Whether you are a first year teacher or a veteran teacher, there are certain supplies that will make your teaching year so much easier. These would also be great gifts for student teachers and new teacher graduates! I give my own personal opinions and preferences throughout the post. My feeling won't be hurt if we don't agree on each item. ? If ... Continue Reading
Tips for Prepping Center Materials
If you have been following me for a while, you know how much I loved using centers in my classroom! Math and reading centers are engaging and make differentiation a piece of cake. (If you are looking for more information about math centers, you can check out THIS blog post or THIS video series.) My math centers for grades 2-5 are very popular, ... Continue Reading
Start the Year Off Right With Back to School Curriculum Night
Teacher communication is a vital part of a classroom's success. A perfect way to start this line of communication at the beginning of the year is at Open House or Curriculum Night. Every school has a different name for this event. I am NOT referring to Meet the Teacher, when you open your classroom doors, and meet your students for the first ... Continue Reading
Apps to Increase Parent Communication
I am a creature of habit, I have always felt most comfortable using email for parent communication. However, I've come to realize that with smartphones being the norm, a texting feature may be convenient for many families. This summer, I decided to reach out and learn about popular and free parent communication apps for my classroom. I looked into ... Continue Reading
Simple Ways to Celebrate Student Birthdays
Building relationships with your students is often more important than any reading or math skill that we'll teach in our classrooms. When kids know you care, they'll work harder and enjoy school more. One way to strengthen relationships with your students is by recognizing their birthdays. Let them know you care by focusing on their special day! ... Continue Reading
A Back to School Teacher Pep Talk
It's funny how ideas pop into your head at the oddest times, mine usually come to me in the middle of the night or on my drive to work. My latest brainstorm came to me at mile marker 0.2 on my summer run. Yep....I was already breathing heavy and regretting a 7 a.m. run when the temperature was already 90 degrees. Well, I set a goal ... Continue Reading
Picture Books that Support Growth Mindset
Growth mindset is an important topic to discuss all year long, but it is especially easy to implement at the start of the year. As teachers, it is our job to encourage and promote a growth mindset in our classrooms as much as possible. I love integrating picture books into these lessons. You could use the following books at the start of the ... Continue Reading
5 Back to School Read Alouds
The first weeks of school are always my favorite time of year. We are encouraged to stay away from the curriculum and build a positive and caring classroom community. It’s time to lay down the foundation for the year, set procedures in place, and most importantly, get to know your students. I love using picture books during the first weeks of ... Continue Reading
Tips for Successful Writing Mini Lessons
How do you teach writing? I used the writing workshop model. I did modify the model slightly to make it work in my classroom. You can read more about that by clicking HERE. I loved that this model helped my students to grow as writers, but it also got them excited about writing. That's not always easy to do!One of the components of a successful ... Continue Reading
What is Writing Workshop?
Teaching writing can be challenging. Writing is very subjective. There really isn't one right way to write. That's why we don't all like to read the same books. And it makes writing instruction a tad difficult. On top of that, teachers struggle to squeeze writing into their already full classroom schedule. The struggle is real. I totally ... Continue Reading
