Super Simple Independent Practice
Posted by Debra Liverman on 07 Nov 2008 | Posted in: The Mailbox Books
Fun, independent practice can be hard to find. That is why I chose the Super Simple Independent Practice series to share with you this month.
Each book features 4 activities for every week of the school year that are a breeze to read, require only minimal materials, and take just minutes to set up. That’s 144 activities you can easily add to your existing plans for students to do at their seats, at a center, or even as homework. I think they are great for differentiating activities to meet the needs of all learners.
These books are some of the newest from The Mailbox Books so I’m not sure whether you’ve had a chance to try them yet. I’ve included sample pages and the table of contents for each book. Try them out and let me know what you think.
Just as I have done with other featured books on this blog, each person who comments on this post will be entered in a drawing for one FREE Super Simple Independent Practice book. I’ll randomly choose one name on November 21 and contact the winner via email. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Congratulations, Margie from Franklin Regional Middle School in Pittsburgh, PA! She is the winner of a Super Simple Independent Practice: Language Arts Grs. 4-6 book!
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I really love the mailbox books we use them a lot in the center that i work in, Growing Smart Learning Center. I go to school full time at night and I work full time in the morning. These books help me out so much they have such great ideas, i just love them like crazy, I wish that I owned every book that there is for my age group, even the afterschooler teacher comes and grabs my books and uses them, she loves them also.
Thanks for all the help that you have given us.
Cassie
I just bought this book and I love it! The activities are perfect for putting in my literacy stations, and give such meaningful practice. I have already shown it to others in my grade level, and I can’t wait to incorporate these ideas. Thanks!
These books look like they would be a great addition to our current school curriculum.
I work with preschoolers and live in Minnesota.
There are many days when the wind chill is to low to go outside. Having a book with neat ideas and minimal supplies; will be extremly helpful when we get ‘cabin fever’.
I absolutely love what I saw in the sample pages. I can’t wait to buy the book and try them in my classroom!
These books look awesome! I ca’t wait to try them out!
I just started doing guided reading groups in my room, and the independent students are burned out on literature circles/novel studies. These look like the solution! Plus I can order a grade lower for the guided groups I work with!
Thanks again Mailbox!
These look excellent! I really enjoyed the sample pages. I could absolutely use these in my classroom!
I LOVE the idea of this book!!! Having simple, easy to organize and set up activities are great for any teacher or substitute!!
Thanks, can’t wait to get the Preschool one!
I love the idea of super simple books! It sounds like ELL and EC students would really benefit from these.
Glad to hear it, Jane. You can find these books at your local teacher store (be sure to call first to make sure they are in stock) or you can order them online at The Mailbox Books online store.
I just viewed the samples and I am very impressed. I could use the ideas duing station time when I am teaching Guided Reading groups. How do I order?
I just found these on your site. I like the ease of set up for me and the way the activities look like they’ll interest the students. I’m looking forward to trying some of them out!
I just found these and looked through the samples and table of contents. I like what I saw! The ideas are easy, creative, and different from the usual worksheets.
Thanks!
These look like high interest activities that will engage all learners in multisensory learning experiences. I just love the activities. My little learners will love these activities.
This looks like it is exactly what I have been looking for to help my students have engaging activities to do while I work with small groups. I am in my first year of teaching first grade and there is so much required I am glad to have this time saving book offered.
Great ideas! Just what I have been looking for, and all in one place so I can find them!!
Looking at the samples, it looks like this is just the types of activities I have been wanting to help supplement my center time. Thanks for this tip.
Sounds great. I am always looking for ideas that the students can do independently while waiting for the others to finish. I homeschool and have one second, one fourth, and one 26 year old “special student” who learns at a preschool level.
This look like some GReat activities…I am just starting out in teaching and it seems like it is hard to find fun stuff for LA…but these look like fun. I teach 3rd,4th, and 5th grade so it is hard to get all kids interested in what I am teaching. Thanks.
Mrs. Smith
This book sounds like something that I can really use in my classroom for independent. I can going to order it now, Thanks
I love the idea of this book. It seems perfect for reading/math workshop independent work time. As usual, another great idea from the folks at The Mailbox.
I really like the book. We are focusing on differentiated instruction this year and it would be perfect.
I too am looking for truly ‘independent’ work. our district requires small group instruction daily and am continually frustrated because my 5th graders cannot work independently . Help.
These ideas look easy to prepare and easy for the children to use with little prep time! I really love all the great Mailbox ideas!
This book sounds great. I am constantly looking for independent work that is truly “independent.”
I have needed some new word study activities to do with my children and the ones in these books are just what I was needing.
I have been using resources from The Mailbox since I was first introduced to them while I was doing my student teaching. I taught preschool for 2 years and am teaching kindergarten this year. The ideas look great and I look forward to trying them in my classroom. Thank you for all your help.
Great ideas…they can be ready in a flash….just what a busy teacher needs!
You can use our Dealer Locater to find a teacher store nearby. I would give them a call to make sure they have it in stock for you. If you prefer to order online, you can buy the book in The Mailbox Books store on our Web site.
