This post may include affiliate links. How do you organize your classroom and day to address all of the IEP goals and areas your students need to progress in? In my classroom, we do at least an hour a day of direct instruction (also known as intensive teaching.) My students aren’t able to remain on ... Read More about Direct Instruction Work Centers
Do you struggle to hang your artwork straight? I will show you how to easily hang a picture that is perfect each and every time!
Confession. My stuttering materials are extremely outdated! I’ve been in dire need of fresh new stuttering materials for years now. My fluency caseload is like a roller coaster! My first year I had five students who stuttered and ever since I usually have between 1-3 fluency students. Although, they represent a small portion of my ... Read More about Fluency In A Snap!
Though it is hard to utter, school is looming around the corner. I shudder when I think of all that I still have left to do, but smile when I think of all that I have already accomplished. With the great change in how we will be teaching, I have had some sleepless nights wondering just how to approach this so that the students get the absolute best experience and education. Now, never fear. I know that I have the skills to teach the concepts, it is just the "what do I want to teach first" battle that is raging. However, I am confident that I shall have it all worked out in the next two weeks before school starts. Today, while I was working in my room, I started planning out the first few days. I was looking through my plan book and found a great activity that I had made several years ago. I wanted to use it again this year, but it was very outdated with topics being from the early 2000's. (That makes me feel SO OLD to type that!). So, I took a few minutes and whipped out a new one, and in celebration of school starting again, thought that I would share it with you. Just click HERE to get your free copy! :) It's not much, but it is fun. I have my students do this the first day of class. It gets them out of the their seats and moving around meeting classmates. I teach in a rural school where the same students are together for all 13 years of the their schooling and as 6th graders, they still enjoy doing this activity. I hope you will enjoy using it too. Okay, so below is a panoramic view of my classroom thus far. You will notice a few of my children are in the picture as well my baby daughters playpen and toys. Obviously THOSE items and children won't be in my room on the first day, but as a busy daddy, it is a reality of summer work in my classroom. As you can see, there is still a lot to do, but a lot is looking great. I hope you noticed my huge library. I am proud to say that I own all that your eyes see in those bookcases, and I currently have over 5,000 titles for my students to choose from. They range in level from Guided Reading Level B to High School. I will tell more about those when I do a full classroom tour. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! Later...
A teaching blog full of tips and resources for your classroom.
John and I had a fun day in the studio recently. We both wanted to do a bit of experimental mark-making, to explore new ideas. John is looking for inspiration for his printmaking and I thought it would be interesting to play with marks and compositions which could be the starting points of new drawings or which might possible translate into textiles. We gathered lots of tools and then made a few new ones, looking for anything which would make an unusual mark if dipped in paint: We decided to stick to black and white, so we could concentrate on marks and tone. I mixed up a tub of black acrylic and got out some Platignum Calligraphers Black Ink too (a good non-waterproof ink, as it separates into pretty colours when wet, rather than just going grey). I found an oil bar and some liquin too, which is great for smearing not just oil bars but also oil pastels. Plus a Derwent Inktense block and grater (tiny gratings can be scattered onto wet paper or sprayed with water for speckled effects). We both put on latex gloves and set-to on a big piece of cartridge paper each. It was such fun - no pressure to make something which 'works', just pure experimentation. This was my first sheet: I am particularly interested in randomness, so many of the new tools we made were designed to make the marks more hard to control. To add to the random element, we both cut up our sheets into equal pieces, using pre-decided measurements, not aesthetic judgement to create the sections: I like the way it changes things when you isolate a section. The emphasis on the various elements changes, because of the enforced edges, and you start to get interesting things happening with composition. On my 2nd sheet, I started with some large marks in a grey emulsion, to create a new element of contrast. I made a new tool too - a piece of corrugated card to print with. You can see the marks top right: I cut this one into squares. As the paper's dimensions didn't divide exactly into squares, this allowed me a slight element of judgement, as I could move the composition of any square a centimetre or two to the left or right. I then selected the best 6 squares from the 9 created. These are my favourites. It's surprising how well they work just as they are, but you can also see how they could be taken into print or textiles. It would be fun trying to find ways to reinterpret the marks and tones in the different medium. I can highly recommend this as a very enjoyable way of exploring new techniques and getting new inspiration. The randomness is important though, as a way of forcing you not to be too controlling and letting unexpected things happen. John did some experiments using blotting paper, which he tore into strips. Even the offcuts were interesting, which I saved as we were clearing up. The beautiful blue is the Platignum ink: Even my offcuts were quite interesting: Have a go. Even before we got drawing, it was good fun making the tools from odds and ends we found around the studio, taping them to bits of stick and then finding out what marks they made.
