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Choose primary education supplies for kindergarten through fifth grade

Primary education teacher supplies are a good way to supplement lessons. Many different products can provide this supplement, including games, crafts and books for reading-age children. You can purchase most crafts and games for under $15. You can find most supplemental reading materials and workbooks for under $10.

I recommend: A Teacher's Aide provides many educational tools and resources for primary level educators. Products include reading books, games, crafts and classroom supplies. Direct Advantage provides some tips for teachers on how find the best deals in school supplies for their classroom.

Explore secondary education supplies for grade 6 and up

Secondary teachers supplies are essential for creating a fun learning environment, and there are many products available. Since secondary classrooms are all of a reading age, supplemental reading material is a popular choice, along with workbooks and games. Secondary educational supplies cost a little more than the primary variety, typically $7 to $10 for reading materials. Many other supplies can be picked up for less than $10.

I recommend: TeachingSupply.com has many products that are made specifically for secondary education classrooms. These supplies include classroom decoration, games and supplemental learning materials. TeachersCount offers a list of the best resources where teachers can buy educational supplies online.

Save with instructional curriculum textbook contracts and bulk orders

Textbook contracts and bulk orders of 25 or more books are an important way to get teachers the materials they need. School systems and state education departments usually deal with negotiating and buying contracts once teachers have requested specific textbooks. People who home school children can also find deals in contracts and bulk orders. Contract prices are negotiable, but bulk orders can usually save educators 5 to 15 percent off the total order price.

I recommend: At TextbookAce.com, you can find free textbook samples from Macmillan/McGraw Hill and other textbook manufacturers for educators who are considering new textbooks. Bookbyte.com offers discounted prices for bulk orders, sell-back options and a variety of used textbooks.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Primary and secondary teacher supplies are also available for special needs classrooms and English as a second language classrooms.

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Find primary and secondary education supplies and gadgets

Primary and secondary teacher supplies can offer an alternate instructional program to account for a learner's physical coordination or motor skills. Look for companies with experienced education professionals on staff, who provide tested and approved supplies.

I recommend: Didax provides learning resources including books, manipulatives and software for grades K-12. TeachingSupplyStore.com offers multi-learner supplies including homeschool supplies, and accepts purchase orders with reasonable shipping rates.

Supplement curriculum with instructional materials for primary schools and secondary education

Publishers specializing in secondary and primary curriculum instructional materials offer standards-based lesson plans as well as adapted lesson materials. Look for everything from modified reading materials to lesson plans built around movement for physical learners.

I recommend: Cobblestone & Cricket produces reading materials for young readers including magazines, books and other resources. Great Source publishes standards-based and research-based products for pre-K–12 including materials for summer school, afterschool, intervention programs and multi-learner resources.

Use multimedia instructional materials for secondary education

Adjust reading demand and secondary curriculum instructional materials with multimedia programs. Supplemental series focus on art or technology and reinforce positive self-expression.

I recommend: Cress Productions offers videos and CD-ROM to educate students about reaching their potential. Crystal Productions offers the Crystal Creative Collections, a package of resources for teaching art, as well as a full catalog of design and production instructional materials.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Adapt assessment practices with instructional materials for primary and secondary education. Provide instructional curriculum worksheets and tests offering structured answer frames.
• •  Employ multiple criteria to assess multi-learners. Primary curriculum instructional materials and secondary educational curriculum help you offer students a variety of choices for producing required assignments.
• •  Get recommendations for the most effective instructional materials for primary and secondary education from colleagues, school district resource centers and master teachers working as mentors in local teacher certification programs.

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Purchase primary education supplies and instructional materials that require student participation

It's a good idea to buy instructional materials for primary schools that encourage student participation. This reinforces ideas and concepts presented during classroom instruction time. Examples of such materials include flashcards and alphabet cards to develop spelling and phonics, coins, puzzles and fraction cubes to develop math skills, and wall maps to supplement lessons in social studies. Primary educational supplies such as stickers and certificates are excellent rewards for children and serve as motivators.

I recommend: School Teachers and A2ZTeachersOutlet market a variety of primary education teacher supplies to supplement classroom instruction in areas such as math, spelling, social studies and science.

Purchase secondary education supplies and instructional materials that supplement classroom learning

Choose instructional materials for secondary education that reinforce ideas and concepts presented during classroom instruction. Examples of secondary educational supplies include literature guides to supplement English classes, science labs and math exercises that apply concepts to real world scenarios.

I recommend: Education 4 Kids offers literature guides such as “The Great Gatsby” and "Macbeth” that teachers can incorporate into their lesson plans to allow students to gain an understanding of literary classics. Math Teacher Link lists mathematical exercises developed by teachers whose subject matter pertains to algebra, pre-calculus and trigonometry, which enables students to apply mathematical concepts into real life applications.

Incorporate instructional curriculum materials into special education classes to foster growth

Instructional materials for primary and secondary education students with special needs not only serve as an educational resource, but also allow these students to develop communication and motor skills. For instance, lessons in sign language allow students to communicate with others. Students can develop life skills through lessons dealing with money, time, cooking, health and social skills and physical exercises allow the development of motor skills.

I recommend: Items such as study carrels help reduce distractions and allow children to focus on assignments, while adjustable tables and beanbag chairs allow for the accommodation of children with special physical needs. Nasco and The Exceptional Company sell educational materials and supplies specifically designed for students with special needs.

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Response to Intervention (RTI) and Early Intervening Services (EIS)

Response to Intervention (RTI) and Early Intervening Services (EIS) are programs to identify and assist children with learning disabilities. Schools using this approach use special research-based materials for intensive teaching; they also assess how students respond to the intervention.

I recommend: The U.S. Department of Education has a question and answer section on Response to Intervention (RTI) and Early Intervening Services (EIS).

Adopt-A-Classroom

Adopt-A-Classroom is a program that matches teachers and their students with donors who are willing to assist with classroom needs. It is particularly beneficial to schools in low-income areas who have limited funds for instructional materials and supplies.

I recommend: Adopt-A-Classroom describes their program and has links to frequently asked questions.

Standards-based lesson plans

Standards-based lesson plans use state or national standards to plan all classroom instruction rather than planning around textbooks or other student materials. Teachers use the state benchmarks and indicators to design their curriculum and plan their testing and assessments. All instructional materials are selected to support the state or national standards.

I recommend: The Ohio Department of Education discusses standards-based lesson plans and provides a model of how the process works.

Project-based learning

Project-based learning is a hands-on approach to instruction that is student-centered. In project-based learning, students engage in projects that enhance their learning in many subject areas at the same time.

I recommend: Buck Institute of Education provides an introduction to project-based learning.

CRS or Classroom response system

A classroom response system (CRS), or audience response system, sends radio signals from students to a receiver hooked to the teacher's computer. The technology is often informally called 'clickers.' Teachers use these systems to get student's answers to multiple-choice questions.

I recommend: The Vanderbilt Center for Teaching offers an explanation of the classroom response system along with suggested instructional activities and videos of clickers in use.

Framework for 21st Century Learning

The Framework for 21st Century Learning is a collaboration between business, technology and educational organizations who believe that students are not learning the skills they need for the 21st century. By working together, these groups hope to increase students' creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, technology skills, and global understanding.

I recommend: Partnership for 21st Century Skills expounds on the Framework for 21st Century Learning instructional model.