Kids love balls and I use them to teach concepts, in team building, during rehearsals and more! Here's my ten ways to use balls in the music class room.
Save time in the kitchen with this super easy crockpot manicotti. Using this no boil recipe you'll have dinner in the slow cooker in no time!
Learn how to make quesadilla sauce following this easy recipe for the best sauce for quesadillas! Ready in minutes.
I love using body percussion in my music classroom. It's an effective way to TEACH Beat too. So, here are my easy body percussion activities.
Hands-on pre-reading activities that encourage your elementary students to access their prior knowledge and make predictions.
Looking for a yummy pasta sauce for your spaghetti? Here are 20 of my favorite spaghetti sauce recipes, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner and sure to please any spaghetti lover. Below is a delicious and quick marinara spaghetti sauce that is ready in no time.
When learning how to make a sewing pattern, there are several methods. This post walks you through using a woven garment to make a sewing pattern...
Flashlight Friday made it to my kinder room this year! Why? Students need to read every day. Reading should be fun. Flashlights are always fun. So it is simple..... Reading + Flashlights = FUN It really is that easy. We did this week one! #kindersCAN All you need: -Flashlights
Free pizza fractions task box for special education classrooms! Learn how to use task boxes in your classroom.
I love using short films to teach reading comprehension skills, and my students love watching them!
I warned you that I have been full of ideas lately so hear goes ANOTHER post with a NEW idea! And I will give credit because the basic idea for this came from my lovely new math friends at Kirby Middle School. As I was walking around and ideas were floating about various ways to ... Read more
Transforming your third teacher (room) is something that can be as simple as focussing on just one area in your room and can change how your children interact instantly with each other and the materials!
Kids love music! I try to find ways to incorporate it throughout our school day. It is such an amazing learning tool. My Songs for the Year
Fall songs that are tried and true and loved by teachers and parents. Use these fall songs for circle time, for preschool, for kindergaten, and more!
The four corners icebreaker game is one of my favorites! It's quick and easy. It will get people up and moving. Read the full directions here.
Fun and engaging ideas to get to know your students at the beginning of the school year. Build a strong classroom community with these free resources.
If your little one loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar, then they're sure to delight in these printable coloring pages and activities!
Are you searching for your purpose? The truth is the answers are not out there, they are within you. Here is a 7-step approach to finding your purpose.
If your kids love the book series There Was An Old Woman Who Swallowed A Fly, they will love this themed printable learning pack!
DIY Project! Learn how to make a silhouette of your child! Love this idea for all my kids!!
Do your kids or students love to play secret spy agent or detective? Children seem to love sneaking around spying on people or completing secret missions. Whether it be to save the World, stop a criminal or solve a mystery, pretend to be a secret agent is tons of fun! This detective puzzle for kids is a FREE printable
Engaging vocabulary review Ideas & activities that can be used with K-5 students! Five fun & collaborative vocabulary instruction ideas.
Learn how to play this fun place value game and download your free Place Value Yahtzee score sheets.
