Back to School is right around the corner for us and I am SUPER excited to kick of this school year with some fun, hands-on and engaging resources for The

One of my favorite projects of the year is our End of the Year Memory Book. It's a special keepsake for students and parents that features photos, drawings, writing samples, and more. It's a project the class works on periodically throughout the year. I love it because it shows how much the kiddos change over the year. It gives parents a memento to remember the year by, rather than trying to save everything the child brings home. #guiltyofthat This is Ellee. She was in my very first class. She just started 10th grade! Her Mom sent me these pictures of her looking back on her Kindergarten Memory Book before school started last month. It made me so happy to know that she was reliving all of the fun we had in Kinder. Crazy to think 10 years has come and gone! You can see in the photos that Word Art was all the rage back in 2007. LOL. I've made some updates to my Kinder Memory Book since 2007, and I've also created a Preschool and 1st grade version. I have some tips for creating these Memory Books that will make them manageable. 1. If you have active parent volunteers, find a parent that will head up this project. My first year in the classroom, I had 26 kids in my morning class and 25 in the afternoon. 51 memory books! Thank goodness I had an amazing aide and some super parents that helped out. 2. Two options for binding the memory books... You can copy all of the pages you need and bind them over the summer/at the beginning of the year. However, I think it's better to wait to bind them until the END of the year. To keep it all organized, I have a file folder for each student. As we complete a memory book page, I file the completed page away in the child's folder. Then at the end of the year, all the pages are in order and ready to be bound. 3. Print extra copies for potential new students or for "Uh Oh" mistakes. 4. If you forget to take a photograph of a student for a certain page, they can draw a picture instead. The combination of photographs and illustrations will make it extra special. 5. You can send a page home for "homework" every now and then if you just don't have time to get to it in class. Be sure to tell your students how important these pages are so they come back in good condition. I would recommend sending them home in an envelope or file folder so they don't get ripped, folded, or destroyed on the way home. :) 6. I've included extra pages at the end for photographs. Students can personalize it, color it, add stickers, get autographs from friends, etc. The teacher can write a special note to the child in the back of the book as well. These Memory Books will work great for Homeschool Kiddos and for the crafty Mamas out there. Just print and use the pages you need. I'm thrilled to be making one with my preschooler.

Some of the most common topics I see social workers and counselors teach is feeling identification and regulation. And it makes sense! Almost every student in need of counseling services could benefit ways to identify emotions in themselves or others, or learn ways to cope those feelings! As a result, I put together this activity ...

Building friendships and community from day one.

Summer calls for lots of water activities, cool treats, and easy low prep activities like these summer dot activity printables. This post contains affiliate links. See my Disclosure Policy for details. GETTING STARTED With minimal prep

Free printable summer themed I spy activity page for kids. Use this activity to help kids get excited about summer or get yourself some quiet time.

This week I tried something new with the vocabulary in the story. I got the idea at a First Grade Conference in December. The student writes the vocabulary word in the middle of the sheet and then there are four things to do with the word. We completed two of the boxes together as a class and they finished the last two boxes independently. The kiddos sure had a great grasp of the vocabulary after this. When we read the story they had fantastic comprehension.

I can't even believe May is almost here…. time flies in the spring! This might just be my favorite time of year to teach kindergarten.

Mrs. Thompson’s Treasures is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. This post may contain affiliate links. Do you remember those Highlights magazine hidden picture pages like these? I remember always having fun with those in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. I wanted to create something similar, […]

Teachers friends, As you know, the end of the year is slowly but surely approaching. You and your students couldn’t be MORE READY! Real learning has pretty much gone out the window, but what is a classroom to do in the meantime? Learning doesn’t have to be completely over, you just have

KS3 Maths Worksheets with answers. Find an outstanding range of worksheets for children in Key Stage 3. Covering all topics in the KS3 curriculum.

Print these FREE printable color books, activity sheets, chore charts and more with our round of of favorite educational sheets that you can print for kids!

Who didn't want to be a superhero at least for a day as a kid? That's why we've prepared a new pack of free printable Superhero Mask Template for kids.

