I have updated this link with a freebie! Click here to get there. "No, David" is one of our favorite books to begin the year or use anytime we need a little review of what our classroom expectations are. One corner of our classroom is devoted to David and our school rules. We read the book several times then the students chose one rule they thought was especially important to them and they typed their rule during Computer Lab time. Then each student created a picture of David and they turned out AMAZING! We had so much fun with David this year that we decided to use iMovie to create a short video of David following the rules and showed the video to the entire school. How FUN! If you would like to view the video you can see it on my classroom webpage. The poster shown above was printed at Staples. I used PhotoShop to edit the title to fit our lesson and class.

Having students color in posters with their names is a great first day activity that provides yearlong decoration for the classroom!

A strong classroom community is integral to students' success.

With this detailed crochet pattern you can easily crochet this fun hanging decoration for doors & walls from scraps of yarn and decorate versatile. The funny chickens are also a great eye-catcher as an edge stool and gift decoration. Quite colorful a beautiful spring greeting and Easter decoration, tone-on-tone in natural colors all year round a nice decoration highlight for chicken fans and crazy chickens. Contents of the crochet pattern (english PDF file, 16 pages): - written crochet instructions - many detailed step by step photos In addition to the written crochet explanation, the PDF crochet pattern include a lot of detailed step-by-step photos with explanations, so you can successfully recreate the chickens on the roost very easy. Level of difficulty: easy, also suitable for beginners with some practice Required knowledge (US term): slip stitch, chain stitch, single crochet stitch, single crochet only into the back loop, single crochets together, double crochet Material needed: cotton yarn LL 125m/50g / Sport 12 wpi / 5 ply / fine = approx. 25 g beige for the rod about 10 g white as a hanging ribbon 3x approx. 12 g in desired colors for the chickens approx. 12 g orange approx. 12 g red 5x approx. 9 g in desired colors for the eggs about 15 g in desired colors for the flowers Crochet hook 3.0 / US size 11 / UK size C Scissors 2 sheets of paper DINA4 or US letter size (can be waste paper) 6 wiggle eyes 8-10 mm = 0.3 - 0.4 inch diameter Centimeter measure, fiberfill, adhesive tape optional: a piece of photo cardboard/thin cardboard approx. 20x7cm = 7.8 x 2.9 inch Height approx. 30 cm = 11.8 inch, width approx. 22 cm = 8.7 inch This colorful hanging decoration for doors and walls immediately brings a good mood. The cheerful chickens can also be used individually, for example, as small edge stools, gift decoration or in your spring decoration. After purchase you will receive a link to download the crochet pattern directly from the Etsy system. To open the PDF file you need a PDF reader program (e.g. the free Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Hi all! Happy Monday! It's Amber from Mrs. Masters Kinder Love and I'm so happy to be sharing with you today! I can't believe that I'm already planning for the end of the school year! My head has been spinning with all the amazing ideas I see on blogs, Pinterest and instagram! Today I am sharing 5 ideas with you that I think are AMAZINGLY, AWESOME and they DO NOT break the bank!! Enjoy!! Class Pic Collage I love this idea from Jo's PhotoMojo! A lot of us have done this individually with students and sent it home for each child's family at the end of the school year. BUT this would be such a memorable piece for students to look back on when they are older and remember each of their classmates! Slideshow If you are anything like me, you take a million pictures of your kids throughout the year, and then don't really know what to do with all of them at the end of the year. Then you end up with thousands of pics on your computer that are slightly (or majorly) unorganized and just a bit of a mess. By creating a slideshow, you pick out the most memorable pictures of the year. Then you don't have to feel bad about getting rid of the 500 that you probably don't need. This idea from The Littlest Scholars is a thoughtful gift for students and families! QR Code Gift Cards! Can I just say GENIUS!! This idea from FlapJack is an easy twist on making video slideshows for your kids! You can create cards with QR codes to the videos that you've created throughout the school year! It's easier and much cheaper than buying cd's for every student in class! You can give each student a few cards to share with their families! Name Frames I am absolutely in love with these name frames from Mrs. MeGown's 2nd Grade Safari! I love the process that she used by having her students write down a word to describe each person in the class! She even included it as a freebie! You can grab her freebie and read all about this gift here! You can find frames for a dollar a piece at the Dollar Tree! Such a meaningful gift that students will be able to enjoy for years to come! Beach Balls! I've seen a couple different things you can do with beach balls for the end of the school year. The first is just using it as a fabulous/inexpensive summer gift! Check out Read Write Sing A Kindergarten Story blog post and pick up the free tags!! I have also seen this idea floating around Pinterest and think it's such a cute take on the memory book. Mrs. Patton's Patch explains it all here!! Each student gets a beach ball. You can write "We had a ball in ____ grade!" in Sharpie. Students can sign their names to the beach balls! This idea goes perfect with the popular "Beach Party" theme on the last day! Here's the great news....you can get 12 pack of beach balls for about $7.00 on Amazon!! I hope you were able to find a few fabulous ideas to get you thinking about the end of the year! Have a wonderful week!

