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
Free Accountability Recording Sheets for Google Forms
Multiple-choice practice is definitely "easy"...as far as grading goes. If you are using multiple-choice digital quizzes, such as Google Forms that are self-grading, they're even more time-saving. However, you do have to make sure that the results are authentic and that you are using these quizzes and assessments in the way they are intended, which ultimately is to drive ... Read More
Digital Math Pre-Assessments for the Beginning of the Year
At the beginning of the year, it's important that we get to know our students as mathematicians...how they feel about math, their confidence levels, and their interest levels in regards to math. If you are looking for a way to digitally get an idea of how your students feel about math and their interests/mindsets about math, click here for free digital math interest ... Read More
Free Digital Progress Trackers for Google Form Practice
Google Forms are a great option for having your students practice skills digitally. They allow for self-grading AND you have the option to release student scores after each student submits their answers. The students love that instant feedback. But most Google Forms are not the most exciting or engaging practice opportunities (unless you add in those elements). One way to ... Read More
Free Digital Activities for Getting to Know Your Students
As teachers, we know the importance of getting to know our students, their interests, learning styles, preferences, and families. Getting to know your students is important for building relationships, which leads to stronger classroom management and higher levels of engagement. Knowing your students also helps you create learning opportunities that even your most ... Read More
Free Digital Back to School Math Activities
One of the most important parts about back to school is getting students back into the routine of learning AND giving them multiple chances to get to know and interact with one another. One way we do this every year is through traditional back to school activities. You can also do this digitally! This post shares two of my favorite digital math back to school activities ... Read More
Beginning of the Year Math Interest Survey Activities
Math can be quite the polarizing subject for many students once they get in 4th and 5th grades. Some students love it and are confident, and some need a little (or a lot of) extra support and encouragement to engage with and enjoy math. It is so important that we get to know our students and their beliefs about math as soon as we can. These free digital math interest ... Read More
