This post shares tips and strategies for teaching different learning styles to meet the needs of all learners.

You’ve spent countless hours preparing your classroom and are ready to meet your students and families! If you are anything like me, you are anxiously waiting to meet the 20+ smiling faces that you will spend the school year with. Every year on Meet the Teacher Night, the butterflies start to settle

ROLL A STORY - WRITING ACTIVITY is a perfect resource to inspire your students to creative writing. It includes 10 boards and 6 graphic organizers/writing papers designed to meet Common Core Standards while making learning fun. These 10 roll-a-story boards allow more than 2000 different story combin...

The 6 Education Theorists All Teachers Should Know present 6 people that did some of the major research in education.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Cheat Sheet ❓🤔💡 (by @WCPSS) #edchat #education #elearning #edtech #engchat #mathchat #satchat #ukedchat

Would you like to decorate your classroom with fun, hand-drawn anchor charts/posters? Do you simply not have the time to get them done? Well, you have come to the perfect place! I love making these engaging and appealing anchor charts. I also can draw/create any other topic you would like, just contact me directly and ask! My students absolutely love these posters and references them every day. Many of them are visual learners, so the colorful images really help them connect and remember what they have learned. This particular anchor chart is for readers/writers learning all about cause and effect. My students always have trouble with this comprehension skill so these visuals seem to always really help them picture it in their heads. It allows them to see how causes relate directly to their effects! **These will be copies unless asked otherwise for a custom poster. They are not laminated, and are printed on normal, anchor chart paper. I ship these out ASAP after being ordered, but please keep in mind once shipped, it is outside of my control. Therefore, if shipping does not meet your expectations, I highly encourage you to please reach out to me first, and we have always been able to work something out to make up for anything that may have occurred after I have sent your package, thanks so much!! Hope you love it :)

Here are six ideas for teaching phonics virtually with tips for how to teach sounds and model skills during a Zoom meeting.

Take time to ponder questions that go beyond the curriculum.

Dread planning meetings that are crucial to your success? We outline the qualities of a good facilitator for a great strategy planning meeting group facilitator

Today’s Wednesday, and that means it’s one day closer to being break for me. And for the rest of you, only three more days ’til the weekend! Today’s post offers you another …

You may have seen this week on my Instagram that we did Contraction Surgery! This has always been one of my favorite lessons to participate in! A few people have asked me for my lesson plan and how exactly I went about this: so here it is! First things first: buy yourself some scrubs. I fully believe in transforming ANY lesson into an experience, so to make it REAL and believable, you've got to be all in. I bought my scrubs from Walmart for about 11-12$ for both the top and pants. Next: buy

How to Confidently Introduce Yourself! What's the first thing you need to do when you meet someone new? Below is a list of useful phrases to help you introduce yourself in English.

The Socratic style of discourse lends itself quite well to establishing critical thinkers due to the fact that Socrates believed that enabling students to think for themselves was more important than filling their heads with knowledge. With so much talk about the Common Core standards and truly increasing our student's argumentative powers and critical thinking skills, I decided to launch a Socratic Seminar style of instruction in my sixth grade classroom this week. Our Seminar The Text My approach began by engaging in a guided reading of a novel titled I Can't Believe I Have To Do This by Jan Alford. Throughout the course of the week we read the novel and discussed story events and critical vocabulary associated with the readings. The Questions Students were given a Socratic Seminar "Prep Sheet" at the beginning of the week. The sheet asked the students to do the following: #1. Summarize the assigned reading #2. Identify 3 compelling quotes or statements from the reading #3. Develop one Knowledge based question #4. Develop one Application style question #5. Develop one Synthesis style question Download at: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Socratic-Seminar-Packet The Set Up I then arranged my room in a double horseshoe configuration and assigned five students to be the inner circle. The inner circle students were slated to be the ones discussing and interacting. The outer circle of students were slated to observe and reflect and provide a 'backchannel'. The Discourse Relinquishing control was the MOST DIFFICULT thing!! Once the seminar began I truly had to force myself not to jump in and facilitate. Initially, it was truly awkward. Students nervously giggled and looked down at their papers. No one seemed willing to emerge as a leader. Once they realized that no one was coming to their rescue, the dialogue began and WOW. DID YOU KNOW?? A website called blockposters.com can take any .jpg or .gif image and turn it into a larger printable poster with overlapping edges for assembly?? Backchannel To occupy my outer circle, I distributed 5 ipads (1 for every 3 students) and allowed them to connect on todaysmeet.com. There they posted thoughts, questions, comments and even prompts to assist the inner circle. This back channel scrolled on the Smartboard throughout the seminar. (Admittedly, I didn't love the lack of grammar conventions demonstrated in the statements below.) Reflection/Assessment Without a doubt, we will do this again. Once the awkwardness ended, the dialog went FAR beyond what I've ever experienced with this novel. Students shared events that related DEEPLY to the characters, the character's choices and experiences. They also extrapolated character traits and applied them to new situations. As an assessment tool, each student completed an Exit Slip paragraph where they exercised their argumentative writing skills by completing a one paragraph reflection on the grade they deserved as a result of their participation in the seminar. Socratic discourse....making the kiddos use THEIR Smarticles!! All of my materials are available at: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Socratic-Seminar-Packet

Guided reading can be a bit overwhelming! Read this post for 5 easy steps to maker guided reading work much better in your classroom.

