Do you and I run in the same circles? Doubt it. Although we do share at least one circle: teaching. Right? And if you and I ha...
5 ideas for better activity transitions in middle and high school classes
Do you and I run in the same circles? Doubt it. Although we do share at least one circle: teaching. Right? And if you and I ha...
Prepositions are about my favorite concept to teach. It really doesn’t get more fun than playing hide and seek, barking directions at each other and dancing around in the therapy room. If you haven’t checked out my other posts in this movement series, you’ll want to head HERE (or click “series” in the menu […]
Here is how to live in Sweden! Your complete guide to what you will need to settle down in this Scandinavian country.
Getting ready to move your classroom this year? Don't stress! These 10 tips are sure to make sure moving classrooms is easy!
I taught for several years at my previous school. During my second year there, our school received a grant to become a Leader in Me school. You've probably heard of this program... it's based on Stephen Covey's popular The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The Leader in Me program brings those habits into the school setting, teaching that ALL students can be leaders in their own way. So what did I think of this program? Like everything else, it definitely has its pros and cons. I did love how the language of the 7 Habits was everywhere in our school- it really helped put everyone on the same page, as far as expectations. I loved that every single child in my class had a classroom leadership job. I loved our student-led conferences, where parents came to hear their children explain data and goals and my only job was to literally smile and say, "Thanks for coming!" What didn't I like? It was a lot of work, especially upfront. A ton of training, followed by a lot of trial and error to figure out what worked best. Each student had to keep leadership binders, filled with weekly data keeping, goal-setting and other logistical nightmares (I taught 1st and then 2nd grade, but even my daughter, who was in pre-k, had a binder and goals to keep up with). Each year our school hosted a Leadership Day, which was fantastic from an outsider's point of view but, again, a lot of work on the part of the teachers. I imagine it may have been a bit more self-sufficient in the upper grades, but it took a lot of practice with the younger kids. After a couple years of Leader in Me, I ended up creating several products to help myself, my team and everyone else out there who is new to this program! This page was one of the very first items I ever created. My students each had a classroom leadership job. The jobs changed only after Christmas. Part of the process of choosing a new job was having my students reflect on the job they had just completed. This reflection went into their Leadership Binder. {This item is a FREEBIE in my TPT store! CLICK HERE!} In my classroom, we would brainstorm all the possible jobs we needed (board eraser, floor sweeper, class library organizer, line leader, pencil sharpener, etc.). The jobs are basically the normal classroom jobs that you've always had, just with the twist that the students help you determine which ones are needed AND you have enough for every single student to have a job (however, some of these jobs- like returning library books our class had checked out- were only performed on a weekly basis). Once we brainstormed the jobs, my class would "apply" for the job of their choice. It was a great real world connection. CLICK HERE for this product! Probably the biggest lifesaver I created were my Leadership Binder covers and dividers. Some classes called these Leadership Notebooks or Leadership Folders. I always found binders were most helpful as far as storage and keeping everything "together." Every Friday afternoon, we would have "Binder Time", where we pulled our binders out and kept up with our data- graphing math pre-test or post-test scores, marked any sight words students were still working on, updated goals, etc. I really tried hard to schedule time into our Fridays for this- some of my teammates would get behind and have to spend days catching up on their binders before sharing them at our student-led conferences. Having "Binder Time" each week was more meaningful for my students and less frustrating for me! This product has turned into a bestseller and I LOVE it!! It has grown into more than 50 pages of covers and dividers and I'm constantly adding new ones as teachers request more. Just email me if you need specific wording! So, final thoughts on Leader in Me... was it a lot of work? Absolutely, but the first year was the hardest. Was it wonderful to watch students become empowered and able to vocalize goals they wanted to achieve? Completely! Do you teach at a Leader in Me school? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Are you thinking of moving to Porto? If so, there are a few things you should know before making the move. In this blog post, we will discuss 10 things that will help make your
There are 5 key signs that Perimenopause is ending, longer time periods, stable mood, fewer headaches, less sleep and hot flushes.
So you've embarked on the process of moving to a new school. It may be because of a better job opportunity, you needed a change, or perhaps you just weren't
A blog post of tips for incorporating movement in the classroom.
Check out these FREE character trait activities! This blog post contains a character traits anchor chart and an idea for a character trait lesson where students learn more challenging character trait vocabulary to create a collaborative class book! If you want students to move beyond "nice" and "mean" character trait responses, check this out!
