After 19 years in the classroom, I‘ve picked up a few tricks that have saved me from hours reinventing the wheel year after year. The best thing I ever did for myself was complete some upfront work that led to years of little to no prep and planning! Here are my top three work smarter, not harder tips for easy lesson planning: 1. Save and store reusable worksheets and task cards. Classrooms don't have a lot of storage space, but keeping photocopies of the materials your students will use year af
As educators, we realize the value of goal setting and are constantly encouraging our students to dream big and set goals. What we often forget is that unless
Do your students have to create timelines to meet academic standards? I'm sharing 10 engaging types of timelines that make this activity FUN for students!
These simple four ways to increase classroom student engagement and motivation are the key to running an effective classroom.
Sun prints are so easy, fun, and exciting to make with kids. They are also called cyanotypes and can be made on fabric as well as paper.
18 of our best teaching tips and ADHD strategies to make ADHD in the classroom more manageable for students and teachers alike!
Motivate students with independent reading by adding engaging reading sprints...turn the traditional reading log upside down!
Scaffold your instruction with these teaching scaffolding strategies to help bridge readiness and mastery for your elementary students!
Classroom procedures review can be dull and boring. This post is loaded with fun and engaging games that will make students want to practice the all important classroom procedures. The more they practice them, the more smoothly your classroom will run.
Are you looking for early finisher activities to keep your students engaged and productive when they complete their work early? Look no further! Here are 20 early finisher activities that your students will love. From creative projects to physical activities, there’s something here for everyone! These early finisher activities will help keep your students motivated and on task while also having a little fun. So grab the supplies, turn up the music, and let's get started with these awesome early finisher activities today! (Some links below are Amazon affiliate links. . .no extra charge for you, but it helps support
Challenges in business are a given, but it’s our response to them that defines our trajectory. Looking beyond the immediate obstacle, there lies a realm of opportunity and learning.
Discover our top list of tv shows to learn spanish for beginners. Our list of Netflix shows will have you forget your learning a language.
The self-paced classroom benefits students and teachers! We share how to make it a reality in your classroom using the Grid Method.
Use resources that make learning more manageable.
Do you explicitly teach listening skills to your students? Did you know that 70-80% of our waking hours are spent in some form of communication? Of that, listening makes up about 45% of our daily communication! When I learned these statistics, I knew that I needed to be as intentional about teaching/practicing listening skills as […]
How to perform the paper cutting brain teaser, Dot in the Corner, a fun puzzler to learn and use to bamboozle your friends!
I have to share with you something that I absolutely love: The WOW board! This beautiful piece of poster board was introduced to me by my friend and colleague. I used it throughout the year but found it especially helpful near the end of the school year.
Hand of Mental Health encourages us to reflect and discuss our everyday choices and their impact on our mental health. How does sleep and rest, food, relationships and emotions affect our mental…
Discover 101 two word quotes (for motivation and inspiration!) Sometimes, the best words are the longest. No! They are the most punchy and direct. Enjoy!
Tutorial on how to effectively use Classdojo in your elementary classroom
A blog post sharing information about why Contraction Surgery is a success in classrooms! Hands-on information is shared. #ContractionSurgery
Free inspirational posters and motivational quotes for teachers. Colorful posters for teachers with motivating quotes.
These classroom management strategies will help teachers with all levels of experience with managing classroom behaviours.
Our Wrist Wraps will make acknowledging positive student behavior and achievement fun, engaging and easy-to-prep! We have carefully illustrated 10 gorgeous bands and provided them in color and blackline versions for you to simply print and cut. Wrap them around the wrists of your students and apply a piece of tape or dab of glue to secure. Included in this file so far are the following brag bands: Great work Well done I am wonderful I am a super star I am kind I am an awesome helper I worked hard today I do not give up I am amazing I did excellent work Little learners would love to color a blackline version using crayons or bright pencils before you wrap it on their wrist! In each of the 10 designs, we've provided 5 different color choices. Hop over to TpT to find this new printable in our collection!
feature art Emotion Sensation Wheel: A new kind of feeling wheel. A therapist-designed resource designed to help make connections between our brains and bodies. Unlike a traditional feelings wheel (first published in 1982 by Gloria
While they're an awesome way to grow your business, there are a few pitfalls and mistakes to know about before running your first retreat.
Throughout my years teaching middle school, I have had the experience of seeing many "work refusals". These are the situations when kids, for a variety of reasons, just refuse to start the work you give them. They might shut down and rest their head on their desk or lash out in anger, shouting about
Do you dread having early finishers in your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade classroom? Every classroom has them. Grab some free challenges in this post!
Thousands of teachers have used these tried and true GUARANTEED tups to stop students from blurting out. Chatty Class? YOU NEED TO READ THIS!
Anyone who knows me, reads this blog, or uses my resources knows that I am passionate about differentiation. I think that is because I grew ...
What do you do if you eat a meal that you KNOW you'll regret tomorrow? Luckily, there are some amazing remedies for bloating you can try!
Ease your hip pain with these best hip bursitis exercises. Try the safest moves for hip bursitis pain, and see which exercises to avoid!
Positive affirmations for kids about kindness, courage, mindset, growth, gratitude, and more. Use words to encourage and build self-esteem!
In the 18 years I’ve been teaching, I’ve tried all sorts of behavior management systems. I’ve had the kids pull cards. I’ve tried the marbles in a jar. One year I even gave my students tickets for good behavior and excellent participation. Another year, I awarded table points. I’ve even used an economy system where my kiddos earned money and then spent it all in a class store buying trinkets. I was always looking for that PERFECT SYSTEM! The one that would work like a charm with every single child. After years of research in my own classroom, you know what I finally discovered? I’ve finally realized that THE PERFECT CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DOES NOT EXIST!!!!! What works one year and with one group of students, might not work the following. Another thing I’ve learned is that you need to find a system that WORKS.FOR.YOU. If you don’t have much time left at the end of the week to run a class store, then do it! Be honest with yourself and how much time you’re willing to invest. It’s important to choose a system that fits with your teaching style and with the needs of your students. […]
