Recommended Resources

General Classroom Resources

Sparkle Box : Setting up a classroom can be a daunting thought. Setting up one on a budget is even harder. If you are an elementary teacher, this website can be vital to survival. It is free if you download the toolbar, and the graphics are excellent. My one concern is certain words are very “British” and don’t blend as well in the Canadian classroom (such as “rubber” for eraser).  

Teachers Pay Teachers :  This website was my saving grace during my practicum. There is a large variety of resources (some that are even free) that are available to anyone who has an account. The accounts are free. 

Media Smarts: A great site to teach media awareness to students of all ages. It has lesson plans and games for students play as well as very critical articles dealing with tough subject matter such a cyber-bullying and body image. 

Prezi. When I first came across Prezi I was astounded! It is easy to use, free for teachers and students and created very professional looking presentations. Think PowerPoint meets Cloud Computing.

Math Resources

Math is Fun.  For those who hate math…this website brings concepts down to a level that both you and your students can understand and appreciate. I wish it was a little more user friendly for navigation through the site, but don’t be daunted! There are some brilliant things to be found here. 

Language Arts Resources

Reading A-Z. If your school is lacking a variety of leveled readers, or if you just would love a site that has thousands of printable material for teachers than this is a site for you. I find it to be a very affordable price with great quality. 

Super Teacher Worksheets. Focused on Reading and Writing and Math, this website has an amazing amount of quality worksheets (that come with the answer key). When I first started using the site, it was free but now costs 20$ a year.

Art Resources

 All of these sites have been recommended to me by Joy Kim, a very talented artist who will very soon be a teacher in the BC school system.

Artsonia. A great website to display class artwork as well as gaining inspiration for your own art lessons. There are also more than 4,700 Visual Art lesson plans available. 

Mrs. Picasso's Art Room. A blog full of inspiration and imagination. There are so many lesson plans (with pictures of student work) as well as great tips for setting up your own art class. 

DickBlick. With lesson plans separated by grade level, it would be hard not to be inspired by this site. The most amazing thing are the videos that you can show your class that gives step-by-step instructions on how to complete the art project!

Incredible Art Department. This website is geared for the art teacher, offering lesson plans, art related articles and news for the art world.