Looking for the best New Year's Eve party ideas? Check this post for the best NYE party ideas, including New Years Eve party themes, games, food, decorations, and more, to celebrate the holidays and start your sparkly new year!

Want something to send home to your parents in the beginning of the year?? I store this in my communication folder in a plastic sleeve and store all the notes I get from parents behind this…. Come on over HERE to snag a copy. Would you like to have your printables ... Read More about Parent Survey for Beginning of Year

One of our activities this week included talking about some of our favorite things. We then made these super, cute people to go with our wri...

Hi, kidz! Welcome to the second installment of postings from my school-wide collaborative series (btw, I've decided "school-wide collaborative" is just too much work for my mouth. Hence forth, it will go by it's abbreviated and funner name: scollab. Pronounced skoal-lab, not school-lab. Cuz art class in a school lab is just bound to end in 'splosions and flames. Which actually sounds super funner-er.) In this here post, Ima share with you one of the happiest scollabs we did this year: Our School has Heart Mural! If this looks vaguely familiar to you, that's because I blerged about the first phase of this project here. This lovely scollab masterpiece hangs happily in the front office of my school. Previously, the front office was referred to as the DMV for it's warm and welcoming wall color (what is that, Sherwin William's "Institution White"? "Padded Room Gray"? "The Last Color I See Before My Date with the Principal Blue"?). It was mentioned that some art might cheer the place up and that's all it took for my ears to prick up. ART?! Did somebody say...art?! We started this project way back at the start of February so love was in the air. Which explains the smell. I decided that each kiddo was gonna contribute and each grade level would do a little something different. I'll give you the quickie version here but you can visit this post for the full story. The kindergarteners were given a paper heart template to trace in black oil pastel. Then they doodled in warm or cool colors and then proceeded to water color the daylights outta that thing in either warm or cool. The first graders were given 3" square pieces of felt in whatever color they liked. Then they traced that same hear template in chalk and painted with tempera. Painting on felt is really rad cuz it gives the piece this almost oil painted appearance. If the kids painted the hear with warm colors, they were to reverse that color scheme for the background. Puffy paint was added because why not?! Puffy paint is the jam. Second grade town created these pipe cleaner hearts that they yarn bombed and bead attacked. I had the pleasure of hot gluing them to the felt of their choosing. Third grade thought that Christmas came early when I showed them how to embroider. Every last one of them enjoyed this so much and was able to complete their stitching (and button sewing!) in one hour long class. Needle felting was introduced to my fourth grade students. We really enjoyed this and only had one bleeder (those needle felting tools are both sharp and serrated, y'all. They ain't for sissies). As the students completed their work, I started to lay them out on two pieces of foam core. I happened to have two 3' X 6' pieces of foam core to my name because, well, why not? I originally thought of doing a value gradation but rainbow order ended up looking the best. Hot gluing over 400 hearts wasn't exactly my idea of a good time. The upside is I no longer have finger prints and the cops will never find me! Take that, coppers! Once all the gluing was complete, I took the two boards to the office and my super awesome bookkeeper buddy and my radical rockstar custodian friend hung them up for all to see. Don't miss! I'll be presenting on school-wide collaboratives at the AOE conference this summer! And now, let's talk GIVEAWAY! Last week's winner is Lil! When asked what her fave collaborative project was, she wrote: This year my third grader class created large, beautiful, textured and patterned frogs. Then each table created their own scene on huge mural paper. There was an outdoor birthday party, with an airplane toting a birthday wish sign. One group made a water theme park setting with a lazy river - one frog was definitely relaxin' on his tube!! Another group made a nail salon - now who doesn't like a good froggie pedi??! Oh my gosh, the kids absolutely loved working together on such a huge creation. Do you think it was because they got to spread out on the floor to paint and cut and create??!!!! Congrats, Lil! I hope you enjoy the artsy t-shirts! Now, I know most of y'all are enjoying your summer days. How 'bout you spend some time creating with a good book? To enter this giveaway, just do the following: * Tell me what dream scollab you would create with your students. A permanent mural? A tile project? I'd love to hear! Maybe if we start dreaming big now, we'll have the energy to make it happen come this fall! * Leave your email address in your comments so I can contact you.

