I'm Throwing a Sale!

It's that time of year again, the time that all parents look forward to and all teachers dread... back to school!

TPT is hosting a massive sale for one day only on 21st August. Hop on over to grab up to 25% off your favourite resources - just click through the image below.

Happy shopping!

Black Friday Sale - Help for Frazzled Teachers!

Traditionally Black Friday in the UK has been the last working Friday before Christmas, when offices, factories and shops close and the festivities begin - literally! It has tended to be quite a rowdy yet good natured celebration with lots of parties and festive fun.

Over the last three years Black Friday has come to represent something else in the UK as the US tradition of shop 'til you drop on the day after Thanksgiving has started to take off. It is now believed to be the biggest shopping day of the year. We don't mark Thanksgiving here but we can shop 'til we drop with the best of them! And although I won't be hitting the shops I will be filling my trolley with lots of teaching goodies.

This year I am joining in with the festivities by bringing Black Friday to my stores. Between 20th November and 27th November everything will be on sale. Window shopping is always welcome, so pop on over and browse.

Now is a great time to snap up that Christmas play at a bargain price  (new for 2017 is The Nutcracker, or Jesus's Christmas Party is a firm favourite). Or how about using my pack of activities to hold a Polar Express Week? And what about carrying on the Christmas feeling into the New Year by reading "Father Christmas Goes on Holiday"?

                   

All of my Christmas resources are available in my TES (on sale all week) and TPT stores (on sale between 23rd November and 27th November), as well as my Facebook store.

      

And while you're there, why not sign up for news of the latest releases, special offers and free resources? Click the gift for more info.

Sign up for our free news shots

Happy Black Friday!

Back to School Sale

Hi all

A little while ago I dipped my toe into the waters of a new resource website. TES is  UK based website that supports Times Educational Supplement, a well-known and respected publication for the teaching profession. The site is still in its early stages and is not without its teething problems, but the TES team work hard to iron out any glitches, and I have to say that all seems to be well.

TES is available worldwide with a huge range of resources available for the US market as well as other countries around the world. Whilst my preferred site is still TPT, it's always good to have other outlets.

Between 4th and 6th September TES is hosting a site-wide sale. All of the resources that I have uploaded so far are included in the sale at 25% off. Why not take a few moments to check out what is available and let me know what you think. My page can be found at https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/suepowell

Cyber Monday Sale - Grab Your Bargains Now!

 

Let's celebrate super cyber savings! The sale runs: December 1st 12:01AM (ET)
through December 2nd 11:59PM (ET)
  My whole store is selling at 20%, but you can get a further discount by applying the 10% promo code to all purchases.

You will find lots of goodies in my store to see you through the Christmas period and beyond. Why not take a look by clicking on the banner above and filling up your cart now.

And a huge thank you to Jenna at Speechroom News for the fabulous graphic.

Happy shopping!

Happy Fourth of July! News of a Sale and Teacher Freebies

Happy Fourth of July to all my American pals wherever you might be!

 

Educents is holding a massive sale to celebrate. Not only will you get quality products at massively discounted prices, but you will also get an extra 10% off at checkout when you use the code SOSSJULY. The sale is on now until Monday.

 

Don't forget to use the code SOSSJULY  to grab your extra 10%

 

 

And when you're done shopping, why not pop on over to Teaching Blog Addict. Check out the fabulous teacher freebies on Freebie Friday, You may even fancy posting one of your own.

And if you like the cute graphic I've used, check out Educlips. Great graphics at great prices.

 

Weekend Treats - Fan Freebie and Clip Art Discount

I don't know about you, but I'm a clip art addict...

 

I just can't help myself... I buy clip art like some women buy shoes! I have loads of the stuff. And do I know what to do with it...? NOoooooooooooo! Don't be daft! I just buy it cos I like it and hope I'll find a use for it in the future.

 

So imagine how my eyes lit up when the email from Leah Rae hit my inbox... a 30% discount on all her clip art! Woot woot! I duly filled my cart and went to checkout without passing go and without collecting £200... Now all I need are some ideas on how to use it - anyone help?

 

 

Leah Rae's sale runs until 11pm central time on June 30th, so don't hang around...! Click on the picture below, or the link on my right hand bar to take you there.

 

Save an EXTRA 30% with Coupon Code: SURPRISE30

 



Discount Code for the Grand Educents Memorial Day Sale!

Hi all!

Mixed feelings today. Why? well, here goes:

My happy thoughts

Freedom! A whole week of nothing! Today we broke up for the Whitsun break. It's only been a short half term (3 weeks and 4 days) but it felt so much longer... To say it dragged is an understatement.

