Arthur, who?
Need some brain teasers and problem solving for kids? They'll enjoy these free printable Crack the Code Puzzles featuring some silly donut jokes and punchlines.
How to Create Audio QR Kids using Seesaw
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.
Teachers like starting the school year feeling well-prepared and confident. Read about 5 Strategies for a Solid Start to Your School Year
Metaphor, simile, onomatopoeia, alliteration, hyperbole, personification, and more!
5 Creative Uses for QR Codes in the Elementary Classroom
I LOVE saving figurative language until June - it's such a fun language unit ... and perfect for our "dreaming of summer brains". We finished up our EQAO testing mid week, and this onomatopoeia activity was the perfect break from testing. How fun is that??? Students chose two contrasting colours - one for the background and one for the word and border "bursting out of the page". They also needed newspaper (cut just a fraction smaller that the "bursting out of the page border" and glued the newspaper on top. They glued their word on top of that (we had brainstormed a lot of onomatopoeia words, but for some reason most of them chose SPLAT for their word). I also had them do a little shading under their letters for that little extra POP (see, I know some onomatopoeia words, too). ;) I had seen this awesome idea on Pinterest and followed it back to Artisan des Arts. Her examples are FANTASTIC!! We also wrote simile poems this week. I found a little template HERE for the students to use for their rough copies. When students were finished their templates, I had them write out their good copies, and illustrate a few lines with a small image. I hung these up, too ... LOVING our bulletin board switch up ... even this late in the school year!!! (I have two of these "smART class" bulletin boards side by side in the classroom. 15 more school days left ... I think I can ... I think I can ... Happy Friday!!!
Everything you need to know about teaching 5th grade categorized and organized by topic for easy reference.
Whether your little one is a new reader or into their own chapter books, starting your own book club for kids is easy with these tips and tricks!
It seems like every day there is an endless stream of students reporting behaviors or incidents that happen in the classroom. On one hand, we want to help our students feel heard and validated so they know we are a safe person for them to talk to. On the other hand, we certainly don't want to feed into the tattle machine. It's a fine line to walk. So how do we handle tattling in our classrooms?
This past week, we learned about synonyms. The kids really grasped the concept by mid-week! I am excited to see them start using synonyms...
Check out these fun activities from Award Winning Author/Illustrator Jarett Lerner to do at home or in the classsroom. Includes comics, drawing, and more.
Do you struggle with classroom management? Here are four strategies that you can add to your toolkit that will make it just a little bit more effective.
A free covid-19 time capsule kids activity. A free download to capture family memories. A great way to keep kids busy and record their experiences.
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!
I came across this game from one of my peers and think it’s really awesome. In fact I have been using this regularly this year as a fun and creative way to review before a test. So far I have used it prior to my grade 10 chemistry and biology test using the practice questions […]
Are student rewards or your treasure box making you go broke? Not anymore! Check out this list of 50 absolutely free student rewards!
How has your summer vacation been going? Mine has been both relaxing and busy at the same time. I have been working like a busy bee planning for my mid-August nuptials! If you follow me on Instagram, then you’re definitely up to date on all things wedding! I’ve also been making more of an effort...
An English educator's blog about teaching, classroom organization, and Common Core resources.
Art Sub Plans Worksheets
Teach kids empathy and compassion through mindful, fun lessons, discussions, and activities that build social awareness and community.
Basic vocabulary, like knowing prepositions, is necessary for beginning readers. Teach prepositions with this simple game.
Classroom management is a critical piece of any successful school year. Start the school year off right with these classroom management hacks!
