My goal here at Teach Without Tears is to help other teachers destress and still have a life outside of the classroom. It’s so easy to let this job consume every minute of your day. I love creating fun resources that teachers can use in their classrooms without spending hours planning. These are some of the most popular TPT products from my Teach Without Tears Store.
The Most Popular TPT Resources
#1 – Unlock the Box Mysteries
Unlock the Box Mysteries are by far the most popular products in my TPT store. They are like escape rooms, but instead of trying to get out of the room, the students solve clues to unlock a box and get a surprise.
They are really easy to set up, and students love them! This post tells all about how to get ready to do an Unlock the Box Mystery in your classroom.
There are Unlock the Box Mysteries for most major math concepts. I use them to review before a test. My students love our math review days! Get them at a discount by purchasing the Math Unlock the Box Mysteries Bundle.
There are also Unlock the Box Mysteries for holidays and special days. I start and end the year with one, and years later my students come back and talk about how much they miss them. Save some money by purchasing the Special Days Unlock the Box Mysteries Bundle.
Where to Get These Resources
What Teachers Are Saying
- “This kept my class engaged and intrigued! The biggest problem was finding prizes to put into the mystery box. Everything else was a piece of cake.”
- “Students were so excited when they saw the locked box as they entered the room. Love these!”
- “This is the second escape room I have purchased from you. My students love them.”
#2 – Common Core Assessments
When my school started using standards-based grading, I needed a way to track my students’ progress with the common core standards. I started creating weekly assessements to see which students had mastered the standard we focused on that week. I love the data these assessments provide, and other teachers do, too.
For reading, there is a short reading passage and 4 short-answer questions for each standard. I use the scores from these assessment to form my strategy groups for the next week.
For math, each standard has 4 levels of questions. They match with the 1-4 scale of standards-based grading. These have made report cards so much easier for many teachers!
I use digital badging to keep track of which students have mastered the standards. The students earn a character each time they get a 3 or 4 on an assessment. This post explains how Digital Badging works.
Where to Get These Resources
- 1st Grade Common Core Reading Literature Assessments
- 2nd Grade Common Core Reading Literature Assessments
- 3rd Grade Common Core Reading Literature Assessments
- 3rd Grade Common Core Reading Informational Texts Assessments
- 3rd Grade Common Core Assessment and Data Keeping Bundle
- 4th Grade Common Core Reading Literature Assessments
- 4th Grade Common Core Reading Informational Texts Assessments
- 5th Grade Common Core Reading Literature Assessments
What Teachers Are Saying
- “Great resource for using standard based report cards.”
- “This was perfect for small group instruction, assessment and practice. Thank you!”
- “Great product. Saved me so much time!”
#3 – Reading Workshop Lesson Plans
Reading workshop completely transformed the way I teach reading. Before I started using it, I was teaching a 30-minute whole group reading lesson followed by guided reading groups and 5 different centers. It took me hours to plan the center and reading group materials.
With reading workshop, I teach a 15-minute mini lesson. Then, I pull small strategy groups and meet with individual students for conferences while the rest of the class reads independently. My planning time is cut in half, and my students are making so much more progress!
I started creating reading workshop lesson plans based on the standards. They contain step-by-step directions for your mini lesson, sample anchor charts, response sheets for your students, and an end of week assessment.
Learn more about using reading workshop in your classroom.
Where to Get These Resources
- Browse individual lesson plans
- Get a bundle of 1st grade lesson plans
- Get a bundle of 2nd grade lesson plans
- Get a bundle of 3rd grade lesson plans
- Get a bundle of 4th grade lesson plans
- Get a bundle of 5th grade lesson plans
What Teachers Are Saying
- “This is fantastic! Looking forward to more mini-units;)”
- “Engaging and quality resource. My kids love it!!!”
#4 – Early Finisher Activities
One of the biggest challenges I faced during my first few years of teaching was students finishing activities at different times. That’s why I created these early finisher activities.
As my students finish an assignment, they pull out their early finisher activities. That way, I can keep meeting with groups or individuals without being interrupted.
This post has some ideas for different ways to use these Early Finisher Activities. They are availabe as individual months or as a bundle of all the months.
Where to Get These Resources
Purchase Each Month Separately:
- January Early Finisher Activities
- February Early Finisher Activities
- March Early Finisher Activities
- April Early Finisher Activities
- May Early Finisher Activities
- August Early Finisher Activities
- September Early Finisher Activities
- October Early Finsher Activities
- November Early Finisher Activities
- December Early Finisher Activities
Or Get Them All in This Bundle:
What Teachers Are Saying
- “Perfect for getting us through testing and first weeks back to school.”
- “This is a great print and go activity with a variety of good options for students to choose.”
What Do You Think?
What resources are you most looking forward to using in your classroom?
Let me know in the comments below.
Leave a Reply