I've decided to open two pin boards so that we can help each other be better teachers. I LOVE Pinterest for teachers. I think th...
Kids hate math? Try a Frayer Model think board! The perfect tool for teaching numeracy. Kids Gauranteed to love learning Math! FREE on Website!
I've been using the Notebook software for several years and have become somewhat of a go-to person on my staff for newer users. There are many ways to make
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.
Fun vocabulary games can be a powerful tool in the upper-elementary classroom! As elementary students progress from learning to read to reading to learn, content area vocabulary becomes a crucial part of instruction. Each content subject area such as math, social studies, and science has its own unique set of vocabulary words. Students need to be introduced to and repeatedly exposed to the vocabulary terms that are important in each unit if they are to develop a deep understanding of a specific content area. Fun and Easy Vocabulary Review Games I have found that incorporating a variety of fun and easy vocabulary review games into our schedule motivates my students to spend a few extra minutes studying their words in preparation for the big game! Egg Hunt Review Egg hunt review is a game that my students always love to play! It gets them out of their seats and moving around as they search the classroom high and low for plastic eggs. The only materials needed to play this game are plastic eggs, some strips of paper, and notebook paper. Before your students come into class, number and write a definition on each slip of paper. For example, one slip of paper might read, "1. a written request from a number of people". Fold up the slip of paper and place it inside one of the plastic eggs. After recording all of the definitions and placing them inside of the eggs, hide the eggs around the classroom. When you're ready to play with the class, have each student take out a piece of paper and number it accordingly. If you hid 20 eggs around the room, tell the class to number from 1-20. It's always more fun to play with friends, so I have my kids work in pairs or small groups. When the game begins, one student from each group goes on the hunt for an egg. Egg Hunt Review They bring the egg back to their group, open it up, and read the definition aloud. The students then need to figure out which vocabulary word goes with the definition and write it on the corresponding line. If the definition read, "5. a soldier who is paid to fight for a foreign country", then the students would write "mercenary" next to number 5 on their paper. The student who found the egg then puts the slip of paper back inside, places it back wherever they found it, and then returns to the group so the next student may take their turn finding an egg. One of the things I like about this vocabulary review game is that I can just set a time limit based on how much time we have available to play. When time is up, I tell all the students to return their eggs, and then we begin going over the answers. I draw a random name stick and have that student go find an egg and read the definition out loud to the class. We discuss the correct answer, and students check their own papers to see if they got that one right. I collect the slip of paper and empty egg from the student, and call another name to find our next egg. By the time we are done going over all of the answers, I don't have any clean up to do on my own. Hoop Shoot Review Hoop shoot review is another class favorite that only requires a trash can, a ball or wad of paper, and a list of the words and definitions for you to use. Divide the class into two or more teams. Place the trash can in a strategic location and mark the spot on the floor with tape to indicate where the students need to stand. One student comes up to the line, and you read them a definition. If they identify the correct word, they earn their team one point. Then they attempt a "free throw" at the trash can to earn a bonus point for their team. So easy and always a hit with the kids! Vocabulary Bingo Elementary age kids always love a good game of Bingo, and I found the perfect online Bingo card maker! You can play virtual Bingo or print out cards. It's free for up to 30 students! My Free Bingo Cards First, you need to decide which size Bingo card you would like to create. On the left-hand side, go down to "Templates" and choose between a 3x3, 4x4, or 5x5 card. Click on the template you would like to use. My Free Bingo Cards Templates Next, you will type in your title and all of your vocabulary words. Free Bingo Card Maker Click on "Next Step", and you are ready to play Bingo online or print your cards! This is such an easy way to create a vocabulary word game that you can use year after year. Swat the Vocab! Swat the Vocab is the vocabulary review game that my students request the most! It gets very competitive and exciting! All you really need to play is a whiteboard or chalkboard and some fly swatters. For social studies, I have all of the content vocabulary words printed on cardstock with an image of a fly, but you can just simply write the words on your board. Make sure to spread them out as much as you can. Divide your class into three or more teams. Have one player from each team come up to the front and get a fly swatter. Read a definition out loud, and watch out! The student who swats the correct vocabulary word first earns their team a point. It happens so fast, I had to tell my kids to hold their position when swatting so I could see which fly swatter had swatted the word first. Swat the Vocab! I have no doubts that if you begin playing these fun vocabulary word games with your class, they will be more motivated to study their words!
