This free printable Psalm 23 Bible Bingo game is a fun way for kids to review the themes in this passage in Sunday School Lessons or at home.
Kids will have fun learning about the European country GERMANY with these free printable coloring pages that teach and are fun.
Take your word work reading center to the next level with these low prep and engaging word work centers! Plus, learn how to organize and run the word work center!
Tons of free printable 4th grade worksheets, games and educational activites to make learning fun for grade 4 students.
Learn about five different biomes as you color and read key facts about with free printable Biome Coloring Pages for Prek-4th graders.
Are you looking for a way to scaffold math vocabulary and concepts and make math more visual? In this post are photos of math word walls for elementary, middle and high school math along with photos of math classroom word walls that teachers have sent to me of their math classroom set up. Included in this post are links to free math word wall cards and discounted printable math word wall bundles for a variety of math topics. I am updating each math word wall to include a virtual option. Now in the files will be color, black and white and interactive digital math word wall options.
Do you dread having early finishers in your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade classroom? Every classroom has them. Grab some free challenges in this post!
Looking for a fun way to introduce the writing process to your students? What about using playdough? Come grab a fun & hands on lesson for your classroom!
Go down under as you learn about Australia for Kids with these free printable books filled with information to read, color, andl learn!
Having trouble finding main idea activities your students can complete successfully on their own? Look no further! Here are 3 main idea games that work perfectly as centers and will give your students critical practice on this tricky skill.
Changing grade levels is difficult for teachers, so I've written this post about moving to 4th grade to help get you started.
When I started at my new school last year, I came into a new reading program. I was used to doing almost all of my reading instruction WHOLE CLASS, but my school uses a guided reading model all the way up to 5th grade. I definitely had to rethink my reading block! I had done centers in the past, but wanted a really clear way to maximize the time and make the transitions clear for the students. Here's how I do my guided reading block! ROTATIONS We have Guided Reading/Centers Monday-Thursday from about 1:10-2:00 and I rotate through four groups. This means each center is 12 minutes long, with about 30 seconds for a transition. 12 minutes can fly by, so the students have to work on getting those transitions DOWN. I found a FANTASTIC resource by my friend Kristen of Chalk & Apples, and it has made centers SO easy. There are tons of different icons that can be easily swapped out on different days or weeks. I change mine up all the time! In a typical week, I do guided reading with leveled passages on Monday and Wednesday, and we do literature circles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. GROUPS My students are grouped according to DRA levels, because that is what my school uses. You might use AR, Lexile, or another measure. I have four groups: Low, Low-Mid, High-Mid, and High. Each group has a number, but I assign the number randomly so it doesn't match up to skill level in any way. I have 24 students in my class this year, so there will be 6 kids in each group. If you have a larger class, you can still make it work by having your higher groups work on their own while you work with a lower group and just check in! GUIDED READING I LOVE this close reading resource from Fifth in the Middle. I bought the entire bundle so I have TONS of options. Each reading comes in four reading levels, but they are on the same topic and look the same so students don't notice. There is also a paired text that I try to use for morning work toward the end of the week. There are several pages of activities for each passage, and I often have the students start these at the table with me after we've read the passage out loud. When it is their turn for guided reading, the students come to me at our back table with a pencil and a highlighter. I give them their sheets for that day and discuss what we will be looking for while we read (unfamiliar words usually) and we begin reading. I like to make sure each child reads, so however I have to break it up to make that happen. After reading through, I ask them to scan through again to find specific information. This changes week to week, so one time it might be looking for transition phrases, and another it might be looking for dates to create a timeline. Then, we talk about what everyone found and work on putting together the information on the worksheet. I, of course, provide a lot more scaffolding and support to my lower readers, while my high readers are able to do the activity on their own. LIT CIRCLES On the days that we have literature circles, the students still come to the back table with me, but this time they bring their lit circle book (which varies) and their lit circle binder. In their binder, they keep all of their jobs and their reading schedule. I have used about a GAZILLION resources for lit circles (including online blogs), but this one from Pocketful of Primary is my absolute FAVORITE: It is SOO easy to adapt to groups of different sizes and I found it very user-friendly for both the kiddos and for myself! I organize the jobs using a hanging file I found on Amazon. You can find it here: THE OTHER CENTERS So what do the kiddos do during their other blocks of time? Here's some options I cycle through: STAPLES: Partner Reading Each student has a partner from their reading group that they meet up with for this activity. I typically use "I Survived" books or similar short chapter books. I stock up through Scholastic! I have 6 shared books for the entire class, and I place a sheet inside the front cover so