One great way to analyze and interpret a work of art is to do character analysis--looking at visual clues to understand the motives, actions, thoughts, and feelings of the characters in the artwork. In my
3rd Grade Thoughts: A teaching blog by Stephanie Van Horn
I'll reveal an embarrassing fact about myself. The people that work at the print counter at Office Max know me. I'm mean really know me. I coached the new guy on how to find the right barcode in his binder, so I could check out the last time I went. (Yesterday.) As in, they even recognize my husband because I send him over there a bunch to pick stuff up for me. (I have a nice husband.) I'm at the print counter at Office Max waaaaaay too often. Here's the thing, though. You know how you see a poster at the teacher store, and it's almost what you want? And you're thinking to yourself, "Gosh, if it just said _____________ instead, it would be perfect!" This happens to me often, especially with writing. We use Lucy Calkins' Units of Study for writing, and let me tell you, there are no Lucy Calkins teaching posters at Lakeshore. Yes, I could make it on chart paper. But I can't. Because I expect my posters to look like this: I Do, We Do, You Do The First Grade Parade Working for the Classroom The Inspired Apple And they never do. Ever. So what's an OCD girl to do but make them herself on the computer? If you have the newest version of Word, you can do some snazzy stuff. Check out this post I read on Teaching Blog Addict that tells how to use Word to make a blog button: Blog Button in 3 Tutorials. You can make some good looking graphic work. I didn't know about all this business in the newest Word, but I do have Printshop. I even recently downloaded Photoshop Elements. I love it, but it's a bit of a time commitment to figure it out. So go create your 11x17 file in one of these programs and get to the next step. Moving right along. At Office Max or Office Depot, you can upload a file to their website (or bring in a flash drive), and they'll print out an 11x17 color poster on nice, glossy card stock for you. For less than $2. Seriously. It works like this: After that, you put in your name/number/etc. and then select which store you want to pick it up from. Office Depot's process works EXACTLY the same, except you also have the option to pay online. I'm sure Staples has something similar. Sadly, no Staples near me. Try it out for yourself! Here are two posters I've made: Plot Poster Love **To download, click on the name of the file (shown above the image). The link will open and just click download. Voila! Happy poster making!
How do you stop students from blurting out in the classroom? Do you have some processes in place to curb blurting, but they're just not working for you
An English educator's blog about teaching, classroom organization, and Common Core resources.
Our free digital escape rooms for kids and adults will keep you busy at home for a long time! It's a great family activity to work as a team!
Adopt the art of parenting without saying no. Find a positive approach to handling your children and using positive rather than negative language choices.
Fun and easy BRAIN BREAKS for elementary students that will help classroom management
Cultivate lifelong reading skills.
Thousands of teachers have used these tried and true GUARANTEED tups to stop students from blurting out. Chatty Class? YOU NEED TO READ THIS!
Fairy Tale STEM Activity - Goldilocks and the Three Bears Try a hands-on STEM challenge with Goldilocks and the Three Bears! This STEM activity is designed for lower elementary kids. I am so excited to share some details about it! STEM tales introduce the youngest budding engineers to STEM, by taking a familiar story and using it to walk through the engineering design process. Do you love telling and re-telling stories with your kids? Do you ever change the ending to spice it up a bit? That's exactly what STEM tales is all about! Integrate Literacy and STEM with Fairy Tales The 8-page book provides an alternative ending to this story. Your students need to help make a bed for Goldilocks. Goldilocks is simply a printed out figure, which you can add weigh to with either small masses, pennies, or washers. Using whatever crafting materials you have handy (index cards and tape are really all that is needed, but feel free to use other supplies as well), create a new bed for Goldilocks. The Testing Phase of the STEM Challenge Is the bed large enough? Will it hold the weight of the figure? You will be surprised at the designs your students come up with! Designing and creating a bed for Goldilocks is a way for students to bring the fairy tale alive. After you have tested out the beds, it's time to introduce the bear family to the challenge (mama, papa, and baby, who is the same size as Goldilocks). You will add heavier weights to mama and papa bear, and then test the designs again. This is a great way to demonstrate why it's important to know your design criteria before starting a STEM challenge! Mama bear may fit on some and not others, or papa bear may fit but weigh too much and collapse the bed. Get the Goldilocks Fairy Tale STEM Challenge Here is the link to the full resource. In addition to all the steps above, the 8-page story book guides students through the engineering design process and also includes a self-evaluation check list. Or pin the idea for later: How to Conduct a STEM Tale Challenge To read more about how to conduct a STEM challenge, visit this post: To see all posts in this series, click here:
