I can't even begin to tell you how much I love the grow your own polar bear easy winter science experiment. First of all, anything with gummy bears is always a hit with kids... and yes I let them eat a couple pieces of candy. Second of all, these booklets are the easiest way to teach the parts of the scientific method. This lesson is perfect for winter, a polar bear unit, or just because! I'll take you through the steps and results that I got with my class so you can try it out too! [...]
November is a time of year that provides us with so many Thanksgiving opinion writing prompts. I always enjoy talking with students about the different traditions that different families have around holidays. I have found over the years, than many of my students do not even eat turkey on Thanksgiving! This is a fun Thanksgiving Opinion Writing Activity that you could complete after reading different Thanksgiving books! We read the story Turk and Runt and then discuss what other foods we would choose to[...]
Veterans Day is such a special holiday for us and our students. There are so many easy Veterans Day activities you can incorporate into your classroom. One of my favorite assemblies of the year is our Veterans Day assembly. Veterans and family members of students are welcomed into our school for a very special celebration. Whether your school does something school wide or not, it is important to teach students the significance of this special day. I've put together ideas for quick and easy Veterans Day activ[...]
Can I just say, when I first saw people sharing classroom transformation ideas I was completely overwhelmed! I know I'm not the only teacher out there that probably sees these wild transformations and thinks "NO WAY". Here's the thing though, I'm all about trying new strategies in the classroom and people promised that it increased engagement... so I went for it! I can't wait to share my easy classroom transformation ideas with you! Friends, those teachers weren't kidding. Classroom transformations are a GA[...]
Halloween in the classroom is usually wild and chaotic! When I went to a new school, I was a little relieved to hear we didn't do Halloween parties, but I still wanted to make Halloween a special day for my students. I decided to make holidays, review days and here's why... 1. If you've been in the classroom on Halloween, you know that focusing is not the easiest for kids. Trying to introduce a full day of new content just isn't going to be as successful as it would on a different day. 2. Centers are[...]
These parent teacher conference tips will surely help take away the stress that comes with conferences! I always love getting to talk with parents and show off the amazing things we do in our class, but the fear of an angry parent or saying the wrong thing always keeps me up at night. After hundreds of parent teacher conferences, I finally figured out some parent teacher conference tips and tricks that help take the stress away! Parent Teacher Conference Tip #1: Photos = Smiles! Have a picture of each child[...]
Planning for a substitute doesn't have to be stressful! There's nothing worse than waking up sick in the middle of the night and trying to decide how sick you actually are because the thought of writing sub plans sounds miserable. This used to be me, until I created an editable sub plan template and procedure that made writing plans easy and stress-free!Tip #1: Ditch the lengthy sub plans and keep it SIMPLE!Your sub is doing the best they can. They aren't you. They are usually overwhelmed, stressed, and low o[...]
One of the best ways to group students for reteach and enrich is by collecting data on formative assessments throughout the week. I created this free checklist system that allows teachers to quickly check out which students will need a reteach lesson and which students will need enrichment. It is perfect for differentiating for students throughout the week! I included a couple options so that you can fit what works best for you and your classroom! QUICK TIP: Write our your student names once, then cop[...]
Back to school time can get a little chaotic. There are so many rules and procedures that need to be taught that first week of school and it can be hard to keep track of what has and hasn't been taught yet. In elementary school especially, it is so important to create clear expectations and routines that 1st week of school.How to use a Classroom Behavior Checklist: In order to keep track of the rules and expectations that have been taught, I created a checklist that could be used from year to year. I wri[...]
For as much as teachers love to teach, it can also bring on a lot of stress and anxiety. These are the moments when teachers need to take a step back and practice self care. One idea for teachers is to keep a Happy File near or on their desk. What is a Happy File?A Happy File is a place where teachers can collect the moments that make them smile throughout the school year. It can be sweet parent notes, letters from students, those funny misspellings students make, or a little post-it where you write down[...]