This post shares tips and strategies for teaching different learning styles to meet the needs of all learners.
Find strategies for teaching vocabulary in the upper elementary classroom. Get actionable steps you can take today!
Past, present, and future.
Challenges with focus and attention can become a huge roadblock to learning for kids and young adults. Simply put, attention is critical to learning. If students can't focus on the lesson, they are going to struggle with understanding the new content. If students can't focus on the directions, they
In this post, you will find 27 Formative Assessment Tools for Your Classroom! Formative assessment is such an essential part of the learning process and student success, and many digital tools can help support this process.This list has a wide variety of features and options to help you solidify your formative assessment strategies! Many of the tools below are great for both formative and summative assessments.
Special educators need a pretty large toolbox of strategies and resources to support our learners. So often, our students can have significantly diverse needs and levels. On any given day, special education teachers might need to take student reading data, modify a math assessment, teach science wit
We all fall into one of nine learning styles. Which one is your strongest?
In this post, I offer 10 teaching tips for new college instructors. Find advice about course design, the 1st week, grading, & campus resources, starting...
In our everyday speech we use contractions. Contractions are a kind of “short cut” in the way we use words to communicate. Think about it for a bit. If you were going to tell a friend that you aren’t going to lunch, are you likely to say, “I am not going to lunch” or “I’m […]
Learn three simple things you need to teach your ESL beginners right away. These include variations of introductions, classroom surroundings and basic needs
Check these practical and research-based classroom motivation strategies!
Adding creativity to the classroom can seem like a daunting task, but it's important for making learning fun, engaging, and memorable!
Multiplication made fun! Ideas, strategies, and anchor charts to help you teach multiplication!
Prompting Hierarchy- How I got duped! What you need to know about the prompting hierarchy. Snag the infographic and info perfect for working with your staff!
Steal these for your writing unit!
It is important for parents to understand the difference between IEP vs 504. IEPs have more safeguards in place to ensure schools provide the right support.
How to help your child find the right learning styles to enhance their potential in school and to prep the brain for higher learning. Learning is unique and different for each child.
Whether they're completed on a piece of paper, a tablet, or a whiteboard, exit tickets are a powerful tool to use in your classroom. Exit tickets are formative assessments that provide a quick snapshot about your students' learning and understanding of a topic faster than any other tool in the classroom.
Differentiation and scaffolding can help students better understand and learn. Here are teaching ideas and tips to use in class.
Basic vocabulary, like knowing prepositions, is necessary for beginning readers. Teach prepositions with this simple game.
If you want to teach your little ones about the concept of opposites you will want to check out these fun opposites worksheets and activities.
Recently I saw this infographic depicting an iceberg as a metaphor for culture- most of the culture is 'underwater' or rather, more in depth. It is a great graphic! However, at the elementary level, where young children are first being introduced to and learning about the concept of language and culture (often for the first time!) finding tangible, concrete aspects of culture to include in the classroom are key, in my opinion, and typically fall under the 'surface culture' part of the iceberg. As they gain experience and the mental ability to comprehend deeper culture as more than a fact about a group of people they have never met (such as concepts of self, attitudes, and such) these can be added into Spanish class. . One of the most tangible and authentic ways I have brought culture into my elementary classroom, which I believe hits both surface and deep culture at the same time, is the tradition of Ratoncito Pérez, the Tooth Mouse. It is a celebration of sorts, that wonderful and magical experience of losing a tooth, and a coming of age moment for little kiddos. Recognizing and celebrating it in Spanish class via an adorable mouse (not a fairy!) has always been the most remembered, understood and delightful aspects of culture my students interact with. And, because kiddos always have loose teeth or one has fallen out, Ratoncito Pérez is part of EVERY class! Talk about keeping something fresh in their minds! Here are ways I integrate Ratoncito Pérez in my classes: *Right from Kindergarten kiddos learn how to say 'Tengo un diente flojo' and 'Se me cayó un