Moving abroad is an exhilarating adventure filled with new experiences and opportunities. But let’s be real – it’s not always rainbows and unicorns. Living in a foreign country brings i…
Getting ready to move your classroom this year? Don't stress! These 10 tips are sure to make sure moving classrooms is easy!
For the sake of your own sanity, you should take every official document you own with you and keep every French payslip/tax bill/etc. you ever receive.
Do you plan to move to Brisbane, Australia & looking for tips & advice to get started? In this post we share the basic things you need to know before moving
I tried many different study methods, some more effective than others. Some worked well for certain classes and not for others, so I had to adjust for each class and each professor. Hopefully this …
Elliptical trainers can be your best friends in the battle of the bulge, but when you don’t really know how to maximize your workout, you may be spending a lot of energy and seeing very little result. Even though your time on the elliptical can burn about 773 calories an hour, many new users don’t achieve anywhere near this number because ...
My first resource I would like to give to you is one I wrote to round up our series on The Lord’s Prayer, so this one was set up with lots of small stations around the room so the young peopl…
***Please note: This blog post was published in 2019. I now have an updated 2023 version that is recommended to view here. One of the most asked questions I receive from my followers is: “where do I recommend to eat in Kelowna?” or “what fun activities are there to do?” I LOVE answering these questions as I... View Article
One of the things I was really worried about when moving home was moving our two fish tanks. We have one large tank with two big goldfish in and one
Free Downloadable Joseph Pilates Lesson Plan | All 34 Exercises | Endorsed by The Pilates Foundation | PilatesLessonPlans.co.uk
No matter what age you are or even relationship status you are in, everyone has crushes. Some are innocent and never acted upon. Others can consume our lives and leave us crushed. Here are 12
Looking for Hip Bursitis exercises? Here are the most effective exercises and stretches to help you completely fix your hip pain.
Faro is the entry point for visiting Portugal's Algarve region. Here are things to do in Faro, photo spots, hotels, & my favorite restaurants
Find out how to stay in this lovely little Italian town for 3 months, FOR FREE!! An Airbnb promo will save this town and give you the trip of a lifetime!
Are you getting stationed at Caserma Ederle and moving to Vicenza, Italy? This guide from a military spouse has everything you need to know!
Have you just gotten accepted to teach English in Spain as part of the auxiliares de conversación program? Maybe you’re considering the option but have no idea what to expect or where to start? Whatever your current status is, I’m sure you have tons of thoughts and worries running through your head about being a
Quick and easy middle school brain breaks will help keep your middle schoolers' brains fresh, support emotional regulation, and mental health.
Movement in the classroom is beneficial for many reasons. First and foremost, getting up to move in the classroom might help anxious students relieve stress.
This week went by in a blink of an eye-literally! I am so thrilled with my class and we have completed a lot of material, both curriculum based and team building, in the two weeks we have been in class. I have to say, being in a new grade level, I was not prepared for introducing the Smart Start materials. I was actually in denial, I believe, denial that I had to do it! I wanted to really work with my students to get the best community that we could. I know it is what I failed at last year. Last year-stress over a new curriculum we didn’t receive until that back-to-school teacher week. Stress over a new evaluation system. Stress over a new email system! You name it, we got it, in the first teacher week back! This year was so MUCH better! But I still didn’t go for the gusto with the Smart Start materials. I thought it would just flow. Luckily, it did! Our focus story was The Lion and The Mouse, an Aesop’s Fable. Here was problem #1. It is a print and read story from Wonders Reading. This is the thing I struggle with in this series. Why would a company send 1. everything on-line and 2. expect teachers to have time to print it and use it! Call me old fashion, but I want everything in my hands! I can’t run to a printer down the hall all day, let alone print stuff all summer! Then I also didn’t have an actual copy in my many, many book library! That for me spells “disinterest”! So, I put it off! THEN… I actually found a copy and read the story! LOVE!! I really love that story! I love the lesson it teaches, I love the pictures in the text that I found, and I LOVE that it is very versatile. It not only teaches the moral of friendship, but it lends itself so much to Kagan Strategies! This year that is one of my goals-to bring in simple Kagan, and other, participation techniques into my classroom. I am really excited about this and can’t wait to see what I can do in my room! So, here’s what I did with my kids! Our Standard focus for the story is Key Details. I pulled out my handy-dandy Kagan “cheat sheet” and discovered some great ideas to implement and tie into Key Details. Our first one is “Find the Fib”. Our copy machine has some line issues! I thought I would start with this one since it was an easy introduction to Key Details. We discussed what Key Details were and shared some samples