Productive struggle time in math is not natural. Allowing children to struggle with something goes against every instinct I have. When I see a child having difficulty, every pore in my body wants to take over and fix the problem. However, as a mom and as a teacher, I know that is exactly what I […]
Productive Struggle and It’s Importance Read More »
Teaching reading can be overwhelming with today’s instant access to curriculum, resources, and pictures on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram. This post shares the ins and outs of teaching reading through reading workshop, guided reading, and literature circles and how you can use these strategies teach reading to upper elementary students. Teaching Reading With Reading Workshop You
Guide To Teaching Reading Read More »
Book talks are an amazing way for you and your students to share books you love with each other and increase reading engagement. Book talks are informal presentations designed to inspire others to read a book you enjoyed. The purpose of a book talk is to “sell” a book. Students may think of a it
Engagement With Book Talks Read More »
Math work stations or math centers play a crucial role in my math instruction. They provide fun learning opportunities for students and give me time to work with guided math groups. You can learn more about the implementation and management of math work stations at this blog post. While I don’t begin math centers until
Math Centers for Upper Elementary Read More »
These first day of school activities will help you start the new year on the right foot! Whether you are a new or veteran teacher, planning for the first day or week of school can be a bit overwhelming. Planning is much easier when you’ve developed your routines, procedures, and you know what to expect
First Day of School Activities Read More »
I was hesitant to write this blog post on my top ten favorite chapter books to read aloud, because I know that we are all very passionate about our favorite chapter books. I know that without a doubt I’ve left some amazing books out…maybe I should make a top 50 list! For this list, I didn’t
Favorite Chapter Books Read More »
Upper elementary teachers frequently see their students’ misconceptions in math. Have you ever taught a math concept where you had to spend as much time undoing misconceptions as you do teaching new concepts? We often inadvertently teach misconceptions when we offer our students tricks and shortcuts to math concepts. This issue isn’t isolated to any
Misconceptions in Math Read More »
We all have our favorite teacher supplies. Since I’ve been teaching, I’ve acquired quite the collection of teacher supplies and materials. In fact, when I moved schools last year I realized just how much I had. I am FAR from a hoarder, but it was still shocking to see how many teacher supplies I had
Favorite Teacher Supplies Read More »
Changing grade levels is difficult. I still remember crying my eyes out the first time I had to change grade levels. It was devastating! It’s hard to sort through years worth of blog posts, resources, and articles to find just what you need to get started. Since it’s such a challenge, I’ve written this post
Moving to 4th Grade Read More »
Math problem solving strategies are a huge component of math instruction. Problem solving should be consistently embedded within quality math tasks, rather than teaching problem solving as an isolated unit. However, math problem solving strategies often need to be explicitly taught to students, especially students who lack a repertoire of problem solving skills. Math Problem
Math Problem Solving Strategies Read More »