diente'... they are encouraged to share their 'tooth news' with me anytime *I have tooth chart posters featuring Ratoncito Pérez where I record each kiddo's name when he/she loses a tooth (they have to tell me in Spanish or their name doesn't go on the poster :) ) *I teach an entire theme about Ratoncito Pérez in Second Grade, where we read our book 'El diente de Javi' (see the link to our store at the end of this post) and then imagine what Ratoncito Pérez looks like (color and size) and what mode of transportation he uses to get around. After they have practiced this, they then write and illustrate three sentences describing him with this vocab. Super cute! *I hand out certificates celebrating the lost tooth *I read books I have collected over the years of various authors imagining adventures with Ratoncito Pérez-go to Amazon and type in 'Ratoncito Pérez' or 'Ratón Pérez'...a whole load of books will come up. My favorite is 'Cartas al Ratón Pérez'! (Note: most of these are in Spanish and with vocabulary far too advanced for my students to understand so I translate in my head and read it out loud in English) *I have printed out lots of illustrations from Google images over the years which I put around my classroom...he is always present! There are also two full length movies about Ratón Pérez made in Spain- if you are able to get ahold of a copy and can play it, what fun that is! And here's a great link of an article describing what el Ratoncito Pérez might "give" to children: https://www.heraldo.es/noticias/sociedad/2017/11/30/que-puede-regalar-ratoncito-perez-cuando-cae-diente-1209813-310.html If you are interested in integrating Ratoncito Pérez into your classroom and don't want to start from scratch, please check out our Activity Pack in our store on TpT! It is full of printable activities, posters, 'El diente de Javi' minibook, props for retelling the story, and more! Ratoncito Pérez Printable Minibook & Activity Pack You can also watch me introducing a comparison of the Tooth Fairy and el Ratoncito Pérez here:
Many people struggle to learning new things. But what if I told you the problem might not be with what you are learning, but with how you are learning it?
Here's your ultimate vocabulary list you need in any language. This isn't a long list. It's the essential vocab to get you started - your first 200 words.
Financially savvy kids are future leaders!
When teaching narrative writing in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade, there are so many writing skills to cover. They range from creating a sequence of events (beginning, middle, and end) to more difficult
In our classroom we have been learning all about prepositions. I usually hate teaching grammar, but these hands-on reading units have made it so much more fun! Pinterest I started off by introducing prepositions with a song… These songs were PERFECT!! If you play them, be prepared for a classroom of little singers that will […]
Wondering how to teach contractions to your child? Teaching contractions might seem complicated, but these helpful tips can make this concept easy to teach!
Today I wanted to stop by and share some strategies for teaching vowel teams and diphthongs in our classroom! It’s always challenging to teach spelling patterns that aren’t easily decodable! […]
Teaching hands-on math with free printable math mats is the best way to engage your children and keep them excited about math.
FREE Minecraft Learning Printables (Various Subjects)
Celebrating Think-Pair-Share, the Little Strategy That Could, and sharing some best practices for making it work for you.
Inclusive Classrooms ~ "Promote a safe and welcoming classroom school and community where individual differences are valued..."
Get your students excited to learn about forces causing movement with these fun and engaging activities they will love.
Irregular plural nouns are nouns that do not become plural by adding -s or -es, as most nouns in the English language do. Let's take a look at some of the most common irregular plural nouns you have to know.
Vocabulary instruction is so critical in today’s classroom! A vast vocabulary will help students to become better readers and writers. Vocabulary is also essential to their performance on standardized tests. Helping kids to develop their vocabulary is time that is well spent in a busy classroom. I have developed a routine to teach new vocabulary
With the high ESL population at our school, language skills like verb tense is a real issue. And, unfortunately, it's not as noticeable when we do
Helping K-2 Teachers Like You Save Time, Grow Instructional Skills, and Teach With Confidence!
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 […]
The Spanish Verb GUSTAR and how to say that you like something in Spanish. We have a grammar notes, games and a summary chart about Gustar.
Use these low-prep spontaneous speaking activities in your classroom to allow your students to speak in your French, Spanish, German and English in lessons!
Expanding Sentences Anchor Chart and Mini-Lesson