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping ease. If you make a purchase using my link, Amazon credits me a very small percentage. But don't worry, it doesn't cost you any extra! One of my favorites books for teaching the difference between tattling and telling is A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue. I read this book at the beginning of each school year and throughout the year when my students need a gentle reminder. A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue is about a young boy named Josh who doesn't have many friends. In fact, everyone at school called him "Josh the Tattler." His mom grew tired of the tattling and warned him of getting tattle tongue. With the help of Tattle Prince, Josh learned the difference between tattling and telling! You can learn more about the author, Julia Cook, by clicking the book cover below. I love this book because it describes scenarios that happen in all of our classrooms each and every day. Sometimes it can be very hard for students to distinguish when they need to tell or when it is best to solve the problem on their own and the examples Julia included illustrate it very clearly. I really like the Tattle Prince's Tattle Rules--what a great way help our students become independent and proactive problem solvers! I've created a visual reminder that I display in my classroom. When I notice a student that is just dying to tell me something I remind them to look at the poster to make sure that they really need to tell me. Want to download the tattling poster? Grab this visual reminder by dropping your email address below. Click here! We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered By ConvertKit There are lots of great ideas to curb the tattling in classrooms. Some teachers have a stuffed animal that students can talk to, students can "tell the shell" and whisper into a conch shell, or create a tattle pledge that all students sign to remind them of their responsibility in contributing to the caring classroom. What are your tips and tricks for dealing with tattling in your classroom?

The socratic questioning process as an infographic - I think this will be most useful #edchat #ukedchat #questioning

*Updated February 2016* If you would like to read my new Three Part Series on Classroom Management for updated tips and FREEBIES, please click the photo below. Otherwise, scroll on down for this original post. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Teaching! The Lesson Plan Diva is hosting a Behavior Plans and Classroom Management Linky Party...Click HERE to check it out! I've only been teaching for four years, but in this short period of time, my classroom management style has changed drastically. My first year, I used a card pulling system, and my second year I used some counting techniques in addition to that. Half way through my second year, I stumbled upon some information about responsive classroom techniques and positive discipline on Proteacher. After trying out some new ideas, I have finally found my management style, and I love it! Nowadays, my classroom management is centered around daily classroom meetings and problem-solving. My students learn to monitor and change their own behavior through role-playing, responding to literature, and lots of student-centered conversation about the way we want our classroom to be. We no longer use cards, clips, rewards, or punishments, and the result has been much less stress for me:). At the beginning of the year, my students and I first talk about our hopes and dreams for the school year. We talk about the kind of classroom we want to have, and then we discuss a plan for creating that environment. We make our class rules through a series of discussions and brainstorming sessions. First, I have my students list all of the rules they think we might want to have in our room. Then, we go back and categorize the rules. Most of our rules fit under the same broad categories, so my rules are pretty similar from year to year. After giving each category of rules a title, we phrase the rules into "Our Class Promise," which is hung as an anchor chart and signed by everyone in the class (including me). The picture above is of our class promise from a few years ago--I wasn't as specific with it then. Every day during our class meeting time, we read our rules together (this year, I'm hoping to add actions to the rules so they will be more easily remembered by my kinesthetic learners). Here is an example of my classroom's promise: We promise...to be safe and careful, to be kind and respectful in our words and actions, to do our best first grade work, and to make ourselves proud by doing the right thing! Notice how that last rule encompasses lots of possibilities:) When we have problems in the classroom, I try to address them as respectfully as possible, and this can occur in a number of ways. Sometimes, I'll simply ask the child to remember our promise, and this will provide immediate correction. Sometimes, I'll ask a child to cool-down for a minute to reflect on his or her actions. This cool-down is not a punishment, but just a time to rethink, and the students are welcome to rejoin the class when they feel ready. Students sometimes go to cool-down without my asking--this works well for those who need a quiet time to reflect or avoid frustration. In solving behavior problems, I'll also sometimes ask a student if he or she wants the class to help him or her solve the problem, and we'll address it as a class during our daily meeting. The students practice "helping, not hurting," so this is the focus, rather than making the child feel bad. I also use logical consequences such as going back and walking when a student does something like running in the hall. During class meetings, we usually read our promise, share compliments and appreciations, solve any problems the kiddos are having, and do a team-building exercise. We might also read a story focusing on character education, or have a mini-lesson. The students learn things such as how to tell the difference between tattling and reporting, how to make I-statements, how to help friends solve problems, and how to use "The Wheel of Choice" to solve a problem. If a student has severe issues that cannot be solved during class meetings, I create a modified behavior plan for that child. This is a plan that involves the teacher, the student, and his or her parents. It takes some effort to stick with it, but I have found it really effective in helping students make positive changes. Here is what you do...talk to the parents and child about three small goals that you would like him or her to focus on. Also discuss a logical consequence that will occur if the child does not exhibit the particular behavior. Furthermore, discuss three rewards the child might like to earn if he or she reaches the goal. Record these items on the behavior chart. During class, monitor the child's behavior in regards to the goals and give him or her a smiley/sad face for every 30 minutes during the school day (I set a timer on the child's desk). In the first two weeks of using the plan, I ask the child to try for 50% achievement. If he or she is consistent in getting 50% smilies, we increase the goal to 75% for a few weeks, and then 95% for another couple of weeks. Each day the child reaches his or her goal, allow him or her to choose one of his or her rewards. I like to use free activities as rewards such as lunch with a friend, computer time, or extra centers time. The behavior plan is sent home each day and returned with a parent signature and comments as necessary. Because this plan involves teacher effort in monitoring and recording the student behavior, I usually only use this plan with one or two children at a time for about a 2 month period, as needed. I try to remember that the goal is improvement and not perfection, and that it takes time for the students to learn new behaviors. I know that was a ton of info at once, and really just a big overview, so if you want to learn more about classroom meetings, positive discipline, or responsive classroom techniques, see these wonderful resources, or feel free to ask specific questions and I'll do my best to answer! Also, if you'd like to use any of my documents, you are welcome to click on the pictures above to download them from google docs. Favorite Responsive Classroom and Positive Discipline Resources:

