Back To School
English Teaching Resources Page 1

Unique Reading and Writing Activities for the
First Day, Week, and Month of School

Back to School English Teaching Resources and Lesson Plans

Fun Back To School Lesson Plans and Ideas For Teachers





Back To School English Teaching Resources blue bullet point Welcome to my Back to School English Teaching Resources page.

blue bullet point Are you looking for fun reading and creative writing activities to use at the beginning of the school year?

blue bullet point On this page, you will find lists of read aloud books that are great to use at the beginning of the year, unique creative writing templates, reading sticker charts, and fun poetry activities.

blue bullet pointYou can use the creative ideas that are on this page to help you plan engaging language arts activities for your students to complete during the first week of school.

blue bullet point The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to have your students DIVE into reading!



Dive Into Reading Books blue bullet point My students are encouraged to read with unique reading sticker charts that are designed especially to encourage and promote reading.

blue bullet point Start off the new year by providing your students with fun creative writing activities that will make them DIVE into writing with enthusiasm!

blue bullet point For creative writing assignments, when I give my students unique and fun templates to write on, I have found that they tend to use their best effort on these assignments.

blue bullet point When my students are engaged, on task, and using their best effort, they are more careful to not make careless spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

blue bullet point I hope that you will find some creative ideas to use with your own students at the beginning of the year with the Back to School English teaching resources that are found on this page.



Popular Read Aloud Picture Books:


Favorite Picture Books For Elementary School Children

Click on the links below to view teaching resources
that I have created for these popular picture books.

Teaching Resources and Lesson Plans For Picture Books



Favorite read aloud books for teachers, lesson plans, and fun book report projects.

Picture Books To Read All Year Long:

Back To School read aloud books for teachers, lesson plans, and fun book report projects.

Fun Read Aloud Books For
the Beginning of the School Year:




Back to School Creative Writing Activity:
Written Inside Unique School Bus Templates

Student Information School Bus Display
Back to School English Teaching Resources

$4.99
 Add to Cart

Click on the Add to Cart button above to purchase this set of teaching resources.
You will be emailed a download link for this resource so you can download and use it today!

  • Secure payment method through Paypal.
  • Use your credit card or Paypal account.
  • Download link is emailed to you today!
  • Print as many copies as you want.
  • Save and reuse this fun project forever!
Payment Processed Through Paypal

Back to School Fun Writing Activity Bulletin Board Display Banner

This five page banner is included for free in this set of Back to School English teaching resources.


Fun School Bus Creative Writing Templates and Projects blue bullet point At the beginning of the school year teachers often get to know their students through an information worksheet that students fill out about themselves.

blue bullet point These student information sheets are often ideal for a first bulletin board or classroom display for the new school year.

blue bullet point If you are looking for a new, unique, fun, and eye-catching idea for this "get to know me" creative writing activity, take a look at my version of this lesson plan that uses school bus templates.


Fun Back To School Bus Creative Writing Projects and Templates

Example of school bus project: Templates 1, 2, and 3 (Templates 4 and 5 are not shown here)


blue bullet point This Student Information School Bus set of lesson plans will provide you with all of the teaching resources that you need for your students to fill out an introductory worksheet about themselves during the first week of school.

Fun School Bus Projects and Templates for Elementary Students blue bullet point This fun back to school creative writing activity will help you to be able design a colorful bulletin board display of your students' work.

blue bullet point Since this is a short creative writing assignment, your students can complete this task quickly and you will be able to display samples of your students' work in your classroom by the end of the first or second day of school!

blue bullet point This Back to School English teaching resources set is designed to be assembled into one VERY LONG school bus.

blue bullet point If you do not have the space for a long school bus display in your classroom, you can assemble these templates into groups of 5 students together and have 5 or 6 smaller school buses representing all of your students' information sheets together.

blue bullet point Remember, you can make your school bus display as long as you want by gluing as many student bus templates together as you wish. Each student fills in their information section and draws and colors a picture of himself or herself in the bus windows.


