Image 12 of 21 from gallery of Benfeld Aristide Briand Primary School / Lionel Debs Architectures. Courtesy of Lionel Debs Architectures
Classroom callbacks are a technique that teachers use to get the students’ attention in a quick and fun way. Free resource available.
3rd grade teacher Deanna shares how she saves time and works more efficiently.
If you work with children, I can promise you that you will come across at least one student that has these difficult behaviors. Not only are they really stressful for the teacher but they impact the student’s life in many ways. Behaviors like disrespect and defiance can make classroom's chaotic.
Got a talkative class? Check out these 5 ways to quiet the chatter!
Amazon teacher favorites! If you are looking for some new classroom finds, gere are some to add to your wishlist.
These teacher hacks are brilliant ideas for your classroom that'll make your life so much easier this year. Number nine will change your life!
Create a tranquil feel for you and your students with these calm classroom decor themes! Use nature inspired decor for a peaceful vibe.
Check these practical and research-based classroom motivation strategies!
Freebie Vault Login How do I login??? Keep Reading! Welcome to the freebie vault, Teacher Friend. As a thank you for being an email list subscriber and supporter of my business, I love to create and add monthly freebies for YOU to enjoy! It is absolutely free to join this community and to continue to […]
Amazing classroom decoration ideas including how to add a class fireplace, a beautiful teacher space, a classroom fridge and more!
12+ I Spy Game Printables. Fun I Spy activity free printables for a rainy day, road trip, classroom party activity for kids.
A simple, super smart way to motivate your students to turn in their homework.
You want your classroom to be a colorful, cozy, and inviting learning space. You’d love to have a cohesive theme or at least a color scheme, so everything looks put together. But are themes childish? Aren’t middle schoolers too old for classroom decor?
If you have an extra-chatty class, check out this post with tips for how to get your students to stop talking in just one week!
Autism and wandering in the classroom can be a huge problem, Learn the 5 steps to changing wandering behavior in your classroom. Listen now...
Classroom Management: Using a WOW Board No comments Classroom Management, student recognition, WOW board Have you heard of the WOW board? This tool is not a brand new idea, but I only started using it last year. And, I intend to keep using it! Using a WOW board is a great (and super easy) way to recognize individual students and reward their choices, achievements, and efforts. It is also a great way to boost self-esteem too. What is it? The board is simply a table that is printed onto poster sized paper. The table is labeled with letters along the bottom, and numbers along the side, creating cells. It is laminated so it can be used again and again. I printed my board using the standard poster size setting on our poster maker. I know that some schools may not have a poster maker, but there is no rule that says your WOW board has to be poster sized! How do you use it? When you see a student making a smart choice, setting a good example, making gains, or whatever you feel should be recognized, they add their name to the board. They can choose any space they want and write their name in the selected space. Many WOW boards have 100 spaces, but I like for it to fill up quickly, so my board has only 25 spaces. Since I use other means of recognizing students, like reward tags, I didn't want a board with 100 spaces. Since the board is laminated, students can use an Expo Vis-a-Vis marker to add their name. This makes it easy to erase and start over when we're ready to do so. What do you do when the board is full? When the board is full of students' names, I choose 5 students to receive a "prize." Really, they get to choose a classroom reward coupon. Prize buckets and I don't get along (#clutter). The classroom rewards cost me nothing and the kids love them. You can find all sorts of classroom reward options on TPT. Then, I erase the board and we start filling it up again and the cycle repeats. How do you choose the winners? I usually just pick five random cells and write them on a sticky note, without looking to see whose names are in those cells. For example, I might write down A3, C4, B5, D2, E1. I call out the cell number and identify the name of the student written in that cell. They're a winner! You could write all your cells (i.e. A1, A2, A3, etc.) on color tiles, small slips of paper, or anything else you can fit into a small bucket. Then, when it is time to choose your winners, you just pull a tile, slip of paper, etc. out of the bucket and match it to the name in that space on your board. Using a Wow board is just another way to recognize your students and motivate them to do their best. If you'd like to give it a try, you can download my free template. If your school doesn't have a poster maker, don't dismiss the idea of using a WOW board. You could easily print this on regular paper and just use a smaller sized version. The kids will still love it! DON'T FORGET IT, PIN IT! Share It:
