Hi friends! I have been working hard all day on this blog post and I hope it helps you in your support of GT kiddos in your classroom! As the […]
Connecting families to the classroom and giving them the tools to work with students at home is a huge part of our jobs as teachers. Although I use many modes of parent communication (you can read about them in this blog post), I love having a ‘landing’ where families always have access to the information...
If you were to walk into my classroom, there is a very good chance that music will be playing. Whether that be as background noise or as a classroom management tool, I cannot go without music in my classroom! Click HERE for all of my school appropriate playlists! Our kids now are stimulated 24/7 by all of the technology at their fingertips. They are watching Netflix, while Snapchatting, while playing a video game all at the same time! They go from an overstimulated environment at home, to school where they are expected to be quiet the majority of their day…
Sweet Sounds - Quality Kodaly Resources for Elementary Music Educators
Pinterest Are you looking to add some excitement to the first day of school? Look no further than the Back to School Escape Room for 1st or 2nd grade! This fun and engaging activity will help your students break the ice, build teamwork, problem-solve, and promote critical thinking skills. The objective of the game is […]
Maybe you’ve encountered these scenarios before — you have some students ready to work ahead so they start multitasking on their device, waiting for the lesson to move on. Or, maybe you notice a student frantically scribbling notes, trying to keep up with the information you’re giving. Or, maybe you have students who are absent, […]
If you were to walk into my classroom, there is a very good chance that music will be playing. Whether that be as background noise or as a classroom management tool, I cannot go without music in my classroom! Click HERE for all of my school appropriate playlists! Our kids now are stimulated 24/7 by all of the technology at their fingertips. They are watching Netflix, while Snapchatting, while playing a video game all at the same time! They go from an overstimulated environment at home, to school where they are expected to be quiet the majority of their day…
Learn About the 7 Continents! Exploring the 7 Continents has never been more exciting! It’s a Small World Continent Study is filled with over 35 activities to help your students gain a greater understanding of the seven continents. This 130+ page unit is filled with great resources, posters, printables, activities, and projects that will open […]
These This or That Exit Slips are designed to provide students with fun and creative ways to reflect on and showcase their learning after any lesson. There are 20 different exit slips in this resource!Each exit slip or ticket out the door includes 2 choices for students to showcase their learning. ...
The self-paced classroom benefits students and teachers! We share how to make it a reality in your classroom using the Grid Method.
Don’t get me wrong — I love candy. And, a jolly rancher, a tootsie roll, or a starburst can work wonders in the classroom for student motivation and enthusiasm. So can pizza parties, and cupcake days, and brunch, and…I’ve had so many types of food parties I can’t even keep track! Recently, however, I’ve been […]
Got a talkative class? Check out these 5 ways to quiet the chatter!
This post explains how teachers can use an academic version of the highly engaging Spoons game to review concepts. Free games included!
On a normal, middle-of-the-year day, I want my students to come into my room in the morning knowing it is a calm place, a cooperative pla...
Free Line up songs for kindergarten classroom management. Make transitions easier with fun chants.
Do you have a newcomer student in your classroom? Here are some strategies for supporting newcomer ELLs in their elementary classroom...
In a self-paced classroom, each student is given an appropriate level of challenge and grows at a steady pace throughout the school year. Here's how it works.
10 fun and easy hallway songs to prepare students to go into the hall quietly!
How to Differentiate Assignments in Google Classroom I am often asked about differentiation strategies that will work in the Google Classroom application. Google Classroom is a very robust tool that can make differentiating digital assignments
In a self-paced classroom, each student is given an appropriate level of challenge and grows at a steady pace throughout the school year. Here's how it works.
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.
You just found out you are teaching a split grade class next year. For most teachers the idea of teaching a split is overwhelming. You have twice as many
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…
A great rubric to use for any assigned poster project!
These engaging strategies to incorporate movement in the classroom are perfect for the fidgety students & kinesthetic learners in your class!
