Happy teachers mean happy students. Here is a list of ways to build morale, support teacher wellbeing and have fun as a teaching team at school.
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
Ready to go student check-in activities to find out what your students are thinking and feeling. Find the ones that work for you!
Learn why one-pagers are one of my go-to activities for breaking down complex topics and texts. Understand what they are, why you and your students will love them, and how to implement them in your ELA classroom. I even have the advice to help you tackle the biggest obstacle you’ll encounter with this activity.
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
Looking for a throwback feel with a modern twist? You've hit the jackpot. The Juana Hooded Fleece has got it all, mixing old school color pops and style with the latest 100% Recycled Polar Fleece. Now you and your conscience can both look and feel great. Plus, it's super warm and comfy, making it perfect for those chilly days out in the wild.
So much Twitter love from my post about my walls this year. Y’all know how to make a girl feel good! I don’t have my lesson plans ready, and am not entirely sure what I’m doing on…
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
Our "First Day of School Coloring Page" is designed to make the start of the school year fun and memorable. Featuring colorable text "Happy First Day of
Games, songs, and more!
Preschoolers have BIG FEELINGS. Having a preschool emotions sensory bin in the classroom is perfect for the beginning of the school year.
With back to school around the corner, we are sharing some of the best back to school jokes to get the kids laughing and forget all about the nerves.
Tips for starting out as a new school psychologist
What middle schoolers learn, how they behave, and how they interact with others can carry on into adulthood—whether positive or negative.
As a counselor, I want students to trust me and feel comfortable telling me ANYTHING! After all, that is part of my job! One thing that I always do before a counseling session (as I am sure all of us do) is refer to the rules of confidentiality. I have a set of posters near the table I use and I always make sure I ask kiddos if they understand or have any questions. I love this because I feel that it helps build the trust we have in each other and also it helps them know that there are instances that I have to repeat what they tell me...so it's all on the table. Today, I made some super cute chevron signs that are similar to the ones I already have...just more color to match my office! I was having difficulty uploading this FREEBIE to Teachers Pay Teachers but will work on it and post the link on The Stylish School Counselor's facebook page. Which you can like here" http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stylish-School-Counselor/123144351184854?ref=ts&fref=ts Here is a peek at what it looks like! With MLK, Jr. day coming up, I have been looking for ideas for great guidance lessons on diversity but I wanted something easy to understand and hands on. I combined two ideas and it ended up working out great and the students LOVED it! For K-2, I read the book What I Like About Me! by Allia Zobel Nolan. This ideas came from the fabulous School Counselor's Chronicle! You can find her lesson here: http://www.schcounselorschronicle.com/2012/02/what-i-like-about-me.html For 3rd-5th grades, I read Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport. This is an amazing book and the kids absolutely loved it! After we read the stories, we discussed the book. For K-2, we focused more on how they are special and unique and had them brainstorm things they liked about them and their classmates. For 3-5, we talked about what it means to celebrate diversity and how being different is a good thing. The students had some wonderful conversations. After our books and discussions, each student received a puzzle piece like this: The kids then wrote their first and last name, drew a picture of themselves and decorated! I told the kids that we were doing puzzle pieces because when you put a real puzzle together all the pieces are different but when they are together they make something amazing! The older ones thought this was quite clever. They really enjoyed the chance to color! : ) I hope to get the bulletin board together soon! I hope you all have a great week and stay warm in this cold weather. It is in the 40's in Texas, so that means FREEZING to us!
Best-selling author, Anna Llenas, is best known for her book about an adorable monster who, with the help of a friend, learns to name and navigate his feelings. Inspired by this read, we've compiled a list of 16 charming activities for you to choose from! From pre-made digital activities to hands-on crafts, all of our picks are perfect for sparking discussions that center around emotions! For inspiration on how to incorporate these lessons into your very own classroom or home-learning experience, read on.
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
A positive classroom culture will impact both the way student's feel about school and how they learn - 4 ideas for creating positive classroom culture.
Giving classroom jobs to middle school and high school students allows them to feel useful and creates a sense of belonging in the classroom. In applying for and carrying out classroom jobs, students will practice real world skills plus it takes a few tasks off your plate, allowing you to focus more on instruction. Read on for how to get started and ideas for jobs.
