402: Make Your Space a Partner with Flexible Resources — The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast | ELA

You know how some spaces just make you feel excited to DO something? Whether it's a Cricut getting your wheels spinning with what-ifs, beautiful shelves of paint inviting you to decorate holiday pottery, or a giant stack of cookbooks suddenly causing you to wonder if it's time to fill the cookie jar, well-organized resources in a creative space can help bring out your creative side.

Today, let's talk about how to choose and organize flexible resources for your ELA classroom, anytime you've got the budget and bandwidth. (Check out this post on how to use Donors Choose, if your budget is continuously falling short of your needs).

Ooh, one more thing before we start. Throughout this podcast, I'm showcasing graphics and displays from the #evolvingEDdesign Toolkit, a vast free resource I made for you. You can grab it here.

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Links:

The (Vast) Ed Design (Free) Toolkit: https://sparkcreativity.kartra.com/page/evolvingEDdesign

The Do's and Don'ts of Donors Choose: https://nowsparkcreativity.com/2019/01/the-dos-and-donts-of-donors-choose-for.html

The Power of the Writing Makerspace: https://nowsparkcreativity.com/2018/09/the-power-of-writing-makerspace-with.html

The Ed Deck: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Ed-Deck-Lesson-Plan-Inspiration-ELA-Activities-and-Projects-Editable-5106443

Sources Considered, Consulted, and Cited for this Series & for the Toolkit:

Abdaal, Ali. Feel Good Productivity. Celadon Books, 2023.

"Aesthetics and Academic Spaces." Teachers College, Columbia University Youtube Channel: Curriculum Encounters Podcast, Episode 4. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuFs4Fyk-v0Bwtuy1eQJ3JkRTeL4Sjyz4 Accessed Oct. 21, 2025.

Chavez, Felicia. The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop. Haymarket Books, 2021.

Dintersmith, Ted. Documentary: Most Likely to Succeed. 2015.

Dintersmith, Ted. What Schools Could Be. Princeton University Press, 2018.

Doorley, Scott & Witthoft, Doorley. make space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration. John Wiley and Sons, 2012.

"Exploring Google's Headquarters in San Francisco." Digiprith Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxGqbmFf9Qc. Accessed October 13, 2015.

"High Tech High Virtual Tour." High Tech High Unboxed Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87xU9smFrj0 . Accessed October 15, 2025.

"Inside YouTube's Biggest Office In America | Google's YouTube Headquarters Office Tour." The Roaming Jola Youtube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P26fDfFBx8I . Accessed October 14, 2025.

Novak, Katie. Universal Design for Learning in English Language Arts. Cast Inc., 2023.

Potash, Betsy. "Research-Based Practices to Ignite Creativity, with Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle." The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast, Episode 393.

Pringle, Zorana Ivcevic. The Creativity Choice. Public Affairs, 2025.

Ritchart, Ron and David Perkins. "Making Thinking Visible." Educational Leadership, February 2008, p.p. 57-61. https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/makingthinkingvisibleEL.pdf. Accessed October 13, 2025.

Richardson, Carmen and Punya Mishra. "Scale: Support of Creativity in a Learning Environment