Browse through the questions and be sure to take the 'what book should I read quiz'. It will be easy for you to decide which book is perfect.

There are a lot of suggestions floating around out there about what to do on the first day of school. But what should you do on the second day in Language Arts? I already did a post on using a short story to establish how you approach the task of reading. In this post I’m ... Read more

Be warned! One dunk of these crispy, crunchy tortellini bites into creamy tomato sauce and you won’t be able to stop! This easy appetizer recipe will be your new favorite!

NEWLY UPDATED! Now includes three books! 1) What to wear in weather conditions2) What to wear in weather conditions in BLACK AND WHITE3) What to wear in different seasons Do you need a fun and interactive activity to go with your weather unit or support individual students on understanding the weath...

Our children want to show us everything they can do, from doing a crazy jump off the curb to tracing their letters, getting an “A” at school, completing a beautiful drawing and more. They want to be seen. And we want them to feel great! Unfortunately, too often, we get stuck in a rut of … Continue reading "If I Shouldn’t Say “Good Job”, What Should I Say?"

Dear Jeanne: My 7-yr old spends most of her homeschool time in tantrums wanting to short-cut her work. We have tried everything. Can you help?

What stitch length should I use? Here is a quick review of the most common sewing situations and how to sew your best!

Shakespeare has been dead for over 400 years, but his plays are still being put on every day by theatre companies all over the world. If you’re not sure where to start, this flowchart can help you decide which play you should see first. The flowchart, from artist Mya Gosling at Good Tickle Brain, starts […]

I've put together a list of the top items I needed on my trip to Belize, including what to wear, what NOT to bring, and FAQs. Above all, be sure you bring your smile, your sense of adventure, and your appreciation for local cultures and cuisines, and enjoy your trip!

Choosing Christian books for kids for your homeschool reading curriculum shouldn’t be hard. It’s simple with this FREE homeschool reading book list by grade level!

We’ve put together the perfect guide to Colleen Hoover books and series so you can choose where to start or which to read next.

Today I'll be sharing why I think substitute binders are so important and what information you should include in your "sub tub."

For students struggling with blending and segmenting, extra support is needed! This post outlines a teaching sequence and introduces a specific resource to help.

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Above vocabulary foldable courtesy of Laura Candler Why teach vocabulary? There’s no hyperbole in saying: Vocabulary is the best single indicator of intellectual ability and an accurate predictor of success at school. — W.B. Elley Vocabulary matters. It really, really matters. In a recent study, researchers took a look at how we measure text complexity. ... Read more

Interactive read alouds are a perfect way to address social emotional learning in the classroom. The Dot by Peter Reynolds is a wonderful book focused on showing persistence, believing in yourself, and supporting each other. It’s a great way to begin introducing a growth mindset and the power of trying something new. The materials provided include, a 3-step lesson plan, read aloud comprehension questions, student activities, and positive self-talk cards. See the preview for more detail. ** The Book, The Dot, is necessary for this resource. ** What's Included 3-Step Read Aloud Lesson Plan for The Dot with corresponding student activities. Sticky Note Comprehension Questions (with printing directions) and a 1-pg sheet of questions and vocabulary. Stop & Jot Student Cards Story Summary Sheet with Example Student Worksheets: Well, Maybe I Can’t. Vashti’s Supports, Supports in My Life Positive Self-Talk Cards Student Quote Card Social Emotional Learning Standards Names the emotions felt by characters in stories. Describes a time you felt the same way a story character felt. Names activities or tasks one does well. Names activities or tasks one may need help to improve. Identifies how one helps others. Identifies how others within one’s school, home, and community are helpful. Who Should Buy This This resource is for classroom teachers, school counselors, or other school staff looking to integrate social-emotional learning into the classroom. The book is required to use this resource.

A blog for first grade and primary teachers with teaching tips for emergent readers including phonics, reading comprehension, and writing.

To help you pack I’ve created this Portugal packing checklist. I also include what to wear in Portugal, what NOT to bring and general FAQs. Keep reading to learn the answers to the most commonly asked questions about traveling to this magnificent country. Enjoy!

A sound wall is a great alternative to a word wall and it aligns with the science of reading. You have likely heard about sound walls but what should you put on your sound wall? Do you include letters, words, and pictures? Making the switch from word wall to sound wall may seem like a […]

Social-emotional activities have never been more important for younger kids.

If you don’t have time to use our super-simple title capitalization tool there is another simple way to capitalize titles quickly. The M.I.N.T.S. Acronym for Title Capitalization Rules The “MINTS” acronym will give you some set rules to capitalize titles correctly: M. – Months, days, holidays I. – The pronoun I N. – Names of […]

What should I ask myself when I’m wondering, “what should I write about?” It is that fateful moment again. You have gotten out of bed. Brushed your teeth and...

