One of the best ways to see if your students have mastered a reading skill is to see if they can apply it in their writing. I love doing this with themes (read more about how I teach theme and use a working backward activity by clicking here) and text structure. It also works perfectly with context clues. This post will share a simple (but rigorous) context clues activity ... Read More
The Day After Halloween Math Activity (Free!)
One of the many things that they don't teach you in college is just how crazy it can get before and right after a holiday, especially a holiday that is a kid favorite. The day after Halloween is probably one of the craziest days in the classroom. The students are excited about their trick-or-treating adventures from the previous day and more than likely, they are ... Read More
Free Math Intervention Activities for Grades 3-5
Sometimes, our students in 4th and 5th grade have gaps in their learning or they need to work on their math fluency. These gaps can often hold them back with grade level skills. On this post, you will find a few free math intervention activities (and I will be adding more throughout the year) to provide additional instruction and intervention to your students with those ... Read More
Math Strategies | Helping Students with Math Practice or Homework
Learned helplessness is something we want to avoid at all costs. How we interact and work with students and the language we use can help combat learned helplessness and encourage student confidence and independence. This post shares math strategies for helping students with math practice (independent work at school or homework). The next two sections provide ... Read More
Free Math Tools for K-5
Being a classroom teacher for seven years taught me the importance of having tools or references for my student to use while they were working independently or in small groups. In the regular classroom, those tools were often anchor charts and students' interactive notebooks. However, after spending a few years in support positions where I "pushed in" or "pulled out" to ... Read More
Around the Room : An Engaging Review Activity
Reviewing is a must in any classroom and subject area. My favorite ways to review are review activities that are low-prep, collaborative, and involve movement. Around the Room is one of my favorite ways to review that incorporates all of these characteristics. Keep reading to learn more about this low-prep engaging review activity that gets students moving and ... Read More
Free Back to School Math Activities
One of the best parts about the beginning of the school year is having the time to get to know our students and their interests, including their interests in different subjects. I love using activities that allow me to get to know my students' interests as well as their math skills. This post shares my favorite back to school math activities for grades 4-5 (free download ... Read More
Tips and Activities for Teaching Procedures
How you start your year off can really make a difference in the success of your year. Teaching procedures effectively those first few weeks of school is so important (second only to building relationships and setting high expectations for behavior). On this post, I will share lots of tips and activities to help you create and teach your classroom procedures, including ... Read More
Free Back to School Science Activities
Because it always seems that I have such limited time for science instruction, I like to dive into my grade-level science content as soon as possible at the beginning of the school year. However, there are a few science activities and lessons that I like to do beforehand. This post will share the free back to school science activities that I use the first week of science ... Read More
Amazon Prime Day Deals for Teachers
Amazon Prime Day is over for 2019 but will be back in 2020! If you are a teacher and love Amazon shopping, keep reading because I have taken the top 10 best selling items during the sale and listed them below. I love seeing what other teachers are buying for their classrooms. And you never know, they may go on sale again throughout the year. This post contains ... Read More
Free Back to School Activities for Grades 3-5
Each year, I like to incorporate a few new back to school activities during those first few days of school. However, I do have some tried and true favorites that I pull out year to year (or have on standby if we have extra time). On this post, I will share some of my favorite printable back to school activities (with a link to download them for free!). I "Mustache" ... Read More
Free Back to School Reflection Activity
My favorite back-to-school activities are the ones that get students up and moving and/or have them talking and sharing with others. This post will share a free back-to-school reflection activity that has both of those qualities (depending on how you use it). About the Back to School Reflection Questions This free back to school reflection activity (available to ... Read More