Minimal wardrobes are a thing nowadays. And rightly they should be. It’s truly one of the most impactful “decluttering” projects I’ve done. I’ve wanted to write about my wardrobe for a while now, since minimizing it was partially what inspired me to start this blog. But with the upheaval caused by a growing pregnancy belly and many maternity hand-me-downs, I’ve been… Read more
Keeping a homeschool bullet journal is a great way to not only track your school goals and plans but it also integrates all of your life tasks in one place.
I am excited to bring you another installment in the Planner Peek series! I don’t know about you, but I just LOVE being able to sneak a peek inside other people’s planners. I love to see how they…
Download this Premium Vector about Cute jack russell terrier puppy peeking cartoon, and discover more than 15 Million Professional Graphic Resources on Freepik
During those early weeks of nursing many moms develop this bad habit they later find hard to kick. Here's how you can do it.
There are lots of planners available, but not one like this: I present to you the Ultimate SLP Planner! Read all about my planner made just for SLPs!
This is how the experts learn how to caulk like a pro. Follow these quick and easy steps (with pictures) and you can learn too.
Inside: Spanish teachers share their experiences of teaching in 2020 during Covid-19. We already knew that teachers are incredible people, right? And yet the upheaval of almost-overnight shutdowns and quarantines in 2020 took everything to an unprecedented level. As I’ve received emails and followed teacher groups, the tenacity and dedication of Spanish teachers all over
A Reading Graffiti Wall is a great way to build your classroom reading community. Students find inspirational quotes from books they are reading to share.
An absolutely delicious weeknight dinner the whole family will love. Ground beef, salsa, sour cream, and melted cheese come together in a perfect tasty serving! Bonus: these are gluten free, low carb, keto, with no added sugar.
Allow your students to express all of their different thoughts by drawing or writing what their thoughts look like to them. This can be used virtually uploaded with jamboard (through google), or with the Kami extension.This can also be printed and used for social/emotional groups, or in class social...
Have you ever wanted to see hands-on nature study in action? Take a peek into five weeks of nature study at the creek and the fun activities that follow.
Have you ever wondered what it's like to have kids with a seven year age gap? Take a peek into what life is like with children far apart in age! It's not...
I've been working hard this week to get my long range plans done and I think I finally settled on a plan I am happy with. Moving to a new g...
Arounna Khounnoraj is a self taught fiber artist that turned to textiles after graduating from college and has never looked back.
5th grade classroom tour with lots of great decor, organization ideas, and colorful classroom pictures!
Are storing your produce correctly? Read this post to find out if you are and to learn the best practices to prolong produce life to waste less!
See how we do clay modeling in our Charlotte Mason homeschool! From the supplies to the format of our lessons, see how we do this handicraft.
A printable Window template can significantly simplify your DIY projects or home decor planning by providing an accurate outline for visualizing treatments, placements, or dimensions.
Our school art fair was a few days ago. It is one of my busiest times of year. It usually falls around some very special birthdays and during one of my favorite times of year...spring. The teachers hang student art around the building, there is a book fair in the...
outfit basics ! piercings - @pralinesims skin overlay/detail - @obscurus-sims 1st fit ; hair : @estrojans ; nails : @pralinesims ; fitted hat : @itsbrandysims ; top : @gorillax3-cc : bottoms : @e…
Welcome to my classroom! It's a space that is meant to be comfortable, flexible, and inviting. I hope you enjoy the tour!Welcome to my classroom! I figured it was about time I gave you all a formal tour of the space that is our home away from home. My goal for my classroom is to make it feel homy and warm and a place that ANYONE would want to be (not just tiny humans!). If you have any questions about the space that we call our home away from home send me a message!This is our classroom libr
Take a peek into Marie Kondo's life, and see how she manages to stay so darn organized using the KonMari Method. These organizing tips work! Whether you have just finished rereading your copy of The Life-Changing
Men can be divided into two groups. In the first one, there are guys who are genuinely nice. They are kind and compassionate. They care for their women and