So here I am, planning what to do (or not to do...) with myself for a whole week. You'll mostly find me in the garden - weather permitting of course. I've decided to take up the patio and relay smaller slabs, in-filled with gorgeous golden sandstone chippings. The borders are sloping, so I want to level them off a bit before planting a few fuchsia bushes and other shrubs and climbers. It's a real cottage garden, so I'm looking forward to the end result - as is the rabbit, who will have free roam!

My stressful thoughts

As you know, it's been a difficult year for us. I split from my partner of 8 years, moved into the shed for 4 months, bought a house, renovated it and coped with a deluge of water to rival Noah's flood! It's all ok now, but we so desperately need a holiday. So I booked one. I hear huge cheers - but wait a moment, this is me we're talking about, and NOTHING ever goes that smoothly, surely...?

You're right. My daughter is studying dance, but has found herself a part time job as a receptionist in our gym. Great, yes? Well, yes, but after telling them at interview that she had no prior commitments, I then went and booked our two weeks in Cyprus, totally forgetting that she was starting work... Shouldn't be a catastrophe, but I take you back to my earlier comment, "this is me we're talking about..." Have you guessed it yet..? Yup, the gym would only give her the first week of the holiday, saying that the second week had already been booked by someone else and their policy was not to have to people off at the same time (this is a team of 6 receptionists we're talking about...). I've tried everything - amending the flights will cost £1400 (that's around $2100..) just for a paper exercise! I can't cancel s the flights are non-refundable and cost us £1800 (around $2700). So we're having to think about booking a one-way flight for Mia to travel home on her own after the first week... Needless to say, this is freaking me out! I must have done something REALLY bad in a past life!

 

 

Now down to business...

 

 

I am very excited to announce that Educents are having a Memorial Day Sale! All of my followers will receive an additional 10% off all deals on the site + FREE SHIPPING! This is a first for Educents, so be a ground breaker and give it a go! Remember to use the code SOS10FREE to bag your extra 10% discount.

 

 

Check out these great bargains:

 

25% off - just $13.99

 



 69% off - only $14.99

 

50% off - just $1

 

Don't forget to check out the freebies too!

 

 

Happy Memorial Day! And happy shopping!



Way To Go, Teachers!!!

As a teacher, I know just how hard we all work and how much time we put in for our kids. We're not very good at blowing our own trumpets - we just get on with it! So once a year it's great to be able to pat each other on the back. That's why I love Teacher Appreciation Week.

I'm not classroom-based at the moment, and although I teach over 100 kids every week, I really miss having a class of my own. Especially at this time of year, when they all get to tell you exactly how much you mean to them. So I'm going to tell all my teacher friends instead...

A huge Rah! Rah! Rah! for all of us!

 

And just for you, I'm joining in with the TPT Teacher Appreciation Sale to offer up to 28% off everything in my shop. All you need to do is hop on over and fill up your basket. When you get to checkout be sure to use the code TPTXO to get the extra discount.

 

There's lots to choose from. Here are some of my favourites:

 

I just loved working up this cute little critter! This pack is jammed full of activities designed to refine knowledge of verbs and tenses.

One of my best sellers. This pack is based on the popular book by Zoe Hall and provides lots of activities to accompany reading.

I have a full range of I Can Statements and checklists for all strands and for all age ranges from Kindergarten through to Grade 5. Check them out in my shop

A pack that I produced for a job interview. Everything you need to teach the basics of probability.

 

 

There's so much more on offer that I'm sure you'll find something suitable. Happy browsing!



You are so appreciated!

It's Teacher Appreciation Week. To show how much I appreciate you all, I'm offering 20% off everything in my store from Tuesday through Wednesday, with an additional 10% off when you use the code TPTXO. The total discount amounts to 28% off the original price! Why not take a look today and add items to your shopping cart now? Then when you check out Tuesday or Wednesday, enter the coupon code to receive the full discount! Go to SOS-Supply on TpT to get started! Clicking on the picture will get you there too.

 

I'm just off to fill up my basket now! See you there.

Exciting News for Teacher Appreciation Week!

As a huge thank you to all my hard-working teacher friends, I am very excited to announce some fantastic events for Teacher Appreciation Week.

WEEK-LONG SALE: Starting on May 4th and ending on May 10th I will be holding a sale on all my Teachers Notebook items. Everything is reduced by a huge 30%. In addition, those lovely people at Teachers Notebook will automatically be giving ALL customers an additional 10% off EVERY sale item that they purchase - that's a massive 30% discount!