This back to school math activity is a perfect get to know you activity to start a new school year. There are multiple versions of the math pennant included and glyph directions if you'd like to give more structure to the activity. The finished pennants are a colorful addition to your math classroom decor and make for a welcoming classroom. Now includes a digital drag and drop version of the back to school math activity in GOOGLE Slides to meet the needs of distance learning. Happy back to school!

He waka eke noa. We are all in the canoe together. Just like the Room Seven Superstars, we are using this whakatauki to inspire us to learn and work together so that we can reach our goals. Kia ora Room 7 and Mr Cottrell! All of us in Room 6 have created a part of the waka that represents us. I am at the head of the waka, along with Mr Severinsen, who we are lucky to have when I am not teaching Room 6. Together, our pieces create our waka. Without any one of the pieces, our waka is not complete.

Discover new classroom ideas for classroom management, decor, organization, storage, desk layouts, fun ideas and more!

I think the number one question I get from teachers is "how do you handle classroom management"? I do have a system and I have had it for 13 years. It really works for me and I get a whole lot of work out of the kids because we have more time to focus on art and less time figuring out who is getting what or who is putting it all away. This is the system I use, you should find ways that will make your classroom run smooth as well. One system does not work for everyone but you are welcome to use mine if it works for you. Classroom Management System- 1. Supply management- I have one overall classroom manager in each class who acts a "mini-me". This person is the only one allowed to walk up to me without raising their hand. If you have a supply need you ask your table manager if you have an art question you can ask others at your table or raise your hand an I will come help you. Other wise everyone is expected to stay in their seat or in their area during class. Classroom managers keep their jobs all year and when ever possible they keep their jobs year after year. Cuts way down on the retraining process time. We hit the ground running each new school year. I do remind students each year that I do not have favorites we just need a quick way to get everything accomplished. I emphasize that the art room is based on team work...we are all on the same team. The manager system you set up and start right away...the team building thing takes some time. Try and develop a culture and attitude in your art room, it will differently help with behavior management. I pick classroom managers who seem to be class leaders, are very calm and seem to just know how to get things done. They also do not mind taking orders from me or working very hard while still being able to get all their own projects finished. It is the classroom managers job to do a final quality check at the end of class to make sure "their" art room is ready. At the end of they year I do have a party for all the classroom managers... I owe them that much for how hard they all work. Supply manager--The supply manager is the second in command under the classroom manager. This person is the overseer of all supplies and table caddies the room. It is their ultimate responsibility to make sure all the table managers put away the supplies correctly. They also help me pass out random things that I do not have a job manager for. In addition to the classroom manager and the supply managers I have one table manager at each table. The table managers keep their jobs all year long or as long as they choose to keep it. It is a lot of work. I remind students our most important goal in the art room is to create art. The faster we get supplies the faster we are working on our art. The table managers are in charge of getting all the supplies for their table. They do this at the beginning of class and through out the entire class. The table manager is also responsible for making sure everything gets put away correctly for their table and the table is clean before everyone lines up. Everyone else at the table is in charge of keeping the table clean during class, the table supplies organized and the floor around their table swept. I have a small broom on a hook at the end of each table. I remind students it is important to stay out of the managers way at the end of class so they can get the room ready for the next class so please help them but getting your tables put together and in order. It's a team thing! On top of the table managers and the classroom manager jobs there are a few other very important jobs in my art room these managers are-- Sink/Paint manager- The paint manager is in charge of all things paint and anything by the sink. The paint manager helps the table managers put out, pick-up and restock paint. They also help me with every thing that has anything to do with the sink area. The classroom manager also helps the paint manager. When my paint order comes in I just have the paint manager and a couple of helpers pop out all the pods into color coordinated bins. They love this job! Paper Passer/picker-upper/drying rack manager--This student hands out all new project papers, old project papers and any special papers to everyone. They also pick up all the papers when the class works as a group. Otherwise I have a yellow turn-in basket were everyone puts their dry projects on their own when they finish a project during class. The paper passer is also in charge of the drying rack when we turn wet projects in as a group at the end of class. Otherwise as soon as a student is finished with a wet project they may put their work on the drying rack and get their journal. Journal/library manager--The journal manager keeps all the journals at his or her table in a basket. When a student is finished with their projects they know to go to the journal manager and get their journal out of the basket. The journal manager helps me help all the kids bind their journals together at the start of school, which is really helpful. The journal manager is also in charge of keeping the library and