I've been reading the book, Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci, and just finished chapter 3. It was a real eye-opener. Through all of my years of teaching, I thought I was differentiating by planning and implementing reteaching and enrichment lessons and activities as my class worked through a unit. But in this chapter, I learned how important it is to start the differentiation before the unit even begins! This process begins with the preassessment. So much valuable information can be gathered before you begin teaching a unit. The purpose of the preassessment is to find how much students understand the content before you plan and teach the unit. Do they have a complete understanding of the content? Then they will need enrichment and/or accelerated activities. Do they have a partial understanding of the content? Then you need to make note of the gaps in their learning so you can plan accordingly. Checklists are a great way to keep track of the objectives and student mastery. From this checklist, you will also see students that need to be grouped for instruction. Keep in mind that this grouping will change as students master the objectives. Another insight I gained from this chapter is the different types of assessments used in a classroom. I put together this graphic to sum up the three types of assessment you should be using in your classroom. Click on the image to download the pdf version. You can also download this free packet with three quick and easy formative assessments you can use
I recently blogged about how I created policies and procedures that incorporated character education in my classroom. My post also includes a checklist of policies and procedures that teachers can use when planning for the new school year. Use this checklist as you review your own policies and procedures for the upcoming school year if ... Read More about Classroom Policies and Procedures Checklist
Podcasts in the classroom are so fun and engaging! Have you jumped on the podcast train yet?! I have a great system for using podcasts in the classroom...
This book follows the rules: Be safe, Be responsible, Be respectful and Be kind. Each is followed by an example. I use it to teach students the rules and how to be good citizens in the classroom. It is important to go over the rules everyday at the beginning of the year and this is a great book because the pictures allow for a discussion about the rules. Just copy, cut the bottom half and place it behind the top half. Or you can follow pick and choose which rules you want your students to work on and make your own book :)
Also known as ‘brain breaks’ & ‘movement breaks’, these sensory break activities develop gross motor skills, improve self-regulation & help with behavior management in the classroom while also helping kids focus & learn!
Learn how to manage one of the biggest challenges of teaching: Six disrespectful students in the same class. Yikes!
This FREE handout is a great activity for warm-ups or even early finishers. This handout was inspired by the book Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. Here is the BLANK version. This is a good opti…
If you teach Prealgebra 7th grade middle school math, you need this 7th grade CCSS skills list. Download free CCSS 7th grade math list now.
Tips for Classroom management! Behavior is the most important aspect of a strong classroom. Learn how to get control of your new class- even the tough ones!
The first week of school generally consists of getting to know one another, in addition to discussion and practice of classroom procedures and routines. We also got our creative juices flowing by creating summer reflection writing pieces, squiggle stories, and "All About Me" mini-posters. Students are getting to know one another and me, and we are learning to work together to build a successful and positive classroom environment. On Wednesday, I wrote out six questions, all having to do with how to make our classroom and ourselves function to the highest level, on six pieces of chart paper. Students, in groups of three, spent two minutes at each chart, collaborating and responding to each question on a sticky note. After all groups visited each chart paper station, I hung all of the charts up and we discussed each answer and noticed some very interesting trends. Here's the finished product, which you can click on to enlarge: Inspired by Life in 4B To tie into the previous activity, I was inspired by my wonderful teammates, Mrs. Fadden and Ms. Mattox, to develop at class pledge with my students. We reviewed our responses to the above questions, and then we put all of the ideas together to form a cohesive paragraph that we have all agreed will help us to remember why we are here at school and what our common goal is. Below is the rough draft of our class pledge (which I will type up, make pretty, and have all of my students sign): Since we were able to develop a class goal (to achieve success in third grade), I also had each student determine an individual goal after reading the story Matthew's Dream by Leo Lionni. I displayed our "Hopes and Dreams" for third grade near the classroom door, so that we can refer to, and revisit, them throughout the year. Lots of students are interested in learning how to sharpen their cursive skills, multiplication and division skills. I was very impressed by the number of students ready to take on our 40 book challenge! More on that later! Here's our class display of our hopes and dreams for third grade: Lastly, I read a book called Have You Filled a Bucket Today? The premise is that everyone carries an invisible bucket everywhere they go. When your bucket is "filled" you feel happy.When your bucket is "empty" you feel sad or upset. People can fill buckets by lending a helping hand, smiling, being kind, including others in games, and more. People can empty buckets by teasing, being ungrateful, acting disrespectfully, and more. I encourage my students to recognize the actions of bucket-fillers by writing them quick note and sticking it in their bucket display. This helps make everyone feel good. When we feel good, we want others to feel good. Therefore, kindess is passed from person to person. This is our bucket-filling display, complete with ways we can fill buckets and ways we can empty buckets: I look forward to more of these types of meaningful activities that promote teamwork, kindness, and achievement with your child!
