Learn how to create a highly effective classroom attention signal that will get even the chattiest teens to stop talking over you!

This packet of Play-Doh activities is meant for use in the junior high or high school classroom, and will employ kinesthetic activities while still checking for understanding and reinforcing the learning taking place in your classroom. I have found that students JUMP at the chance to use play-doh in the classroom. They love the “throwback” to their childhoods as well as getting to use their hands. Many of these activities were originally used in a Language Arts and/or World Studies (co-curricular English and World History) classroom, but can definitely be used in any subject classroom (I give ideas for different subject areas) with reading assignments, vocabulary needing to be learned, and reflection on topics that require student assessment. There are 15 ideas listed on 2 pages, with 9 other pages of handouts including: 1. Play-Doh Check for Understanding Handout 2. Play-Doh Vocabulary Matching Game Handout 3. Kinesthetic Brain Engagement Handout 4. Process or Timeline Play-Doh Handout 5. Gallery Walk Questions Handout 6. Teacher Bell Ringer You Create Handout 7. Living Comic Strip Handout 8. Show and Tell Handout **Feel free to check the preview for some of the ideas for FREE! Grab the entire bundle for all 15 ideas! :) ***Psssst! Wanna cheat? These ideas are ALL listed on my blog at www.carriewisehart.com/blog - but you can only get the handouts HERE. :)

Cooperative learning. Find out what it's all about and get some great resources to help you use this strategy well in your classroom.

Looking for classroom decor ideas? Try some of these meaningful approaches to freshen up your middle or high school classroom.

My name is Mark Roucka and I am a PE teacher at Lincoln Junior High School in Naperville, IL. “Head, Shoulders, Knees, Cone” is an activity I have done numerous times with my classes and received a number of positive … Read More

Today, on the blog, I am sharing 15 of my favorite Amazon finds that I use in my classroom.

Don't make the mistake many secondaryl teachers make! It's just as important to decorate your high school classroom as it is to decorate an elementary room.

I teach students about art, creativity, and visual problem solving at Carthage Junior High. My wife is also an art teacher, and my three kids are all into their own arts, music, drama, imaginary unicorn development!

One of my favorite parts of teaching is crafting an inviting learning environment. For me, that means mathematical posters galore. ​

Beautiful and creative inspiring art rooms. These art teachers have gone all out decorating their art rooms. Super-creative!