Back to School Bus Writing Templates Activity for Elementary Students

Above is an example of how these school bus templates are assembled together.
This example shows how 5 student worksheets (plus the front of bus and door templates) are glued together.


Back to School Bus Shaped Creative Writing Templates for Elementary School

Instead of drawing pictures, you can glue pictures of your students on the templates.
There is a second set of bus templates that you can use
if you want to glue student photographs in the bus windows.


Directions for School Bus Student Project Templates

Above: This Back To School English teaching resources set
includes 2 pages of teacher directions which provide helpful
tips on how to assemble the school bus templates together.


Welcome Back To School Elementary Students Bus Photograph blue bullet point Although this is a fairly short writing activity, I still have my students complete a first draft. By taking the time to write a first draft, I can ensure that my students' final drafts contain less spelling and capitalization errors.

blue bullet point As my students are filling out their first drafts, I walk around the classroom and read their responses and make comments about the interesting information that I have learned about my new students.

blue bullet point When a student has finished his first draft, he raises his hand, and I go over and quickly glance at his work and point out the mistakes that I feel that he should edit and revise. Then, I give this student his final draft bus template.

blue bullet point Below is an example of the first draft worksheet, which should be cut into two rectangles and given to two students.


School Bus Templates Creative Writing Activity First Draft Worksheets

blue bullet point Since this set of teaching resources uses the word favorite in it, there is a second set of resources which contains the spelling favourite for teachers in countries that use this spelling.


Fun School Bus Shaped Writing Templates for Back to School Activity for Elementary Students

blue bullet point Above: There are two bus templates that are not given to the students: the front of the bus and the door. On the door template, you will write the grade level, your name, and the name of your school.


School Bus Templates for Students Creative Writing Back To School Activity

Above: Students draw and color a picture inside the school bus windows.

blue bullet point Above: The third bus template (shown on the left) is the template that you will need to make multiple copies of to give to your students.

blue bullet point The fourth bus template (shown on the right) will completed by one student.


Back to School All About Me School Bus Templates Writing Activity

Above: With these bus templates, glue photographs of your students in the window areas.


Fun School Bus Templates for a Back to School Creative Writing Activity

Above: Example of bus templates with student photographs glued in the window areas.


School Bus Creative Writing Activities and Back to School Lesson Plans

Above: Examples of black and white bus templates.

blue bullet point Above: If you are unable to print out color copies of this project, there are black and white school bus templates included in this set.

Bulletin Board Accent Pieces:

Back To School Bus Road Signs for Bulletin Board Display Ideas
Back To School Bus Road Signs for Bulletin Board Display Examples
Back To School Bus Road Signs for Bulletin Board Display Elementary School Students

blue bullet point Above: This Back To School English teaching resources set includes 12 pages of road signs which you can use as bulletin board accent pieces to help you in decorating your bulletin board display of your students' work.


Road for School Bus Bulletin Board

blue bullet point Above: This set includes a 5 page road banner that you can assemble together and use for your bulletin board display if you wish.


Ideas for Back To School Bulletin Board Displays Bus Themes

blue bullet point Above: I do not have a photograph example of this finished school bus project. Above is an example of my School Bus Book Reports which are very similar (they are shorter in length and contain a different writing component). Hopefully this picture will give you an idea of what a finished bulletin board display using these projects would look like.



Meet The Stars of Our Classroom
Fun Back to School Creative Writing Activity

Meet the Stars of Our Classroom Set
Back to School English Teaching Resources

$3.99
 Add to Cart

Click on the Add to Cart button above to purchase this set of teaching resources.
You will be emailed a download link for this resource so you can download and use it today!