How many of us have gone to work sick because it was easier than planning for a sub? We just can't afford to do that anymore, especially in the world of Covid. Years ago, I was determined to find an easier, more manageable way to plan for a substitute teacher. I am sure you know the feeling of waking up sick and not knowing how you are going to get everything ready for a sub when you feel so terrible. With that in mind, I created a Substitute Teacher Binder and Sub Tub. In this post, I will share how I prep for those surprise sick days and how I prepare for days that I know ahead of time I am going to be off. I most recently had to plan for a sub for a week, so I will share some tips and tricks for planning for those days off. At the beginning of the year, I create my Substitute Binder. I divide it into sections for easy access to different topics and parts of their day. I print the section cover pages on cardstock and laminate with 3M laminating pouches. You could also just use a clear binder if you don't want to use the rings like I did. (The discs/rings and the paper punch I use are from Happy Planner.) Choose which sections you want to include that are important for a sub to know. I then sit this by my door so that they see it when they come in. If it's a day I had already planned on being off, I put it on my desk or teacher table with everything they need for the day. As for the sub tub, I always put extra worksheets in the bottom of it throughout the year that we didn't get to. This just gives the sub something extra if they need time filler throughout the day. First, let's talk about the sub binder and what I include. All of this is very helpful for those surprise days off. I can just text a teammate and ask them to set out my binder for the day if I get sick. I always sort my worksheets and activities in daily bins, so I ask them to set that day's bin out along with the binder. It makes planning for a sub super easy for me and for my teammates. The tabs on the binder are super important to have. This lets the sub know what's important for them to know and shows them where to quickly turn if they need that section at a particular time. I always have a little WELCOME note to make them feel welcomed. You could also include any special information you need them to know first thing. I include a full page ROSTER of my class. I also print the half sheet rosters and clip them to the front of the binder. They can take attendance on these since they don't have access to our online attendance. Be sure to include a note about that on your lesson plans so they know where to put attendance. The next sections I like to make are STUDENT INFO and IMPORTANT INFO. These are the sections where you will include important health information, such as allergies or other medical conditions they need to know about. I also include emergency procedures, pull outs, seating charts, a class schedule, and any other helpful information about students or special situations that could arise. For RELATED ARTS, I include our rotations. If I know I am going to be out, I include the exact one that we go to that day in my lesson plans. If not, they can just ask another teacher what day we are on. I put my classroom management strategies and classroom rules in the PROCEDURES section. I let them know the specifics of expectations, consequences, and incentives that they can use. I also include another pull out list here, just in case. The ARRIVAL section gives important details about expectations during the first part of the morning. This is where you tell them what students do when they first come in, details about announcements, and how to complete attendance. The LESSON PLAN section includes a basic class schedule in the first part of the section. I then include very detailed plans for our day. For the lesson plans you put in the binder or planner, you can give a general run down of what they do during each part of the day. This will help your sub so much if you are out unexpectedly. I tell them how the lesson generally goes and they can grab the practice from the daily tub. I also tell them where they go and how to do lunch, recess, and all of the other parts of our day. By including these detailed break down of your day, you can ensure that instruction continues as if you are there. I don't like to plan something totally different from the pacing guide, because it throws everything completely off. I include dismissal procedures in the detailed lessons plans, but I also add it to the DISMISSAL section. Be very specific about how students go home, how they pack up and clean up, and what the sub's responsibility is during dismissal. The TRANSPORTATION section includes how each student goes home. I also put a note in there telling them that students have to go home that way, unless they receive a change of transportation note from the office. I like using this box sheet for each student. I normally have that all typed