Integrating art and content in the ELA classroom. Tips and resources.

This spring is presenting new challenges for teachers all across the country. Some of us are getting ready to go back to the classroom for the first time this year. Some of us have been in person all year, but we are about to get new virtual kids. Some of you have been in the ... Read More about Classroom Management and Expectations

Reading Takes You on Adventures - Transform Your Classroom or Library with Style! 🌟 Personalize Your Space: Add a touch of charm to any classroom or library with our custom wall tapestry. It's the perfect way to make your reading corner or book nook feel special! 🌈 Durable & Stylish: Made from 100% polyester with hemmed edges, this tapestry is built to last, ensuring years of decorating bliss. Size is 26x36" - if you need a larger size for your space, please message the seller for a custom listing. ✨ Vibrant Design: Advanced printing techniques guarantee crisp, clear detail, no matter how intricate your design is. Available in multiple sizes to suit your space perfectly! 📚 Versatile Classroom Decor: Whether you're looking for pastel classroom vibes, a standout library sign, or just something to brighten up your reading corner, this tapestry has you covered! Perfect for anyone who loves a cozy, creative space!

I love my job. I really, really do! One of the favorite parts about my job is that I get to network with a whole bunch of very talented teachers. I love hearing about and seeing them implement creative strategies to improve student learning. During the past several years, many of our local school districts have focused on improving writing instruction. All of […]

Inspiration, tips, and sources for creating a nature themed classroom for your middle school or high school students!

The Sandwich Swap is a story about friendship, acceptance, and keeping an open mind. In this story, two girls learn that their friendship is much stronger than their differences. I want to share some activities you can pair with The Sandwich Swap.

You are moments away from creating your own quick images. Watch the video, download the three free resources, and use your new images to promote rich mathematical discourse in your classroom. 1. …

Looking for easy ways to differentiate worksheets? Check out these tips for easy ways to support all your students without spending tons of time planning.

Looking to implement or update the bucket filling idea in your classroom? This classroom tool kit has everything you need to get this up and running. The set includes materials to put together a bulletin board, pages to use for teaching tools so that students can understand the concept, fun labels t...

Integrating art and content in the ELA classroom. Tips and resources.

Learn how to design a midterm or final exam for a proficiency-oriented language course. Find out what to include and see examples!

Because getting kids to line up shouldn't require rocket science.

This summer, after attending a reading workshop, I've made it my goal to amp up and improve my guided reading and shared reading instruction. With this in

Hitting and Pinching in Autism Units and Self Contained- Tips and tricks to teach students to stop hitting and pinching. The Nook podcast from Noodlenook.net

Have you ever thought about using wordless videos in your speech therapy lessons? It increases engagement! Start with these videos...

Amazing things can happen with just one dot.

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

Use these story sequencing cards printable activities to teach sequencing and order to your preschoolers. These cards will help preschoolers visualize and retell their favorite stories.

Diese einfache spanische Lektüre enthält Beschreibungen der drei beliebtesten sportlichen Aktivitäten junger Menschen. Enthält 8 Fragen zum Leseverständnis. Mit

I have used the reading workshop model for about 8 years now. It has changed a lot over the years! One thing that has stayed the same is the ‘Respond to Text’ station. This is a time where students get to write about their reading. The station stays the same all year, but the activities in the station change. Below is a list of activities you can add to your ‘Respond to Text’ station at the beginning of the year. 1. Bookmark Book Report At the beginning of the year, some students struggle to finish chapter books. I find that this bookmark book report helps them stay engaged in their reading. The students keep track of the pages they read, and complete activities as they read their book. There is a fiction and nonfiction version available for download. 2. Text Structures Tri-fold Students can use this trifold to ‘hunt’ for different text structures. Just put a basket of nonfiction books at the station and you are set! It’s a great way to get them reading nonfiction books. 3. Choice Board Students get to choose what activities they’d like to complete. This is great because it can be used for the story of the week (if you follow a basal) or the chapter book they are currently reading. You can have the students glue this page inside their reading notebook, or have them staple their responses to this sheet and turn in. Download the Printables: Click here to download the bookmark book report. Click here to download the text structures trifold and choice board. Add editing tasks to your reading workshop block! Math Resources: 1st Grade Tri-Folds 2nd Grade Tri-Folds 3rd Grade Tri-Folds 4th Grade Tri-Folds 5th Grade Tri-Folds Thanks for reading! I hope you will find these printable helpful :) Visit my blog @ Learning With Mrs S. Visit my TPT Store Follow me on Pinterest! Follow me on Instagram! Follow me on Facebook :)

Today I'm sharing one of my favourite tasks for building community in the classroom. Students are able to share an important aspect of themselves (the story of their name) with the class and with me, their teacher. Through this task we are also working on important skills, like reading comprehension, writing, and reflection. Day 1 To begin, I asked my students to write any name they wish they had on a sticky note. They then placed it in a mason jar. I read my class the story "The Name Jar" by Yansook Choi. We stopped at several points in the story to predict, make connections, infer, and ask questions. At one point, we paused in the story so that students could journal about the name they wrote down on the sticky note earlier: - Did they choose their own name? Or another? - Why? - If you chose another name, where did you hear that name before? Day 2 At the end of Day 1, students were given homework. (Stick around to the bottom of this post for a chance to get your own copy of this sheet.) I make it very clear, that while names all have meanings, your family may not have chosen your name for that reason. They might not know the meaning, and you can choose to look it up with your family if you wish. I also focus a lot on nicknames and your own feelings about your name. While I've never taught a student in foster care, or one who was adopted, I do think it's important to mention that this could be a touchy task in those situations, so be sure to know your students first, and modify as needed. Students use the homework task, and the journal write from the previous day, to write "The Story of their Name". Some possible options to include are: - who you are named after - the meaning of your name - a name you'd rather have - your feelings toward your name - nicknames you may have - the person (or people) who chose your name - how your name was chosen This piece of writing is then self, peer, and teacher edited, and a "good" copy is made. Day 3 I found this excellent step-by-step self-portrait from "Art Projects for Kids". I modified the task so that instead of drawing the left or right side of their face, they would draw the top half. Students find that folding their page into quadrants as she suggests is very helpful. Under the document camera I demonstrate each step, and students copy, adapting to their own facial features. Each student gets a mirror to look in to help them personalize. The final pieces are put on a bulletin board for display. Students also coloured in a bubble letter version of their names to complete the display. (I used the font KG Red Hands Outline for this.) Day 4 Once we've completed the task, the last job is to reflect on our work. I pulled some elements from our Arts Education curriculum (very relevant regardless of where you teach) for students to self-assess on. I've used the proficiency scale language our school has moved to for all reporting. A few students found it helpful to complete their reflection while looking at the finished product on their bulletin board, but most didn't need this. Want a copy of both my homework and reflection pages? Follow the image or button below to grab your copy. Take Me to the Free Download Pin this post.

The interviews are over, the stress of wondering if you'll find a position is caput. You landed a fourth grade teaching job! You're chomping at the bit to start your back to school teacher to

A blog about best practices, children's literature, teaching ideas in elementary classrooms.

Seven effective first grade assessment tools to test student knowledge with checklists, journals, observations, conferences, and rubrics.

Another center that is really popular in my class is Read, Visualize, Draw . It's a great way to practice visualizing while reading, which...