In education, TIME is a precious commodity. A wise teacher once said, "I don't need 500 links, I need 5 great ones!" We'd rather have teachers spend their time planning and creating awesome learning experiences than spending hours wading through websites and digital materials to tease out a few good ones! Our resource package includes an editable Teacher Planner, an electronic Pinterest Board, and downloadable files built around a single grade level unit. Download a K-12 chart of unit titles.

From basic support like text lists and parent letters, to technology-rich simulations and applications, we are constantly searching for and adding quality resources that are free, accessible, and spot-on! You will find no word search puzzles here! Editable files and media-rich resources like simulations, video clips, audio texts, and virtual field trips are abundant.

The teacher planner includes hyperlinks to the best resources we can find for a particular work. The links and files provide digital curricular content support for each unit at each grade level. No teacher will ever use all the suggested texts and resources, but we want great resources at their fingertips as they plan daily instruction. We do not believe in scripted lessons, rather quality ingredients for the teacher to create a learning feast for their students!

We use the BOX to electronically store the files that we are able to capture and save for each unit.  A teacher will be able to download a single folder for each unit to an external drive and everything we are able to capture for that unit will be there. This allows teachers working in a school that is struggling with bandwidth to access resources without tying up the precious pipeline.

These electronic files include video clips, lesson plan ideas, graphic organizers, book summaries, multiple text types, biographies, powerpoints, interactives, and related art and music pieces. Supporting documents such as interactive notebooking ideas, QR codes, standards-based games, content related photos, research ideas, simulations, virtual tours, writing tasks and samples, are also included. These resources are constantly growing and will only get better over time!

Each unit has its own Pinterest Board where we pin additional ideas and free resources.

How are the resources organized?

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded a set of K-12 English Language Arts Curriculum Maps that were written specifically for the new Common Core Standards. These are not a complete curriculum, but they offer a starting point for curriculum development organized around the ELA Standards and strong content.

These maps were developed through the work of Common Core, a non-profit out of Washington D.C. The first edition maps were posted free of charge for all to use. Later editions of the maps are now sold as the Wheatly Portfolio as a means of defraying cost for updates and maintenance to the original maps. Electronic or print copies of the maps may be purchased via Common Core.

Why do we love these units?

The units are organized to build big ideas and concepts over time. Each unit has identified an essential question and multiple Common Core Focus Standards. The content is rich. They also provide a list of suggested works to help teachers begin to select the texts they wish to use in their classroom.

These maps are in use in many places across the country, and many of our ABC partner schools are using these (or a variation) as guides. Therefore, we have attempted to go  "Above and Beyond" by searching for, creating, and organizing additional resources that classroom teachers will find helpful as they plan for daily instruction.

Why did we decide to use the Maps to organize resources?

They are the best thing we’ve found... plain and simple.

What if you don't use these units?

No worries!  The units are built around great texts that are often used in classrooms everywhere. We haven't found a kindergarten classroom yet who doesn't use Brown Bear, Brown Bear or Chicka Chicka Boom Boom somewhere during the year!  What about Sarah, Plain and Tall, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Of Mice and Men?  Use the resources that fit your needs. Build your own Teacher Planner!