There are three kinds of teacher-decorators: those who were born for Pinterest, those who can’t, and all the ones in between (such as the broke, the tired, and the I-have-no-time-to-decorate). However, making a classroom appeal to middle and high school students doesn’t HAVE to involve serious crafting or expensive, time-intensive projects. Check out these tips from me and Bonnie from Presto Plans as you prepare your classroom for the fall (or at any time of year that you want to give it a boost!) You might also like Sara's more recent blog post, Inside My Farmhouse Classroom Makeover. 1. Have a color scheme (if you can) Sara: My principal gave each teacher the paint for one accent wall, so that shade of turquoise inspired the rest of my blue decor: milk crates, bulletin board borders, etc. It helped unify the room to make it look pulled-together instead of random. I've also learned about the importance of contrast. Even a full-blown rainbow color palette can look clean and cohesive (instead of cluttered) if you pair it with black or white to balance it out. Bonnie: If you are looking for inspiration for colors that look great together, check out this Pinterest board. There are lots of combinations that will help you choose colors when you are shopping for classroom materials. 2. Stick to a few favorite fonts Sara: Just like businesses create a brand, you are creating a classroom “look” or persona that you will be known for... or, at least a mood you will create. (Friendly? Professional? Fun? Minimalist?) Try to pick a few fonts that most of your labels, signs, and other wall-hangings will consistently use. For example, I used the Google font Crushed to make and laminate labels for my whiteboard (see below), along with mint-colored painter's tape. 3. Make your classroom library a focal point Bonnie: Your class library should draw students in and works well as the focal point for any English classroom. Here are a few things you can do to make your library stand out: Give bookshelves a makeover by rolling them a new coat of paint and/or taking the shelves out and attaching wallpaper or scrapbook paper to the back. Put a few floating shelves on the walls near your library area where you can feature particular novels recommended by students. Add comfortable, flexible seating near a library to make it more welcoming. These items can be more expensive, so shop around online or scour garage sales until you find seating that may work. Use old books as decorations! When a book is unusable, find a way to repurpose it. One easy way to do this is to cut out the pages and write a reading-inspired quote in black permanent marker on top of the page. Frame the page and put it on your bookshelf! Sara: If your classroom library is small, nonexistent, or needs some attention, check out this blog post for more ideas about how to strengthen it. 4. Display student work Bonnie: Use student work as decor by making a framed gallery wall. All you have to do is pick up some inexpensive 8x10 frames (check your dollar store) and arrange them on your wall. When you get a piece of exceptional student work, add it into the frame! If you don’t want the hassle of buying and hanging frames, order a pack of mixed color picture mats and use them to frame student work on a bulletin board. Sara: Another way to get student work on display (while also practicing literary analysis!) is to have them complete this Quote Illustration and Analysis assignment; students use Canva (or any tool you wish) to make an inspirational or literary quote come to life. The results are stunning! 5. Use author-inspired decor Bonnie: Find ways to incorporate the authors you will be studying into your classroom decor. You can do this by featuring fun facts or by sharing quotes by the author. For example, I use an interactive Shakespeare Hashtag of the Week bulletin display that exposes students to one quote from a Shakespeare play each week. If you don’t want to make your own, you might even consider assigning an author to each student and having them develop a bulletin display with a biography, fun facts, and quotes that you can swap out weekly. Sara: Don't forget to interject moments of literary ALLUSION or author-inspired inside jokes as well, like my favorite light switch art... 6. Make your posters work together Sara: On at least one bulletin board or section of wall space, add some symmetry or consistency by hanging posters in a similar style (color, font, or other), or by displaying images that have a common theme. For example, check out these posters of stylized quotes to get some English class wisdom on your walls. Bonnie: If you are looking for some ideas of common themes you could use for posters, try some of these ideas that could work in any English classroom: funny grammar quotes or fails, literary terms or genres, author quotes, famous lines from literature, idiomatic expressions, or jokes using puns! To read more about my favorite bulletin board ideas for middle and high ELA, check out this blog post. "English is Weird" poster set 7. Make displays that are EASY to update Sara: Two of my favorite bulletin board spaces were ones that took VERY little effort in updating, so I didn't have the self-imposed pressure to redo the whole thing multiple times per year. For example, my Word Nerd Challenge is quick to update on a Monday morning because all I have to do is add this week's word to the list. (I made each word tile a magnet that can go on my whiteboard!) I also made low-prep Quote of the Week flipbooks of reading and writing quotes, which students often asked to flip FOR me. I used Command hooks and spiral binding to hang it on a cabinet. Do you have additional ideas? Tell us in the comments!
Thinking about teaching in a departmentalized classroom this year? Here are some helpful tips to get your started!
Welcome to the home page of The Butterfly Teacher! A garden of inspiration and resources for teachers in public and private schools. The Butterfly Teacher was created to help educators find and develop the tools they need to transform learning beautifully--no matter what grade or subject area they teach! Welcome!
How do you keep your students in line in the music room-- both figuratively and literally? Here are some of my favorite phrases for classroom management!
Morning Meeting Activities will help students fall in love with school! Help students become life longer learners by implementing morning meeting!
A simple, super smart way to motivate your students to turn in their homework.
