Unschooling, a term coined by educator John Holt, is a unique approach to education that places children at the center of their learning journey. It encourages them to explore their interests, pass…
Teaching Honesty in the Classroom; character education; classroom community; honesty for kids
Piet Mondrian's work show us the importance of focusing on what's truly important. So here're 10 Piet Mondrian projects for kids to get inspired from!
The Difference Between TAB and Choice and Why It Matters % %
We live in a very diverse country! Which means, diversity fills our classrooms every school year. It's so wonderful to share different cultures with my learners while in the classroom. To have students share their traditions and celebration with their peers is a special time for them and love doing it. The holiday season is
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
Welcome to one of my hundreds of character building posts. Today we focus on respect. These 20 ways to teach kids about respect include my previous lessons, crafts, activities, book collections and thoughts about teaching kids the importance of showing respect. I am also including other ideas I’ve found around the web so you are...Read More
This activity can be used to support your students' understanding of the importance of a 'Safety Network', as part of a Protective Behaviours program. This product is FREE; there is nothing more important than helping keep our students safe from abuse.
No matter what subject you teach, chances are that you will teach students with IEPs. That is why it’s important that you know common special ed jargon.
Different errorless learning activities for your special education classroom. Errorless learning is great for independent practice.
This blog post shares five tips on navigating the challenges and effectively running circle time in a limited verbal classroom.
The most common mistake I see is #1 ... this is great advice for people teaching handwriting to kids in preschool and kindergarten. The tip about worksheets is so important. #handwriting #preschool #penmanship #kindergarten
Come check out how I organize, decorate, and utilize spaces & activities to be functional on this Adult Transition classroom tour!
Today I'm sharing one of my favourite tasks for building community in the classroom. Students are able to share an important aspect of themselves (the story of their name) with the class and with me, their teacher. Through this task we are also working on important skills, like reading comprehension, writing, and reflection. Day 1 To begin, I asked my students to write any name they wish they had on a sticky note. They then placed it in a mason jar. I read my class the story "The Name Jar" by Yansook Choi. We stopped at several points in the story to predict, make connections, infer, and ask questions. At one point, we paused in the story so that students could journal about the name they wrote down on the sticky note earlier: - Did they choose their own name? Or another? - Why? - If you chose another name, where did you hear that name before? Day 2 At the end of Day 1, students were given homework. (Stick around to the bottom of this post for a chance to get your own copy of this sheet.) I make it very clear, that while names all have meanings, your family may not have chosen your name for that reason. They might not know the meaning, and you can choose to look it up with your family if you wish. I also focus a lot on nicknames and your own feelings about your name. While I've never taught a student in foster care, or one who was adopted, I do think it's important to mention that this could be a touchy task in those situations, so be sure to know your students first, and modify as needed. Students use the homework task, and the journal write from the previous day, to write "The Story of their Name". Some possible options to include are: - who you are named after - the meaning of your name - a name you'd rather have - your feelings toward your name - nicknames you may have - the person (or people) who chose your name - how your name was chosen This piece of writing is then self, peer, and teacher edited, and a "good" copy is made. Day 3 I found this excellent step-by-step self-portrait from "Art Projects for Kids". I modified the task so that instead of drawing the left or right side of their face, they would draw the top half. Students find that folding their page into quadrants as she suggests is very helpful. Under the document camera I demonstrate each step, and students copy, adapting to their own facial features. Each student gets a mirror to look in to help them personalize. The final pieces are put on a bulletin board for display. Students also coloured in a bubble letter version of their names to complete the display. (I used the font KG Red Hands Outline for this.) Day 4 Once we've completed the task, the last job is to reflect on our work. I pulled some elements from our Arts Education curriculum (very relevant regardless of where you teach) for students to self-assess on. I've used the proficiency scale language our school has moved to for all reporting. A few students found it helpful to complete their reflection while looking at the finished product on their bulletin board, but most didn't need this. Want a copy of both my homework and reflection pages? Follow the image or button below to grab your copy. Take Me to the Free Download Pin this post.
Ensuring students know the value and power of their courage is crucial for upper elementary students’ social-emotional learning and growth. Get easy-to-implement ideas, courage activities, suggested titles for books on bravery, and courage lesson plans to help you create a classroom community where
If a student is unable to play with toys during structured leisure time independently, play supports are a great strategy.
Load up your Character Education Perseverance month with this bundle of activities, lessons, bulletins, charts and more!
This post will show you how to make your own Fine Motor Take Home Kits. They are perfect supplemental fine motor tool for your classroom.
Ensuring students know the value and power of their courage is crucial for upper elementary students’ social-emotional learning and growth. Get easy-to-implement ideas, courage activities, suggested titles for books on bravery, and courage lesson plans to help you create a classroom community where
IEP goal bins will help you keep your students' goals and materials organized so you can focus on what's important: the students.
“My irritability physically hurts."
Use the special ed inclusion documentation forms to keep track of service times, lesson plans, and more. Streamline it all quickly and effectively!
As special education teachers, we are constantly needing to assess students. Sometimes, we are assessing new students for move-ins or evaluations, while other times, we are assessing before an annual case conference. Either way, you need something that is quick, easy, and effective. Letters & Sounds For our younger learners, we might need to know […]
Brain breaks for middle school students are extremely important not only for everyone's sanity, but for their brain development.
Print this free kindergarten assessment pack to use as end of the year testing for your kindergarten students. This is a great way to see where your students are at, and find any areas for development.
Discover the benefits of using a scope and sequence guide in developing a successful transition curriculum.
A blog about art education
Are you reading Swimmy by Leo Lionni? Be sure to incorporate this cute, DIY Swimmy stamp craft! It's fun for the kids & easy to set up!
Setting up a kindergarten classroom at the beginning of the year can be an exciting, yet overwhelming. Whether you are a student teacher, or this is your last year teaching elementary school, I'm here to share
Visual discrimination is an important skill for children to develop to assist with reading, writing and math skills.
Teacher morale is an important part of the school community. Teachers are unique, we are used to fending for ourselves, and pulling ourselves out of even the deepest of funks. This doesn't mean we don't like a little morale booster from time to time.
Set a friendly tone in your classroom with these 30 "Get to Know You" games perfect for back to school or when welcoming a new student.
Using work tasks with your special education students increases engagement and independence as they practice important life skills.
What is design thinking, and how is it useful in educational settings, for both students and teachers? VideoAmy's playlist of clips explores the topic.
Are you looking for some ideas that you can use to review important content with your class before a test? Check out these 5 engaging games for reviewing!
Paras make our world go round. Seriously though, they do the most and don’t get enough credit for their hard work. I always try to make it a point to give my para professional a gift or gesture of appreciation every other month. Maybe it’s something small like writing them a thank you card or
Communities function well because of dedicated people that take their jobs seriously. Community helpers are vital in keeping our neighborhood a good place to live. These people’s jobs contribute to everyone’s safety, health, and well-being. Allow children to explore the importance of the roles of these community helpers through these ten awesome preschool crafts. Conclusion ... Read more