LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION WITHIN AN ECOSYSTEM Teach students an easy way to remember each of the 4 levels and how they are organized within an ecosystem! Using this pyramid shows students a visual of the most basic level of an organism, to all of the components of an ecosystem, including both abiotic and biotic factors. This printable resource can serve as a study guide or reference sheet. I used this in class as a poster and had students glue this into their interactive science notebook to refer back to. To see how I used it go to my → Instagram ◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈ WHAT'S INCLUDED: • 1 Levels of Organization Pyramid • 4 Levels in an Ecosystem (Organism, Population, Community, Ecosystem) ◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈ LET'S CONNECT! Instagram ◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈◈ Hope you enjoy! ☺

Over the last few months I've discovered interactive notebooks and folding resources - and I've fallen hard for them! I love the ways you can combine folding, colouring, words and ideas to create an interactive resource which helps students to explore and engage with the topic they are learning.&

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! :)

From creating content for students to analyze to sharing strategies for assessment and classroom collaboration, ChatGPT has the potential to save you hours of time and make your life infinitely easier. Here are 50 prompts that will help with that.

Give students a visual to assist them in advocating for themselves while self-assessing, and keeping students engaged in their learning.

Here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging.

These awesome ideas will come in handy one day. Or more than once. Who knows - you might even end up using them all with your class! This is a high quality print-friendly poster that you ca

Curriculum mapping is an essential skill for educators. Curriculum Mapping ensures a teacher teaches all the standards for the grade level by mapping out what…

Have you ever had a class that just tried your patience day after day? Have you ever felt like you could walk away from teaching forever tom...

An InLinkz Link-up To get the ball rolling, here are my Top 10 Classroom Faves (in no particular order)! 1.) Interactive Science Notebooks: I use these DAILY! I started using them several years ago and it was a little rocky at first. Now, I feel like I've perfected them in my science classroom. In addition, I've gotten the 6th and 7th grade science teachers "on board", so by the time they get to me in 8th grade, they are almost pros themselves. I've started modifying almost everything to go into the notebooks. You can check out my Interactive Science Notebook products on Teachers Pay Teachers HERE. I've also written a few blog posts about them HERE. 2.) Parent Contact Cards: In the summer I print these out on 4"x6" notecards and pass them out at the beginning of the year. My middle schoolers take them home for their parents to fill out (I even have a Spanish version). The kiddos return them and I keep them together in alphabetical order, by class, with a binder ring. They are hanging on magnetic hooks behind my desk. I can quickly access a parent phone number or email address. It also has a place on the back of each card to quickly jot down the date that parent contact was made and the method used. This is the only method that has worked for me in my 13 years of teaching. In order for things like this to work for me, I need them to be easy and quick. You can find them HERE on my Teachers Pay Teachers site. 3.) While You Were Absent Forms: Next to my desk, I have a hanging file folder. I use one pocket for each of my 6 classes. When a student is absent, I immediately fill out one of these "While You Were Absent" forms and attach any handouts or items that were needed for that days lesson. (on days when I'm really busy, I wait until my conference period to do this or give this job to one of my "early finishers"). I write the absent student's name on it and file it in the correct class period folder. When the student returns the next day, he/she picks up this work and brings it to me to assign a due date and go over any important information. The student is responsible for keeping up with the "While You Were Absent" yellow cover sheet and any work that is due. With so many students being absent and work coming in at different times, I had to find a method that worked for me and was easy to keep track of. CLICK HERE for my editable While You Were Absent Forms. 4.) Remind101 App: I just started using this FREE app this past school year and I have to admit, it's amazing. My students and parents love it too! Here are some reasons why it is one of my classroom faves: I can send ALL of my students (and their parents) reminders - quickly and efficiently I can schedule a reminder to go out at a later date and/or time (I can set up my reminder texts at the beginning of the week and then not worry about it during the busy school week). Students don't know my cell phone number and I don't know theirs Students don't have the capability of responding to the texts so I don't have to worry about being bothered by my phone going off when I am trying to sleep or when I am trying to spend some valuable time with my family If a student has a phone, you KNOW they are on it and checking it constantly This helps students stay organized This has dramatically decreased the amount of late homework I am receiving because 95% of the time, students just forget to do it My students beg me to send out reminders - when I forget, trust me, they let me know the next day - and they are not happy (: The night before a test or quiz, I may send out a few review questions or extra hints on things they need to study. My students' parents have even told me that it gives them some topics to discuss at the dinner table. What an awesome, easy way to get parents involved in what is going on in your classroom. 5.) My Teacher Planner: One word: LIFESAVER. I started making my own Teacher Planner last year and I don't know how I survived without it for so many years. No longer do I have to carry around multiple binders or show up to a meeting unprepared...everything I need is in one place. I take it to faculty meetings, team meetings, collaborative planning meetings, home, literally everywhere. It has all of the calendars that I use (district, monthly 2-page spread, birthday, important dates, etc...), my bell schedules, state standards, lesson plans, class rosters, student checklists, seating charts, IEP checklist, and so much more. Check it out HERE on my Teachers Pay Teachers site. 6.) Spinzone Magnetic Whiteboard Spinners: This is priced for around $17 and includes 3 different magnetic spinners. I use these on my magnetic whiteboards to select partners (I use clock partners or Cell Pals). This year I am also going to use it to point to the method of learning for the day (many of you may have seen this idea on Pinterest). I can think of so many other things to do with these. For example, in 8th grade science, the students must be able to manipulate an equation with 3 different variables to solve for the unknown. Like speed = distance/time or Force = mass x acceleration, etc... Instead of the typical worksheet with practice problems, my 8th grade students could have 3 different spinners on the board. Two different students could spin 2 of the spinners (the distance spinner and the time spinner) and the class could solve for the unknown variable (speed). 7.) My Color-Coded Classroom: Everything in my classroom is color-coded. I teach 6 sections of science each day so I chose to use the 6 basic colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Calloway House has many great classroom organizational items that already come in these 6 colors. I also made some Editable Rainbow Classroom Labels in these 6 basic colors that can be used for just about anything in your classroom. My students keep their Interactive Science Notebooks in colored milk crates. I use binder rings to clip a class period label to the front of each crate (just in case the color wasn't clue enough). I found these magnetic pockets at the Dollar Store. They were a yucky grey color, so I spray painted them with the 6 colors. Now they look great and I use them as a place for my students to place their Exit Tickets on their way out the door. 8.) Birthday Pixy Stix: I know that I teach middle school, but who doesn't like to feel special on their birthday? Not many teachers at my school do anything for student birthdays, and I know it's not much, but I like to be able to hand them a small gift on their special day. I purchased the container at Wal-Mart for about $4 in the clearance section. I spray painted it and tied A LOT of ribbons on the handles just to make it look more festive. This is one of my summer projects that I like to get done while vegging in front of the TV. I print the balloons on colored cardstock and cut them out while catching up on my Real Housewives, The Bachelorette and Big Brother episodes (I can't believe I admitted to the trash TV I watch!). I order the candy in bulk online and start glue gunning (not sure that's a word?) these puppies. For a 10% discount on candy from Candy Galaxy, click HERE. 9.) Clipart by Maree Truelove: Not much more to say, other than I love her stuff. Check out her products on Etsy HERE or her blog HERE. 10.) Tap and Glue Caps: I have these on every bottle of glue in my classroom. I hate using glue sticks for the Interactive Science Notebooks, but my only complaints about the liquid glue are that the kids use WAY too much and they sometimes carelessly throw it in a drawer when it's open and we have a lovely mess to clean up the next time the drawer is opened. These glue caps have taken all of that away. They make me a very happy teacher. To me, they were totally worth the investment. I ordered mine from School Specialty HERE.