the journal station clean. I let the journal manager pick their own helper to assist them in organizing the journal station...it's a really big job sometimes. The journal manager is also in charge of helping me pass out random supplies I do not have job managers for. Clay manager--This person's job is to assist me with all things clay, paper mâché and 3D. I have a seating chart and the students with jobs sit in the same place for that job in every class. This way I am not always looking for the job person I need. For example all the classroom managers sit at the head of the orange table. That is because it is right next to where I stand to take roll and end class. All the supply managers for each class sit in the first chair at the Yellow table...this is because it is closest to the supply rack. All the paper passers for all the classes sit at the second seat at the Red table because it is closest to the paper cabinet. All the journal managers in all the classes sit at the 3rd chair of the blue table because it is at the center of the room and all the kids come to this person to get their journals. It is centrally located. This system is great for subs as well, when everyone knows their job and the sub has to do very little it is great for keeping the room clean. The jobs are marked on the seating chart so the sub can find the person with the right job to help them fast. My tables are color coded with ribbons above them hanging from the celling: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet. If I have an overflow of students some years there is also and Indigo table I use. All the table managers sit at the head of their tables. I have a cool side manager and a warm side manger as well. This person is in charge when a warm or cool side table manager is absent. The classroom manager is also in charge of any other manager job if that person is absent. This cuts down on "can I be manager x today our manager is absent". There is a plan in place for absent students. Students put their names on the backs of all their papers and also include their classroom teacher's name in case the paper is misplaced and their table color. Having the table color helps get the papers passed out much faster. I do not use the my management system in kindergarten. For these little ones I tell them the people who are paying attention and following directions get to be my helpers. If you would like more details on my management system just e-mail me at [email protected] This is a flow chart I use when kids say "what do I do next". There is a laminated copy in each table caddy on each table in case they forget, which they always do even though it has not changed in 13 years. I just say go look at your flow chart. 2. Behavior Management- I am a huge believer in Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk. This management system totally changed the way I teach, manage my classroom, deal with other people and really...live my life. I swear by it. It helps to teach with less distractions. I started my teaching career at a title one school in Houston, Texas with lots of behavior issues. I wanted to quit after the first month. This was the year hurricane Katrina hit and we got so many new kids from New Orleans we had to add a teacher to each grade level. Some of these sweet kids could not even write their names correctly in the 3rd grade. In my 3rd year of teaching my school implemented the Love and Logic system and it really chanced the culture and environment of our school. If you ever need a good book to read...this is the one. I use to give points and rewards in every form imaginable. I quit doing that a couple years ago and I have been so much happier ever since. I make sure the kids are busy from start to finish, walk around the room a lot...I mean A LOT, I am everywhere. I sit with the kids and work on the same project they are doing or I work on my art journal. I want them to see me working right along side them. I try to catch fires before they start and I take the Love and Logic approach to putting out fires once they do. I put the ownership of the problem back into the kids hands. For a better description of this process I beg you to read or take a workshop on Love and Logic. I know you are thinking...I do the same thing too and I am sure you do. It does take time though so keep pushing through. You must be very consistent and very firm at first. It is very important to develop a sense of team work, pride in their own art class room and a culture of mutual respect. It has taken me a few years and it is not perfect but it is so much better then the alternative of always yelling or being frustrated with the kids. Being upset or frustrated can make you crazy and you leave work tired an burned out every day. But once they get the plan it really does free you up to have fun with your students because you will have a good system in place they understand and can work within. Let the kids know all the time that you believe in them, that we act with respect in the art room and that you expect them to be on their best behavior with themselves, their table mates and their class. I also teach them how to do a quick one minute meditation. If things are going a little pear shaped turn the lights down and ask the kids to meditate for one minute. If things are getting really loud I call for a Silent Art. Silent Art last for 5 minutes. I set the chicken timer (it's a kitchen timer shaped like a chicken). When the timer goes off I do not say anything and let them figure it's over on their own. Usually they are still pretty quiet for a while. I allow my kids to talk in class but only to people at their own tables and at the journal station. As long as they are on task and keeping the noise to a minimum it's all good. I do sometimes play music and art videos for background ambience. They love Kids Hub and Bob Ross Videos on YouTube. Most importantly I think the way we talk to our students is the key to changing their attitudes and behaviors. This is why I believe in Love and Logic so much. I hope this helps....Leave any comments or questions you think would be helpful. Also feel free to share your own classroom management procedures.