Visual boundaries are a vital part of classroom setup. Let me show you how I utilize these visual boundaries in classroom!
The Everyday Shorts, your new go-to for versatile comfort and style. Designed with functionality in mind, these shorts are crafted to be your everyday staple, suitable for any occasion. Engineered without built-in liners, they offer freedom of choice in how you wear them. Whether you’re heading to the classroom, hitting the golf course, or venturing out for a day of hunting, these shorts have got you covered. Featuring a comfortable elastic waistband with zipper and rubber buttons, our Everyday Shorts provide a secure and adjustable fit. The addition of belt loops offers further customization to suit your individual style. Crafted from a lightweight and quick-drying blend of 88% Polyester and 12% Spandex, our shorts offer moisture-wicking properties and four-way stretch for maximum comfort and mobility. The double entry back pockets with zipper closure provide storage for your essentials. Trey, standing at 6’1’’ and weighing 210 pounds, finds the size Large to be his perfect fit for all-day comfort and style. If you’re unsure about sizing, be sure to refer to our size chart under our Help tab for guidance. Lightweight and Quick Drying Elastic Waistband with Zipper and Rubber Buttons Moisture wicking for four- way stretch Double entry back pockets with zipper closure 88% polyester and 125 Spandex 7" running inseams
This FREE handout is a great activity for warm-ups or even early finishers. This handout was inspired by the book Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. Here is the BLANK version. This is a good opti…
In this episode, Kasey chats about one of the most feared Google tools--Sheets! Every teacher should learn to use this robust tool! Let's explore free templates, time savers, and all the wonderful things you can do with Google Sheets. 15+ Ways for Teachers to Use Google Sheets in the Classroom!
If you're tired of digging into your own pockets to find ways to motivate your students, you need to check out these FREE reward coupons. You can even use the editable option to add your own coupons.
Environmental print ideas, activities, and games for your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom to promote emergent literacy.
My students and I love playing games in the classroom! This is a list of my top 10 games to play in the classroom with my students.
Planting lifelong foundations in early childhood
Use these shape play dough mats to help preschoolers and kindergarteners learn how to make 2D shapes and recognize shapes in everyday objects
To introduce my students to the concept of different materials (and that materials have different purposes depending on what they are being used for) we began with a hunt around our classroom. I wanted to see if students understood what “materials” meant and also how many different ones they could identify. I was impressed with […]
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.
Bring organization and class into your everyday routine with these classroom slides and templates! Having visual aids to display agendas, independent work, morning options for lunch, and everything in between is a great way to incorporate student organization and responsibility into your classroom. EDIT RIGHT IN GOOGLE SLIDES! What's Included? -Over 90 Pre-designed and labeled template slides that you can personalize and use to suit your classroom needs Pre-Made Designs Include: Morning and General Use: - "Welcome to Class" - "Good Morning" - "Welcome" - Agenda for 5 Days of the Week (Mon-Fri) - "To-Do" Education and Content: - Literacy Stations - Time for Reading - Math Centers - Centers - Rotations - Objective + Stretch Goal: "I can...", "I will..." - Math - Reading - Spelling - Science - Writing - Social Studies - Geography - Grammar - English - History Classroom Management: - Must Do/ May Do - Nows & Laters (my favorite for early finishers during independent work time!) - Student Spotlight + Student of the Week What Will I Receive?: This is a downloadable, digital file that you can access as soon as you purchase this item. This file is in a compressed zip file. To unzip this file please download and click on the downloadable file to open. Once open click "extract all" to access the file completely. To open and edit your files you will need to have access to a FREE GOOGLE ACCOUNT. Access them on Google Slides to edit freely! Also, ensure you complete any software updates as needed to your computer to avoid compatibility issues. Editing Your Resource: PLEASE NOTE: Other than the included editable pages and slides that can be personalized by you in Google Slides; the fonts, graphics, and color palettes are NOT able to be edited. These resources can be made according to your needs using your fonts! :) OR... (EDITING TIP!) Looking for fun fonts to edit your resource for FREE? Here's a great set by Cori and Company that has hundreds of downloadable fonts for FREE! Credits * Fonts and Graphics by Canva.com
O.K - the rest of the Behavior Logs are all done for the rest of the year! I hope you can use them!! :) Click on the picture below to...