from the story. Then I sent them to their seats and had them work on the page. They created two truths and one fib. It was also a great way to introduce team jobs! Once at their seat, they could only work on the jobs given to them by their Team Leader. Wow! I have to say, cooperation increase, the interest level was high, and the product was pretty great! Students also shared the outcome as a group, in front of the class. This gave them their first exposure to presenting before a group! Great start to get them ready for bigger presentation! Next came Mix, Pair, Share with pre-made question that focus on the Key Details of the story. Students got a card from their table basket that matched their actual table color! How is this determined? See my post here about how I found a freebie to help me use my tables to the best advantage that I can! Each child then had a question. They stood up, pushed in their chairs (an important manner procedure we are working on) and began to mix! When I called “Pair, “ they found a partner to discuss the question with. It took a “Super Heroes Ready” a time or two to get this one down. When I want my class’ attention, I call “Super Heroes Ready” and they call it back. I had to explain that they had to listen to the question carefully AND answer. A number of the kids didn’t realize they had to answer! That’s why you practice so much at strategies like this! The results-AWESOME! It was even an opportunity for a student called “Super Heroes Ready”. This is a strategy I learned from Learn Like a Pirate by Paul Solarz. Students should be responsible for sharing their own learning and discoveries. One student taught me that when their team was finished, they would show thumbs up. So I had him teach the class! The kids really love teaching the class and sharing their ideas! It is worth a try if you haven’t ever done it! I am so glad I tried this idea, both of them! Another activity included watching a video I found on Pintrest. It was a VERY well done version of The Lion and The Mouse. Watch it here! It was really great and the kids wanted to watch it first. I did set a purpose of gathering Key Details that were the same and different in each version. The students then worked in a team to complete a Venn Diagram of The Lion and The Mouse! So much fun! We did do a class share out also! This was a great activity because it gave me an idea of who struggles with finding details and who excelled! I will use this information to further instruction within our class. So much good stuff! Finally, I didn’t get to the last part activity, which are Key Detail Cards. This activity is a game where students create their own flash cards . The idea for these cards was for students to create Key Detail flash cards and then play a Go Fish type of games. Students would ask, “Do you have a…” and then collect Key Details. The idea would be that students find that Key Details are the same across their thinking because they are from their text. I am looking forward to using this technique this year! Where can you find them all? Right here! The Lion and The Mouse is one of my newest products and lots of fun to use with kids! A great way to Smart Start your year! What have you done this year to get it off to a great start? Let me know!
You've been racking your brain trying to figure out why he still hasn't proposed! This post will cover 4 possible reasons...
Do you have a weak and/or painful neck? This blog post contains the best exercises to strengthen the Deep Neck Flexors muscle group.
An inside look into how we handle file organization at Spruce Rd. Everything from how to organize your blog posts, client work and marketing files.
Source: Lonny Since we moved into our house last year, I've been brainstorming ways to decorate our hallways. Our house was once a duplex, which means the first and second floor plans are identical (minus a second kitchen!). We have not one, but two long, narrow hallways smack dab in the middle of
Seeds & planting is a fun unit to teach in the spring. This unit includes an observation journal, parts of a plant, ways seeds move, photosynthesis, & more!
When we face the incomprehensible loss of both parents, it feels like the foundation of our world has crumbled. How do you move forward when your primary sources of love, guidance, and support are no
Is walking to lose weight really possible? Read the ultimate guide on walking for weight loss and learn how to drop the pounds in a healthy manner.
Get fit, flexible and have fun this summer with these Yoga Games for Children and Families
We asked first-year teachers to ask their burning first-year teacher questions and some seasoned teachers gave us their answers, this is what we got.
I created a “checklist” of tasks, plus tips and techniques, to ensure a successful workshop. One thing that this checklist won’t address is having a workshop leader with strong facilitation skills. While it may sound trivial (heck, can’t just anyone lead one of these workshops?), a workshop leader specifically trained in [...]
Pinterest can be a powerful tool to increase Traffic to your Blog! This A-Z Pinterest Guide helps beginners to understand how the whole pinning process works but goes way beyond that showing you exactly how to optimize your Pins and Profile with the BEST PIN STRATEGIES there are!
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Release stored trauma in your shoulders with simple techniques and yoga poses to ease your symptoms!
Living in Belgium as an expat is pretty great. But navigating the immigration system isn't always easy. Learn more about my process of moving to Ghent.