Free Beginning Sounds Worksheets. Look at each each picture and color the beginning sound. Easy to joing and download.

Fonts play a big role in creating classroom worksheets, activities and many teachers love making their own! Here are 42 free fonts that were created by teachers and will help make your classroom activities bright, whimsical and add just the right touch.

As the end of the school year approaches, students can often start to wind up. Think “senioritis” when you were a high school senior, but bottle up that same excitement in smaller humans. Every spring, come May or June, even a superstar teacher with the most effective classroom management system in place can still suffer the wrath of (dun dun DUN) chatty class syndrome, or as I like to call it, “June Bug.” Even if something has worked all year long, you may feel the need to reach into your bag of tricks for a little extra reinforcement.

It’s a well-known fact that most teachers at any school do not like it when their students are on their phones during class. This led to many teachers here at Monte Vista getting creative and developing their own ways to create a phone-free learning environment. One good example is Mrs. Perruso. Mrs. Perruso is a...

1st Week of Kindergarten Plans & Ideas including a freebie. Teaching little learners with purpose and fun.

Hi friends!! How are you?!?!? I feel like I’m finally recovered from Vegas after several days of resting! It was seriously amazing being with my closest friends, but there’s nothing […]

classroom kindness banner worksheet activity

Free printable table signs are a versatile and convenient solution for adding a touch of organization and style to any event. Whether youre hosting a wedding, party, or business gathering, these signs provide an effortless way to label tables, direct guests, and enhance the overall aesthetic of your space. With a wide range of designs and themes available, there is sure to be something that suits the unique needs and preferences of every host or hostess.

Tidbits and treats for teachers

Just for fun, I entered our DREAMS display in a B2S bulletin board contest on what just happens to be the anniversary of MLK Jr's I have a dream speech. I just love Wednesdays because it's our mid-week chance to gather as a community before school and launch into the day together. Staff members unite by wearing their character Ts and jeans. We recite the pledges to the flags as well as our character pledge: Graphic template from recitethis.com We share our moment of silence, then publicly celebrate birthdays. We get a weather report and listen to the lunch menu. Sometimes we enjoy a special performance or presentation. Before we leave, we sing the School Song together. This is what I'll be wearing today. It's actually the shirt I got for speaking at North Pointe Elementary last week so I won't match anyone else, but I'll wear it with pride, that's for sure. On the back, it says National School of Character. We have that in common with them! And during these first two weeks, there ought to be a lot of social contracts posted. A social contract is our promise to one another. They come in all shapes and sizes. Here are two examples; the first one will be complete when the students all put their thumbprint on it. These contracts are meant to be a working document so that if someone has signed the promise but has somehow gotten off track from the terms of the agreement, students and teachers can refer back to the contract and revisit it by asking: How did we say we would treat one another? Periodically it might need to be updated or something might need to be added. It's good to take a look at the contract at the end of each week to reflect on how you've done as a class. It's also important to share it with any new student who joins your class family and let him/her sign it. It's fun to see how these contracts evolve. Make it a wonder-filled Wednesday!

Having students color in posters with their names is a great first day activity that provides yearlong decoration for the classroom!

I am hearing from so many teacher friends who are hard at work preparing for the start of the 2013-2014 school year. I must admit I a...

