• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Shop
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

teach mama logo

teach mama

helps families connect & build bridges between home & school, by amy mascott

  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

teacher appreciation week–teacher story card

home / Activities / holidays / teacher appreciation / teacher appreciation week–teacher story card
30 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week!

It’s time to let the teachers in our lives know how thankful we are for their hard work!

And what better time to throw in a little lesson on brainstorming than on a day when kids are creating cards to show how much they love their teacher?

Last night, our intention was for Maddy to write a short note to her teacher for Teacher Appreciation Week, but before we knew it, she created an entire Teacher Story Card. . .

  • Teacher Story Card: Maddy and I had talked throughout the day about the note that she was going to write to her teacher, and our plan was to work on it before bed. So while Maddy was in the bathtub, I helped her do her brainstorming.

I said, Okay, Maddy, you want to write a note to Mrs. — to tell her how much you appreciate her hard work and all that she does for you. Let’s brainstorm all of the things you want to include in your note.

It’s never too early to use a web!
Brainstorming is so worth your while.

She said, I want to say that Mrs. — teaches me.

Right. You want to say that she teaches you things because she sure does! I wrote ‘Mrs. — teaches me’ large in the center of the page, and then I said, Okay, so what kind of things does she teach you? Take a minute to think about it and then tell me. I’ll write down what you say, and then we’ll use this web to help us remember your ideas when you write your note. It’s called a ‘web’ because it looks like a big spider web when we’re finished.

So Maddy added a few specifics–‘about money’ and ‘plus stories’ and then she said, Oh, and she teaches me to read!

Thankfully she hit on a broader topic so that I could then ask her to give me some details to add. I said, Awesome. She teaches you to read. What kinds of things does she teach you?

We completed the web, rinsed her off, and met in her bedroom to compose her note. The paper I found didn’t really lend itself to letter writing, but I knew Maddy loved to use it because of the big space for a picture at the top. She said, Mom, I think I’m going to make a ‘Teacher Story’ instead of a note. Is that okay? I said it was fantastic and that her teacher would love it now matter what she wrote.

Maddy’s Teacher Story Card

Before she started writing, I said, Wow! You thought of a ton of ideas here. I read all of the ideas, and we talked briefly about each one.

Close your eyes and think about what you want to say, how you want to start your story and what you want to say. Say it out loud first, then write it. That’s the cool thing about writing stories and notes–sometimes if you take time to think a little bit before you start, you end up writing an even better story.

Maddy and I cooperatively wrote the story like we usually do. Maddy had a pen, and I had a pen, and although she writes on the final draft, I use a blank piece of paper where I write the words that we work through.

For shared, or cooperative writing, instead of me ‘giving’ her the spelling of difficult words, I’ll say, What sound do you hear in the beginning/middle/end of the word. . . ? to help her. I’ll write down the letters she knows, and I’ll add ones I know she doesn’t have yet, like most long vowel patterns, digraphs, some blends, etc.

She took a lot of time to draw the pictures for each page, that we had to make the cover this morning before school. Maddy wrote the title and went sticker-crazy. And then we shoved it in her backpack, and we ran to school. (Nothing like advance planning, right?)

Sure, every teacher I know would love a gift card for a spa day or even a cuppa joe, but almost every teacher also appreciates a hand-written, heartfelt note of gratitude from their students.
And it sure is meaningful learning for our little ones to hear from their parents how grateful we are for their teachers and how much we appreciate their teachers’ hard work. It’s a win-win!

More Teacher Appreciation Week ideas tomorrow. . . simple, inexpensive, thoughtful.

Thanks for subscribing to teachmama! Have a good one!

You May Also Like...

  • 5 ways parents can show thanks for teachers and schools
    5 ways parents can show thanks for teachers and schools
  • how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
    how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
  • Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
    Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators

About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:a sweet lesson on the power of voice
Next Post:teacher appreciation week–water bottle notesteacher appreciation water bottles teachmama.com

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

amy mascott profile blog

join the coolest club around:

  • About
  • Contact
  • disclaimer
  • terms of use
  • privacy policy
  • Site-Map

Instagram


our books

setting the stage for rock-star readers
raise a reader

Find Us On Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Helpful Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us On Instagram

View
Open
UMD Womenโ€™s Basketball ROCKS!! โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ–ค๐Ÿ€

We absolutely love watching you play, @terpswbb !

We love watching you perform, @marylandcheer !

And @mightysoundofmd we love your music and your hilarious signs! ๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿ˜ณ

See you in Greenville! 

#terpsbasketball #terpswbb #umd #familyfun #marylandcheer #umdfamily
View
Open
Tomorrow is St. Patrickโ€™s Day!

Are you ready? 

https://shop.teachmama.com/

#saintpatricksfun #stpaddysforkids #familyfun #classroomactivities #teachmamashop
View
Open
This is how we use the St. Patrickโ€™s Day Brain Teaser Scavenger Hunt! ๐Ÿ€

Super easyโ€”and makes kids work a little for their golden chocolates! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Grab them here: https://shop.teachmama.com/product/st-patricks-day-scavenger-hunt-4-pack/

<< Tag a pal who needs to know about this and would LOVE to use it with kids or students! >>

#stpatricksdayfun #saintpaddysday #stpaddysforkids #stpatsfun #linkinbio
View
Open
and then there were six
๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿฆ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆ„๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฐ

thank you @thewoobles for giving my mind, heart, and hands something fun to do during a really challenging few months. 

#crochet #thewoobles #brainbreak #teachersanitysaver #shescrafty
View
Open
With great sadness, I'm writing to share that my brother-in-law, Jeff Mascott passed away from pancreatic cancer earlier this week--at home, surrounded by family and friends. 

The family is very grateful for the community's immeasurable help, encouragement, and prayers over the past several months since Jeff's diagnosis. 

Jeff's obituary will run this weekend in the Post: 
https://www.collinsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Jeff-Mascott?obId=27420280&fbclid=IwAR2YTRooCyaLTikfjLeqF4gM-GaB1amZI2OmVl1VtKLUOjWj3Wo4URD8lC8#/obituaryInfo
View
Open
Flowers and a basket of @traderjoes faves are salve for a tired and weepy soul. ๐ŸŒท

Thankful for great, longtime friends ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›

#itshardtobeahuman #thankfulheart #wlhs4evah #teacherbffs
View
Open
Almost 30 years of friendship!! I love these smart, beautiful, strong and creative women who walked with me through my early days of teaching. 

๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š

Thank you, Wilde Lake High School, for bringing us together way back when. 

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›

Missed you, jigofjoy ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š

#weareteachers #andoneprincipal #wildelake #wlhs4evah #teacherbffs #wildelakehs #teachersofinstagram #celebratewewill
View
Open
Today marks the 4th time in 3 weeks that I have had to hang new Kindness Reminders Tear-off Sheets! 

Makes my heart ๐Ÿฅฐ!! 

Some kids come by every day and give one to a new person. Others take a bunch for the week. One 2nd grade girl comes by evey morning to tell me who she gave hers to the day before. 

Every little bit helps, friend. And every interaction matters!

#kindnessrocks #adoormadeforme #teachersofinstagram #makeadifference
View
Open
Best crew for one of the best @terpswbb games weโ€™ve seen all season! 

And of course super job by @marylandcheer and @mightysoundofmd too! 

#terpswbb #terpsbasketball #familyfun #marylandcheer

Copyright © 2023 · teach mama media, llc · All Rights Reserved

30 shares