the students can write their names and where they ended each day they read. I always have new books ready to go for the students who finish. I do this strictly for fluency, so I don't do quizzes or worksheets. Silent Reading (KBAR) In my class, we call silent reading KBAR- Kick Back and Read. When we do a whole class KBAR, I sometimes take it outside. Spelling (Spelling City) I typically use Spelling City for centers, but sometimes do a worksheet instead. Vocabulary (Quizlet)Quizlet is AMAZING. I love using this for vocabulary! The students really enjoy it as well. Keyboarding (KWT) This is a tough one since monitoring the students' finger placement is so important. I don't do this OFTEN as a center, but throw it in now and again. Writing If we are working on a longer project (such as the state report), I have the students use this chunk of time for that. Otherwise, I sometimes provide a prompt or allow them to free write. Here's one of the resources I use: NoRedInk If you've never used this site, CHECK IT OUT! It's one of the best ways to get some extra grammar practice into your day! Be aware that the initial set up takes a bit of time because the students have to select a bunch of their favorites from different categories: books, tv shows, movies. What's neat is the site uses their preferences and their name + their friends' names when building the practice sentences. The kids get a kick out of it! Task Cards (small group) Students work with their reading group and record their answers on individual answer sheets. I have a huge selection of task cards that I keep in one of these bad boys from Michael's: Cursive (Can Do) I love that my school teaches cursive, but in fifth grade, we don't have a lot of specific time for it. To keep the kid's practicing, I assign pages from our cursive book during centers. Reading Comprehension (Reading Plus) We use Reading Plus, but there are many online reading comprehension sites. Use whatever your district provides or what works for your class! Games I will occasionally throw in a review game for the kids to play with their small group. The key is they have to be short and not too loud! Comment below if you have other questions or want to add some advice on running smooth ELA centers with Guided Reading!
At the beginning of the year, it can be difficult to get a clear picture of how our students are performing in math. Use these math pre-assessments to help!
These super cute, NO PREP, All About Me Worksheet pages are perfect for a first day of school activity. Print Back to School Printable here!
Morning Meeting is the best part of the day in my 4th-grade classroom, and I want to share some of my fourth graders’ favorite morning meeting activities. These morning meeting activities are ones that we use all year to work on teamwork, classroom community, and just having fun building relationships together! Use these Morning […]
Today I'm sharing one of my favourite tasks for building community in the classroom. Students are able to share an important aspect of themselves (the story of their name) with the class and with me, their teacher. Through this task we are also working on important skills, like reading comprehension, writing, and reflection. Day 1 To begin, I asked my students to write any name they wish they had on a sticky note. They then placed it in a mason jar. I read my class the story "The Name Jar" by Yansook Choi. We stopped at several points in the story to predict, make connections, infer, and ask questions. At one point, we paused in the story so that students could journal about the name they wrote down on the sticky note earlier: - Did they choose their own name? Or another? - Why? - If you chose another name, where did you hear that name before? Day 2 At the end of Day 1, students were given homework. (Stick around to the bottom of this post for a chance to get your own copy of this sheet.) I make it very clear, that while names all have meanings, your family may not have chosen your name for that reason. They might not know the meaning, and you can choose to look it up with your family if you wish. I also focus a lot on nicknames and your own feelings about your name. While I've never taught a student in foster care, or one who was adopted, I do think it's important to mention that this could be a touchy task in those situations, so be sure to know your students first, and modify as needed. Students use the homework task, and the journal write from the previous day, to write "The Story of their Name". Some possible options to include are: - who you are named after - the meaning of your name - a name you'd rather have - your feelings toward your name - nicknames you may have - the person (or people) who chose your name - how your name was chosen This piece of writing is then self, peer, and teacher edited, and a "good" copy is made. Day 3 I found this excellent step-by-step self-portrait from "Art Projects for Kids". I modified the task so that instead of drawing the left or right side of their face, they would draw the top half. Students find that folding their page into quadrants as she suggests is very helpful. Under the document camera I demonstrate each step, and students copy, adapting to their own facial features. Each student gets a mirror to look in to help them personalize. The final pieces are put on a bulletin board for display. Students also coloured in a bubble letter version of their names to complete the display. (I used the font KG Red Hands Outline for this.) Day 4 Once we've completed the task, the last job is to reflect on our work. I pulled some elements from our Arts Education curriculum (very relevant regardless of where you teach) for students to self-assess on. I've used the proficiency scale language our school has moved to for all reporting. A few students found it helpful to complete their reflection while looking at the finished product on their bulletin board, but most didn't need this. Want a copy of both my homework and reflection pages? Follow the image or button below to grab your copy. Take Me to the Free Download Pin this post.