in here but I used a blank one here for confidentiality purposes. The CLASS section is where each student has a box. They can use this to tell me about any students who were absent or any behavior issues they had that day. The BEST DAY EVER section is where I ask them to leave a note about their day. I have found that this helps to end the day on a positive note. Always let them know how thankful you are for them filling in. Being a substitute teacher is not an easy job. I want them to know that they are appreciated. Finally, I just include a NOTES section, in case they need somewhere to take notes throughout the day. Now let's talk planned days off. The only things I do differently are change the lesson plans and lay everything out for the day. I recently was out for a whole week, so I will show you how I planned for those days off. I color coded everything! First I used the lesson plan section I had already made, but I added more details about each specific lesson, as well as what related arts we went to each day. Just copy and paste the lesson plans pages. I also put the day of the week at the bottom of each packet. I did not put these in the binder. I decided to staple each day's plans printed on different colors of paper. For the sheets that were needed for each day, I used the same color sticky notes to label each day's activities. You could even put the time that they will need each activity. I also lay everything out in order for the day. I just spread it all out across the table for the sub, and it keeps everything organized and the expectations clear. If they needed a teacher edition for that lesson, I also marked the pages with those same color sticky notes and put them in the stacks. I hope seeing how I plan for a substitute teacher helps you plan for yours. So many subs have thanked me for having everything prepped for them, and they love coming back to my class. I have had other teachers request for me to share how to properly plan for a sub, particularly how to put together a proper Substitute Teacher Binder. Often times, teachers do not leave detailed plans, which makes the day difficult not only for the sub, but for the other teachers on your team. You want your sub to feel prepared and to want to come back. It's so hard to find a sub these days, so we want to do everything we can to support them. You might even want to include a little treat for them. We know that chocolate makes everything better! You can grab this free tag by clicking on the photo below. If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email or reach out on Instagram. What tips do you have for planning for a substitute teacher?
Explore oliverdec's 2 photos on Flickr!
Here is an effective pencil management system for any grade level PLUS a FREE Pencil System planning guide to set up your own pencil system.
If you teach multiple children, independent activities are a MUST! Download this free independent activities choice board, great for young children.
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Whether you are trying to land your dream job or just survive your first few weeks, here are some ways to thrive as a substitute teacher!
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It’s no secret that I am a MAJOR fan of class jobs – I mean…many hands make light work, right? Aside from having 20 or so helpers around the classroom, there’s a whole bunch of other reasons I think class jobs are super important: Helps build a sense of community…this is OUR classroom Gives students ... Read more
Super cute, FREE printable Spanish worksheets help learn the names to spanish colors while coloring, tracing, fill in the blank, word search.
In an era of high stakes testing, art is sometimes the first thing to go but we as teachers need to find ways to continue providing art experiences for our students. Not only is art just plain fun, and let's face it, kids do need fun, but it's much more than that. Art is beneficial in so many ways! Find out ways to incorporate art in this post by The Teacher Next Door.
It is about that time of year…you know, where the paper work starts cranking and you start seeing which kids might need a little extra boost. Which means that RTI is about to crank up […]
The Power of AI for teachers needs to be leveraged for lesson planning efficiency. Learn about two different AI tools to save time and energy!
This writing activity creates a bulletin board display that shares the consequences of bullying through a chain of events!
Download the Personal growth. Self-improvement and self development concept. Man watering that growing plant from the brain as metaphor growth personality, flat Vector illustration 14526613 royalty-free Vector from Vecteezy for your project and explore over a million other vectors, icons and clipart graphics!
Hi Friends! Happy Tuesday! Well I just got back a little bit ago from our monthly PTA meeting. My dear, sweet 2nd graders had their big ...