Unleash your creativity & make a lasting impression with these editable, meet-the-teacher templates in a bright and happy design. Say goodbye to traditional, boring Meet the Teacher handouts and hello to these game-changing Meet the Teacher Templates! With customizable options and easy editing using PowerPoint, you'll create visually stunning meet-the-teacher letters in no time. Engage students and parents with personalized sections and showcase your unique teaching style. Stand out from the crowd and make a memorable first impression. Seamlessly integrate into online platforms and save time. Get ready to make an impact! What is Included: 2 meet the teacher designs (full color + color saver) - see preview PowerPoint file so you can edit the text Invitation to our exclusive Facebook group, so you can get & share inspiration and tips! We're here for you! CAN I EDIT THIS RESOURCE? – This resource includes a ready-to-print PDF & Powerpoint file. – This text can be edited using PowerPoint® – You will use the fonts you have installed on your computer & you must have PowerPoint to edit. ✅ Editable means the text is removed, so you can insert your own text to customize the resource to meet your needs. ❌ Editable does not mean you can move around clipart, make changes to colors, etc. SAVE MONEY Get notified of 50% off sales! Be sure to use the links below to follow me! Followers always get notifications of product sales and Friday freebies. LET'S BE FRIENDS! VISIT MY BLOG: https://www.atouchofclassteaching.com/ ADD ME ON IG: http://instagram.com/atouchofclassteaching COME PIN WITH ME ON PINTEREST: http://www.pinterest.com/kirk2134/ CONTACT Important! If you are having trouble downloading or opening the files, please be sure to unzip all files (if needed) before reaching out. You may be required to manually right-click and unzip some files. If you are still needing assistance, please send a message to the TPT tech team for amazing, responsive service! [email protected] Copyright© Stephanie Nash All rights reserved by the author. Permission to copy for single classroom use only. Electronic distribution is limited to single-classroom use only. PowerPoint is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation Hey Lisa classroom decor, bright classroom decor, happy classroom decor, editable classroom decor, classroom theme, meet the teacher, meet the teacher templates

Children move through predictable stages of drawing during their development. Here are the drawing milestones, listed by age.

NAIDOC Week is an occasion for all Australians to come together to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people - the oldest continuing cultures on the planet. NAIDOC Week will run nationally from 7-14 July 2019, which falls during the July school

If you're looking for Free Printable Worksheets for Preschool & Kindergarten, then look no further. Check out this list of free printable worksheets that I've created for preschoolers and kindergartners. You'll find math and literacy,

Back to School is right around the corner for us and I am SUPER excited to kick of this school year with some fun, hands-on and engaging resources for The

All About Me Puzzle Piece...

No more excuses! Starting a journal with your preschooler is easy and helps develop early writing and fine motor skills.

The last day of the school year can be pretty bittersweet. On the one hand, you and your child are saying good-bye to another chapter of life, and that can be

Teach your kids about the 3 oceans zones: sunlight, twilight and midnight. Plus, get a free printable zones of the ocean worksheet to reinforce everything they learn!

These ABA therapy activities for kids with autism spectrum disorder will give you heaps of ideas you can use at school, in therapy, and at home!

If I Were a Superhero Identify a few well-known superheroes with your students and brainstorm adjectives that describe these superheroes and their actions. After reviewing the list, ask students to identify people in their real lives that possess these characteristics. Ask students to complete this thinksheet and describe what kind…

Get ready for the summer months with our summer activities for kids worksheet. Share your favorite summer foods, summer activities & goals.

A collections of ESL worksheets to teach directions / giving directions in English. Download and use in class today!

Teach your kids to dream big with the help of a Paper Rocket Craft that'll inspire them to chase their dreams & soar high! Free Printable Template included.