Establishing consistent accountability when using the workshop approach to teaching and learning may seem daunting at first. After all, your students are producing, and consuming an immense amount of content during workshop on a daily basis…far more than you can (and want) to grade. The good news is, you don’t have to grade every activity. I know what you’re thinking…”If I stop grading every single thing…there won’t be enough accountability.” The reality is, there are other far more efficient ways to establish accountability and boost meaningful student growth. One of these ways is routine student self-reflection. If you’re ready to bring more student reflection to your classroom, these tips can help you establish routines that maintain consistent accountability in your workshop classroom. Creating Rubrics Together A foundational rubric will help you and your students create a common language that can make ongoing assessment more meaningful and fluid in your classroom. Begin by pulling the rubric your district requires you to use, or write a rubric that communicates your parameters for each level of understanding in your classroom. Rewrite this rubric in your own student-friendly language so you can share these parameters with your class. Making a slide or poster for each level on your rubric so it is easier for students to digest may be helpful. Set aside time in your schedule each day to create a one-week series of work sessions when you and your students can rewrite the rubric again as a class using language that is actually produced by your students. You may opt to: Have all slides/posters on display simultaneously while students rotate to stations where they work in groups to make meaning of each level of understanding. Students can then write their interpretations on the slides/posters, which can be aggregated on the final day. Display one slide/poster each day and host a class conversation that facilitates meaning-making for each level of understanding. Record student ideas as you work toward a common, and final definition for each level of understanding. At the end of these series of work sessions, you and your students will have a rubric that is unpacked by them, rewritten by them, and ready to be used by them. Working together as a class to write a final rubric that will be adopted as the foundation makes conversations about assessments more meaningful and productive. Rubric Drawers Once your class rubric is created, you can make it easy for students to consistently reflect on their work by submitting any assignments to “rubric drawers” that are marked with the definitions for each level of understanding. This built-in practice of self-reflection builds students’ intrinsic motivation to reach higher and produce quality work. If you notice your students have a tendency to submit work to the “wrong” drawer, this signals they need a follow up lesson on the type of work quality required to achieve each level of understanding. Using exemplars (examples of each level of understanding from a particular subject area or activity) can help students build a stronger definition for what work quality looks like. As students build their ability to accurately assess themselves, you can also have them attach a short note of justification for their self-scoring. This will provide insight about any misconceptions they may have about their work or the rubric levels your class has written. If you want to track the score students give themselves on an activity, provide a special pen or stamp that allows them to mark their score before placing it in the drawer. In addition, you can have students submit work with the help of a partner. Once an activity is complete, a student can briefly confer with their assigned partner to get feedback, and make a decision about which drawer a piece should be submitted. This provides an additional layer of motivation for students to reach higher, as they know a peer will be reviewing their work quality. Reflection Letters Another routine that can boost student growth through self-assessment is the writing of reflection letters on a routine basis. Students thrive when they know they have an important role in their assessment process, and will be eager to read your response. Begin by creating a prompt that asks students to reflect specifically on different areas of the assignment that will support their goal setting and goal progress. Also direct students to refer to their rubric to self-assess, and provide justification for their assessment as part of their reflection process. This routine will remind students the importance of keeping the rubric in mind as they complete their work each week, which will foster stronger performance. Set aside time to read these reflection letters and write brief responses which may include your own score using the same rubric, and comments that support your scoring. This written dialogue further emphasizes the value you place on student work and growth. If you find the need to differentiate this letter writing process to support the unique needs of students in your classroom. Here are some differentiation ideas: Have students dictate as you record their reflection. Have students circle their score on a rubric and mark evidence with color-coding or sticky notes. Provide sentence frames to scaffold independence. Self Assessment & Reflection In Your Classroom Ready to give self-reflection a try in your own classroom? Here are a few editable tools to help you get started. Once you’ve established student self-reflection routines in your classroom, stop by and share your experience. I look forward to hearing about the growth your students make, and the freedom you feel from teaching in a workshop classroom where accountability and engagement are off the charts.
Watch this video tutorial that will show you step by step how to crochet an invisible decrease for Amigurumi. Visit my blog for more free Amigurumi patterns and tutorials you will love!
Check out these 5 No-Prep Reviews Games for any classroom or any subject! Click to see what no-prep review games you can add to your teacher toolbox!
Horchata is a delicious Latin American beverage that is perfect with Mexican food or as a refreshing treat when you want something special.
Looking for a new and engaging classroom management system for your classroom? I love Secret Student because all of my students buy into this system...
Liven up your next Socratic Seminar with these fun games and strategies to get students talking about ANY text!
I love encouraging my students to explore a variety of genres, but sometimes that means I need to explicitly teach them about the genres first! These free genre posters are the perfect way to do just that!
***This post contain affiliate links for Walmart, Target, Creative QT, and hand2mind. By purchasing an item on these sites using these links, I will receive a small commission on your purchase.*** Are you interested in starting a classroom or school Makerspace OR maybe want to learn more about how Makerspaces work? You’ve come to the...