  • Secure payment method through Paypal.
  • Use your credit card or Paypal account.
  • Download link is emailed to you today!
  • Print as many copies as you want.
  • Save and reuse this fun project forever!
Payment Processed Through Paypal

Back to School Meet Our Class Banner

This five page banner is included for free in this set of Back to School English teaching resources.


blue bullet point Meet the Stars of Our Classroom Creative Writing Assignment Most teachers like to include a "get to know me" lesson plan activity during the first week of school. Your students probably completed a boring worksheet about this topic with their teacher from last year.

blue bullet point Put a new twist on this assignment by using these star shaped creative writing templates that your students will find unique and fun.

blue bullet point Meet the Stars of Our Classroom is a teaching resources set will engage your students in writing an introduction and description about themselves using fun star shaped templates.

Elementary School Classroom First Day of School Lesson Plans blue bullet point Although I have included these lesson plans on my Back to School English teaching resources page, this creative writing assignment can easily be used anytime of the school year.

blue bullet point This star shaped creative writing set contains six templates that are assembled together to form a large star. The finished star project measures 20 inches in width and 20 inches in height.

blue bullet point These star projects will make a colorful bulletin board display of your students' work. Everything that you need to complete these projects is included in this set of teaching resources. All that you will need is scissors, glue, tape, and coloring pencils.

blue bullet point Below is a photograph that shows a bulletin board display using these star templates. The stars in this photograph are from my star book reports instead of this "Meet the Stars of Our Classroom" set, but both projects are exactly the same size and shape.


Star Writing Templates Back To School Bulletin Board

blue bullet point Below is an example of the first draft writing worksheets that are included in this set of teaching resources. The line spaces on the first draft worksheets match the line spaces on the final draft star templates.


Meet the Stars of Our Classroom First Draft

blue bullet point Since this set of teaching resources uses the word favorite in it, there is a second set of resources which contains the spelling favourite for teachers in countries that use this spelling.

Back to School Students With Backpacks blue bullet point The 5 writing topics in this star project are:

  • My Family
  • My Favorite Subjects in School
  • My Hobbies and Interests
  • My Favorite Movies, Books, and T.V. Shows
  • I Felt Like a Star
  • In the center of the star template, students draw a picture.

blue bullet point This set includes 6 templates that assemble into the shape of a large star.

blue bullet point In the center of the star, students can draw a picture of themselves or they can glue a photograph of themselves.


Below are examples of the six star templates:

Star Writing Templates Fun Back To School Actitity Lesson Star Writing Templates Fun Back To School Actitity Lesson Meet the Stars of Our Classroom Left and Right Templates

When these six templates have been glued together,
the star project measures 20 inches in width and 20 inches in height.


This Back to School English teaching
resources set includes a grading rubric.

Star Grading Rubric Meet the Stars of Our Classroom

This set also contains color star templates.
Below are examples of the yellow and blue templates.
Orange, green, and pink templates are also included in this set.

Back to School Creative Writing Project Templates Back to School Creative Writing Project Worksheets


Cell Phone Text Message Templates:
My Summer Vacation

Cell Phone Text Message Templates: My Summer Vacation
Back to School English Teaching Resources

$4.50
 Add to Cart

Click on the Add to Cart button above to purchase this set of teaching resources.
You will be emailed a download link for this resource so you can download and use it today!

  • Secure payment method through Paypal.
  • Use your credit card or Paypal account.
  • Download link is emailed to you today!
  • Print as many copies as you want.
  • Save and reuse this fun project forever!
Payment Processed Through Paypal

My Summer Vacation Back to School Activity Bulletin Board Display Classroom

This five page banner is included for free in this set of Back to School English teaching resources.


My Summer Vacation Fun Lesson Plan Ideas blue bullet point Cell Phone Templates: How many times have students had to write an essay about their summer vacations during Grades 1 - 5?

blue bullet point If you choose to use a tradition lesson plan idea for this writing activity, your students will likely be very bored in your class. This is not something that you want your students to feel during the first week that they are in your classroom!

blue bullet point Instead, provide your students with an engaging and fun way for them to write about what they did during their summer vacations with these unique cell phone text message templates.

blue bullet point Instead of being bored, your students will go home during the first week of school anxious to tell their parents about a fun project activity that they completed in your class.