Free parent-teacher conference forms to help guide your conversation and make sure you share everything you want and need to with parents.

My list of top tips and resources for the new TEFL teacher; videos, songs games and advice on how to survive your first TEFL job.

When I looked at my last post and realized it was Christmas themed, I realized I was long overdo for a blog post. This new year has brought...

I cannot believe that it's already time to start thinking about Parent-Teacher Conferences. We will start scheduling ours tomorrow, and then we will meet with parents

Explore our comprehensive collection of classroom resources, including classroom posters, engaging activities, classroom management techniques, and more. Enhance your teaching and inspire your students with these valuable insights.

Outlawing the words "I'm done" changed my classroom! Find out how to reform fast finishers and improve the quality of work in your room!

Focus your planning by getting clear on just three things: the WHAT, the HOW, and the WHY.

Many kids and young adults struggle with executive functioning challenges. Some are easy to spot, such as when a student can't focus on a lesson or comes to class without their entire binder. Other EF challenges are less obvious, though. A learner might take two times as long on homework because th

I talk quite a bit about classroom management on my blog. I have to be honest here. I have tried so many different things. I have tried the clip chart, I have tried check marks, I have tried the “flip the card”. NONE of them work for me. The book Dream Class really changed my thoughts on...

One question that often arises is how can I use this nice shiny iPad that you have given me to support teaching and learning? In a previous blog post I talked about assessment and the importance of deeper and higher thinking skills. I mentioned in that post that using Bloom’s Taxonomy is one way of getting … Continue reading The iPad Pedagogy Wheel →

Focus your planning by getting clear on just three things: the WHAT, the HOW, and the WHY.

With the advent of the common-core standards, our thinking about how to support second language learners has become super important. While opting for services like Translation Services London is an excellent way to get one’s work translated, one also has to know more than one language fluently. Our current focus for supportive instruction may be on […]

November dates to note: November Nov. 6 Daylight Savings Time Ends - "Fall Back" Nov. 7 2nd Grade ~ OKCFD Smokehouse visit @1:00 pm Nov....

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.

This differentiation and scaffolds chart helps busy teachers create and adapt lessons tailored for students and their needs. These interventions, accommodations, modifications, and learning strategies will help teachers with special education, gifted, behavior students who needs lessons at their level within the classroom. For elementary and middle school classes with response to intervention RTI students. Children and teachers benefit from individualized, personalized, and customized lessons.

