FREE Design a T-Shirt Book Reponse Project

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Happy Wednesday to you followers, fans, and freebie-lovers! 

I've been working on a freebie that I plan to release later this week on Teachers Pay Teachers and want to share it with you as an exclusive. No need to log in to anything. It's just a simple download to say thanks for coming by!

This Design a T-Shirt Book Response Project is a creative alternative to traditional book reports because let's face it: Book reports can be boring for students to do and boring for teachers to grade. Students will choose a scene or character from the book to illustrate on their t-shirts. Then, they write a project description of what they illustrated and why it is important to the story. 

This resource includes everything you and your students need to make a t-shirt all about a book. Just add a plain t-shirt and fabric markers or paint!

• Detailed project description and requirements
• T-shirt template to sketch and record information about the design
• Final project description for students to complete 
• Rubric

Students plan their project on the included template.

Download this freebie here. I hope that your students enjoy this fun option for responding to literature. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Aspire to Inspire Classroom Resources Round-Up: Poetry

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Does it finally look like spring where you're at? I think poet Sara Teasdale expresses the atmosphere around here right now! 

The roofs are shining from the rain,

The sparrows twitter as they fly,

And with a windy April grace

The little clouds go by.

Yet the back-yards are bare and brown

With only one unchanging tree

I could not be so sure of spring

Save that it sings for me.

--"April" by Sara Teasdale

April brings more than just showers and May flowers. It's National Poetry Month, too. Here is my latest Aspire to Inspire Classroom Resources round-up of 10 FREE online resources that will help your students become "well-versed" in poetry!

National Poetry Month Official Site

Here you'll find a collection of teacher instructional resources, a library of poets and poems, Poem-a-Day, poster contest, and the Dear Poet project, and more. 

10 Ways to Use Poetry in the Classroom

This article explores 10 elements of poetry to study, complete with recommended mentor texts and Web sites. 

20 Ways to Celebrate Poetry Month

There are some pretty creative ideas for observing National Poetry month on this list. Check out the Bonus Potato Pick at the end of the post if your class is courageous enough!

Poets' Corner

This vast and well-maintained collection of poetry (7,000+ poems by 800 poets) is a fantastic resource with search capabilities as well as short poet biographies. 

Upper Elementary Poetry Open Mic Lesson

Watch poetry in motion in an upper elementary class with this creative lesson that engages students in poetry readings. 

Upper Elementary The Best Way to Teach Poetry

Pam from Rockin' Resources takes a year-long approach to teaching poetry with a comprehensive list of diverse and engaging lessons.

Calling on the Muse: Exercises to Unlock the Poet Within

Inspire young poets with these exercises in self-expression, imagination, and thinking in poetry instead of prose. This is a great resource for teaching beyond poetic structures and theory.

The Poetry Friendly Classroom Video

This short video includes a few interviews with classroom teachers who explain some methods they use to teach poetry that seek to make poetry relevant and inclusive. 

Six Technology-Based Poetry Ideas for Students Who Think They Hate Poetry

Using technology devices, social media, apps, Web sites, and more, this teacher provides some easy-to-do instructional ideas to engage even the most reluctant student of poetry.

Middle School What Are the Elements of Poetry

This lesson uses Gary Soto's "Ode to Pablo's Tennis Shoes" to teach about form, mood, implications, figurative language, and originality (suggested grades 6-8).

While I specifically focused on upper elementary and middle school resources, many of these can also be adapted to younger or older students. 

Did you/have you used any of these resources? What do you think? Leave a comment!

FREE Homophones from the Heart Valentine's Day Printable

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Roses are red;

Violets are blue;

Need a lesson that's handy?

Here's one based on candy!

Here's a twist on a Valentine's Day favorite! This FREE printable combines conversation hearts with homophones as students decode a homophone-filled message on each heart then color it according to the number of homophones in the message. A key is included. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

And the Thanksgiving Password Is...FREEBIE!

Pin It Now! Pin It Now! Do you remember the game show "Password"?

I have to admit that I'm too young for the original black & white version. I grew up on the Bert Convy version of "Super Password" in the 1980s and the board game with the little blue plastic folders with the red screens that magically decoded the passwords that couldn't be detected by the naked eye. 

Game shows are so much fun to use as inspiration for classroom activities. In that spirit, I created a FREEBIE Thanksgiving version of Password, which is based on sensory words. No magic decoder folders, but still pretty entertaining! 

In Pick the Password, students choose a Thanksgiving-themed password, then complete a list of descriptive sensory "clues" about the password. Students then say the clues to a partner or small group, and the partner or small group guesses the password. I've provided a list of password suggestions and the password clue lists so all you need to do is print and use!

You might even think about having students do a writing extension activity with the password clue lists that they create.

If you don't have free Teachers Pay Teachers account, #1. Get one! You'll find tons of quality FREE and paid resources there; #2. You can still get this Thanksgiving freebie here. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!