ORIENTAL TRADING SWEEPSTAKE: Fancy a chance at winning an Oriental Trading gift card? Starting on May 4th and ending on May 10th, Oriental Trading will be giving away a $100 gift card EVERY DAY! You can come back and enter every day. Just click on the banner below to join in the fun.

Also, I am holding a sale in my TPT store. Between May 7th and May 8th everything is reduced by a whopping 20%. By using the promo code TAD13 at checkout you could save yourself a further 8% - a total 28% discount! Some items are as low as 40c - what a bargain!

Now is a great time to fill up your baskets and head off to checkout. See you there...!

Welcome to Winter!

     

Well, folks, that's it - the end of term and the start of a well-earned rest to spend time hanging out with family and friends, and appreciating what's important.

Hopefully Santa will be good to you all, but if you're looking for a few last minute presents for teacher friends, or just want to spoil yourself, then check out the Welcome to Winter sale.

Lots of blogger teachers will be joining in to offer a 20% discount on items in their shops. The sale will run from Friday, December 21 - Sunday, December 23. Casey at Second Grade Math Maniac has posted a blog hop/linky party today so that you can see exactly who is joining in, and maybe make a few new friends in the process. 

The button will take you to my TPT shop - enjoy browsing!

         

Way-hay! A Sale - or Two!

What is better than a sale? Two sales..!

For those who've missed the news - where on earth have you been hiding for the past week..?! It seems the whole world is joining in with the mega sales at TPT and TN. Anybody who is anybody is there, so make sure you don't miss out. You can get 28% off everything in my TPT shop tomorrow and Tuesday. And I've marked everything down in my TN shop by a massive 50%. With the extra discount that will be applied at the checkout, you could save an enormous 55%

You can check out my sale posting by clicking here.

Well, I promised...

I am so excited that I have finally finished the unit to accompany my Jesus' Christmas Party play. It's crammed full of activities that you can use on their own or in literacy centres. The 37 pages include:

1. Pre-reading Prediction
2. Post-Reading Discussion
3. Editing Sentences
4. Alphabet Sort
5. Find the Phonemes
6. Syllable Search
7. Word Wall
8. Story Sequencing Strips
9. Storyboard
10. Picture Sequencing
11. Story Map
12. Character Description
13. Postcard from Bethlehem
14. Feelings Graph
15. Design a Dinner
16. Gift for the Baby
17. Birthday Card

It's included in the sale, so you can get it at a snip if you're quick.



Click the image above for TPT



Click the image above for TN



Have fun filling your cart with lots of goodies!

Harry Potter and the Gemino Spell - Singular and Plural

Harry Potter and the Gemino Spell

I love Harry Potter! I've read all of the books and watched all of the films. I am more than a little saddened at the demise of the stories of the boy wizard. So I decided to keep the legend alive myself. Yesterday I posted a new resource in time for Hallowe'en - Harry Potter's Transfiguration Class, which helps children "transfigure" words into new words (compound words to you and me...).

I wanted to do something with plurals - always a tricky area, especially with those words that do not take a straightforward "s". But how to link it in with HP? Then I remembered the scene in "Deathly Hallows", where Harry, Hermione and Ron break into the Lestrange vault in Gringotts bank. The treasure that they seek is hidden in the vault and within reach, but the contents of the vault have been cursed with the Gemino curse, which duplicates items when they are touched, thus creating lots of worthless fakes and protecting the original. Hmmm, singular to plural - and hey presto, there's my link!

This pack contains lots of great activities to help children learn and practise the rules for  plurals. It has activities for turning singular words into plurals and vice versa. There is an activity on those tricky plural changes, and a very useful skill check where the children can test their learning. I have also included a game of "Go Fish" with over 40 words to match up.

The pack is available in my TN and TPT stores right now. Click on the pictures to go there. If you enter my Giveaway, you could even win yourself a copy or two... You can find out more by clicking the Giveaway picture below. Good luck!

"Just Because" Giveaway

To find out what it's all about, click on the picture below. Don't forget, there's only 5 days left!

Hallowe'en..? Pah..! I Went To School In Hogwarts... And Here's The Lesson To Prove It..

I Went To School in Hogwarts

Yes, it's true. My school was a real castle.

I've been meaning to post about this for some time, and as we approach Hallowe'en now seems like a pretty good time.

