Teaching with Jennifer Findley
Upper Elementary Teaching Blog
Homework can be one of the most frustrating parts of being a teacher. I have learned a lot over the years about how to manage homework and make it less of a burden on myself and the students. I have compiled five of the best things I ever did to help with the homework insanity. Some of these may not be possible for you to implement, depending on your class or students. … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Simplify Homework Management
Looking for an engaging way to review or practice skills with your whole class? One of my favorite methods is an activity called SCOOT. It's a fast-paced activity that keeps students moving and practicing skills. If you're looking for a new way to practice skills with your entire class, SCOOT is the perfect activity. Another favorite activity is Around the Room (read … [Read more...] about SCOOT Activity – An Activity + Assessment
Over the past year, I have received several questions about how I score the choice boards I use in my classroom. I decided to go ahead and compile my favorite choice board scoring resources and offer them for free. You can use these with choice boards that I create or with any choice boards you have. I have included a variety of different printables that you can choose … [Read more...] about Choice Board Scoring Resources {Freebies}
Setting expectations and norms for math instruction and math class time is so important to set your class up for success. This post will share my go-to math anchor charts to start the year. These are the math charts that I use to set the tone and introduce a lot of my procedures expectations in math. In fact, these charts are the basis for my math mini-lessons the first … [Read more...] about Math Anchor Charts to Start the Year
With the new teacher evaluations in my state becoming more and more rigorous, I knew I needed to create some very specific data tracking forms to show how I was tracking my data and what I was doing with the data in my instruction. I created these forms last year and used them in some form or another throughout the year. Some I used more than others, but I definitely … [Read more...] about Data Tracking Forms {Free}
Those first few weeks of school can be rough when you have students who test authority and like to talk back or argue when given a reminder or asked to do a simple task. It is even harder in the beginning because you have not had time to build a mutual relationship of respect. While you are building this relationship, you need something simple but effective to stop any … [Read more...] about A Simple Strategy to Stop Arguing and Talking Back
Solving multi-part math constructed response tasks is such a tricky skill for my students. Not only is the actual solving of the problems tricky, but students often struggle with organizing their responses and their work. This post will share some tips to help students solve multi-part word problems strategically AND ways to scaffold their responses and … [Read more...] about Solving Multi-Part Word Problems {Freebie Printable Chart}
The summer of 2014, I read Wonder by R.J. Palacio and fell in love. I immediately knew I wanted this to be my first read aloud of the year. Not only are the messages and themes in this book fabulous for children today, but the book literally allows you to teach all the Common Core Literature Standards with this book! Seriously....Read on to find out how. This post … [Read more...] about Using Wonder to Teach All the Common Core Literature Standards
For this month's Math is Real Life, I am writing about a few of our recent trips to the lake. On the way back from the lake, my mom texted me and asked me how much gas we used on one trip. After telling her about 1/4 of a tank and that the tank held 32 gallons, I realized this was a good example of using math in real life. Fast forward to the next trip to the lake when we … [Read more...] about Constructed Response Freebie {Math is Real Life}
One of the biggest organizational challenges for me has always been organizing all the incoming student papers. It seemed like no matter what I did or what system I tried, I always had endless stacks of papers. That all changed when I read a post by 2nd Grade Stuff last summer about how she handles the stacks of papers. I always knew I needed to get a handle on my … [Read more...] about Organizing Papers in an Upper Elementary Classroom
Paired passage analysis and comprehension is a tricky skill for most of my readers, but definitely for my readers who are not proficient. I have found that the more exposure and practice they have with paired passages, the more confident and successful they are. However, I have found that many of my 5th graders come to me with limited practice, which as you can imagine … [Read more...] about Rigorous Paired Passage Instruction : Step by Step Breakdown
This week's Math is Real Life post is brought to you by the birth of my new nephew! While at the hospital waiting for his arrival, the family made estimates on how much they thought he would weigh and how long he would be. My guess was nine pounds and six ounces and 21.5 inches long. My guesses were the closest! Baby Benjamin was born weighing nine pounds and nine … [Read more...] about New Nephew & Free Baby Printables for the Classroom