Open House Ideas {Fab Ideas from the Weekend Warriors} 5 comments Tips and Tricks, Weekend Warriors It's time for Weekend Warriors! I love our monthly link up. I really do! Our goal has always been to share great ideas with you, but we are always striving to make things better. Over the past month we've made some exciting changes to Weekend Warriors. First, we have a new look! Eek, don't you just love it? Another change we've made is to open up the linky! That's right, if you have a blog and some ideas to share that go with the current month's theme, then grab the buttons, post away, and link up! We'd love to check out your ideas! So, let's get started with this month's theme! This month, we are linking up to share our favorite Open House ideas, and more! We hope to share some fun ideas that you can use at your own Open House, or whatever annual nightly event your school might host. Warning, you are about to be photo bombed. My apologies in advance. But, I have lots of ideas to share with you. Each of which helped make our Open House a successful event. I truly hope you can take an idea or two away from this post! We recently had our Open House, so I thought it would be fun to take a peek at what we did. This year we spruced up the inside of our classroom by displaying new work on our bulletin board. It's always so nice to hang fresh work up for these kinds of events. The kids had a blast making this adorable display from Bright Concepts 4 Teachers. They wrote about why their future will be so bright. The parents loved this display! I kept our self-portraits up so the kids could play a guessing game with their families (you may recall from a few posts ago, that I never take this board down, or change it out). A few weeks ago, I removed the name tags that were on display with their artwork. With the names gone, the kids asked their families to figure out which portrait was theirs. It was a fun to watch this! If you're looking for a fun way to get students interacting with their families and their work, this is a simple way to do so. Just have your kiddos complete a self portrait, put them on display, and watch the fun unfold! Look for quick and easy projects to fill smaller spaces in your classroom. We put together this quick and easy little "board." This space is actually where I hang my anchor charts, but I didn't need those on display, I wanted student work on display. The students finished the prompt and colored their iPod. Easy peasy. You can grab a copy of this quick project here. Another idea is to spruce up your desks or table groups. That's exactly what we did! The students wrote letters to their parents thanking them for attending and noting the things they wanted their families to look at. We set these out with newly decorated name tags and bouquets of tissue flowers. I had the students hide their well loved name plates in their desks and they made new ones. I simply cut some white card stock into strips (2 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches) and wrote the students' names on each one. Then, they used colored pencils to decorate! This is my sample (and I really should have colored a bit darker...oops). I will be laminating their name tags so that they can use them as bookmarks. They are very excited about this! The finishing touch? We made some fun tissue paper flowers to set out at our table groups. Aren't they amazing? The following Monday, I sent them home with the students (they each took home a mini bouquet). My sweet colleague suggested this idea, and I am so glad she did! It made our room look super cute, the parents were really impressed, and the kids had a blast. And, they are super easy to make! To make these beauties, you need some tissue paper circles (I used 4 inch circles that I cut out on our die cut machine), pipe cleaners, and some "vases" (I used the small Mason jars). Fold one end of the pipe cleaner over (twice). Stick the opposite end through a mini stack of tissue circles (3-6 pieces). Gently slide the circles up to the folded end. Then, take your whole hand and scrunch the circles upward. Then, open the layers one at a time and rescrunch each one. Finally, trim the stems and stuff them into some Mason jars! Another fun idea is to set out any class books you might have. My students were so excited to show these to their families! Finally, to create a calm and welcoming environment, make it smell nice! I can't be trusted with a Scentsy, but I love the Air Wick plug in air freshener. I found a great tropical scent the other day and plugged it in. Our room not only looked great, but it smelled great! I realize this is soooo not necessary, but it's a nice touch. DON'T FORGET IT: PIN IT! Don't forget to visit these fabulous ladies to grab some more great ideas for Open House and more! And, if you've got some great Open House and More ideas to share, feel free to link up! An InLinkz Link-up Share It:

All of these organizational printables shown on this blog post are FREE! This page contains affiliate links. Read Full Disclosure

Name posters are an easy art project for the first day of school and also double as classroom decor!

Celebrating the end of the year can be a special time for you and your students, use the end of the year countdown to celebrate their successes!

If you are a preschool, kindergarten or first grade teacher you know that bathroom issues are a constant battle. Actually, our second grade and third grade friends have difficulty remembering bathroom routines as well. When my children were little I often used strategies that I found helpful for my students with autism such as visuals and […]

The beginning of the year is always a whirlwind with the first few days of school and Open House/Visitation. Whether you have your Open House/Visitation before school starts, or once the year is already in full swing, it’s still a huge undertaking! Today I’m sharing with you my 5 favorite tips for your Open House ... Read More about Kindergarten Visitation!

A Teaching blog about Secondary English and Speech.

A simple way to teach your students classroom procedures and expectations at the beginning of the school year

Students can hit the hall in style!

I don't know how but "A" saw some clips of a Narnia movie and has been begging me to watch them. On top of that, he knows I love the Harry...

Back to School freebies include Find a Friend Icebreaker, positive notes, Go Noodle coupons, and a free student printable word wall.

I've done a lot of experimenting with desk arrangements over the years. I've definitely found my favorite. Keep reading, I'll tell you about it. I've also discovered that it's smart to pick a few