Another project in my big Art History unit with my students is finally all displayed and ready to be shared! The two above were chosen for Youth Art Month at the Portage County Library! I found this project via pinterest (which is the worst kind of pinterest post). JUST an image. However, this image was actually pretty useful for understanding the project. Day 1: Picasso intro! Short and sweet powerpoint with a YouTube video of Picasso in action. I did stop it a minute early because he paints a naked lady (and I wasn't ready to tackle that). They really seemed to enjoy this short clip, makes the artist a lot more real to them. If only we had video of Van Gogh! After the video we played "Roll a Picasso" here is a version on Teachers Pay Teachers but I made my own to add a view more parts to it. My students absolutely loved this. They did it for 30 minutes without getting bored! I told them there was no mistakes, they didn't need to erase, and they would take them with them when they left. If they got sick of drawing they could switch to coloring them. I really wish I would of taken some pictures. There was really great ones! Day 2: I show them a little poster that I put together reminding them of some things about Picasso and showing some of his other works. Then I demo drawing the different features on the paper scraps using oil pastels and finishing with a black crayon. I saw such a higher level of confidence of this project and I think it was because of the Roll a Picasso. They had come in knowing what their strengths were with what features, and I didn't limit them to the ones on the sheet either. If there was a way they wanted to draw a feature or knew how, they did it. Day 3: Showed the poster once again just to remind them of Picasso (seeing as we only see each other once every six school days)! And started with a short demo of creating the head shape and coloring and assembling it. Started with drawing the head, arranging the pieces, traced them, took them off and colored the sections of the face with oil pastels. If it didn't naturally break into sections they did it where they thought best. Last step was glue sticking them on and tracing the added paper and lines in black crayon. I am so excited to share these with you, I just LOVE how these turned out! McDill Elementary... Kennedy Elementary... Jefferson Elementary...
Five steps for fostering a calm classroom morning routine in upper elementary that will translate into better classroom management.
Looking for ways to use comprehension passages in your classroom? Come check out how use mine plus check out my new comprehension one pagers!
From set-up to clean-up, this post shares everything teachers need to know about fourth grade classroom transformations!
14 Brilliant Ways to Quiet a Noisy Class! Check out these behavior management strategies for classroom management!
Read for first week of school ideas and get a First Week Feels Student Survey Freebie!
This blog post features five free idiom activities, like a free idioms PowerPoint, game, task cards, and an engaging anchor chart!
Put an end to the early finisher challenge with these fun and engaging (and free!) choice board activities for early finishers!
Second Step: K-4th Grade 108 Lesson Worksheets This is a BUNDLE of worksheets designed to follow Kindergarten through 4th Grade of the Second Step Curriculum. You're saving 20% off the individual unit prices by purchasing this bundle! They are the perfect extension to the lessons, homework, or small group lessons to reteach or reinforce the concepts. Many of the lessons overlap across the grade levels so they are perfect for differentiating for students. They also have limited amount of writing so they are great adaptations for students who are averse to writing or have special needs. This resource is intended for teachers, special educators, counselors, social workers, or psychologists to use after each lesson. 108 Worksheets Kindergarten: Lesson 1-I Can Listen! (Boy and Girl) Lesson 2-My Attent-O-Scope Lesson 3-Follow,Follow Lesson 4-My Self-Talk Helps Me Remember (with Teacher Guide) Lesson 5-My Assertive Posture (Boy and Girl) Lesson 6-What Are They Feeling? Lesson 7-Comfortable or Uncomfortable Lesson 8-How My Face Feels Angry Lesson 9-Two Feelings Lesson 10-Was It An Accident? Lesson 11-Saying Kind Things to Help Others Lesson 12-Where Are My Feelings? Lesson 13-Name Your Feelings Lesson 14-Belly Breaths Lesson 15-Things To Do While Waiting Lesson 16-When I Feel Angry Lesson 17-What Could I Do? Lesson 18-What Does Their Face Say? Lesson 19-Pick The Best Solution Lesson 20-I Can Invite My Friends Lesson 21-Playing Fair Lesson 22-Make Good Choices Lesson 23-Having Things Taken Away Lesson 24-Handling Name Calling 1st Grade: Lesson 1-I Can Use the Listening Rules Lesson 2-My Attent-O-Scope Helps Me Focus (with Teacher Guide) Lesson 3-Following Directions (with Teacher Guide) Lesson 4-Self-Talk Helps Me Learn Lesson 5-Assetive Ways to Ask for Help Lesson 6-Feeling Faces Lesson7-Body Language Lesson 8-How Do