I’m so glad you like them!
I like your ideas and would love to try them.Where can I purchase the Kindergarten book if I don’t win?
I am always looking for great ideas for the students to work on independently. They love having the ability to complete something by themselves and build their self confidence. I love mailbox they are always coming up with great new ideas.
I like the Independent Practice Books, although two of them look like they’ll be extra work for me. The math and writing, though, seem very easy to use and excellent resources that my kinders will love!
I’ve done the sentence strip patterns with cookie cutters and doh. The students really enjoyed it, but I put the strips on the table with contact paper so they wouldn’t move around because I had student complaints “why won’t the paper stay still?!”. I also like to do cookie cutter painting patterns (just dip the cookie cutters in paint to make a “take home” pattern.
- Emmy
I teach 5 year olds who are mentally disabled and autistic. The preschool ideas are just right for them!
I love the idea of tearing out the skill/activity and filing it away with that particular folder. I can hardly wait for our school library to get all the new mailbox magazines in each month. I also have a large collection of older magazines that I love to browse through. I love the resources mailbox provides!!!
I love mailbox products. The preschool ideas are always just right for my special education students. I can go to mailbox and have to come up with less ideas because they always have quick ones. These books look like they have done it again.
The independent practice books seem to be just what they say they are - super and simple. I like no additional work is needed to to these activities.
I’ve been teaching for 10 years now and i have always used a mailbox magazine as reference for my lesson plans. Love the ideas shown above. I’ll definately save my pennies for this one!
I have used the Mailbox for years and consider it the best magazine out there for teachers. The activities are easy to implement for the units I teach in fourth grade. Also helpful are the tips on management and organization. Keep the great ideas coming! They are timesavers for busy teachers!
I love the fact that the ideas in any of the mailbox materials are user friendly and can be used in small, large group or centers. This is so helpful when kindergarten needs such a variety of activities on a daily basis. Keep up the good work!
I am always looking for ideas for my first graders to do on their own. I would use these.
Thanks
I love my Mailbox magazines! I tear pages out and file them by subject/skill so that I don’t have to flip through many magazines to find what I want. Keep up the good work!
I am very excited to see the Independent practice book
I have taught preschool in my home for over 25 years and am always looking for new ideas. I love the mailbox magazine and have used it extensively for many many years.
This book looks like it would have some great ideas for my Kinders to use as independent practice at center time. Thanks for sharing it!
I can always count on Mailbox for great center ideas. Thank you!
I am a special education teacher of K-1 students. The activities are excellent for reinforcement/differentiation of instruction/and or centers. The activities are easy to create and require little time. What a wonderful resource to add to your personal library.
I am a school librarian who subscribes to Mailbox magazine, and I am always excited to share this wonderful resource with teachers. I also subscribe to the the e-newsletter, and I love the online resources.
You can never go wrong with Mailbox products!! They are always good to utilize as a resource.
The Mailbox,
Thank you for publishing such a wonderful teacher helper. I love everything in The Mailbox. These Super Simple Independent Practices for my Pre-k Children are wonderful.
Thank you,
Molly Barnes
Early Learning Center
Centre, AL
Dear Mailbox,
I have been using Mailbox from online for the past several years. Having taught 4th grade for several years the ideas from the Intermediate book go perfectly with our curriculum and bring a greater enthusiasm to many learning experiences. After looking at the Independent Practice samples they are perfect for our new Reading Program which requires us to have learning centers.
Mary Beth McArdle
Central School
400 Ridgedale Avenue
East Hanover, NJ 07936
My husband and I own a training and consulting business. We train childcare providers and consult with owners and directors of centers. I previously, for 33 years, owned a private child care center. I have for MANY years used The Mailbox in the classroom and now I refer to it for my training information, hands-on activities and refer the magazine to our participants. I am always looking for simple ideas and I am very interested in the “Super Simple Independent Practive” book for preschoolers. Thanks!!!
I LOVE everything about the Mailbox magazine. It has brought life to so many of my old, boring ways!
I have used Mailbox ideas for 21 years. I have taught Kindergarten, Second, & Fourth Grades. The Mailbox ideas have helped to enhance every subject matter I have covered. I am sure these new independent practice books will be a great asset in my teaching.
This looks like a great idea. If I won, I’d want grade 1 or two.
I’m glad I stopped in for a look at these new books. I teach a multiage 1/2 grade combination class at a new charter school with few curricular resources. The ideas contained in the samples look easy to prepare and adapt for use into a classroom where differentiation is crucial.
I cannot get enough of Mailbox books and magazines!
This looks just like the key to changing up the stations at my preschool from time to time! I LOVE MAILBOX!!!!!!
These books are wonderful for centers! They are not just busy work, they are wonderful at incorporating manipulatives. My fourth graders love these activities. The activities are perfect for centers or seatwork and are easy to differentiate.
As a new 3rd grade teacher, I’m always looking for activities to include during my Guided reading time, this is just what I need.
