Alright, it's mid-July! I know you are thinking about back to school time. You can't go shopping without seeing school supplies on sale or displays of new shoes and clothing, and I know you are getting excited. It's a fun time of year, isn't it? But... it's also stressful. You have ten tons to
Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas Fourteen Fabulously Free Math Apps With An iPad Giveaway!
Have you ever had a class that just tried your patience day after day? Have you ever felt like you could walk away from teaching forever tom...
Decorating your classroom at the beginning of the year (or any time) is a challenge. Let me help with these ideas! There's always so much to do at the beginning of the school year. For me, this was really brought home when I started a new job with a science lab as my classroom. An
I am so excited to launch my first "series" of blog posts! It's making me feel all grown-up and blogger-like :)My first series is going to be on increasing student engagement in the classroom. Over
16 fabulous reading websites for your kids. Some of the best reading websites for use in your classroom!
Back to school in your ELA classroom just got easier. Starting a brand new school year requires a ton of planning and organization. These freebies are a great way to ease the stress and start
Why calling on students should be the LAST strategy you use to find out what they know...and how to get ALL kids involved instead.
My family is not very strong in math, so I am always nervous when we reach the high school math years. I am so very thankful that high school math doesn't have to be a scary thing since there are so many great helps available online.
No David by David Shannon is a classic book to read in kindergarten. Here are free No David activities, videos and book ideas listed all in one place.
A blog about pursuing a classically creative education, using hands on elements to bring education to life for those who pursue a classical model.
I've been working on a few things for Behavior Management so I thought I'd join the party! Check out The Lesson Plan Diva to see others who have linked up! I've seen a lot of clip charts and stop lights in blog land and I have to say that I am not a fan. Don't get me wrong--I think they are pretty, easy to use, and a quick visual for the teacher at the end of the day when getting things ready to go home. BUT I strongly believe that kids should not be publicly embarrassed for their behavior. EVERYONE makes poor choices from time to time. Would you want the entire staff to know when you missed a deadline or made a mistake? I know this is not the intention, but it happens anyway. Instead I use a binder. I wish I had a photo to show but sadly it is locked up at school. In the binder is a chart with student numbers instead of names. When students make poor choices, they are asked to visit the behavior binder where they place a check mark next to their number. There is also a copy of our Quality Student they should quickly review. When sending students to the binder, I make sure to do it privately so the student is not embarrassed. Each Monday we discuss the previous week's data, celebrate if we made a goal, and make new goals for the coming week. The binder is also handy at conference time. As a class, we set goals for the number of checks we will try to stay under per week. Students also may have personal goals for how many checks they will have each week or grading period. Recently I found Homeworkopoly on Ladybug's Teacher Files and decided to teacher-lift it. She uses this for students who consistently complete their homework, but I decided to use it as a behavior incentive. ALOT of people have been posting about doing away with the prize/treasure box and this could work for that too. I included two "prize box" places on the board but you could easily replace them with something else. I am still working on the Chance cards and I also added a spot for "Student-written questions." My plan here is to have students write their own review questions for topics already covered. So my printer is running low on ink and the colors are a bit distorted but this is the basic idea. My plan is to post it on the chalk board and use pictures of the kids faces to make magnetic playing pieces. Students who made it the entire week without any checks in the behavior binder (or who met their personal behavior goal) will get to take a turn on the Behavioropoly Board. Check out Ladybug's Teacher Files to see how she runs the game. ***Update*** Due to a high volume of requests I am no longer sending out my template by email. You can go to my TPT store and download the files for free!
We have all been there (no matter how long you have taught or how well you have planned a lesson). You have just finished a fantastic lesson. Everything went as planned and the students were highly en
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...
We are beginning to move full swing into the holiday season and I have been planning the two weeks we will all be at home. With some down time I thought it would be a great chance to plan a few activities with my little ones, and since I do love all things Waldorf, I
10 inexpensive rewards to use in your middle school class.
It's all about solving problems in the STEM Lab! We do it every day with our designs and building! BUT...... recently I had a brain pop and came up with a fabulous invention! Keep reading and find out what we tried! It's called Towers and Task Cards! So, here's the basics! The kids had to
I found this Math Reference Sheet many years ago on Ms. Sanchez's class website. Her download is still available. I printed out 25 colored copies and mounted on card stock. On the backside I made a sheet of cut and pasted resources that fit my students' needs like measurement charts, number words, etc. I then laminated the cards. They held up for four years and it is now time to remake them. If this is too old for your class, there are a variety of sheets available on TPT for free that might fit your needs. Link Here are my math tool kits that I will have the children store on their desks. It will become the Math/Science tool kit. I need to come up with a clever name for them. We do not use Everyday Math anymore and will be adopting Go Math. While looking for her website, I stumbled across her Science Sheet that I will also be making for my students. Link
Hi friends! I hope you’ve had a fabulous week this week! We have been working hard in my classroom on our Snow Globe Stories. I don’t know about your kids, but I imagine they are a lot like mine… when it comes time to edit and revise, they read it and SAY they’ve edited and […]
Writers Write is your one-stop writing resource. These lists will help you select the character traits you need for the characters in your books.
How to facilitate successful Socratic Seminars in the secondary ELA
Have you fallen into the trap of saying “No talking!” or “I need quiet!” all day long?
Great for re-charging and re-focusing, these 7 Youtube channels will get your kids moving and grooving at school or at home. Great for brain breaks.
Writers Write is your one-stop writing resource. These lists will help you select the character traits you need for the characters in your books.
Here is a short video by Scholastic Study Jams that explains the concept of MULTIPLICATION as being repeated additions of the same number. The video also introduces the terms factors and product and the properties of multiplication. After watching the video students can take a short online multiple choice quiz to check their understanding. Click on the link below to view the video. ~ Scholastic Study Jams - Multiplication Also I have a Multiplication Concept Chart worksheet for students to complete that reinforces the teachings on the video plus introduces/reviews the use of ARRAYS in Multiplication. I hope you find it useful. You can download the worksheet from my website. Just click on the link below then go to Free Worksheets. ~ http://www.LearningWorkroom.com Have fun with math!
Back-to-school season is here. It's time for science teachers to review the scientific method. Try something new and unique this year- comics.
Fun activity ideas to celebrate the "New Year of the Trees."
Related Bonnie LandauBonnie Landau is a licensed professional clinical counselor and educational consultant in Ventura County, California. Her goal is to help parents of neurodivergent individuals find strategies and solutions to help their children succeed in school and in life. Bonnie is also the author of Special Ed Mom Survival Guide: How to Prevail in …
Thousands of teachers have used these tried and true GUARANTEED tups to stop students from blurting out. Chatty Class? YOU NEED TO READ THIS!
If you need STEM projects ideas, this is THE place to go! This is a collection of over 200 STEM projects and activities that kids love!
The Shape Of Ideas: An Illustrated Exploration Of Creativity
This fabulous Blooms Gardners Writing Matrix contains 42 ideas for writing! Here's 10 FREE ideas, verb posters and displays for HOTS. Love number 3!
Check out these reading fluency ideas for your 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students. You get FREE tips to use with your upper elementary classroom or homeschool students. Learn about a partner read, progress monitoring, using reader’s theater, and poetry in your teaching lessons. Find links to printable worksheets and great activities. ( fourth, fifth, sixth graders, homeschool, freebie)
We’re back with another STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) series! This time it’s Summer STEAM Camp. We will be joining up with some other fabulous bloggers over the next few weeks to bring you simple STEAM projects centered around the five senses. This week’s theme is SEE. I decided to explore tessellations. A […]