Tweet Today I am joining some great math teacher bloggers to bring you a new series of blog hops: Fly on the Math Teacher's Wall. These blog posts will be all about SQUASHING teacher, student and parent misconceptions. They will give you a look inside math teachers classrooms and help you find new ideas and understandings across the grade levels. Today we are talking about place value. Today I want to talk about decimals. I feel like teachers have gotten pretty good at using manipulatives with young students first learning about place value. However, I think there is a huge misconception that older kids learning decimals don't need as much hands on practice with models to develop their understanding. I would like to SQUASH that misconception and share with you 6 different models for learning decimals. Moving between these models will give your students the hands on experience they need while helping them to see how decimals are used in the world around us. Base 10 Blocks This is by far the most popular way for teachers to introduce decimals. I use these myself when working on decimals with kids. In fourth grade, when I first introduce decimals, I make a big production of using the document camera to "zoom in" on one of the units. I tell kids I am getting really really close. While doing this the camera goes out of focus a big and I trade the unit (1) for the mat (100). I tell them that when you get really close to the unit, you can see it is really broken into 100 pieces. Of course they know right away that I traded pieces because it is usually very obvious. However, this is where we reestablish that the mat which in the past has been worth 100 is now worth just one. This means the strip which was formerly 10 is now worth a tenth and so on. It takes kids a few tries to adjust to this way of thinking but they eventually do. If you are looking to extend this or don't have a class set of base 10 blocks handy, I would recommend checking out this applet on the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. (You need Java for it to run) Money This is often the most useful connection for students between decimals and real life. By the time kids learn about decimals, they have often had some real life experiences with money and have a much better understanding of decimals when they are in a money context or written to the thousandths place. If you ask a fourth grader who is just starting out with decimals if 1.8 or 1.09 is larger, they may or may not be able to answer it correctly. If you ask them which is more money $1.80 or $1.09 they will probably think that is an easy question. Connecting tenths and hundredths to dimes and pennies is one of the best ways to build on students prior understanding and help them construct new knowledge. I like to make the connection between money and base 10 blocks explicit with these money value pieces from the Math Learning Center. Meter Stick(s) An model that is often overlooked in math classes for teaching decimals and other kinds of numbers is number lines. I find teachers are spending more time modeling number lines in the lower grades now but it is still often something that is missing from decimal units. Number lines are a great way to help kids think about ordering and comparing numbers. They also make a great conversation starter to talk with kids about the density of numbers. Asking questions such as "how many numbers are between 1.2 and 1.3" get at the idea that the numbers are infinite. A meter stick is perfect for this kind of activity because it is already split into hundredths. You can read more about how I use meter sticks for decimal number lines here. Exploring the idea of density of decimals on a meter stick number line 100 Bead String I use 100 bead strings for a huge variety of activities around counting, place value, decimals and percents. They are easy to make and cost under $1 each so I make sure I always have plenty on hand. They make a great number line because like the meter stick they are already broken into hundredths. They also switch color every ten beads so the tenths are also easy to see. There are no numbers written on the model to start with so it is a little bit different than the meter stick. Read more about how I use the 100 bead string for decimals here. Decimal Arrow Cards I love arrow cards for teaching place value and find them to be a vital tool to use in K-3 to work on numbers up to 10,000. If kids are already familiar with arrow cards from younger grades, these are a super easy way to extend their understanding to the right of the decimal point. If your kids haven't used them in previous grades it will only take you part of a class period to get them familiar with them on the whole number side and you will be ready to use them with decimals in no time. You can grab a free set of printable arrow cards here and the decimal version is available here. To read more about how I use arrow cards with kids, check out this post! Digit Blocks I first heard of Digi Blocks last fall and was very intrigued by the implications for place value. I received a small collection of them from a colleague and have used them a great deal with intervention kids. I recently watched a colleague at another school use decimal digi blocks and was super impressed with how well the kids understood place value. They are one of the more expensive manipulatives but have actual pieces for tenths and hundredths. You can read more about my first impression of digi blocks or head over to their website to learn more. When your kids are ready to move on from direct modeling, I highly recommend number talks. This book is full of ready to go number talks for decimals. You know I love math picture books, my favorites for teaching decimals are Fractions, Decimals and Percents by David Alder and Little Numbers by Edward Packard One of my favorite decimal activities are these fall themed decimal task cards! Head over to Beyond Traditional Math to see what she has to say about teaching place value!
Anyone who knows me, reads this blog, or uses my resources knows that I am passionate about differentiation. I think that is because I grew ...
