My first year or two teaching I was very guilty of thinking that engaging science needed to involve some sort of complex science experiment. Thank goodness I learned a few years in that that was not true. I learned that drawing, designing, and even reflective discussions were a great way to engage my students in science topics we were studying. Last week this was put ... Read More
Teachers Pay Teachers Tips and Advice
Every now and then I get questions from teachers wanting to start creating and selling their own resources on TeachersayTeachers. On this post, I want to share with you some information I put together for some teachers at school with some Teachers Pay Teachers tips and advice for getting started with selling teacher created resources. I am by no means an expert, but here ... Read More
Test Taking Tips for Reading
I don't know about you guys, but I am beginning to feel the pressure of standardized tests! We have been working hard all year on comprehension strategies that really make the students think about a story. You can read about that here and here. Now, I am trying to be much more deliberate about teaching the students some specific strategies and test taking tips to help ... Read More
Teaching Theme in the Upper Grades and a FREEBIE!
In reading, we recently finished up a week long unit teaching theme, and for the first time ever, it went fabulous! As of this blog post's original date, this is my 3rd time teaching theme of literature, and to be honest, I have always struggled to find theme activities and resources to help my students really understand this tricky concept. This year, the stars aligned ... Read More
Math Assessment Accommodations Made Easy!
One more day to go till the weekend! I wanted to write a quick post to share with you how to make simple math assessment accommodations for students with IEPs or on RTI plans. First, I must tell you this was not my idea or my work. I was in a fellow teacher's (4th grade) room when I saw this on a student's desk. I was immediately impressed and knew I had to share it! I ... Read More
100th Day of School for Upper Elementary
I wanted to share one of favorite new resources for my students with you today. Every year we get to see the primary kids having 100th Day Fun, and I wanted to bring some 100th Day Fun for into my upper elementary classroom. As the years go on, the magic and fun of school slowly goes away for some students. With some help of some great 100th Day of School graphics from ... Read More
Going From Files to Binders
Well it is Monday, and RAINING! Notice all those capital letters. We may even have a delay tomorrow if all this rain keeps up. So on this rainy day, I am going to share how I made the leap to binders for my handout/printables/worksheets (whatever you want to call them!) storage. Going from files to binders will help keep you organized! First, a little background as to ... Read More
Reading Is Thinking: Using Thinkmarks with Reading Strategies
Teaching readers who struggle to construct meaning during reading is a challenge. It is a challenge for the students because they struggle connecting to and getting immersed in books. Teachers are challenged with making complex texts comprehensible and engaging, while teaching grade-level reading skills. One way that I help with this is to teach my students to mark their ... Read More
Test Taking Strategies {Teaching Students to “Work the Text”}
Well my friends, I don't know about you, but the new year has always brought me testing anxiety! Gotta get those kids ready to take the TEST. However, this year I have a little less stress than usual. Did I get the gifted students? Nope! Do all my kids read on grade level? I wish! Did I learn some test taking strategies in the past few years that work? Yes, and this ... Read More
6 Traits Writing and a Secret Code to Improve Narrative Writing
Since blogging about my 6 Traits writing board earlier this year, I have gotten a few emails from teachers wanting to see how it looks in action. This post will share a look at how the 6 traits writing board looks now and how I display my mini-lesson statements. Remember that you can grab the FREE 6 traits writing checklist to help you come up with writing mini-lessons by ... Read More
A Behavior Management Tip to Keeping Your Sanity During the Holidays
December can be one of the looongest months for teaching because of the antsy students (and teachers). I often have to mix things up a little when my students are excited and ready for a break from school. This excitement definitely affects their behavior and attention span. So, here is my behavior management tip that has been keeping me sane! We do colors at my ... Read More
Reading Strategies: “Work” the Text
"Your students are not engaged with the texts they are reading." I will never forget when my administration said that to me after an observation my first year teaching. I remember thinking "They were reading the text. That is enough, right?" However, it wasn't and my students' comprehension suffered because they were not actively engaged with the texts they were ... Read More
