After spending a week at my alma mater at Penn State Altoona, my heart is full after getting to spend an entire week sharing my story as a teacher turned entrepreneur with student teachers l…

Sometimes we find hope in the most unlikely of places. Discover how the creation of an infographic provides hope by proving that we are not alone.

Teacher’s Notes THE LAST VIKING – teachers’ notes (pdf) THE LAST VIKING RETURNS – teachers’ notes with ACARA hyperlinks (pdf) Each set of teachers’ notes include…

It's always exciting this time of year to consider all the fun art lessons that lay ahead of me. I am not an art teacher that likes to teac...

Unit: Instruments of the Orchestra A unit about the instruments of the orchestra is frequently included in music education curricula […]

Looking for an interesting way to introduce Edgar Allan Poe to your students? Check out this engaging escape room that will have your students learning about Edgar Allan Poe's life, theories surrounding his death, his short stories, and two of his poems as they think critically and work collaboratively to solve 5 different clues. What's Included: ► Step-by-step instructions ► Hint cards ► 5 well-designed puzzles to solve ► Self-checking Google form ► Clue labels (optional) ► Congratulations certificate ► Exit ticket ► Answer key ⭐⭐⭐NO LOCKS OR BOXES? NO PROBLEM: Option: Have students solve the clues without having any physical locks or boxes. Each clue has a picture of the lock they are trying to open along with the clue. A sheet is provided for students to write their answer code for each lock. Option: Have students use a tech device and the included self-checking Google Form for immediate feedback to know if they are correct or need to keep trying. ⭐Students will need Internet for these escape puzzles. ⭐Students do NOT need prior knowledge about Poe do complete this escape. This lesson could last anywhere from 40 minutes to 60 minutes depending on how you execute the plans. My students have said . . . "That was fun. I liked it." "You made me think too much today." "This is exciting! I feel like we are spies or something." You might also like . . . •"The Fall of the House of Usher" Escape Room / Lock Box • Edgar Allan Poe Death Theory Debate • The Fall of the House of Usher • The Cask of Amontillado

Would you like to decorate your classroom with fun, hand-drawn anchor charts/posters? Do you simply not have the time to get them done? Well, you have come to the perfect place! I love making these engaging and appealing anchor charts. I also can draw/create any other topic you would like, just contact me directly and ask! My students absolutely love these posters and references them every day. Many of them are visual learners, so the colorful images really help them connect and remember what they have learned. This particular anchor chart is for students learning about 2-dimensional shapes. This chart helps them visually see the shape, and also its important qualities. My students love seeing the different colors and especially like seeing the real-life visuals. This helps them relate to the math material and learn in a deeper way. **These will be copies unless asked otherwise for a custom poster. They are not laminated, and are printed on normal, anchor chart paper. I ship these out ASAP after being ordered, but please keep in mind once shipped, it is outside of my control. Therefore, if shipping does not meet your expectations, I highly encourage you to please reach out to me first, and we have always been able to work something out to make up for anything that may have occurred after I have sent your package, thanks so much!! Hope you love it :)

Learning how to be an effective substitute teacher is hard work. Here are a few tips for subsitute teachers to gain respect from students.

I have always had a very traditional writing style. Unlike other students I knew in various writing...