Cell Phone Project Templates
Cell Phone Project Bottom Templates

Above: Example of finished My Summer Vacation cell phone templates.


Elementary Girl Student Talking On Cell Phone blue bullet point Note: In the example above, you will notice text message abbreviations and symbols used in place of words.

blue bullet point Normally, I would not allow my students to use these types of abbreviations and symbols in their creative writing assignments, but for this activity, I felt that it was appropriate.

blue bullet point My students really enjoy being able to write their summer vacation text messages using the abbreviations and symbols that they commonly use everyday when they write text messages to their own friends.

blue bullet point For some of the abbreviations that my students used, they had to "translate" their messages for me, as I am not up to date on all of the codes and symbols that young people use in text messages these days!

blue bullet point Are you also looking for a unique activity that you can complete the first or second day of school that will provide you with student work samples so that you can create a colorful bulletin board display during the first week of school?

blue bullet point This is an ideal Back To School creative writing activity that will not take much time, is easy to assemble, and will provide you with student work samples that you can post on your bulletin board immediately.

blue bullet point You will be able to quickly design an eye catching bulletin board display featuring your students' work using the bulletin board banner and additional cell phone accent pieces that are included with this set of Back to School English teaching resources.

Elementary Girl Student With Cell Phone blue bullet point These cell phone templates measure 6 inches in width and 17 inches in height.

blue bullet point This Back To School English teaching resources set contains the following components:

  • First draft writing worksheet (1 page)
  • Black and white cell phone templates (2 pages)
  • Color cell phone templates (12 pages)
  • Bulletin board display banner (5 pages)
  • Colorful cell phone bulletin board display accent pieces (16 pages)
  • Grade level (Grades 1 - 8) cell phone bulletin board display accent pieces (4 pages)

blue bullet point For creative writing assignments, I believe that it is important for students to go through the writing process.

blue bullet point For this reason, my students never begin their creative writing assignments by writing on their final draft cell phone templates, instead they write on first draft worksheets. Then, they edit and revise their work on their own, with a partner, or in individual writing conferences with me.

blue bullet point Below is an example of the first draft writing worksheet that is included in this creative writing teaching resources set. The writing lines and spaces on the first draft worksheet match the lines and spaces on the final draft cell phone templates.

My Summer Vacation Cell Phone Printable Worksheets First Draft

blue bullet point After students have edited and revised their first drafts, you should give them their final draft cell phone templates.

blue bullet point There are two templates for students to glue together to assemble their cell phones. The two cell phone templates have thick borders around them, which makes it easy for students to cut out these templates on their own.

Below are examples of the final draft
black and white
cell phone templates.

My Summer Vacation Cell Phone Project Templates Top
My Summer Vacation Cell Phone Project Templates Bottom

Below: This set of teaching resources includes color phone templates.

There are 6 different colors to choose from:
orange, blue, red, green, pink, and purple.

My Summer Vacation Creative Writing Lesson Plans and Ideas
My Summer Vacation Fun Cell Phone Project Templates
Our Summer Vacations Creative Writing Project Templates

Below: To help you quickly decorate your bulletin board, I have included
8 cell phone accent pieces in this Back to School English teaching resources set.

Our Summer Vacation Writing Worksheets and Templates Top
Our Summer Vacation Writing Worksheets and Templates Bottom
Text Messages Creative Writing Assignment
Summer Vacation Creative Writing Ideas
Phone Templates for Elementary School Students
Cell Phone Templates and Project Ideas for Kids

Below: This set of teaching resources includes grade level cell phone accent pieces.

There are 8 separate sets of these cell phone templates for Grades 1 - 8.
The Grade 5 examples are shown below.