What children are afraid of.. As children grow up, they develop diferrent fears and worries. Some of these feelings are common in all stages of child development.
Pump up the spirit!
These are the 5 Procedures Every Classroom Needs. From hall passes to supplies to absent work, find the procedures to make your classroom work.
Behavior : Good or Bad choices (right or wrong) This worksheet activity for the students in your group as well as students who have a hard time making good choices. (Decision Making right, wrong, good or bad worksheet,activity, social skill kids) Which students behave as good students and which ones aren’t? The students can color the smiley face for Yes or the sad face for No. Enjoy and If you like the this worksheet Please follow my store Thank you so much. (Educa Studio by AJP)
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
It's hard to talk to students without making it a lecture. Empower students while you teach them about respect using hands on activities
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
Anxiety in children is never something to be taken lightly. Here is article about how parents can understand their child's anxiety according to their age.
Does the first week of Kindergarten have you shaking in your boots? You are not alone! I've been at this for a little while now so you would think it would get easier with time but I am here to tell you it does not! I still get anxious right before school starts. What will they be like? Will I remember what to do at line up time? What if I don't set things up right and I mess up the whole rest of the year? (sounds dramatic but that is really what goes through my head!) I sat down as soon as school got out and wrote down my first week of lesson plans to put my mind at ease. It has really helped with my worry so far! I wrote down the first five days, plans and procedures I need to introduce, brain breaks, classroom community building activities, easy morning work to get started with and even got my welcome back gifts ready. My mind is officially at ease. I want to make sure I have a lot of fun and a LOT of books planned for the first week too. Here are a couple of fun crafts to go with the books I have planned. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. You can't skip this book the first week of school! Our focus will be all about names the first week (or more!). I put together all of my favorite books with some crafts to help teach all of those back to school procedures like cutting, gluing, and of course following directions. The Wheels on the Bus This one is fun for a little first sound fun. The students change the words to match the first sound in their name. A My Name is Alice by Jane Bayer Alphabet books are the best the first few weeks of school. A My Name is Alice Jane Bayer is the best! This is a fun activity to do after we read the book and they will make really cute self portraits to hang in the hallway the first week of school. Not only did I plan out the activities for these books but for lots of other favorites like Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, Rosie Takes a Walk by Pat Hutchins, No David by David Shannon, and Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell. So now I don't have to feel guilty when I am floating in the pool this summer (just kidding, I never feel guilty doing that!) But honestly, I can relax knowing all I have to do is hit print when I get back to school. These plans can work for you too! Click here to see them in my store! Or if you are not ready to think about school yet pin this for later! P.S. Get a FREE ALPHABET ACTIVITY when you sign up for my newsletter HERE!
A simple way to teach your students classroom procedures and expectations at the beginning of the school year
My rule #1 in a series about bringing out the best behavior in middle school students, Helpful tips for managing adolescents effectively.
