Imagine this… Your class is filled with loud chatter, laughter, and perhaps even some singing. You do one little thing. Just one. And then everything changes. All you hear is silence. (And no, it is not screaming on the top of your lungs.) MAGIC. That is the only word that
Teaching biographies can feel intimidating at first, but once you have a solid understanding of the genre, a roadmap of how to teach it, and teaching resources and activities, it’s easy! This post will equip you with all of that and more! You’ll feel prepared (and maybe even excited) about
Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd each year to mark the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement. It’s a great time to discuss taking care of the environment by going green and recycling. It’s also a great time to share quality read alouds related to taking
Before I get into sharing some simple word study ideas, let me tell you something: sometimes things are just ironic. I’ve been working with my first grade son on word study patterns that complement his weekly focus in class. For example, last week they did long i using “magic e”
Groundhog Day is one of those holidays that totally sneaks up on you as an elementary teacher. By the time you turn the calendar to February… BAM! It’s already here. This post will share some read aloud and resource recommendations to help you plan ahead to celebrate the little guy
Teachers like you are always on the move. On any given day, you may find yourself shuffling around the classroom helping students with a science experiment, joining a group of kids who are sitting on the floor working on a project and pulling select learners to work with you for
Do you know Todd Parr? Oh, how I love him. At home, we have his book, Underwear Dos and Don’ts. My twins can’t get enough of that book. My son is 6 and he loves it, but he’s a 6 year old boy and underwear is funny. The girls are
Elementary teachers have two types of resources: district-issued curriculum and books and materials that have been self-purchased. While you have more flexibility in how you organize and handle the latter, there are ways to make both functional and easy to access. Read below to learn how to purge unnecessary resource
Do you waste time searching through your teacher bag to find what you need? Do you cringe every time you look inside of your bag? If so, let’s change that by getting your teacher bag organized! By sampling, decluttering, and tidying your bag, you will feel so much better and feel
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
