Free International Dot Day Activity (Creativity Challenges) Teachers, are you looking for some free resources for International Dot Day? Dot Day takes place on September 15th. The inspiration for the day comes from the book, The Dot , by Peter H. Reynolds. In the story, the main charac
Integrating art and content in the ELA classroom. Tips and resources.
Kick off the school year with fun Name Games! Foster classroom camaraderie and help students break the ice on the first day.
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
Check out these fun ideas for classroom rewards! They're great alternatives to costly treats and the best part is they're student generated!
Are you looking for an easy way to get your students' attention? These attention getter and student call back cards are the secret to behavior management in the classroom!!The purpose of these cards is to say a quick one liner and have students react by calling back a response or doing an action. Th...
Amazing things can happen with just one dot.
Set a friendly tone in your classroom with these 30 "Get to Know You" games perfect for back to school or when welcoming a new student.
Whether you're looking for a first day ice breaker or games to play at a back to school bash, this list has something for everyone!
Birthdays in the classroom can be tricky due to cost and food restrictions. Here are bonafide tips for how to celebrate student birthdays in a special way.
Looking for apple crafts for kids? I have 15 EASY and adorable apple crafts that your kids will love at home or in the classroom.
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.
Art Teachers, in your Art Classroom you’re always going to have students finish before the rest, fast finishers, so let’s take a look at some ideas or routines that you can build into your classroom so that students know what to do when they’re done so they don’t have to ask you and so that you don’t have to instruct them on what to do EVERY time.
Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don't really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.
Classroom callbacks are a technique that teachers use to get the students’ attention in a quick and fun way. Free resource available.
Set a friendly tone in your classroom with these 30 "Get to Know You" games perfect for back to school or when welcoming a new student.
Read 10 great ideas and solutions for solving the lost pencils problem in classrooms in this blog post.
FREE Call Backs and attention getters for the kindergarten classroom! Great classroom management tool!
Use these fun games to help remember each other's names.
A David Goes to School Printable that is perfect for the beginning of the school year in the Pre-K, Kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms.
I used to spend so much time looking for the perfect read aloud books each month to read to my students. I have finally compiled a list on this blog post to save you so much time searching for books your students will love. I have even created FREE book companion activities you can pr
Classroom management is one of the most important things a teacher can master. Here are 2 kindergarten classroom management ideas that work!
Fun Friday in the classroom is a great way to celebrate the week of hard work! Find 6 tips and free resources for having your own Fun Friday!
Having a growth mindset can be challenging when students start school. Kids will make mistakes, fail, and come face to face with obstacles during kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade. We can teach them to have a growth mindset, persevere, and change their mindset. The Magical Yet is a top-notch growth mindset book for kids to help illustrate the power of "yet" and the importance of goal setting. You'll also enjoy FREE smart goal journal templates for your students in the classroom!
All of these organizational printables shown on this blog post are FREE! This page contains affiliate links. Read Full Disclosure
Kids will be WOWED with this hands-on, fall science experiment where they will explore Why do Leaves Change Color for kids! Fun Leaf Activity!
If you haven't yet heard about desk pets, you are missing out! If you are asking, "What is a desk pet?" You've come to the right place!
Pre-K and TK Back to School Worksheets. Name practice, fine motor skills, color identification, pre-k math skills and pre-k alphabet practice.
Integrating art and content in the ELA classroom. Tips and resources.
Amazing things can happen with just one dot.
Groepsvorming zichtbaar maken in je klaslokaal. Dat kan met deze documenten van juf Mar. Ze vertelt zelf wat ze er zo belangrijk aan vindt: Gouden Weken "
This week was our first week back and, boy am I tired! My class is great though...very inquisitive and eager to learn. They take their work seriously and are actively working most of the day. Who could ask for more?? We did quite a few things this week, but I want to share with you one "get to know you" project we did that really came out great. I seriously can't stop staring at it! I saw this pin on Pinterest. I love how it looks and thought it would make a great welcome sign. Now, on the pin, the hands seemed to be just colored in. I wanted something a bit more. So we started with creating Circle Maps about ourselves. What made us special? What are some things that have shaped us? Where did you go in your life? etc....Most of the kids finished these Circle Maps in class on the first day of school. I then asked the students to trace their hands and arms on a piece of 11 x 17" piece of paper. They then had to draw, write, decorate, etc...the traced in hand with items from the Circle Map. The goal was to teach their fellow classmates about themselves in a visual way, without giving away too much information (ie: I didn't want them to write paragraphs.) That is pretty much how far we got in class. So, the first homework assignment the students had to finish the project at home. I gave them this sheet so that they could be a bit more focused on their project and add a bit if they wanted. (but if you are going copy-less, just forgo this. They can write the information on a sheet of paper instead.) The next day, the hands came back to school...and they were great! I had the kids get into groups and share what they decided to put on their hands and why. The kids learned a lot about each other in that 15 minute session! You can see some of them used words as well as pictures to tell about themselves. I love the one directly in the center of this picture! Others just used pictures, like the one in the middle here. When I went to put them around a piece of poster board, like in the original pin, they didn't fit :( I think if I had used a smaller piece of paper to trace their hands to begin with they might have. Oh well! I decided to put them up as if the hands were all in a line, raising up.....and it came out great! I overlapped the hands, so I was able to get 5 or 6 on one piece of large construction paper. I then mounted them on my wall. I love it! All in all, this was a fun little project that served as a great way for the kids to get to know each other and make a nice display! What is something you do during the first week of school to help the kids get to know each other and for you to learn a little about them? Follow me on Snapchat for even more teaching ideas!
Fall worksheets for preschool that are perfect for your fall theme- scissor skills, fine motor, counting, mazes, and more. Free printable PDF
I've done a lot of experimenting with desk arrangements over the years. I've definitely found my favorite. Keep reading, I'll tell you about it. I've also discovered that it's smart to pick a few
Open House ideas. Great activity for students to do to show during Open house.
Find out why teachers should be using icebreaker activities for small groups all year long and not just at the beginning of the school year.
Pre-K & Preschool activities for the first days of school. Find more Beginning of School Activities for Pre-K In the beginning of the year, we spend a
What is a good quote for the first day of school? Wishing you a happy back to school with these 100 motivational and positive quotes for students, teachers, and parents of kids in school.
Grandparents Day activities and ideas, including planning a special event having grandparents visit the classroom.
Pinterest Are you looking to add some excitement to the first day of school? Look no further than the Back to School Escape Room for 1st or 2nd grade! This fun and engaging activity will help your students break the ice, build teamwork, problem-solve, and promote critical thinking skills. The objective of the game is […]