I posted about these songs about a year ago on my Instagram feed and so many of you asked if I would be putting these in my TPT shop to sell. At the time, we had only written three, and I just didn't feel like that was enough to make a whole resource with. Since then, I have been working on writing new transition songs that are sung to some of our kids' favorite tunes! Singing CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT SONGS AND CHANTS during transitions makes moving from one thing or place to another almost seamless. Songs and chants keep students engaged, focused, and excited to learn, which in turn will save valuable instruction time. It also helps eliminate unwanted behaviors by giving your students the structure, consistency, and support they need. Most of the songs included are parodies of popular songs most kids will know. The words have been changed to help students transition in a positive manner. I printed the songs on cardstock and laminated them. I used a binder ring to attach the set together to hang on my board for easy access. There are also three different color options included. :) Let's go through a little breakdown of when and why we sing each of these songs: The Carpet: We sing this when it's time to transition to the carpet. I start they song, they join in. They have to be on the carpet in their assigned spots by the end of the song. Works like a charm every single time! I even added in some little hand motions that end the song with their hands in their laps. All I Do Is Freeze: We mostly use this when students are working in groups or with a partner. Sometimes, I need them to stop what they are doing, so that I can give them a direction or clear something up. It's a great way to get their attention! Clean Up Chant: This one is pretty self-explanatory. I do not instruct them when it's time to clean up; I just start the chant. You may want to add a timer to it afterwards if you need them cleaned up in a certain amount of time. Let's Line Up: Will kids ever get over Frozen? Probably not. If yours are still obsessed, too, they will love this line up chant. It gets them lined up quickly and without distractions, which saves so much time! Back to My Seat: We sing this when we transition from the carpet to their seats. We usually sing it a couple of times to give them plenty of time to make it to their seats. It's a really quick song! Partner Up: This song probably takes the most practice. Anytime you need students to get with their partner, you can sing this song. It also reminds them what to do when they are with their partner. Learning Math is Awesome: Sing this song to signal that it's time to begin math. I can guarantee it will get stuck in your head afterwards. Sorry. We Can't Stop Reading: This song can be used to kick off your reading block each day. It gets them excited about books and where those stories will take them! Quiet Time: I may or may not have sung this one the most. It works so well! I sing it in a calm, quiet voice, in which students will mirror. It immediately calms the room. Sing it a couple of times if needed! See!: I had to incorporate some Taylor Swift in these songs. We want students to be proud to share their thinking and comfortable talking with a partner. We also want their partners to be respectful and value what they are saying. This song is great to sing before students share with a partner or to close out a lesson by sharing what they learned or took away from the lesson. I just added some NEW songs!!! Like It Was: This is another clean up song. You could sing this one at the end of centers. It's really good about reminding students to put everything back in its place. Good For You: This is a song that you can sing as a class to celebrate someone! Maybe someone had a really great idea or accomplished something amazing, you can sing this to pump them up! We're Amazing: I am all about incorporating mindfulness into our day, so I knew I needed to create a song that encompassed that. This is another one that is going to take some practice to get down, but you can always display it as you sing. Some of the songs might take lots of practice to get down! But don't give up! After you sing it over and over, you will eventually get it. You will sing them to the tune of the chorus from the songs. I have added links to the actual songs in the PDFs. You just click the blue arrow at the bottom of the page. Always check these first NOT in the presence of students. I have gone through them to make sure they are safe, but you never know when things can change. A few of these parodies are straight from my students. I asked them what songs they wanted me to write transition songs for, and these are what we came up with. This group in particular had difficulty this year with transitions because they were all best of friends and LOVED to talk, which in turn got them distracted. I LOVED that about them, but we were losing valuable time trying to get refocused. Once I introduced a song or chant for them to do while transitioning, the difference was crazy! It keeps your learning environment positive, too, which is super important. You can check out the resource by clicking HERE or on any of the images in the post. Let me know how your students do with these songs or if you need another song added! I love your feedback! Happy transitioning!