There are some running related topics that come up over and over: What should I eat before I run? How do I get rid of a side stitch? What can I do about my shin splints? But there are other topics you wonder if you are even allowed to talk about them as they seem

Are you looking for the perfect book to read on your cruise? This blog post will provide some great recommendations for books to read while taking a sea voyage, as well as tips for choosing the right book for your trip. Find the perfect book to keep you entertained and make the most of your time at sea! #VacayReads #Cruising #beachreads #goodreads #CruiseVibes #ReadingOnTheHighSeas #CruiseBooks #ReadingOnTheOpenWater

I have a quick and simple tip for you today. Another teacher gave me this tip a few years ago and I love it! (I wish I remembered who gave me this tip and where they got the idea from so I could give the credit.) Do you ever start to give directions and you ... Read More about A quick classroom management tip

How to dress over 50. Here's a list of things you should never wear if you are a 50 year old woman and some tips to help you look great!

So what does osteoarthritis feel like and what should I expect? Common symptoms of osteoarthritis include joint pain, stiffness, and decreased mobility. It is

The first week of school generally consists of getting to know one another, in addition to discussion and practice of classroom procedures and routines. We also got our creative juices flowing by creating summer reflection writing pieces, squiggle stories, and "All About Me" mini-posters. Students are getting to know one another and me, and we are learning to work together to build a successful and positive classroom environment. On Wednesday, I wrote out six questions, all having to do with how to make our classroom and ourselves function to the highest level, on six pieces of chart paper. Students, in groups of three, spent two minutes at each chart, collaborating and responding to each question on a sticky note. After all groups visited each chart paper station, I hung all of the charts up and we discussed each answer and noticed some very interesting trends. Here's the finished product, which you can click on to enlarge: Inspired by Life in 4B To tie into the previous activity, I was inspired by my wonderful teammates, Mrs. Fadden and Ms. Mattox, to develop at class pledge with my students. We reviewed our responses to the above questions, and then we put all of the ideas together to form a cohesive paragraph that we have all agreed will help us to remember why we are here at school and what our common goal is. Below is the rough draft of our class pledge (which I will type up, make pretty, and have all of my students sign): Since we were able to develop a class goal (to achieve success in third grade), I also had each student determine an individual goal after reading the story Matthew's Dream by Leo Lionni. I displayed our "Hopes and Dreams" for third grade near the classroom door, so that we can refer to, and revisit, them throughout the year. Lots of students are interested in learning how to sharpen their cursive skills, multiplication and division skills. I was very impressed by the number of students ready to take on our 40 book challenge! More on that later! Here's our class display of our hopes and dreams for third grade: Lastly, I read a book called Have You Filled a Bucket Today? The premise is that everyone carries an invisible bucket everywhere they go. When your bucket is "filled" you feel happy.When your bucket is "empty" you feel sad or upset. People can fill buckets by lending a helping hand, smiling, being kind, including others in games, and more. People can empty buckets by teasing, being ungrateful, acting disrespectfully, and more. I encourage my students to recognize the actions of bucket-fillers by writing them quick note and sticking it in their bucket display. This helps make everyone feel good. When we feel good, we want others to feel good. Therefore, kindess is passed from person to person. This is our bucket-filling display, complete with ways we can fill buckets and ways we can empty buckets: I look forward to more of these types of meaningful activities that promote teamwork, kindness, and achievement with your child!

When we first arrived to the land down under, food to try in Australia wasn’t really on our list of things to do. But the longer we stayed the more unique Australian foods we discovered! A lot of it is fresh, local, and sustainably sourced from farmlands around the country. As well as so authentically Aussie it hurts!

{Image via @runnerkimhall} Hello! Hello to those of you of who are playing along with the Oh So Happy Mail Project, and for those of you who just like happy mail. A question I’m getting asked a lot {A LOT} with the Happy Mail Project is, “What should I send to my partner?”. The answer ... Read more

A super fun activity to go along with Dr. Seuss' new book "What Pet Should I Get?"

How to write chapter outlines or chapter summaries for your memoir book proposal, including examples of how long they should be.

Should I Be Worried? Understanding Tics in Kids. Know what to do about tics and what not to do about tics and discern if your child might have Tourette Syndrome. ... Read more

Everyone experiences feeling stuck at some point in life. I'm going to give you 15 ways to figure out, "what should I do with my life?"

Over the last few years, there have been some shifts in how we teach reading, and reading best practices. I wish I’d known more about the importance of phonological awareness, French decodable readers, etc. and less about the 3-cueing system