You Feel? Lesson 9-Inviting Actions Lesson 10-Saying it’s an Accident Lesson 11-Showing You Care Lesson 12-My Body Tells Me About Feeling Lesson 13-Thinking Clearly With Strong Feelings Lesson 14-How I Use Belly Breathing Lesson 15-Calm Down With Positive Self-Talk Lesson 16-Counting Calms Me Lesson 17-Say the Problem and Think of Solutions Lesson 18-What Might Happen Lesson 19-Fun Ways to Play Lesson 20-Asking Others to Join Lesson 21-Stopping Name Calling 2nd Grade: Lesson 1-I Can Be Respectful (Boy and Girl) Lesson 2-Focus and Listen to Directions (with Teacher Guide) Lesson 3-Classroom Distractions Lesson 4-My Assertive Words Lesson 5-Comfortable or Uncomfortable? Lesson 6-Feeling Photographs Lesson7-How I Show Confidence Lesson 8-What Do You Like? Lesson 9-I Show My Care Lesson 10-When it’s an Accident Lesson 11-Focus on Body Clues Lesson 12-Dealing with Strong Feelings Lesson 13-How I Belly Breathe Lesson 14-Positive or Negative Self Talk Lesson 15-The Anger Rules Lesson 16-Focused and On Task (with Teacher Guide) Lesson 17-Blaming Words Lesson 18-Safe and Respectful Solutions Lesson 19-Responsible Choices Lesson 20-Including Others Lesson 21-Rules of the Game 3rd Grade: Lesson 1-I Can Be a Respectful Learner Lesson 2-Ignoring Distractions Lesson 3-Assertive or Not Assertive? Lesson 4-Make a Plan Lesson 5-How I Feel Lesson 6-Noticing How Others Feel Lesson7-Two Feelings Lesson 8-Accepting or Judging? Lesson 9-Compasionate Acts Lesson 10-Conversation Skills Lesson 11-Don’t Flip Your Lid Lesson 12-Stop Signal Words Lesson 13-Everyone Makes Mistakes Lesson 14-Recover From Disappointment Lesson 15-Calm Down and Use Your Words Lesson 16-Don’t Jump to Conclusions Lesson 17-Blaming Never Helps Lesson 18-Choices Have Consequences Lesson 19-Pick the Best Solution Lesson 20-Ways to Include Others Lesson 21-Just Say No 4th Grade: Lesson 1-How Do They Feel? Lesson 2-I Can Listen with Attention Lesson 3-Using Assertive Words Lesson 4-How Would You Feel? Lesson 5-Different Feelings Lesson 6-Through Someone’s Eyes Lesson 7-Conversation Starters Lesson 8-How to Join In Lesson 9-How I Care Lesson 10-How I Feel Strong Emotions Lesson 11-Stop Signals Lesson 12-Changing Negative Self Talk Lesson 13-Handling Fears Lesson 14-Automatic Negative Thoughts Lesson 15-What Should You Do? Lesson 16-Say it Without Blaming Lesson 17-Generating Solutions Lesson 18-Solving Big Problems Lesson 19-Playing Peacefully Lesson 20-Taking Responsibility Lesson 21-Using I Statements Other Extension Materials for Second Step Curriculum: Kindergarten Pocket Chart Cards • 3”x6” pocket chart cards • 38 Total Cards aligned with Vocabulary and Feeling Words from the Second Step Curriculum • Vocabulary Cards present new concepts from the lessons • Feeling Cards are color coded Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue to follow Zones of Regulation *************************************************************************** How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases: • Please go to your My Purchases page (you may need to login). Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Simply click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a short comment for the product. Each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases. I value your feedback greatly as it helps me determine which products are most valuable for your classroom so I can create more for you. Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies and product launches: • Look for the green star next to my store logo and click it to become a follower. Voila! You will now receive email updates about this store.
Nearly 400 teachers weighed in on their favorite back-to-school activities and ice breakers - and here are their top picks! The most popular, practical, and unique back-to-school activities loved by teachers around the world!
Literature and Nonfiction Reading Skills Interactive Lessons for Upper Elementary and Middle School English Language Arts. Common Core
These scarecrow silhouette paintings are perfect for the fall and Halloween. You can make them as haunting or cute as you want.
10 significant reasons to read aloud to students on a
Welcome back for the second part of my ELA blog post series! Today I am sharing all about my reading center routines and activities. If you missed the first post about my reading whole group lessons, you can click HERE to get caught up. Let me start by reminding you of my entire ELA block schedule. Center
From set-up to clean-up, this post shares everything teachers need to know about fourth grade classroom transformations!
Now that our realistic fiction story planning is complete and we are ready to start drafting, I wanted to make sure my students had a better understanding how dialogue, how to use it (judiciously, of course!), and how it can help tell the I start my dialogue studies with making sure students are clear about […]
Teaching Poetry ideas for upper elementary students in 3rd, 4th, 5th grade. You will find poetry writing activities, poem term posters & more
