So, I had huge plans of blogging and creating this summer....didn't happen and now that August is here I'm now prepping for school.  I'm really excited about this school year because I have a better grasp at what I want my role as and Instructional Coach to be and what I need to do in order to better support my teachers.  I know that if I'm thinking about school starting in a few weeks, then I KNOW you are too :)

Several of us bloggers have come together to give you some awesome ideas for Back to School Books! These books can be used to set up your classroom community, begin a good lesson, or just as a fun read-aloud.

The book I'd like to share with you is...



The Name Jar is a great read aloud for the first day of school or sometime during the first week.  Uhei moves to America and the reader is able to share her first impressions and experiences in an American school.  Uhei is embarassed by her name and doesn't reveil it to her classmates.  They place a jar on her desk and add their favorite names for her to choose from. Uhei realizes that her name is special just like her.



Last school year I visited classrooms to read aloud this wonderful story to third, fourth, and fifth graders. I had created a three day lesson plan for The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi. I used each of the day's materials, along with several of the centers .





The Name Jar is a great beginning of school book to teach summarizing, character traits, and comparing and contrasting. This sweet story focuses on the importance of identity, a fabulous topic for the beginning of the school year.




My Name Jar Plans and Centers comes with a Center Menu for your students to use to help you set your expectations and routines for centers. You will find a center for each of the three days lesson plan. (Word Work, Vocabulary, & Comprehension)



And have you heard? Teachers Pay Teachers is having a site-wide Back to School Sale August 3rd and 4th, so you will be able to get [this product] 28% off using the promo code BTS15!

We know what else really "lights a fire" in you, and that is fabulous technology! We are giving away a brand new Kindle Fire HD6 to one lucky winner! 

Enter the rafflecopter below by hopping through each of our blogs and entering the secret word that can be found on the tablet in each of our posts. Also make sure to follow our TPT stores because the winner will be announced through a message in your TPT inbox! 


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We are also giving away a $25 gift certificate to Creative Teaching Press!

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Good luck! We hope you have a successful start to your school year! 

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