Teaching with Jennifer Findley
Upper Elementary Teaching Blog
Behavior management can always be a little tricky during the month of December and other holiday months. The students are ready for break, the teachers are ready for break, and everyone is a little excited by all the different activities that happen during December. I always like to have a some special behavior management ideas in my bag of tricks to keep the students … [Read more...] about Behavior Management Ideas for Surviving the Holiday Months
Candy canes are a staple for the month of December and in Christmas decorations. I love incorporating candy cane activities into my classroom. I wanted to share my favorite candy cane activities for upper elementary in this post. There is a little bit of everything, so hopefully you can find something to use no matter what subject or grade you teach. These activities … [Read more...] about Candy Cane Activities for Upper Elementary {Free}
Last week, a teacher friend told me about Quizizz and I knew I had to check it out. Quizizz is an online multi-player review game that is a great alternative to Kahoot. It is self paced and can be completed as a whole group review game or assigned as homework (or independent work - more about this later). This is great for classrooms that are 1:1 and great for classrooms … [Read more...] about Quizizz {A Self Paced Online Review Game}
Here are some of my favorite persuasive writing anchor charts that I have used to help my struggling writers write strong, detailed persuasive papers. These charts contain a lot of sentence stems and step by step directions for each paragraph. It may seem a bit formulaic in nature, but once the students feel comfortable, they will branch out and add their own style and … [Read more...] about Persuasive Writing Anchor Charts for Struggling Writers {Lots of Pictures}
Are you looking for a way to spice up your math instruction AND meet the needs of all of your learners? Have you been thinking of starting math centers in your classroom, but not sure where to begin? If so, you're in luck! This post will share the 8 steps to getting started with math centers, including planning your procedures and routines to launching your math … [Read more...] about 8 Steps to Starting Math Centers in Your Classroom
One thing that I have learned teaching upper elementary is that some students have to be taught how to study. Most don't come to us already knowing how to study. Sure, some students grasp the material quickly and retain it easily. However, the majority of my students needed me to explicitly teach them strong study methods they could do independently or with someone else. … [Read more...] about Teaching Students How to Study
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays to incorporate into math centers and reading activities. I have compiled my favorite Thanksgiving activities for upper elementary grades in this post, including a few free activities! This post contains affiliate links if you wish to purchase the Thanksgiving read alouds mentioned in this post Thanksgiving Science … [Read more...] about Thanksgiving Activities for Upper Elementary
Veterans Day is an extremely important holiday to bring into the classroom. In this post, I want to share some of my favorite Veterans Day activities for upper elementary. All of the resources featured in this post are free to download. Links will be available throughout the post. First, I always love to start my lesson with the read aloud The Wall by Eve Bunting. I … [Read more...] about Veterans Day Activities for Upper Elementary
Science and Thanksgiving are not two things that I typically put together. However, I recently found some really fun Thanksgiving science activities that involve Thanksgiving food. States of Matter With Cranberries Since you can find cranberries in many forms during a simple walk through your grocery store, they offer a great opportunity to discuss states of … [Read more...] about Thanksgiving Science Activities {With Cranberries}
Last fall, we did this super quick (but fun for the kids) fall themed 10 minute activity to review physical and chemical changes. This physical and chemical changes activity is ridiculously easy and cheap but also engaging. All you need is a bag of pumpkin shaped marshmallows (to go with the fall theme, regular marshmallows would work if you do this at any other … [Read more...] about Easy No Prep Physical and Chemical Changes Activity for Fall
It is no secret that managing student behavior during math centers can be daunting, especially when you are trying to focus on your small group instruction. However, if you take the time to establish clear expectations and procedures, as well as utilize positive reinforcement, it is possible to maximize learning for all students and keep them on task and learning. In this … [Read more...] about Managing Student Behavior During Math Centers
Since I started blogging, I have received many questions about my 5th grade math pacing guide. I finally decided to type up a shareable copy with my rationale and reasons. This pacing guide is aligned with 5th grade math common core standards. You can find my 5th grade literacy pacing guide by clicking here. About the 5th Grade Math Pacing Guide In the pacing guide, … [Read more...] about 5th Grade Math Pacing Guide {Free}