The Unfair Game is a totally unfair twist on Jeopardy that your students will LOVE to hate! Learn how to play and find sample game boards in this post.
*affiliate links included* ITS GOING DOWN! 🎉 #iteachtoo #iteach345 #amazingrace #amazibgraceclassroom #gogogetitgetit A photo posted by Amber Nicole (@sssteaching) on Nov 17, 2016 at 8:45am PST TONS of people were asking and wanting more details about our Amazing Race coming up in our classroom! Here are some details about what we did: - 7 "check points" - review of all subjects and major content so far this year - books wrapped as prizes - varying amounts of 100 Grand prizes! 🇺🇸 AMAZING RACE 🇺🇸 next week! Can't wait for our teams to compete! Prizes are books for our classroom and varying amounts of 100 grand candy bars depending on their place 🍫 check out my Insta story for more details! #iteachtoo #iteach345 #amazingrace #amazingraceclassroom #setthestagetoengage A photo posted by Amber Nicole (@sssteaching) on Nov 11, 2016 at 2:18pm PST The key to this being successful is organization! I worked on this weeks in advance just little by little to make it exactly what I wanted. My parents donated bandanas for each team (from Hobby Lobby only 99 cents or cheaper with coupons!) These would be a super great option too : 12Pcs Bandanas (Multi Color) I made each team a rotation schedule that they would do the stations in. I had ONE GIANT PROBLEM! I had 11 groups of 2 and only 7 stations. Hmmmm.... what could the others be working on ....I get to that later! First I went through and explained all the stations. In my teacher dreams, I'd have these located around school with poems or clues to each - in reality I didn't get a chance to book rooms and didn't want to deal with weather so we had it all in my room, marked with letters. Boring but efficient. They have been looking forward to it for weeks so I know this was ok. I also would have loved not having to go over all the directions before and have them read and figure out what to do, but short on help it was necessary so I didn't have to answer every single "What do I do?" so let me explain the stations to you and where they went in between. Station 1: Map of Missouri Students had to locate major cities and rivers and velcro them to the map. I made an answer key for easy checking. They also took a picture for Seesaw for their team. Station 2: USA Map Floor Puzzle Students had to complete a US puzzle and then list the first 5 capitals in alphabetical order. We start this right after Christmas so this was like an intro to it. We've been slowing working this in with our postcard exchange as well. ***Note*** 3 groups could do this one at once Station 3: Rebus clue to Nonfiction book This picture puzzle (just like in Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library - our first read aloud) led them to our library where they had a "Road Block" they must read one of the 4 nonfiction books about creepy, crawly, undersea animals and get a 90% above on a comprehension quiz to move on. **4 groups could do at once** they had to show me scores for initials and to move on. (People who don't like AR hide your eyes!!!!) Station 4: Parts of Speech Mad Lib I modified a Mad Lib just found from the internet ( a great one for this time of year would be from my Poultry Parts of Speech though!) I blew it up left blanks for the words. In a baggie, I laminated some cardstock with the numbers and part of speech that they need to fill in and then add to the Mad Lib with velcro. They will take a video for Seesaw reading it when finished for completion. Only 1 group did this at a time. You could easily use a book like Best of Mad Libs Station 5: Math "Detour" Students have 2 paths they could choose to take. Each had 5 problems they had to solve using tougher concepts they had learned so far this year. Numbers 2 and 5 from each column matched and opened the lock box so they could do on their next clue. Only 1 group could do at a time and I had to make sure they remixed the numbers for the next people. It was easy to check and move on. Station 6: Nonfiction Article Comprehension I got an article from the "Missouri" section of Newsela at a 5th grade reading level to challenge us. Students had to read and complete the 4 tough questions regarding the article before moving on. I did have a parent volunteer check this one and tell them which ones needed to be fixed before moving on. If they attempted 3 times that was the score they received - or you could put a time deduction because I really wanted them to focus their efforts on correct questions not just rushing. Up to 4 teams could be doing this, checking answers could get a little rushed. Station 7: American Symbols We touched on this at the beginning of the year and it was brief so I wanted a little review. I made a page and pictures with clues. The underlined "red" letters make up a word that unlocks the spelling lock indicating they got it right. Only 1 team at a time can do this. Logistics: We played Theme music in the background and I had a timer going on the board to record times after all 7 stations were complete. They did know that extra prizes were involved for not just speed but other essential teamwork skills. Each team got their own colored bandanas (we took team pictures a couple weeks before) and they worked with those partners anytime we had partner work to get ready for the race! We made a short video showing our team names and they got to pick nicknames. - I so wish I could show it because IT ROCKS! Each team got an order to complete stations so they would not all start at station 1 and be stuck! That was also what I initialed or they used for notes if need be. While they were not working on a station (it was full) then they had questions to complete on our main back table. Take a look at some of them below. I had a rotation schedule for all the teams but they ended up moving to which stations were open which worked out great! What is 1 mistake that we learned about from history that you think won't be made again, why? How have you grown to meet our morning meeting challenges (Ron Clark Essential 55) Explain the forces and energy transfer in something you did yesterday describe a time this year where your learning changed when specifically have you challenged yourself in reading? *Each time writes in their team color - they know that an extra award can depend on the thoroughness of their answers.