I teach reading at an elementary school. I love what I do! I wanted to share some "ways to praise" that we use in my classroom. These aren't my own ideas just the ones my students love. And here's how it looks: { I look FABULOUS! } Click HERE for printable. =) In what ways do YOU praise?

Focus your planning by getting clear on just three things: the WHAT, the HOW, and the WHY.

Here's a quick Shape Reference Card to help your little learners! Click on the pic to download! Hope you enjoy! Laura

Have you ever used a writing carousel in your classroom? There are many benefits to using this type of activity with your students. Writing carousels increase student engagement because students are working together and up and out of their seat moving during the entire lesson.

Classroom introductions. The ICEBREAKER! The moment your students (and YOU!) have been waiting for all summer. But the butterflies, they are in the pits of your students stomachs. How do you make it effortless for everyone? Well, here are 5 different ways to break the ice and say “hello!” the easy way. Start by breaking your… Continue reading →

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Self-reflection is one of the most powerful practices to improve teaching. When you practice self-reflection regularly, it will completely transform your classroom and instruction. Furthermore, self-reflection can take you from being a good teacher to being a great teacher. Are you ready to begin the transformation?

Classroom discussions are an important part of learning. The Common Core State Standards, address discussions under the Speaking & Listening strands.

Basic Sign Language

This work by Mia MacMeekin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

How to help your child find the right learning styles to enhance their potential in school and to prep the brain for higher learning. Learning is unique and different for each child.

Practice using has got and have got correctly with a dinosaur theme. Children love dinosaurs and they can be used for conversation practice about what they have got. Students need to focus on the use of has and have with this tense. Dinosaur boardgame found here: https://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/board_gamedinosaurs/animals-boardgame-dinosaurs/30695 - ESL worksheets

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I know. You read this title thinking, “yeah right I do a million and one things a day, what are you going to say thats worth my time?” My goal with this post is to give you at least one tidbit that you can take to your class that will give you even 20 minutes back into your week. Here are ways to make the most of your planning time. Tip #1: Use Small Pockets of time A few minutes to spare while your kids are working? Start tidying up so you’re not having to clean up during your conference time. Solicit a student to help clean up! With extra time, I also try to knock out some emails so I can get right to planning during my conference. A few minutes in the morning? As much as you DON’T want to do it, keep a stack of papers to grade on a clipboard. Place a post-it-note of the answers. Grade when you have a few extra minutes so you can get down to the actual planning during conference. Tip #2: Break your To-Do’s into small chunks You cannot do everything in one day. If you try to, even if […]

With single-point rubrics, the focus is on providing evidence of meeting, exceeding, or falling short of the quality you're looking for.

Use this list of best practices to help your daily scrum meeting run smoothly. Whether you're just starting or wish to improve, follow these guidelines for a great daily scrum meeting.

Easy formula for writing IEP Goals! Learn how to identify areas to target and how to write IEP Goals in the SMART format. Examples included!

Many teachers are now using platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet to reach their students. While many teachers use this platform to teach or review standards with their students, many are also using it for socialization during these times and there are lots of great distance learning activities you can use to engage your