Brain breaks are a great classroom management tool to use regularly in your classroom. Brain breaks are short, 1 to 2 minute, activities that can…
The ultimate list of classroom management strategies for the primary classroom directly from teachers in the classroom. Their ideas are organized into verbal and non-verbal strategies, parent communication tips, ideas for rewards and prizes, games, brain breaks, and visual classroom management strategies. These ideas work great in the primary - kindergarten, first, second grade - classes. Use the ideas and adapt to meet social distancing procedures.
Need to help your students get more hands on practice for their vocabulary words? I've got 5 fun vocabulary games you can use right away!
Time to get creative!
Unwanted talking is near the top of the list of teacher frustrations. In this article, learn the actual strategies to finally get rid of it for good.
Ready to move beyond tired Jeopardy slides? Try a few rounds of the Flyswatter Game, a no-fail way to keep teens active and excited about test prep. Six Easy St
Creating adapted books is a lot of work. I found this wonderful website with over 400 free printable adapted books you can download. Read more...
Learn how to create simple models and maps with early years students with this free geography printable!
DIY - HUGE dry erase calendar board.
In this digital learning world we find ourselves in, a lot of teachers are looking for ways to connect with our students. (You can read more distance learning tips here on this blog post.) We all need a central location to share lesson links, share assignments, and communicate. One way to make this fun and […]
Amazon is a teacher's best friend! Each year my list of must haves for the classroom grows so I'm here to share more of my Amazon classroom finds!
Being a new special education teacher can be overwhelming and stressful. Check out The FIRST thing to do as a new special ed teacher.
FREE Call Backs and attention getters for the kindergarten classroom! Great classroom management tool!
Are you looking for a` hands-on science activity on the Basic Needs of a Plant? This Basic Needs of a Plant activity has 24 different task cards (real life pictures and clipart) and 3 labelling & cut & paste worksheets. Plants need water, sun, air and soil. This activity can be reused year after year, student after student! This is a fun way to introduce plants for primary students or special education. Take a look at the preview PDF for a more in depth description of the activities! ----------------------------------------------------- Find more similar resources here: Science & Social Studies Cultural Holiday & Celebration Lessons Adapted Books Literacy Activities ----------------------------------------------------- Do you want 5 FREE ADAPTED BOOKS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION?! 4 Easy steps to get the free adapted books Go to https://mailing-list.individualizedvisuals.com Enter your name and email address Check your inbox or junk folder for an email from me! [email protected] Download & Print your FREE PDFs! You will receive the 5 free adapted books across 5 days so be sure to add my email to your contact list or select “Not junk” so you don’t miss any of the FREEBIES! ----------------------------------------------------- I really hope you enjoy this activity :) I would love if you can give me a FOLLOW, all your support is so appreciated <3 I will continue to upload more resources and FREEBIES soon! Thank you so much! I appreciate all your support :) Terms of Use
Use this free virtual classroom when teaching your middle school math students via distance learning!
Making digital math activities is fun! It’s a great way to save paper, get students comfortable with online testing, and get student engaged! My digital math centers were created using Google Slides. They have a variety of question types such as sorting, matching, inserting shapes/lines, entering text, and more! But what happens when these interactive […]
Worksheets for 1st grade math, first grade math worksheets for free for the basic math topics taught in grade 1.
Now we are ready to implement sensory paths! Learn about the benefits, potential uses and suggestions for training of staff & students!
Free Printable I Spy Thanksgiving Activity for a classroom game, family get together or church activity to keep kids busy.
This Sudoku Bulletin Board Set is sure to be a hit with your class! It contains two different puzzles (Irregular Sudoku and Classic Sudoku) with a hard and easy version of each.
Spring is here and we all have spring fever! Energy levels are higher. Students seem restless. Behaviors that have never been seen before appear. And your once quiet class becomes chatty. Every year I remind myself that this is normal. And to be expected… But that doesn’t mean we can’t remedy the situation. In this ... Read More about 10 Effective Strategies for a Chatty Class
Take a look at how you can use slides Google templates in your kindergarten or lower elementary classroom to make teaching easier and ...
