Printable math manipulatives used to just be a good tool for homework support, when classroom manipulatives went missing, or when we didn’t have access due to financial constraints. 2020 changed everything. Now printable math manipulatives are an essential resource for all elementary teachers. Whether you use remote learning, distance learning,
Shhhh… It’s a secret. 😉 I actually take attendance on my own silently. As the students are getting settled, I go down my class list and visually verify that all of the children are accounted for and submit my attendance online. This allows me to quickly and accurately get the
When I taught kindergarten I welcomed guest readers into my classroom, which I referred to as mystery readers. My little ones were so excited to see who the secret guest would be. We had moms, dads, siblings, grandparents and other special friends. I remember getting a note from one of
Are you looking for a word study center that is highly engaging, reusable, easily prepped, student-driven, and open-ended for differentiation purposes? This classroom BOGGLE center is exactly what you need! It’s an interactive word study display called BOGGLE that is very popular among elementary teachers. Learn more about it and
Each teacher has a bulletin board in the hallway at my school. I think it is my favorite one to do because it can be random. I like everything in my classroom to match whatever classroom decor theme or color scheme I selected for the year, but the sky is
The first day of school has all the makings to be chaotic. Parents want to hold conferences as they drop their child off. Kids are not aware of your expectations. They definitely don’t know the procedures and routines, yet. There’s also the arrival of the child who just moved into
Because you are a classroom teacher, you know setting aside an area for student mail and parent communication is essential. You have lots of options on how to create this space. I know because I’ve tried them all. There are pros and cons to each. In this post, I’ll recommend
I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest. Let me tell you why! I certainly find oodles of inspiration there, but, more often than not, it makes me feel like a slacker. I high-five myself when I use a Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter on my kids’ sandwiches when packing lunches in
One of our goals as teachers is to help our students discover their love of writing. An effective tool to help us achieve this is a writing center. When creating a writing center, you want to designate a space that will allow you to make the tools needed for the
Some teachers think that listening centers are just for kindergarten, first, and second graders; however, the older kids love listening centers too! Students of all ages benefit tremendously from listening to texts being read aloud. This post shares information about listening centers, as well as tons of ideas for setting
The library is one of the most important parts of an elementary classroom. There are so many different ways to organize and set up this space in your classroom. Your decision on how to organize comes down to your personal preference, grade level, and space. You want to make it
Elementary teachers often look for classroom reading nook ideas or search for pictures of classroom reading corners for inspiration the weeks leading up to back to school. The great thing is that you don’t actually need to go out of your way to design or create a reading nook in