We all know and love Kahoot, right? If you do not know about Kahoot then we have a few blog posts with tips and ideas to get you up to sp...

Save time and energy by using Khan Academy to simplify your day - 7 ways to implement Khan Academy as a resource for students and math teachers.

Hey teacher friends! I have some teacher organization tips for you all to keep your binders in check. My bingo and super super sight words packs are now out too!

Scaffold your instruction with these teaching scaffolding strategies to help bridge readiness and mastery for your elementary students!

When you encounter new information, here's a list of questions to ask yourself and others. It was produced by the Global Digital Citizen Foundation, "a non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating…

Make worksheets using programs you probably already have! These 6 steps will get you started creating your own resources today!

I've been reading the book, Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci, and just finished chapter 3. It was a real eye-opener. Through all of my years of teaching, I thought I was differentiating by planning and implementing reteaching and enrichment lessons and activities as my class worked through a unit. But in this chapter, I learned how important it is to start the differentiation before the unit even begins! This process begins with the preassessment. So much valuable information can be gathered before you begin teaching a unit. The purpose of the preassessment is to find how much students understand the content before you plan and teach the unit. Do they have a complete understanding of the content? Then they will need enrichment and/or accelerated activities. Do they have a partial understanding of the content? Then you need to make note of the gaps in their learning so you can plan accordingly. Checklists are a great way to keep track of the objectives and student mastery. From this checklist, you will also see students that need to be grouped for instruction. Keep in mind that this grouping will change as students master the objectives. Another insight I gained from this chapter is the different types of assessments used in a classroom. I put together this graphic to sum up the three types of assessment you should be using in your classroom. Click on the image to download the pdf version. You can also download this free packet with three quick and easy formative assessments you can use

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.

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.

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

Hello! I’m Nicole from Teaching With Style and I’m so excited to be over here on Melissa’s new blog, Inspire Me, ASAP! Melissa has some amazing ideas and her units have come in handy MANY times! When I moved from 1st to 3rd a few years ago, my new team wasn’t as strong as my […]

Often we step into a teaching situation with an idea about how it will go. We have created a story in our mind. But, when we show up on that first day with students sitting in front of us… an…

There are so many reasons why exit tickets are powerful classroom tools! This blog post lists how and why you should be using exit tickets in your classroom. It also includes FREE exit tickets and classroom examples!

One of the most important elements of teaching is providing students with plenty of opportunities to actively engage in learning with their peers. This blog post covers my favorite cooperative learning strategies that I have used in my classroom. These activities can be used across all subjects and several grade levels (3-6+). Bonus: I created […]

One of the most important elements of teaching is providing students with plenty of opportunities to actively engage in learning with their peers. This blog post covers my favorite cooperative learning strategies that I have used in my classroom. These activities can be used across all subjects and several grade levels (3-6+). Bonus: I created […]

How do you wish your students would see themselves as? These editable text posters allow students to see positive traits and can lead to great discussions surrounding self worth. The writing sheets come with single and double portraits with editable text that are perfect for individual counseling sessions and group discussions. ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ You’ll Love This Too Growth Mindset Icebreakers: Set of 28 Cards Freebie Editable Parent Contact Log Data Sheets fr the Wanna Be Organized Counselor. Editable Student Session Caseload Log for Wanna Be Organized School Counselors. ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ Customer Tips:How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases: • Please go to your My Purchases page (you may need to login). Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Click to give a quick rating and provide a comment for the product. Each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases. Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies and product launches: • Look for the green star next to my store logo and click it to become a follower. ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ Terms of Use 1. Your purchase is for one user only unless otherwise noted. 2. Downloading, saving, scanning, or placing free or paid product(s) on sites that allow multiple users to access is not allowed. This may include, but is not limited to emailing, using a shared drive/files, dropbox, blog, or website including school web pages. 3. This product and it accompanying clipart/fonts are copyrighted. Copying or sharing this product, or extracting graphics is prohibited and a violation of the violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Multiple user licenses are available at a discount rate. 4. For personal/educational use only! Commercial use in part or whole is strictly prohibited. 5. Feel free to share a picture of this activity in action, just tag @littlemisscounselor on Instagram or Facebook and provide the product link. ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ Click to Follow: LittleMissCounselor Facebook @littlemisscouns Pinterest @littlemisscounselor Instagram LittleMissCounselor YouTube LittleMissCounselor Google+

One of the most important elements of teaching is providing students with plenty of opportunities to actively engage in learning with their peers. This blog post covers my favorite cooperative learning strategies that I have used in my classroom. These activities can be used across all subjects and several grade levels (3-6+). Bonus: I created […]

Are you looking for examples of "I do, we do, you do"? This blog post provides examples of it in action in the classroom and in lesson plans.

Choosing curriculum can be one of the hardest (and most important) things you do as a homeschooling parent! There are so many curriculums available to us that

Teaching poetry to kids in elementary school has never been easier! Use these four poetry skills to take your students' poetry writing to the next level.

There are some lows and many highs with being a teacher. These are the top 100 things I've learned about being a teacher.