Having students use math tools and resources is a great way to scaffold and support their understanding of math skills, while also teaching them to use the tools they have available to solve problems. This blog post will share the digital version of my free printable math tools (which you can find by clicking here) as well as and practice questions to help you and your ... Read More
Free Digital Valentine’s Day Exchange
Are you looking for a way for your students to exchange Valentine's Day greetings in a virtual classroom setting? Being able to celebrate holidays and special events is essential for many students, so I want to offer a way for your students to send each other greetings on February 14th. About the Activity Everything you need for the collaborative virtual Valentine's ... Read More
Free Groundhog Day Digital Activities
I am not a huge fan of winter, so I'm always looking forward to Groundhog Day. No matter what the outcome, it reminds me that winter is eventually going to end (and endless inside recess days ;) ). My students seem to always be in agreement so I try to incorporate just a few Groundhog Day activities into instruction, no more than 20-30 minutes. This post will share a few ... Read More
Free Digital Valentine’s Day Activities
Valentine's Day is one of those holidays that is tricky for teachers. It involves candy and treats and lots of excited students. I don't remember a single year that did not leave me exhausted by the end of the Valentine's Day party. If your Valentine's Day in the classroom is anything like mine, I hope this post helps! To channel my students' excitement for the holiday, ... Read More
New Year’s Resolution Activity (Digital + Printable)
The time after the long holiday break is always a great time to "restart", review expectations, and start fresh and new. On this post, I want to share a free printable and digital New Year's resolution activity that you can use with your 4th and 5th graders. This is a great way to connect the new year with your classroom expectations and goals. About the New Year's ... Read More
Winter Read Aloud (Free Digital Winter Reading Activity)
While winter may not be the favorite season for most people, it definitely comes with very interesting topics to read about...extreme sports, Winter games, animal behavior in the winter, to name a few. For my students (in the south) we love all things snow. This post will share one of my favorite winter read alouds about snow and some free comprehension questions ... Read More
FREE Reading Skills Feedback Bank for Grades 4-5
Giving students feedback is powerful to drive instruction and student learning. However, giving detailed feedback that both addresses mistakes or misconceptions AND helps move students to the next level can be time-consuming for teachers. This post will share a huge bank of ready-to-use feedback statements for the key reading skills taught in grades 4-5. Let's be ... Read More
Teaching Digital Expectations – Virtual Classroom Management
Every teacher (new or experienced) knows the importance of having strong classroom management. A huge part of successful classroom management is teaching expectations. Setting up a strong virtual classroom management with students you have never met is a definitely more of a challenge than with face-to-face instruction. This post will share steps for teaching digital ... Read More
Free Digital Exit Slips for Any Lesson
Checking students' understanding after completing a lesson is always important. And it's even more important during digital instruction. In this post, I am sharing free digital exit slips that work for any lesson and in any subject. I will also share some next steps and ideas for using the free digital exit slips. About the Digital Exit Slips Using exit slips allows ... Read More
Teaching Reading Virtually
Teaching reading in 4th and 5th grade can be so rewarding but also challenging. Teaching reading virtually can make that even more challenging. But, with the right strategies and resources, it can be done and done well. This post will share a breakdown of an example way to structure your weekly digital reading instruction, including ways that you can incorporate best ... Read More
Using Task Cards for Digital Reading Instruction
Using task cards for reading instruction is a great way to introduce, model, and teach reading skills and standards in less-threatening ways (compared to lengthy texts). They are also perfect for targeted re-teaching. But how can you maximize these benefits of task cards during digital reading instruction? Keep reading for some ideas and strategies for using task cards ... Read More
Free Digital Graphic Organizers for Grades 3-5
Graphic organizers are a great way to have students respond to texts in an organized way and can be a natural scaffold to move from simple to more complex essay or letter type responses. This post will share some free digital graphic organizers that you can use in your reading instruction. These are great to use the first weeks or months of school to help get your ... Read More