I remember when I was a new ESL teacher, I really had no clue where to begin. Thank goodness I had an amazing mentor and roommate; without her I would've been completely lost. Each school district is different, so you may be required to do certain tasks at the start of each year, but as a seasoned ESOL teacher, here are my top 5 suggestions for starting off the school year strong. Where to Begin the Year - ESL Edition Teachers in my district head back to school a week prior to students. The week is filled with meetings, professional development, Open House and squeezing in time to set up instructional spaces. During this hectic week it's also important to find out who my English learners are, who the classroom teachers are that I'll be collaborating with, and to think about routines and procedures I want in place for my ELD instruction. Week 1 - Prior to Students Arriving at School Get your hands on a student list. The list should include important information such as grade level, classroom teacher, ELP level and home language. Sometimes I need to ask the registrar at my school for a list, but most of the time I can find it on my district's EL database site. You'll also want a list of ELP scores from last year (preferably from the past two years) so that you can analyze student proficiency levels AND growth in each language domain. This is key in determining strengths and areas of need. Once you have your student lists, you can begin thinking about how you want to group your students. I'm lucky, in my district to have the autonomy of grouping my students the way that best targets their needs. Some schools/districts group students for you AND make your schedule, giving you no control in these two areas. If you are able to group your own students, I like to group based on language need with about 6 students per group. When I have small homogeneous groups, it allows me to really target students' linguistic needs. I usually use something like this to map out my groups. Students and ELD Groupings Once I have my groups, which I try not to have more than 10 in all, I then I create an initial instructional schedule. That's really a whole other post in itself! It's probably one of the most challenging tasks of the year. Considerations include the master instructional schedule, specials, lunch & recess schedules, as well as gen ed classroom focus minilessons because we don't pull students out during their focus lessons. There's a LOT to consider when creating an effective instructional ELD schedule. I use something like this to map out my draft schedule. Weekly Schedule You'll likely need to tweak your schedule at some point, so keep in mind that it might change as the needs of students change. Both of these pages are from my ESL Teacher Planner, linked at the bottom of this post. Recap Week 1 - get student lists that include the information you need to help create homogenous groups, as well as your instructional schedule. Week 2 - Students First Week of School Students arrive, so now what happens? I do not start my pull-out schedule on day one. IMO, It's important for students to stay in their gen ed classrooms and get settled, even for the first few days. They are building a classroom community, learning procedures and getting acquainted with their new setting. My district does kindergarten K-WAPT testing the first week, so I might not start my ELD schedule until the end of the week. I do push-in though the first few days, when I can, and introduce myself to my students, give them resources such as bilingual dictionaries, as well as a vocabulary workbook to my newcomers. And check in on teachers, especially if they have newcomers in the class!💛 Once I start pulling my groups, the focus is all about Getting to Know You. I really take time this week and next to start building relationships with my students. On my first day with students I share a slide that tells about me and my family. I also share things that I like doing outside of school. Then we go around the group and give each student time to share about them. Introduction Slide It's incredibly important to build trust with students, so really take this time to get to know them as individuals. It'll pay off big time. Some of my favorite "Getting to Know You" activities are... Getting to Know You Activities Four Corners Activity Teach Us Your Name - FREEBIE 👉Additional Getting to Know You activities and resources will be listed at the bottom of this post. Recap Week 2 - let students get settled into their general education classrooms, then start meeting with your students/groups. Introduce yourself and focus on getting to know them as individuals. Start building trust. Week 3 - BOY Assessments Once students have been in school a week or so, and we've started getting to know each other, it's now time to get to know them better as learners. What can students do at this point in time? I have their ELP scores from the previous two years, but that data is not recent, and they've been out of school for a couple of months, so where are they now in their language proficiency? The goal - to find their instructional "starting points." The main assessments I do at the beginning of the year are... Newcomer Group/Level 1 Students - a phonics assessment. Do they know their letter sounds? Which sounds do they know? It's also important to know the literacy level of newcomers in their native language. Do they have age appropriate literacy skills or do they have gaps? Have them write in their native language. Find a book in their native language and let them read it to you. Don't have books available? I often write a message using google translate, then have them read it to me. Did they understand the message? Where they able to respond to it? It's important detective work. 