data:blog.metaDescription

By the end of the school year, we have our classrooms running like well-oiled machines. The students know what to do, when to do it, and what to expect from

Messy backpack? Clothes all over the place? Learn about organization skills in children, and why some kids have so much trouble getting and staying organized.

A simple way to teach your students classroom procedures and expectations at the beginning of the school year

Farley is hosting her monthly Linky Party! Check out Currently February: As many of you know, I'm preggers (due in April). Therefore, my hubby and I are staying in a lot more than we usually do and watching lots of TV! We've watched Breaking Bad (all five seasons) and Homeland (just starting season two). We also watch lots of documentaries on Netflix. We found a great one the other night that I'd like to recommend. It's called "American Teacher" (2011), and it follows the lives and experiences of four teachers. It's only about 80 minutes long, so check it out if you have some free time! Matt Damon narrates the documentary so enjoy that! =) Photo courtesy of IMDb. On another note, did you hear about the Sunday Super Sale over at TpT!?! Everything in my store will be on sale for 28% off! Yippee!! I know I'll be shopping for lots of activities for the month of February, spring time writing activities, more clip art, and some center activities! Last but not least, I just added a great resource to my store called Sweet Sentences Mega Pack! It's only $4.00 and contains 56 pages of grammar and writing activities to help young writers grasp the concepts of complete vs. incomplete sentences. There are posters, activities for literacy stations and small groups, printables for independent practice, and whole group lessons. Check out a few examples below: {CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.1j and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.1f} Leave a comment below about writing instruction in your classroom (also include your e-mail), and I'll choose a few lucky winners to receive the Sweet Sentences Mega Pack for FREE! :)

Bruce Lee was an expert martial artist, but he was also a very wise man. Here's how one of his quotes influences my coaching style.

Tips for setting up your student seating arrangements for cooperative learning, including options for permanent and temporary teams.

A time management worksheet will inspire you as you work your way toward improved productivity and better health and well-being. Significantly...

7 Free SWOT Analysis Templates : Download plenty of free templates like 7 Free SWOT Analysis Templates in our collection. See details at site..

What is an OKR? It’s a simple way to design and use strategic goals. Objective: The statement of outcome or goal.Key Result: The defined and measurable benchmark that leads to the objective o…

Backwards planning and curriculum mapping for school year success are an essential part of being organized and making your teacher life easier.

Thousands of teachers have used these tried and true GUARANTEED tups to stop students from blurting out. Chatty Class? YOU NEED TO READ THIS!

A few years ago, our school implemented "voice levels" as a way to help at assemblies, in hallways, and within our classrooms. This has really helped with consistency across the grade levels and made the first few weeks of school even easier when introducing these concepts. In our school, if a teacher needs to get students' attention, he/she will hold up our hand in the shape of a zero. If kids are working in small groups and are getting a little noisy, I would hold up two fingers to remind them it was "Voice Level 2". When we create presentation rubrics, we always include "Voice Level 3" as an area to focus on. In the beginning of the year, when we are making our Daily 5 Anchor Charts around expectations, Voice Levels 0, 1, and 2 always make an appearance. I have loved thinking of Voice Level 1 (whisper) as "Spy Talk"! In the past, I have used the fingers-on-the-voicebox trick~ if it vibrates, it's not Voice Level 1~ but the idea of talking like a spy is soooooo much more fun! This year, I ask my Teacher's Assistant to help be my Voice Level Monitor. If they feel it is getting too noisy, they will assist me in showing the appropriate voice level with our finger(s). Here is the file for the poster (I recently changed over my font, so it looks slightly different). **UPDATE: If you like this idea, you will love my new Voice Levels Management Pack available on TpT! Be sure to download the Preview to see everything that's included and read my updated post HERE for more info! Enjoy!

This article reviews some of the essential functions of case managers. Case managers play an important role in the healthcare system.

Looking for effective classroom management policies and procedures for secondary classrooms? Here are 5 key starting points!

Are student rewards or your treasure box making you go broke? Not anymore! Check out this list of 50 absolutely free student rewards!

A New Way to Introduce the Color Wheel % %

Here's our latest high-quality poster that will look great on your Teacher's Room wall and will mativate you (and your fellow teachers) every working day! It's titled 'Classroom Management M

Behavior is one of the biggest classroom management problems teachers face and another is communicating to parents. Use these reporting behavior forms!

Voice O Meter Template (Large 13×20″ Printable Poster PDF, Word Doc & Letter size PDF) Help manage the voice levels in your classroom! Includes a fully editable download -Word Voice o Meter Template

This project plan guide covers everything you need to make a great project plan step by step! Learn about planning software tools, best practices and more.

What are executive functioning skills? Executive functioning (EF) skills are the abilities in our brain that help us complete everyday tasks. These skills include planning, organization, time management, metacognition, working memory, self-control, attention, flexibility, and perseverance. S

These simple tips and infographic will help you work smarter during your day and become more productive. They focus on email, Skype and work sprints.

