Do you do show and tell or sharing in your classroom? We call it Sharing in my classroom and it is a fun, meaningful, and beneficial time. My students get so excited to share their favorite toys, keepsakes, photos, and more! Why Is Sharing Important? Community Building Learn more about your students' personal ... read more
Back to School Book Challenge!
One of my favorite ways to kick off the school year is with our Back to School Book Challenge! It's easy, free, and fun....and I'll tell you a few other reasons why I love it and how you can do it in your classroom this year! Book Challenge Benefits!! Goal Setting This is a fun and informal way to start talking ... read more
Seven Ways to Reward Little Learners
Positive reinforcement and authentic praise are the best ways to let a student know that they are on the right track! In this post, I'm going to list my easiest and most frequently used ways of letting my students know "JOB WELL DONE!" 1. Verbal and Nonverbal Recognition This is the quickest and easiest way to let a ... read more
Got Time Fillers?? I Do!
One inevitable part of teaching is that you will sometimes be left with a small block of time and no formal plans. Maybe you've lined up a few minutes early, arrived at specials a few minutes ahead of time, or are waiting around for a bus or an assembly. Whatever it is, it's always good to have some easy time fillers in ... read more
Why Try Logic Puzzles?
Have you tried doing Logic Puzzles with your students? They are fun for kids, but can also serve a very important purpose in building logical thinking and reasoning skills. Here are FIVE reasons I love logic puzzles AND I'll work through a sample grid puzzle to show how they work! 1. Critical Thinking and Reasoning ... read more
Morning Chat Tubs
We start the day with time to chat with our friends, be creative, and settle in before diving in to our rigorous content each day! How do we do this? Morning Chat Tubs! Ground Rules for Students Students come in to the classrooms, put backpacks and lunch boxes away, turn in any papers or notes, and choose a tubFour ... read more
Poem of the Week…A Three Part Series PART THREE
In Part One and Part Two, I talked about how I've been doing a poem or song of the week for my entire teaching career (mostly First Grade) and I gave the basics of where this fits into my day, how it works in my classroom, and what we do each day of the week.If you missed those posts, check out... Part One-The "Who, ... read more
Poem of the Week…A Three Part Series PART TWO
In Part One, I talked about how I've been doing a poem or song of the week for my entire teaching career (mostly First Grade) and I gave the basics of where this fits into my day and how it works in my classroom.If you missed anything, check outPart One-The "Who, What, When, Where, Why, How" of Poem of the Week! Today, ... read more
Poem of the Week…A Three Part Series PART ONE
A Poem of the Week is a fantastic routine to implement during your literacy block with young and emergent readers. It works for Pre-K students as well as Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade. I've been doing a poem or song of the week for my entire teaching career (mostly First Grade) and it's one of my favorite and ... read more
TEN Useful and Fun End of the Year Classroom Ideas!
I don't do a big countdown or anything toward the end of the year, but nevertheless, the kiddos know the end of the school year is coming!! So, I've developed some things over the years that help us embrace the chaos while still working hard and staying on track!! I've also learned over the years, that no matter where you ... read more
