Practical ideas and resources to inspire both you and your students

Reading Test Prep Strategy – Work the Text

In a perfect world, all of the reading strategies and techniques we teach our students would easily transfer over to testing situations. However, that is not the case for a lot of our students. This post will share one of my go-to reading test prep strategies that helps keep students engaged while reading lengthy texts and supports their comprehension. This reading ... Read More

Spring Fever Classroom Management Ideas

Spring, oh glorious spring! It's filled with warmer weather, sunny days, and…the dreaded spring fever. Even if you have been teaching for a while, I bet you still get that sense of doom when the weather starts getting nicer, and classroom behavior takes a turn for the worse. Whether you’re experiencing your first spring fever or just looking for some new classroom ... Read More

Test Taking Strategies (Free Resources!)

Purposeful test taking strategies can build confidence and help students show what they know on standardized tests. This post shares tips for teaching test taking strategies, the difference between test taking strategies and best practices, and free resources for the specific strategies I teach my students. Note: I did not create the catchy sayings for the test taking ... Read More

April Fools’ Day Ideas for the Classroom

When April Fools' Day falls during a school week, it is the perfect time for teachers to pull a harmless April Fools' Day prank on their students. This post will share my favorite April Fools' Day jokes and pranks for teachers. And if you don't want to prank your students, I have TWO engaging educational activities that will allow you to still bring in some April Fools' ... Read More

Spring Science Experiments with Free Reading Activities

Spring is one of my favorite seasons in and out of the classroom. I love incorporating and celebrating the season in the classroom with spring science experiments. Implementing more science experiments during this time of the year keeps my students engaged and motivated. To keep us learning and preparing for upcoming tests, I created reading extensions to supplement and ... Read More

Test Prep Videos for Motivation and Encouragement

One of the keys to success with any difficult task or challenge is definitely having the right mindset. And high-stakes testing is definitely a difficult task. I always try to keep my students encouraged and motivated through the test prep review process and through the week(s) of testing. This post shares some test prep videos that you can use for motivation and ... Read More