Sorry for the title...it is the best I could do! I must also apologize if all of the crazy "lines" from Talladega Nights are running through your mind right now. {Seriously...I am sorry!} I am SO NOT a Will Ferrell fan, HOWEVER and this is a BIG HOWEVER...my husband makes asks politely for me to watch all of these crazy movies with him. For some reason that funny Ferrell just makes my skin crawl! Geezee...OK onto bigger and better things! I am convinced that I am going to make up for lost time all in one post! Hold on tight...it may be a little bumpy in some areas. AND I may or may not have 20 plus photos in this post. {Don't Judge!} :) OK...before you begin praying to 8 pound 6 ounce newborn infant Jesus {Sorry...I had to...if you haven't seen the movie...Don't! Ha!} let's move along! It has been all things nonfiction in my classroom for the past few weeks. Seriously we have been eating, drinking, breathing and sleeping nonfiction in the classroom but we have had a ball learning and researching. Here are a few activities that have kept us busy! We began with a little introduction anchor chart thanks to the GREAT Abby over at The Inspired Apple. The students came up with examples of nonfiction materials. I was really impressed when they offered up the suggestion of religion and discoveries! Wow! We just recently finished up our study on narrative elements, so we moved on to a little higher level thinking activity where we compared and contrasted the two types of text using a Venn Diagram. Throughout our study, we have really taken a deep look into what "good readers" do before, during and after reading nonfiction. This anchor chart was put together piece by piece throughout the unit and was completely created with the student's ideas. They are really becoming "nonfiction pros"!  Next Up...Our Road Trip Through Nonfiction Text Features Each day, I have introduced a new feature to the students. Some have been review and others have been completely new. By the end of our four week study, we will have visited 28 text features. When we learn about a new feature on our trip, we collect a license plate and display it on our "Road Trip Collection Wall". {I don't have a picture of this but here is what our little license plates look like...} After introducing a new feature, the students dive straight into a text to locate and label the text feature discussed. We use sticky notes to identify and label.  Once the students label the feature, I have some wonderful volunteers make copies of each child's feature that they have located in their book. This particular picture shows the student gluing in their picture in which they have identified and labeled the title of a nonfiction text. We add a little definition for the feature and now the students have their very own little resource of nonfiction text features. I love using authentic resources to locate these parts so the students actually identify with their reading material. The students have completed this same routine for all parts of our nonfiction notebook. It requires a little extra work on the teachers part but the hard work has paid off. The students truly have their features discussed thus far down pat and use them to deepen their understanding and knowledge of the content in our books. We have just a few more to go! If you need to a new way to help you introduce all things nonfiction, you can check the unit out by clicking {HERE}. In addition to our study of nonfiction features, we have shared in deep conversation and learning about how we read nonfiction. One strategy that I L.O.V.E. is a little strategy I learned in my graduate program. I believe it is called the "Ran" strategy but I am not certain of the exact name. All I know is that it is the BOMB strategy for nonfiction. I will try to do a separate post about this strategy this week. This strategy allows students to activate prior knowledge but it doesn't just stop there. The students must then confirm their prior knowledge or identify it as a misconception. Talk about higher level thinking! While reading, they then identify new learning and inquire about future learning. KWL what??? I am telling you, for the upper grades this little strategy is where it is AT!!! The students adore this strategy and can't wait to confirm their prior knowledge. Secretively...I think they like the misconceptions too! It becomes a little game! :) If you are interested in this strategy, you can click on the picture below for a few printables. After activating prior knowledge, the students began their research on spiders. They created a bubble map to identify their new learning and the main idea of their text. Click on the picture below for the Spider Facts bubble map. Once we had identified new learning, we learned about talking back to our book. The kids just thought this was too much! After identifying a fact, {a.k.a. new learning} the students "talked back" to their book with a response. Some students kept it simple with a "Oh..cool...I didn't know that." AND then you have those students who are all about connections with the "Spiders are just like vampires!" The students then turned their new learning back into a question. For example, if a student learned that spiders have eight legs, they may respond with a questions such as "Is a spider an insect since it does not have six legs?" This little concept of "talking back" to your book was a H.I.T.!!! It has been hysterical in reading groups to hear students thinking about their learning and responding to the text! BLISS! Click on the picture below for our response chart. We used our Weekly Reader Magazine which just so happened to be about bones {perfect for Halloween} to research facts. The students turned their main idea and details into a paragraph written to inform. {We even threw in a little author's purpose review!} The students created a fun little art project to display with their writings. Here are a few examples:  Then...thanks to Pinterest...we had to make a human skeleton. So some of our bones didn't quite connect and we had to understand that our model bones were made based on the "average size" student! The students still fully understood where bones were located, what they were called and their purpose for our body. We also added labels to fit right in with our nonfiction unit. {Poor little guy!} :) And finally, one of my favorite projects...our pumpkin globes. We are beginning to study geography in social studies so we created pumpkin globes! Oh.My.Word!!! So much FUN! We identified and LABELED {yes...yes..see it works with nonfiction elements} each continent, ocean and the equator. We also identified the northern and southern hemispheres. This was another activity that I will totally stash away for next year! Alright friends! I told you that I had WAY too much to catch you up on! I hope that you all had a productive Monday! Happy Teaching Friends!!!

Want to learn how discussion can enrich learning? Get an easy-to-follow breakdown of the Socratic seminar definition and components here...

I am thrilled to have *finally* completed my matter unit. No, no...not because I had to completely remake the unit...twice {long story}, but...

I have a new favorite chart! I found this on pinterest and knew it would be great to use during the first week with my new little first graders. Amanda (the smartie who made this) from First Grade Garden graciously allowed me to share a printable I made to go along with her anchor chart. I was so busy my first week that I never got around do doing this activity with the kids, so I'm saving it for one of those days when I think they need a big reminder about being good listeners. Also, I may tie it in with a writing lesson on labeling. Click the image to download this document. 

Hi, Hi, Hi Friends! Wow...it feels like for-EVA ago that I was here! Basically, about 2,000 miles {in a car...Yes...I feel like an old lady with some SERIOUS back issues...did I hear a sigh?}, 4 hotels, 5 family dinners, and what feels like 10 pounds later, I am back and ready for action! Honestly y'all, I seriously thought that I would never make it BUT it was so great to see our family and celebrate the holidays together! Now...I have t-minus 12 hours to prepare for tomorrow, unpack, clean, sleep and post a few units! Ay...yi...YI!!!! So, SO sad that I have not had the time or internet connection (HA!) to post all of our fun Thanksgiving activities. It was quite the week between turkey creations, tie-dye shirts, Indian craftivities and so much more! Next year I will have to be in the loop a little earlier! Now that Thanksgiving has passed me by, I am in the mindset of Christmas 100% of the time. So, since holiday parties are just around the corner {My gym and I are about to become BFF's maybe even twice a day}, I thought I would throw a little party of my own over at my TPT store. This sale is JUST IN TIME for two brand new units:  This unit now includes an additional mini-unit to be used with Money Sticks. For additional information on my math centers, you can look HERE! This is a perfect unit if you are currently diving into a study of nonfiction. For more information on this unit, you can check out a post HERE! You can check out both of these units on my TPT store! That's all for now friends! I will be back this week with all things reindeer! Can't wait! I hope that you all had a blessed Thanksgiving and are all ready for the crazy whirlwind before Christmas break! Happy Sunday!

You're Going to Have to Be Patient - Failing in the Workplace

Hi friends!! Does your desk always end up BURIED by the end of the school day from all of the paper work that comes in and adds up while you’re teaching?! MINE NEVER DOES!! And I’…