nall Allen


Fly Guy Series by Tedd Arnold
Great for the friendship between a boy and his pet fly! 1st-2nd grade reading level, but my 4th graders LOVE Fly Guy!

-April Dawn Davidson




Picture Books

Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka
Children's book about friendship...Yo! Yes? It's great! Not a lot of words, but kids get it. Great for inference!
-Melanie Stubbs-Kight



Leonardo, The Terrible Monster by Mo Willems. 
It is about the decision making to BE a friend.
-Lisa Weber Mattes 






Hugs from Pearl by Paul Schmid
The social worker and I (SLP) co-taught Hugs from Pearl. I got the idea from Pinterest. Super cute for the K-1 age group.

-Shelly Gehring Gervase

Enemy Pie by Derek MunsonI use it with my fourth graders (although it would be appropriate for younger kids, too) because it tells about one boy deciding not to like another boy until he actually spends time with him and gets to know him. They become fast friends.
-Kim Arnold

My Best Friend by Mary Ann Rodman
Great book teaching kids about to like themselves and to not be someone their not.
-Allison Perani Hogan 

Elmer the Elephant by David McKee
Themes of friendship, differences, acceptance. Easy to do extension art project: tissue paper pieces on a white elephant cut out/spritz with water/watch the beautiful colors run/shake off tissue when dry - voila! Your very own Elmer!
-Lynn M. Chiafullo

More Teacher Suggestions




 If you are working on friendship in your class, you might also want to download these free friendship cards.

Got more to add? Please tell us your favorite with a comment.