As a new year starts I am asked over and over how I keep things organized in my classroom while starting up interactive notebooks. I will tell you that creating my process took years to create and is

We all have great classroom management plans, but what happens when that plan doesn't work for a certain child? Most of us have a few go to strategies that we attempt before asking for help or referring the child for discipline procedures. I want to share with you some ideas on how to recognize what is going on, so that you don't get stuck in a cycle of doing the same thing with the same results.

Have you ever had a class with so many difficult, disruptive students that you felt that you could barely even teach? What can you do to get past it? In this post, I am going to address this problem with my best advice, and some advice from others as well.

Use this worksheet to help set a goal to improve your grades! ***This download is a fillable worksheet that allows the option to type or click directly into the document using an electronic device. A PDF Reader (Adobe, Foxit, etc.) is required in order to use fillable features. The worksheet can be saved on the device or sent electronically without the need to print. Learn more about fillable worksheets here! The worksheet can also be printed for in-person use with clients.

Kagan strategies are nothing new – if you haven’t been to a conference then surely you know a teacher who has. I was one of those teachers that absorbed all the information teachers could give me about Kagan Learning since I was never lucky enough to attend. While I pushed cooperative learning and being interactive, […]

Executive functioning skills are getting a lot of attention right now in education. Honestly, it's not even the amount of attention that they deserve, though. Executive functions are essentially the building blocks for completing all tasks in life (in school and beyond). If you think of executive

Are you ‘old school’ when it comes to your classroom seating layout? Do you prefer small groups or an arrangement that leaves space in the middle? Here are just a few of the many (many) variations out there.

If you struggle with classroom management no matter how many different strategies you try, there's a chance you're doing something to get in your own way.

Hey everyone! Hope you are enjoying your Saturday. Mine has been spent cleaning, doing laundry, and of course, catching up on more school...

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?

When I observe teachers, I see this problem more than anything else. If they fixed it, they would notice an instant difference in how well their classes go.

20 Positive Behavior Rewards That Aren’t Not Food Teaching a PBIS school, we focus on positivity and creating structures where student choices are celebrated. We love focusing on the gains st…

I love a colorful, well-decorated classroom! But students with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) don’t always share that enthusiasm. Some kids with attention challenges are easily distracted by a cluttered, crowded learning environment, so it’s necessary to organize your classroom carefully. These tips are designed to help you create a cozy … Continued

Goal Setting - This 4th grade teacher uses post it notes to remind children of their goals upon entering the classroom. I love that her method to this has

Classroom management is a critical piece of any successful school year. Start the school year off right with these classroom management hacks!

An InLinkz Link-up To get the ball rolling, here are my Top 10 Classroom Faves (in no particular order)! 1.) Interactive Scie...

We are a Leader In Me School and talk a lot about using the 7 Habits of Happy Kids in our everyday lives. I love the idea of encouraging kids to act as leaders in the classroom and beyond. What I have noticed, however, is that sometimes "leadership" comes off as "bossypants" and that is not the route we want to take! I know you've probably heard of Sheryl Sandberg (of Facebook fame) and her campaign to end the word "bossy" (read or listen to an NPR story HERE), but I was hesitant to come straight out and use that word in our class. Instead, I wanted them to think on terms of "boss" and "leader" to recognize the differences between the two and to think about their own language choices in the classroom, in small groups, on their sports teams, and more. We first looked at this picture and talked about what we noticed: (source) This led to some discussion about leadership versus boss behavior. While the kids were discussing, I was passing out example cards to their table spots. Before I dismissed them, I shared this leadership quote from John Quincy Adams: They were then given instructions about our activity. I had printed example cards on two colors: blue for boss and green for leader (although they didn't know that yet) and they needed to read their card and find someone with an opposite color card and opposite example (good time to incorporate the word antonym, too!). I dismissed them to their tables and first had them converse with students in their table group to ensure they understood the word or phrase on their card. When they gave me the thumbs up, I told them to find their match and them meet to discuss why they went together and be able to give examples. We then began assembling our Anchor Chart. Each pair would come to the front of the class and would explain which card was descriptive of a "boss" and which was descriptive of a "leader" and why. They gave examples and I elicited a lot of help from the classroom for additional examples and language that both a boss and leader may use during that example. I would tape the cards to the Anchor Chart and we continued through each pair. There were two groups of three (with two leaders to one boss) and that worked out perfectly with my class (definitely feel free to adjust if you have lower numbers). Our completed anchor chart looked like: It was so powerful to see how often kids may think they are helping, but instead find themselves on the "boss" side of the chart instead of the "leader." I know several of the examples are repetitive, but we really talked through these and used examples from our own lives to recount when using "leader" words and language set us up for success. I also explained the "me vs. you" mentality of bosses versus the "we and us" mentality of leaders. Overall, it was a very powerful lesson and I look forward to referring back to this Anchor Chart this year, especially when "bossypants" behavior leads to conflict. I think these concrete examples can help guide the naturally strong leaders in my class to make better language decisions that can help grow them as leaders and really inspire others, just like the Adams quote! If you'd like a copy of these cards and quote, you can download this as a *freebie* HERE. How do you address bossy vs. leader behavior in your class? Share in the comments, I would love to build on this lesson!

This model and template will help college, high school, and middle school teachers put together a syllabus that sets you and your students up for a great year.