Grade 5 Back to School Lesson Plans Top Cell Phone Template
Grade 5 Back to School Lesson Plans Bottom Cell Phone Template
Grade 5 Back to School Teaching Resources Top Cell Phone Template
Grade 5 Back to School Teaching Resources Bottom Cell Phone Template

blue bullet point To help give you an idea of what these finished cell phone projects look like, below is a photograph of a bulletin board display using these same cell phone templates.

blue bullet point This example is from my cell phone book report projects, so the text area and drawing areas are a bit different than they are in this set of teaching resources. The cell phone templates in this set are exactly the same size and shape as the templates in the photograph below, and they measure 6 inches in width and 17 inches in height.


Fun Cell Phone Project Templates Bulletin Board Display Ideas

Cell Phone Bulletin Board Display: Back To School English Teaching Resources


Note: This is Page 1 of my Back To School English Teaching Resources section.
If you haven't visited Page 2 and Page 3 yet, click on one of the underlined links below.

Back to School English Teaching Resources:

Page 1

Back To School English Teaching Resources Page 2



red pencil


Click on one of the pencil cases below to view these
other categories of Back To School Teaching Resources:


Return To Main Back To School Teaching Resources Page Go To Back To School Powerpoint Lesson Plans Page Go To Back To School English Teaching Resources Page

Go To Back To School Math Teaching Resources Page Go To Back To School Printable Worksheets Page Go To Back To School Bulletin Board Displays Page



Back To School Resources for Elementary School Teachers

Thank you for visiting my Back To School English Teaching Resources page.

Please be sure to check out the other pages on Unique
Teaching Resources
for a large variety of fun lesson plan activities
that will engage your students in learning and save you valuable time.

Heidi McDonald

Creator and Website Manager
Unique Teaching Resources


Engage Your Students In Learning


green pencil

If you are interested in viewing other
Back To School teaching resources that are
found on my website, click on one of the links below.

Back To School Teaching Resources

Back To School Teaching Resources Information Page

Back To School Powerpoint Lesson Plans

Back To School English Teaching Resources Page 1  >  Page 2  >  Page 3

Back To School Math Teaching Resources

Back To School Printable Worksheets

Back To School Bulletin Board Displays

August and Back To School Writing Prompts

September Writing Prompts

Free Printable August Classroom Calendar

Free Printable September Classroom Calendar

Free Welcome Back To School Bulletin Board Display Banner

Back to School Lesson Plans and Ideas for Elementary School Teachers

Thumb Tacks

Click here to leave this page: Back To School English Teaching Resources
and go to my home page: Unique Teaching Resources

Return to Unique Teaching Resources Home Page


Unique Teaching Resources Facebook Page


Click here to follow Heidi and Unique Teaching Resources on Pinterest!



[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
follow us in feedly
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines

Click here to see the items in your shopping cart.

orange underline

Let's Stay Connected!

Click here to join Unique Teaching Resources on Facebook!

To join our fun
Facebook community
of over 118,000 teachers,
click the "Like" button below.


Click here to join our Facebook teaching community.Click here to follow our Pinterest boards.

"Teachers Have Class!" Newsletter

Click below to sign up for Teachers Have Class Newsletter
Click Here to Subscribe
Your Free Gift

orange underline

green underline

Roald Dahl Lesson Plans and Fun Group Projects

Click on the book titles
below to view each project.


orange underline




green underline

Fun Projects and Lesson Plans For Childrens Books

Click on the book titles
below to view each project.

Click here to view this unique cheeseburger book report project.


Click here to view this yummy sandwich book report project.

More Book Report Projects:

- Monopoly Gameboard
- Main Character Body
- Wanted Poster
- Biography Newspaper
- Castle
- Butterfly
- Caterpillar
- Dive Into Reading Fish
- *View All Projects*

70% Off Value Pack
28 Book Report Projects
+ 14 Free Gifts


orange underline

Click Here to Save 60 Percent on 28 Book Report Projects Value Pack

green underline