Ready to "cook up" a great first day of school? It's easy with this recipe for a successful start to the school year! PREP: ➤ Think about how you will set the tone for your classroom on the first day of school. ➤ Plan to keep students engaged and active. ➤ Prepare to build a positive rapport with students from the first instant that they become a part of the classroom community. INGREDIENTS: ➤ Warm-Up Activity ➤ Get-to-Know-You Activity ➤ Game that gets students out of their seats ➤ Get-to-Know-the-Teacher Activity ➤ Writing Prompt ➤ Extension Activity Once you've gathered your ingredients, you can get "cooking!" (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE RECIPE!) PROCEDURE: STEP 1: Begin with a warm-up activity. Place an activity on students' desks that they can complete independently. You might try a simple survey or poster. An All About Me poster is a quick way to learn about students. You can even gather them together for an awesome classroom display. Or, a survey is a wonderful way to collect information about students. You might include questions about where students like to sit, their favorite way to learn, and activities that they enjoy so that you can start connecting with students. Another awesome warm-up activity is an "All About You" name tag. Students answer questions about themselves while coloring in a name tag based on their responses. Then, students can place the name tag on their desks to help you learn your students' names. This activity is particularly awesome if you have multiple sets of students. You can collect the name tags and re-distribute them each day during each class while you learn names. Oh, and as a bonus, you can gather them together and leave them with substitute teachers throughout the year! If you'd like to check out ready-made Back to School Warm-Ups, just click here for the poster, here for the survey, and here for the name tags. STEP 2: Mix in a get-to-know-you activity. Give students a chance to share about themselves and learn about their classmates with an engaging get-to-know-you activity. One of my favorites is a doodle-inspired mini-book. Students transform a single sheet of paper into a doodley mini-book all about themselves. After students make the mini-book it's fun to hang them on a clothesline. Then, as students finish their work during the first days of school, you can encourage fast-finishers to grab a classmate's mini-book and learn about him or her. Check out the doodle mini-book HERE. Or, you could have students create this 3-D About Me Activity. Students create an infographic-style book about themselves. After answering some simple questions, they do a little cutting and gluing to create a 3-D "About Me" display. These are especially fun because students can set them on their desks and then everyone can tour around the classroom and learn about their peers. (These are awesome for Open House too!) Learn more HERE. STEP 3: Scatter in an activity that gets students moving. Since students crave opportunities to get up and out of their seats, plan to get your class moving on the first day of school. You might have students complete a scavenger hunt or even play a learning game that requires students to move around. I'm a huge fan of this simple get-to-know-you activity that gets students moving (and you can download it for FREE here.) First, students make paper airplanes. They write their name and 3 interview questions on the wings. Then, students line up shoulder-to-shoulder and launch the planes. Next, they pick up a classmate's plane, find him or her, and ask the interview questions. You can repeat the airplane launch as often as you'd like! Find everything you need to do this activity in this FREEBIE. If you'd like to combine movement and learning on the first day of school, then you and your students will love this Back to School Doodle Infographic. First students fill in the infographic with facts about school. There are 21 facts and you can hide them around the room to get students moving. Then, they put together the infographic to make a fun and doodle-y poster! Check it out HERE. STEP 4: Sprinkle in a chance for students to get-to-know-you (their teacher). On the first day of school, students are very curious about you. They want to learn about you, so you'll want to be sure to share about yourself. You can give a simple biography of yourself, or you might try these easy and engaging activities: Create a teacher interview question along with 4 or 5 prize cards for each student in your class. Then, tape the questions and the prize cards under students' seats before class begins. During class, explain to students that they all have something under their chairs. It might be a question and it might be a prize. If they get a prize card, have students keep it quiet. Then, call on students. They can either read a question for you to answer or reveal that they won a prize. If they won, you might give them a pencil, piece of candy, or a homework pass. You can find all my favorite questions HERE. Or, you might have students complete a "Teacher Guess" about you. First, they predict the answers to questions about you. Then, as you reveal the answers, they earn points for every correct prediction. It's a fun activity that students truly enjoy! You can check it out HERE. STEP 5: Add a fun writing prompt to your back to school activities. A writing prompt is a great way to gather a baseline for students' writing on the first day of school. You might give students a simple prompt about their summer or goals for the new school year. However, I love to add a fun creative writing prompt into the mix. For example, with this writing prompt students select a setting, character, problem, and 3 random objects. Then, they need to work them all into a story. It's fun, engaging, and a great way to see where your students are starting the school year. Find this writing prompt HERE or check out this collection of 10 creative writing activities. STEP 6: Top it off with a review of tomorrow's warm-up. Set students up for success during your next day of school by quickly reviewing what they will need to do when they arrive to class. If you're planning to have students work through warm-ups like these This or That ELA warm-ups where students choose to do the "this" or the "that" activity, then you might quickly review what will be waiting on their desks when they arrive. Taking the time to preview tomorrow's warm-up is a great way to set expectations for students! If you're looking for some daily warm-ups, you might want to check out these This or That ELA warm-ups or these This or That Writing warm-ups! STEP 7: Don't forget to have an extension activity just in case your lesson ends early. I love playing games like "Move If You..." which you can find for FREE HERE. While you may never get to the extension activity, it's a lifesaver if you need it! TIPS: When you're following this recipe for a great first day of school, you might want to: ➤ Greet students at the door and answer these questions for students right away: ➨ Where do I sit? ➨ Am I in the right classroom? ➨ What should I be doing right now? ➤ Also, be prepared to manage students' behavior on the first day of school. Ensure that you have a positive classroom management system in place and ready to use if you need it! Well, there you have it, my recipe for a great first day of school. Be sure to download all the ideas with links AND the FREE airplane activity HERE! CHECK THIS OUT! I've put together a 100+ page guide for back to school for teachers. It includes tips, tools, and printables for classroom décor, classroom organization, lesson planning, community building, and planning the first day of school. It's absolutely FREE! Just click here to sign up. When you sign up, you'll get access to 6 mini-courses that cover everything Back to School including classroom design, organization, curriculum planning, and ways to build a positive classroom community. There's also a TON of exclusive freebies, bonuses, and videos! If you'd like to learn more and sign up, just click HERE. Thanks so much for stopping by, Mary Beth P.S. If you'd like MORE free resources for your classroom, be sure to join the Brain Waves Instruction club!