* Awards Ceremony: I called up team colors to receive their books to unwrap for our classroom and some 100 grand bars. Each team got called up and received 2 books at the least and "200 grand". Our top team opened 6 new books for our library and more "grand" than others but each team received "prizes." We also received some special awards (just special candy - I would have done some medals, whistles, glow sticks, etc... but pregnancy got the best of me and we ended up with special candy from dollar store) Some of the extra awards are: Best Perseverance - working hard even through a tough time Above and Beyond award - answered questions most thoroughly from the extra table teamwork - worked together even though maybe not fastest but showed courtesy attitude - kept up good attitude throughout whole race and was positive with teammate and other teams. Team Spirit - wearing their team colors and making up a handshake or cheer to promote team spirit We then filled out a google Form to reflect on our learning and after submitting they posted on a Padlet their favorite part from the day! Here is the link to our reflections questions and Padlet. We used this to help determine our "extra" award winners and reflect on our learning! Check out these items to make this happen in your classroom:
Here’s a few classroom procedures that have worked well for me – and a couple awesome ideas I’ve run across since I’ve stepped out of the classroom...
My school has been very fortunate to offer a drama residency to students. The PAC and district joined together to fund this. We invited Ted Sloan, a local celebrity, in to help us out. Ted was a local radio personality for 10 years. Ted has an acting degree from the University of Alberta and he's currently going to Capilano University to complete a diploma in backstage studies. We took the school and split everyone up into one of three weeks. Everyone gets 45 minutes a day with Ted for a week. My class was in the first week. This residency was excellent for students in so many ways. It was great to push some of my more serious kids out of their comfort zone. For my outgoing students, they were provided an outlet for their personality I unfortunately can't provide often enough. I also strongly believe in the importance of male role models in kids lives - there just isn't enough male teachers and kids can easily go their whole elementary career without having a male teacher. When he first arrived, there were some simple expectations put in place: 1) Respect (for yourself, each other, him) 2) Not my prop (essentially, if it's not yours, don't touch it) 3) Ask "is it safe?" (if it isn't, don't do it) He also shared with them a strategy he calls "Focus In, Focus Out". Often in drama you can get overwhelmed or over excited. He said that if he noticed this in the students he would say "Focus In, Focus Out". When they heard this they were to take a deep breath in and out to refocus themselves. I was so grateful for these expectations as they set the tone for the entire week. Ted started every day with a check-in. This was set up very similar to what I do daily, Circle Talk. (From Tribes Learning Communities). He passed a ball around for the talking person, gave the right to pass, and reminded students of the respect piece which meant they couldn't take information they learned at the check-in to use against people out on the playground. What he did differently, which I loved, was that he set some limitations on the words they could use. They were not allowed to use "good", "okay", or "awesome" unless they justified it. He also challenged them not to explain their feeling with a word someone else has used (if I say I'm fantastic, then you need to pick a new word.) By the end, my kids were starting to come up with some great vocab! Ted also threw in fancy words (ecstatic, loathe, detest, elated) which helped build the vocab for them. In this video, he is teaching them level one of a concentration game. (Sorry the quality is not awesome - they came off my iPhone and then I think compressed some more when uploaded.) Students have to switch places with someone else in the circle without speaking to them or touching them to indicate the place switch. They also need to do so fairly quickly. Once this is mastered, they play a game of Zap simultaneously in level 2. The levels get harder after that with a ball being passed around and other crazy antics. Here he is going over the parts of a play: 1) Status Quo 2) Problem 3) Solution 4) Did it work? with a fun made up story the kids improv-ed. He uses "Focus In, Focus Out" at the end of this clip. Finally, a clip from the "8 Count Shake Out" which I will totally be using as a brain break. I was a bit slow with my camera, so I start at 4. The shake out halves each time - 8, 4, 2, 1. I started filming at 4. Thank you Ted for coming to our classroom! It was a fantastic experience for the students and myself! Readers, what is your favourite drama activity? Share with me in the comments! Pin this post.