Cyfarthfa Castle - My Hogwarts

Back in the early 1800's, at the height of the Industrial Revolution, my home town of Merthyr Tydfil was the iron making capital of the world. In 1750 Merthyr Tydfil was a quiet village surrounded by green fields. Most of the forty or so families who lived in the village worked on the land. But this all changed when it became known that coke could be used for smelting iron. Merthyr Tydfil, with its large supplies of both iron ore and coal, was an attractive site for the ironmasters. The first ironworks was opened in 1759. Others followed and by 1784 there were four large ironworks (Penydarren, Dowlais, Plymouth, Cyfarthfa) within a two mile radius of the original village. By 1801 over 8,000 people were living in Merthyr Tydfil. By 1851 Merthyr had overtaken Swansea to become the largest town in Wales with 46,378 inhabitants. You can only imagine the social problems this brought for the town - overcrowding, lack of sanitation, poverty and starvation to name but a few.

In 1824 local ironmaster William Crawshay II built a castle, designed by architect Robert Lugar at a cost of approximately £30,000 using locally quarried stone. The Crawshays lived in the house until 1889. The castle was sold in 1908 to the local council, who were unsure what to do with it. Eventually, they decided to use part of the ground floor for a museum, which is still there.The rest of the building became a secondary school, and it was opened in 1913, operating as separate boys` and girls` schools. In 1945, they amalgamated under the name of Cyfarthfa Castle Grammar School. It became a comprehensive school in 1970, under the name Cyfarthfa High School.

And so begins my school story. No magical lake, no moving staircases, Great Hall or talking portraits - but it's my Hogwarts. My dad went there, I went there, my brothers went there and my daughter is just due to complete her schooling there.

School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

My school wasn't quite like Hogwarts because we had normal lessons. But I've always been drawn to the story of Harry Potter partly because of the imposing, magical setting of Hogwarts. So, because we're so close to Hallowe'en, I thought I'd make a magical lesson for my kiddos based on magic and wizardry. One of Harry's classes was Transfiguration. Run by Professor McGonagall, it involved using wands and spells to change objects into other objects. This got me thinking about how we change words into new words - compound words. So here's my little tribute to Harry:

Click on the picture to check it out.

Giveaway and Sale

A quick reminder about me Giveaway and 50% sale. Click on the picture below to enter the Giveaway and find out more about the sale.

Have a great week Y'all! I'm looking forward to reading all your news.



Unmissable Apps, Sale and Giveaway

Unmissable Apps

Over the years we have all found things that we find useful in our teaching. Some things are indispensable - you know this when the kiddos are eager, and beg for something on a daily basis: "Miss, Miss, can we have...?" So I'm going to pass on a few of my favourites to you - no, I'm not on a commission, I just thought you'd like some ideas. Some have a cost attached, others don't. All are really useful and can be used as time fillers, or as more comprehensive lessons etc. Here's the first.

Education City

Not strictly an App, but I absolutely love this web-based tool. It's available in the US as well as the UK, and it's well worth a look. It's colourful with lots of appealing graphics for children. On the down side, the sound is a bit distracting (lots of bumps and beeps), but you could always turn that off.

You'll need to register and use a login name and password to gain access. Here's the screen shot:

Once logged in, you get to choose your age range:

As an example, let's click on F1:

You get a choice of three core areas to explore, in line with the National Curriculum (Core Standards in the US).

Now let's click on Year 2. Each area gives you a choice of subject: Literacy, Maths and Science. At an extra cost you can sign up for additional subject areas such as French, Spanish or German.

 Here I have clicked on Year 2 Literacy. This gives a choice of area broken down by National Curriculum area: word recognition and decoding, word structure and spelling, understanding and interpreting texts, text structure and organisation, and sentence structure and punctuation. There are a range of activities for each area. Here I have clicked on Intense Sports - an activity aimed at developing awareness of tenses.

The activities can be played individually or as a whole class on a whiteboard/smartboard. Children can also challenge children in other schools to play games - all anonymous and great for developing an element of competition.

Each activity is preceded by a short cartoon - the kiddos LOVE these..

You can print off activities as follow-up activities or for use in Centres. Individual work programmes can be devised and saved for each child in their My City area, so they can log in with their individual log in name and password and work on these activities at their own pace.

There is also an option to buy in to a homework programme - great for kiddos to work on at home. They work through the activities you set by the date you set. All scores are saved centrally on your class area so you can keep track of who has completed their homework and their scores.

There is a comprehensive teacher area where you can manage your class work, homework and My Cities.

Is this helfpul?

Do let me know what you think of this post. Was it helpful? Would you like to see more?

Sale and Giveaway

Just a quick reminder about the massive 50% sale I'm throwing until next Saturday 13th October, and my "Just Because..." Giveaway. To learn more, click the picture below.

Have a great day!