I am a new kindergarten teacher and love doing centers. These books will be great! I cannot wait to add them to my collection of Mailbox books!
I am a new kindergarten teacher and need lots of ideas for my center time activities. I think this book will be great for my class. I can’t wait to find some simple ideas that will keep the students engaged and having fun.
These will be a great addition to ideas and concepts which I can incorporate in our child created curriculum. Thanks!
I can’t wait to try out the ideas in the Super Simple Language Arts book. I think they would be perfect for independent activities for the students to commplete during guided reading time. I’m always looking for new activities for the children to work on while I’m working with another group.
I can’t wait to try some of the suggestions in the “Super Simple Independent Practice” book with my preschoolers. More often than not I am the only adult in the classroom. Many times I spend a lot of time and energy setting up centers that the kids rarely visit unless an adult is available to coax them over or I am at the center to supervise them. These suggested ideas really do seem simple enough for the children to do on their own (if need be), and I believe the activities would hold their interest.
These activities work well at center time or in small groups.
These books are great for my guided reading stations. I also have used both the math and language arts books for a fun lesson that really engages the students.
I am excited to see a book of resources prepared for grade level appropriate activities. Children need to have meaningful practice about important concepts. Thank you, Mailbox, for all the resources to assist me in creating a classroom that is fun and a learning environment that is growth-promoting for all children.
I recently purchase two of these at the teacher bookstore in our town. I have a K-3 special ed class so simple is necessary in order to be able to find something they are able to truly do by themselves. I got the 3rd grade math not necessarily for independent but for the skills and 1st grade language arts. That’s all they had but I have shared it around the building for a glimpse and others have like it as well. I would like to get more.
Thanks!
Dina
I teach fifth grade math in an inclusion classroom and am always looking for new ways to engage all my students. This book sounds like these are fun tasks that will challenge my on level students but can easily be modified for my lower levels. Thank you for sharing!
loving it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These make great “sponge” activities as well, especially first thing in the day. I love giving the students something like this first thing. They settle right down to work and it gives me the time to do all my startup tasks, like attendance, notes from parents, etc.
Thanks for making life easier for teachers!
I am teaching for over 30 years. I find your books and magazines are terrific. Keep up the good work.
I have been looking for some SIMPLE ideas to use during my literacy stations. I want each week to be fresh but it is tiring “recreating the wheel” every week (especially with considering we keep having things added to our plates and nothing taken off). This looks just like what I’ve been looking for. SO I am now running to the teacher store nearest me to get at least the language arts version of the book.
I love any book that cuts down on my lesson prep/planning time. I especially love how relevant and engaging they are for my 1st graders.
As a math teacher in grades 4-6 that book looks really engaging. We are always looking for ways to differentiate and I think this book would be a great resource for that. Thanks for highlighting this book! I sure hope I win it!!!
Thank you for your wonderful publications. I have enjoyed a few of your books already in my classroom centers.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks,
Christine
These books look like they would be a great help. Center activities are so useful in a classroom setting, but can be so time-consuming to prepare and organize. The samples show activities that use items that are easily accessed right in the classroom. Thanks for your many wonderful products!
The ideas in the preschool edition appear to take minimal prep time yet will still appeal to the children. Without that appeal the children will ignore all your hard work and best effort.
Thanks for sharing these great resources! They are in keeping with your standard of excellence. I love their simplicity, high interest and how well they match our curriculum. Congratulations on another fine product!
As usual, you have come up with great ideas to make learning more fun. Thankyou. My class enjoy activities based on ideas that I get from you, but you seem to have surpassed yourselves with this one.
These ideas look great. They look like they are activities that they children will enjoy but yet the materials are ones that we have within the classroom already. These activities will work great into our center time here at preschool.
These all look GREAT! I downloaded some of the samples of the Language and Math for my 2nd grade class. You’re right–they are easy to do. I know they will enjoy these. Thanks again for another great book.
These look like great books - sometimes independent or center ideas look great but can be complicated and/or time consuming to prepare. These ideas look pretty simple. Thanks!
As new kindergarten teacher, I find myself scrambling at times to find or make center activities. I’m always looking for simple yet appropriate activities for our curriculum. These books look GREAT and seem to meet my students’ needs!
Never knew about these books before. They look very interesting and worth a closer look-see at my local teacher store.
You always give me such great ideas for my Pre K class. I glad you are sharing these books!!!Thanks for the hard work you do!
Books look wonderful…..says me wistfully. With the downturn of our dollar will just have to wait until things improve - only worth 63C of your money and that makes it all out of my range right now.
Teachers will love the activities and will certainly be able to make good use of them with all kids - those who are independent as well as those on the way.
Keep up the excellent work.
Sm:)es,
Carol in Australia
Thanks for sharing about these books; I am excited about using them to meet the needs of the multiple levels of students that I have in my classroom. These will be perfect during our Workshop time. Also, thanks for the chance to win.
These books are great timesavers. The activities are easy don’t take much time to set up and cover the grade level curriculum. The kids enjoy the activities. A great product.