🕵️‍♀️ Phonics Survey for Level 1-2 Students All of my groups, except for maybe my newcomer group, write to a prompt. This allows me to analyze their writing skills. The BOY prompt is usually, "Describe a place you like to visit. Tell what you like to do there." We brainstorm possible places, then I have them write for about 20 minutes. Afterwards, I collect their writing and take anecdotal notes on skills we need to focus on in that group. Beginning of the Year Writing Prompt My school district gives assessments, most of which I'm not a big fan of, that include iReady for reading, PRF for fluency and DSA for spelling. We used to give the DRA2 reading assessment to find the instructional reading level of each student, but we no longer do that, so it's been an adjustment trying to figure out where my kids are in that particular area. The best way, for now, is to listen to them read and check for comprehension. Each data point is a small piece to a much larger puzzle. With all of the assessments listed above, especially my own, I usually have a pretty clear picture of starting points. 👍 Recap Week 3 - take time to assess students so that you know what they can do AND what they need. Finding their starting points will be critical in knowing what to teach them. Week 4 - Routines, Procedures and Planning ELD Lessons It's not until THIS point that I begin planning ELD lessons. Now I know my students better, both as individuals and as students, I've built some trust with getting to know you activities and I've assessed their needs, so NOW I can plan lessons to better suit them. But WAIT! There's one more important item to do before diving into planning! For me, I need to decide which on-going activities I want certain groups to do and then teach them the expectations. What's an on-going activity? It's a skill based weekly activity, such as phonics, grammar, idiom, sight word, writing, etc., that has a procedure needing to be taught or modeled. I definitely don't rush this. This is a big part of routines and procedures! Some of my groups (level 1 & 2 students) have a weekly phonics minilesson and activity, for example. I set this up for success by teaching students the components and expectations of the activity. We set up their ELD Notebooks and I model each expectation. This is really important, IMO, for a successful year. Modeling Expectations for Word Work Weekly Phonics Word Work Activity-Student NotebookPretty soon, the on-going activity becomes a very familiar part of their class time with me. If I want my newcomers doing something in their general education classrooms during independent class time, like a vocabulary workbook activity, I need to take the time to teach them how to do that. Here's a post about planning these types of weekly activities! Once I'm done teaching expectations for on-going activities, THEN I'm ready to plan targeted ELD lessons! 👏 Recap Week 4 - teach routines & procedures- identify on-going activities for groups and model expectations. Start to plan & prepare targeted ELD lessons based on students' linguistic needs. Bottom line... there's a lot to do at the beginning of the year before targeted ELD lessons begin. But at this point, I'm in a MUCH better position to plan lessons that meet the needs of my students. At about 4 weeks into the school year, it's time to plan and prepare materials for my first language function unit... the language of INQUIRY. Here's my post on Language Functions. It explains what a language function is, how to plan a unit and why I love teaching functions. This next post on "Forms and Functions" dives a little deeper into the language forms that accompany language functions. Check them both out! My advice for starting a new school year, do not stress about what you're going to teach the first couple of weeks of school. There are many other priorities that require time and attention. I promise you that spending time getting to know your students both as individuals and as learners before you plan lessons will only enhance your ability to target your instruction, which will ultimately get students to the next level in language proficiency. And that's the goal! 🙌 Additional resources that help get my year started.👇 ESL Teacher Planner Would You Rather My Country Activity "I Like" Activity Vocabulary Workbook for Newcomers - Year-Long Bundle Available! Notebook Covers and Tabs for the ESL Classroom Best of luck to you on a smooth back to school season. Having plans in place for a strong start will set you and your students up for a very successful school year! Take care, Affiliate Links: My Amazon Storefront

Woot woot! This post was featured on the TpT blog! You can see it here. Never underestimate the importance of teaching routines. In every classroom and every grade level... but ESPECIALLY in Kindergaten. And in Kindergarten,

In European history, the Middle Ages, or Medieval period, lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. Click for even more facts or download the worksheets.

If you came to this site, you either purchased the time capsule activity and are looking for directions, or want ideas for your own time capsules. These are so much fun to do with students of all ages! Enjoy! This Time Capsule Activity is great to use at the