Guide to using Social Studies Simulations to step away from the lecture podium and engage your students with hands-on history activities.

Pear Deck flips the traditional lecture by actively engaging students in real-time. Ask questions. Students answer. Want to use Pear Deck in your class?

How an ostrich and other low floor high ceiling tasks can help you boost equity and student engagement in your math classroom

Take Note! {Note Taking in the Primary Classroom} 9 comments Note Taking, Popular Posts, Social Studies, Writing Note taking. It's a skill we've all used in our lifetime. I probably didn't start taking notes until junior high, but it was definitely a skill that I developed and used up until the day I graduated from college. In fact, I still take notes. This past year, I introduced note taking to my second graders. Say what? Don't worry, I didn't lecture my second graders and expect them to sit intently at their desks as they took copious notes on the subject matter at hand. Promise. Last year, everyone on staff was asked to come up with a few teaching goals. One of my goals was to foster student stamina within a whole group setting and one of the identified ways in which to do this was to incorporate note taking into my repertoire. At first, I was like, "Uh, how am I supposed to teach these kids how to take notes? I'm still hounding them to write a complete sentence!" But, then it dawned on me, I could do both! Plus, the more I thought about it, note taking is an awesome learning strategy! It fosters concentration and understanding. When we write things out by hand, our brains store the information more easily, so note taking leads to remembering. What does note taking in second grade look like? Here's a sampling of one second grader's notes. She did a pretty good job of writing complete sentences, most of the time. I told you, I'm always hounding my students to write complete sentences (insert winky smiley face). This was from one of our very fist note taking sessions dating back to November. When do your students take notes? I typically use note taking during a nonfiction read aloud pertaining to a unit of study and/or during a content related video. Note taking usually makes an appearance during my social studies and science time since most of my units are language arts based. What does the process look like? It goes a bit like this: The students gather on the carpet with their materials (the carpet area is my favorite teaching space). I read several pages in a nonfiction book. I pause and tell the students to write down one important thing they learned from the reading up to that point in time (in the form of a complete sentence); they use bullets to separate their ideas. I let a few students share their notes with the whole group. I read a few more pages and repeat. If we are watching a video, I do the same thing. I pause the video every so often and give the students time to write down something they learned, and then let a few students share their notes before resuming play. What do you do with the notes? Typically, I compile the students' notes onto a class anchor chart (or two). Note: I don't always write their notes as complete sentences on my charts. This is usually due to time constraints, paper size, and/or it may not be conducive to the assignment I give them once the chart is completed. Then, I have the students use the shared notes to write an informative paragraph (one reason I don't always write complete sentences on the anchor chart) or complete a graphic organizer (can/have/are, fact/opinion, and so on). While I mainly used this skill during Social Studies time, it can be used whenever and however you like, that's the beauty of note taking! What materials do my students need to take notes? Last year, the students did most of their note taking on mini whiteboards (as shown at beginning of this post), but that was not the greatest tool to use. The ink smears and many of the students write way too big most of the time. This year, note taking will make a return visit to my classroom, but instead of using those messy, super small boards we will use one of these generic note taking forms that I created. There are two different versions so I can start with the one that I think will best meet the needs of next year's kiddos. I may even copy the form double sided, just in case! You can grab a copy of these forms by clicking {here}. I hope you can use them. So, the burning question is, do your primary students take notes? Share It:

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!

By the end of the school year, we have our classrooms running like well-oiled machines. The students know what to do, when to do it, and what to expect from

This substitute lesson plan will be a hit with your students. This package comes with a full lesson plan with standards for grades k-5 but could EASILY be adapted for junior high or early childhood as well. This package comes with the lesson plan including instructions, clipart to get your students ...