There are three kinds of teacher-decorators: those who were born for Pinterest, those who can’t, and all the ones in between (such as the broke, the tired, and the I-have-no-time-to-decorate). However, making a classroom appeal to middle and high school students doesn’t HAVE to involve serious crafting or expensive, time-intensive projects. Check out these tips from me and Bonnie from Presto Plans as you prepare your classroom for the fall (or at any time of year that you want to give it a boost!) You might also like Sara's more recent blog post, Inside My Farmhouse Classroom Makeover. 1. Have a color scheme (if you can) Sara: My principal gave each teacher the paint for one accent wall, so that shade of turquoise inspired the rest of my blue decor: milk crates, bulletin board borders, etc. It helped unify the room to make it look pulled-together instead of random. I've also learned about the importance of contrast. Even a full-blown rainbow color palette can look clean and cohesive (instead of cluttered) if you pair it with black or white to balance it out. Bonnie: If you are looking for inspiration for colors that look great together, check out this Pinterest board. There are lots of combinations that will help you choose colors when you are shopping for classroom materials. 2. Stick to a few favorite fonts Sara: Just like businesses create a brand, you are creating a classroom “look” or persona that you will be known for... or, at least a mood you will create. (Friendly? Professional? Fun? Minimalist?) Try to pick a few fonts that most of your labels, signs, and other wall-hangings will consistently use. For example, I used the Google font Crushed to make and laminate labels for my whiteboard (see below), along with mint-colored painter's tape. 3. Make your classroom library a focal point Bonnie: Your class library should draw students in and works well as the focal point for any English classroom. Here are a few things you can do to make your library stand out: Give bookshelves a makeover by rolling them a new coat of paint and/or taking the shelves out and attaching wallpaper or scrapbook paper to the back. Put a few floating shelves on the walls near your library area where you can feature particular novels recommended by students. Add comfortable, flexible seating near a library to make it more welcoming. These items can be more expensive, so shop around online or scour garage sales until you find seating that may work. Use old books as decorations! When a book is unusable, find a way to repurpose it. One easy way to do this is to cut out the pages and write a reading-inspired quote in black permanent marker on top of the page. Frame the page and put it on your bookshelf! Sara: If your classroom library is small, nonexistent, or needs some attention, check out this blog post for more ideas about how to strengthen it. 4. Display student work Bonnie: Use student work as decor by making a framed gallery wall. All you have to do is pick up some inexpensive 8x10 frames (check your dollar store) and arrange them on your wall. When you get a piece of exceptional student work, add it into the frame! If you don’t want the hassle of buying and hanging frames, order a pack of mixed color picture mats and use them to frame student work on a bulletin board. Sara: Another way to get student work on display (while also practicing literary analysis!) is to have them complete this Quote Illustration and Analysis assignment; students use Canva (or any tool you wish) to make an inspirational or literary quote come to life. The results are stunning! 5. Use author-inspired decor Bonnie: Find ways to incorporate the authors you will be studying into your classroom decor. You can do this by featuring fun facts or by sharing quotes by the author. For example, I use an interactive Shakespeare Hashtag of the Week bulletin display that exposes students to one quote from a Shakespeare play each week. If you don’t want to make your own, you might even consider assigning an author to each student and having them develop a bulletin display with a biography, fun facts, and quotes that you can swap out weekly. Sara: Don't forget to interject moments of literary ALLUSION or author-inspired inside jokes as well, like my favorite light switch art... 6. Make your posters work together Sara: On at least one bulletin board or section of wall space, add some symmetry or consistency by hanging posters in a similar style (color, font, or other), or by displaying images that have a common theme. For example, check out these posters of stylized quotes to get some English class wisdom on your walls. Bonnie: If you are looking for some ideas of common themes you could use for posters, try some of these ideas that could work in any English classroom: funny grammar quotes or fails, literary terms or genres, author quotes, famous lines from literature, idiomatic expressions, or jokes using puns! To read more about my favorite bulletin board ideas for middle and high ELA, check out this blog post. "English is Weird" poster set 7. Make displays that are EASY to update Sara: Two of my favorite bulletin board spaces were ones that took VERY little effort in updating, so I didn't have the self-imposed pressure to redo the whole thing multiple times per year. For example, my Word Nerd Challenge is quick to update on a Monday morning because all I have to do is add this week's word to the list. (I made each word tile a magnet that can go on my whiteboard!) I also made low-prep Quote of the Week flipbooks of reading and writing quotes, which students often asked to flip FOR me. I used Command hooks and spiral binding to hang it on a cabinet. Do you have additional ideas? Tell us in the comments!
Teachers, engage your students with these fifteen exit tickets, some of which can be customized. Each exit ticket includes space for the student’s name, date, period/subject, and response. Printable with four on a page. These exit tickets are ready to be used by students, parents, or any school stakeholders.
This is a fun multi-purpose worksheet to practice writing and speaking skills in the third person.
Being a brand new school librarian is both exciting and scary. All summer, you’ve planned for your new position, but today, you're feeling pretty lost.
Our Class is a Family is simply an amazing book to start or end school year. It is perfectly suited to help build positive classroom environment and reinforce an important message of care and respect. Make your classroom feel like home with the help of reading this cute book and further promote its message with […]
Use this worksheet to help you practice the very foundations of lettering. If you’re feeling stuck or not progressing - try revisiting the basics and practice individual letters for a couple of days or weeks.