By Zoey Bros One of the main things you’ll see when entering the Instagram teacher world is very colorful and stimulating photos of beautiful classroom decor inspiration. If you asked many of my followers they would probably tell you that they would sum up my Instagram feed look as bright and “rainbow everything”. There are many pages that also have classrooms that follow this same theme. While this trend is very impressive and has inspired me in many ways. I got to thinking about how to make my classroom more learner-friendly this past year. Recently, I have seen a lot of teacher grammers speak to scientific studies that showed many students struggled with a combination of stimulating colors and bright fluorescent lights. One study I read stated that said the combination of bright neon colors and many large fluorescent light fixtures could lead to difficulties focusing and migraines. It also stated that many educators may not notice the symptoms of light sensitivity, but to be wary if noticing students complaining of dizziness, fatigue, irritability, discomfort, and anxiety. Another small study I read reported similar results stating that fluorescent lighting increased the frequency of stereotypical repetitive behaviors in children with Autism. Having the special education cluster in my general education class I knew I had to start researching ways to offer a more calm learning environment for all my scholars. When reflecting on how to do so, I started to look into alternative ways to offer light in my classroom. Before reading the studies about light sensitivity, I proactively turned off my classroom’s ceiling fluorescent lights (all 12 of them) during the second half of the day. I was able to do so because my classroom has these beautiful big windows. After doing so, I noticed an almost drastic change in the energies of my students in my classroom. Many of my seven and eight-year-old students have experienced trauma and are sensitive to sensory, rather that be auditory or visually. While I found this proactive approach worked for many of them. I did find that I was straining my eyes trying to read from my desk area, which is furthest from the windows. Worrying about my students developing eyes, I began looking into other ways to provide light without overloading sensory. I got these tranquil blue light covers and put them up right away on Monday, even though it was the last week of school. I noticed an almost immediate improvement in my students’ ability to concentrate and found myself without a headache by the end of the day while keeping all 12 lights on. One of my students who is on the Autism Spectrum stated that “These blue covers have helped me stay in the green zone. They remind me of a playground tunnel. I can see the light through them, but it is muffled. I like it that way.” It was this comment that provided me confidence in my most recent attempt to build accommodations for light sensitivity. I’d love to explore other possibilities to accommodate my students’ light sensory needs. Please join the conversation by commenting below what you have tried in your classroom. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zoey Bros is a second grade teacher from Minnesota. Follow her on Instagram: @shiningbrightinsecond To find out more about how she uses her light covers in classroom, click here for her answered FAQ's ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Everyday Educate on
When I looked at my last post and realized it was Christmas themed, I realized I was long overdo for a blog post. This new year has brought...
The story of Zacchaeus is a great way to teach your little ones how they should treat their friends. A man that no one was too fond of and Jesus went to HIS house...what a great story of kindness!Here's how I taught this story to my little learners...ARRIVALWe started class just like every week. During the
To introduce my students to the concept of different materials (and that materials have different purposes depending on what they are being used for) we began with a hunt around our classroom. I wanted to see if students understood what “materials” meant and also how many different ones they could identify. I was impressed with […]
Get this free magnet worksheet to use when you test the magnetism of everyday objects. Perfect for kids ages 4-6!
Fine Motor exercises are an important part of any child's curriculum and learning experience. Learning how control your hands and refining those hand muscles help a child learn how to do important, every day life skills like feeding, wiping, zippering, and tying shoes. Enter Finger Gym.
Sentence sticks work great to teach parts of speech: verbs, nouns, adjectives etc. Use it to make silly sentences or real sentences too!
NOTE: This is a digital download. You will not receive any physical items. Show students how people use math every day with this autumn-themed bulletin board kit! The fun fall images and examples of how math is involved can really spark some great math discussions. Here is what is included: -Letters to spell out “FALL INTO MATH” -24 mini posters displaying ways people use math in everyday ordinary life in the fall! (The posters are included in black ink and colorful versions.) Everything in this kit prints on regular 8.5 x 11 paper. You can print the items to look like the examples, or choose any color paper you like. Choose your favorite posters to display, or all of them if you have a very large board. A few of the examples are related to Halloween and Thanksgiving. No matter if you teach elementary, middle, or high school... Help students see they use math every day. PERSONAL CLASSROOM USE ONLY By purchasing this resource, you have the right to use this resource in your classroom and make copies as needed for your students. Duplicating any parts of this resource for commercial use or sharing it with others is forbidden without written permission from the author. No part of this resource may be loaded to the internet (even for classroom or personal websites). You may post photos on social media. Please tag or credit me.