I will be doing this project for the first week or more with my junior high students. It involves the learning about the Elements of Art and Principles of Design and I’m happy about that beca…

A perfect activity for encouraging temwork in the STEM lab or a regular classroom. All you need is string and a little imagination!

Need help scheduling your homeschool? Use our 7th grade homeschool schedule and lesson plans for the 2017-2018 school year as a guide for your homeschool.

Do you need junior high tips? Junior High is looming and you are 1 part excited and 2 parts scared. Your delightful little is now a lanky, gawky and possibly awkward teen. But, never fear, this is a wonderfully, exciting time in a young person’s life to homeschool as they move from child to young […]

Lots of versions of this project, here is what my students are doing: These directions come from art-paper-scissors blog . Chuck Close P...

Are you looking for a stress-free first week of ELA activities for high school classroom? Look no further! Keep reading for ideas, tips, and lesson plans for the first week (and beyond)! #backtoschoolactivities #elateacher #highschoolela

Elevate your drama classes with this collection of 30 engaging drama games tailored for upper-grade students. Perfect for drama clubs, classrooms and theater enthusiasts, these drama activities ignite creativity, boost confidence, and enhance communication skills. From improvisation challenges to character-building exercises, each drama game is designed to foster teamwork, critical thinking, and self-expression. Product includes: -30 unique and exciting drama games -Two formats: big for displaying on projectors as whole class activities and smaller task cards perfect for a drama center -Each drama game includes the purpose, easy to follow instructions and helpful tips Please also check out other drama resources: -Drama Improv Task Cards (BUNDLE of over 800 improv prompts and 24 improv games) -Improv Games (Junior/Intermediate/High School) Please click HERE to follow my store! When you follow Light it Up Learning, you will gain access to new items and be the first to know about discounts, freebies and product launches! Want to earn FREE products? Simply log into your TPT account and go to your "My Purchases" page. Click the "Provide Feedback" button next to each purchase to give a quick rating. This will earn you valuable TPT credits for use on any future purchases. I truly appreciate your feedback!

It's time to go back to school! With the back-to-school season upon us, it is time to start planning back-to-school activities for the first week of school.

Active Students? Try Scoot! The game, Scoot, can be played a number of ways for a variety of reasons. Here are the basics of the game, a few suggestions, and a freebie!

Brain breaks for high school students are a powerful tool to equip teenage students in battling anxiety, stress, and overwhelm.

Fantastic Back to School Science activity! Take an informal assessment of what your new school year students know about science while giving them a chance to color and let them tell you about them! Created with 6th grade scope and sequence in mind, ideal for upper elementary and junior high studen...

This week is Spring Break for me. I'm sitting at home enjoying this beautiful weather (and so glad winter is o-v-e-r!) and spending time with my kiddos. It's also a bittersweet time for me because really, I know when I return after this week, I only have a few more weeks left. Those few weeks will be greeted with excitement that I will have my summer off here soon but sadness that soon they'll be leaving me. And really, whether I like it or not, I still need to plan for those last few weeks. As I head into area and perimeter for one of the last units of math, I started collecting a ton of fantastic ideas and FREE resources to teach it. Over at my blog you can, not only read up on lots of fantastic ideas but you can also, collect this cute little freebie that I created to go with the collection! This freebie is where students can create their own "Art Area Gallery." Students create pictures and then determine the area of them. You can get this freebie and gather some great ideas and free resources over at my blog with my collection of area and perimeter blog post by some great teachers! Hope to see you soon... and it won't be long before we are enjoying our summer!

Departmentalizing across grade levels CAN be done!Visit us for more:

Unfortunately, not everything could be taught Seuss style last week, so we actually had to do normal people “stuff” as well. We have been r...

Every year in my first year classes (12 year olds) I touch on the principles of perspective, at least in its one point form. We do a little art history, take a look at Masaccio and Mantegna. We mak…

The ticket system has been a game-changing classroom management strategy for my own high school science classroom.