Chapter 24: Teacher notes
(back to Build a TpT Store)
Teacher Notes is a catchall term for all the various categories of additional information you’d like to include to make your resource helpful and valuable to other teachers.
This is the place where your skills and expertise really shine!
This chapter lists many possible components. You DO NOT need to include every section, just what you think necessary.
Avoid writing lots of words just to make it look longer. Your buyers will definitely prefer an economy of words.
(There’s a PowerPoint template for this chapter! Download it here)
Sections you may want to include
- Targeted Skills/Objectives/Standards
- How to Use
- Differentiation Ideas
- Materials Needed, if applicable
- How to Assemble/Printing Tips
- Storage Ideas
- Extension Ideas
- Ways to Use
- Related Blog Posts
1. Targeted Skill/Objectives/Standard
- This activity was designed to help students…
- These ______ are perfect for practicing…
- To reinforce
- Sounds covered: _____
- Standards covered: _____
2. How to Use/Directions
- 1. _____
- 2. _____
- 3. _____
- Students will _____
3. Differentiation Ideas
Differentiation ideas can be just a list of suggestions to the teacher, or it can be having different sets of task cards, recordings sheets, worksheets, etc.
If you have differentiated materials, do tell + show that with photos/thumbnails.
You can denote the differentiated version by using shapes, animal friends, alphabets, clipart, number of chili peppers at the corner, etc.
4. Materials Needed
If applicable, let your buyers know what maniputives or school supplies they’d need to prepare.
5. How to Assemble/Printing Tips
Examples:
- Laminate for durability
- Turn into reusable pages by putting them into clear pockets
- For best printing results, select “fit to paper”.
- Fold and staple along the lines.
6. Storage Ideas
Having photos will be nice!
- Fit in 4×6 photo boxes
- Zip lock bags
- Put in a binder
7. Extension Ideas
Take it one step further
This is the section that can test your teacher chops. Write a bullet point on how other teachers can further reinforce the skill/concept taught by your resource.
Multiple ways to use
There may be more than one way to use the materials in your resource. The lowest-hanging fruit would be vocabulary cards. More uses include:
- Write the room
- Pocket Chart/Writing center
- Word wall
- Build the word (with magnetic letters, or any number of sensory/fine motor tools)
- Sort by syllables
- Sort by beginning sound
8. Ways to Use
- Sub plans
- Intervention
- Independent work
- Small Groups
- Early finishers
- Homework
- Centers
- Morning work
9. Related Blog Posts
If you wrote a blog post about the resource/bundle with tips on how to implement it in the classroom, you can add a featured image and link it to the blog post.
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Sections specific for digital activities
Digital is still relatively new. If you are planning to create digital activities, consider investing the time to create mini tutorials on topics like
- How to access
- How to assign
- How to assign only parts that you choose
- Provide links to get a Boom Learning account
You only need to create these once, and then you can use them over and over for every digital resource in your store.
If you don’t want to create them, you can also provide links to tutorials that already exist e.g. YouTube videos or helpful pages on Boom Learning. (If you are linking to other people’s content, do get permission first.)
1. How to access (good to have)
- How to access Boom Cards
- How to access Google Slides
- How to access See Saw activities
2. How to assign (this one is more important)
Try to include screenshots on this one.
- How to assign Google Slides in Google Classroom
- How to assign Boom Cards in Google Classroom
- How to assign Boom Cards in See Saw
3. Other digital tips
- What are Boom Card and how to set up a Boom Learning account?
- How to select which cards in the deck you want to assign (if you are not assigning the entire deck)
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Chapter 24 Action Steps
Create your teacher notes section! Just do the minimum necessary for now. I know it’s hard.. I’m also the over-deliver kind of person, so doing the minimum feels really hard. But really. Just do the minimum possible such that your buyer will still enjoy your product.
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