Emery just started preschool this week! Having her in school has me thinking back to my years as a teacher and I'm so excited to be on thi...
Animals Movements: run, swim, fly, hop, slither What do you get? 20 editable and PDF versions of the worksheets. Thank you for your download. Please do not forget to leave your FEEDBACK! :) Check my store: Miss Marwa Tarek for more resources.
This post is part 1 in my inquiry series. To learn more about inquiry click through to see my many other posts about inquiry. If you are new to my blog,
Amazing classroom decoration ideas including how to add a class fireplace, a beautiful teacher space, a classroom fridge and more!
Solve all of your staggering pencil problems with this Great Pencil Challenge. Students will be motivated to keep track of pencils all year.
Spend quality time with kids getting creative during this pandemic crisis! Experiment and explore your inner artist with children.
Long gone are the days where I am rolling tape to put on the back of my students' work to display it or poking holes in it with push pins. These simple solutions will have your students' work displayed in seconds and your hallway or classroom looking fab! Seriously, we are teachers and so extremely busy. Who has time for the perfect bulletin board display? Not this 3rd Grade Teacher! I spent an hour using these tricks before school started last year and it has saved me countless hours through the school year. Supplies needed: * Hot Glue Gun * 12x12 scrapbook paper * Oversized Clothes Pins (from Michael's) That is it! What!?!?! I started by making a plan by laying my 12x12 scrapbook paper out in the area I wanted to hang it. As you can see from the pictures, I didn't truly stick to one way of hanging the paper, however, I did stagger my paper so my clothes pins could peep between the papers. I was able to lay my papers either in the floor or on top of the lockers to make my plan of attack. Once my plan was made, I was able to "eye" where I wanted the clothes pin to be. I stuck a paper inside the clip, hot glued the back of the clothes pin and pressed to to where I wanted it. Once all my clothes pins were hung, came THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP. I am sharing my hard lesson learned here with you all. So, the first day of school rolled around and my students went to hang their papers up themselves. (Yes, teachers, rejoice! You can save even more time because your students can hang their papers by themselves. I allow mine to stand on a short step stool to reach. The angels are singing!!!!) Ok, so back to the lesson..... When my students pushed on the clothes pin to open it to hang their paper, the 12x12 scrapbook paper fell out. Oops! Solution: I hot glued the scrapbook paper to the clothes pin on the inside and they no longer fall out or need readjusted because they aren't perfectly straight. See how I can open the clip and the scrapbook paper stays up? Trust me, you will thank yourself later! Last year, I had hung some of these paperclips up in the hallway already, but I want you to see the difference the scrapbook paper makes. See how the paper stands out a bit more because the white paper doesn't blend in with the white wall anymore? Above, the social studies report posters looked great on the gray part of the wall, but they blended in with the white wall. So we hung our 3 About Me papers on the first day of school with black behind them. They pop out a bit more because of the 12x12 scrapbook paper. I admit that hot gluing the clothes pins and scrapbook paper took a bit of time up front, however, it has save me a lot of time in the last year. It was so worth it! I hope you are able to modify this idea to work for you.
These prefix activities for con-/com-, uni-, and ex- use sentences from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for practice.
Here are some excerpts from an article by Dr. Richard Curwin of David Yellin College describes how “fair” in a classroom doesn’t mean equal. He gives seven valuable tips for teach…
'The one exclusive sign of knowledge is thorough teaching.' Aristotle Teaching strategies are hit or miss, but these seven teaching strategies are tried and true and pretty easy to practice. These seven teaching habits of an excellent teacher are seven down-and-dirty tips for teaching college students. They are based on Chickering's and Gamson's 'Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education.' Whether you're a college professor or a high school teacher, there are teaching strategies every college professor can work on as you reach your mid-semester stride. Encourage Student/Professor Contact Encourage Student Teamwork Encourage Active Learning Provide Prompt Feedback Emphasize
