Do you ever have those days or even weeks when you feel like you’re just going through the motions? You’re still doing your job, but that zip and excitement was missing. Whenever I feel that way, I know that it’s time for something new. I 100% believe that there is no point in reinventing […]
Christmas Geometry Project Read More »
Student Christmas gifts were not high on my priority list. It wasn’t too long ago that I decided I would no longer give my students gifts for Christmas. I had always gone with the flow and given my students gifts, which appeared to be the norm. It wasn’t that I minded buying gifts, but money
Student Christmas Gifts Read More »
It’s no secret that Christmas is my favorite holiday, by far. There’s just something about it that is completely magical to me, especially when I’m around my children and students. That’s one of the reasons I like to incorporate it into my routine as often as possible. If you’re not allowed to do Christmas activities,
Christmas Math Choice Board Read More »
These Thanksgiving worksheets and activities are based around a Thanksgiving Choice Board. You can absolutely skip the choice board and have students complete a few (or just one) of the Thanksgiving worksheets and activities a day. If you do choose the choice board, you can have students complete one activity from each row, or complete
Thanksgiving Worksheets & Activities Read More »
Have you ever had a moment when every single students’ eyes were completely glazed over, and you were pretty sure no one actually heard what you were saying? That was me on Thursday. I was seven days into my government unit, and I thought we were doing pretty good. Students had completed a few interactive
The Best Government Game Read More »
This year I’m recycling some Halloween Choice Board activities that I made way back in 2010. I actually used the same activities YEARS before that. Back before I knew how to make tables and insert images, I created the choice board and activities by hand. One day I’m going to dig through my old school
Halloween Choice Board Read More »
When I first started teaching, informational writing was one of my least favorite units to teach. I could spend months on narratives but would have been happy to skip informational writing altogether. Part of my problem was that I misinterpreted writing workshop training and was under the impression that students should just start writing. I’d
Informational Writing Lessons Read More »
As an upper elementary teacher, student independence is extremely important to me. When my students are “stuck” or struggle, I don’t want to be the first option for my students. Instead, I try to give my students strategies and tools to problem solve and foster essential independence. This has nothing to do with me not
Scaffolding Student Independence Read More »
Phonics activities are not just for young students-they’re for older students too. Every year I have a couple students who need a little {sometimes a lot} of extra work on phonics. This can be quite a challenge, because that isn’t something I teach in a whole group lesson. This instruction is completed in reading group
Phonics Activities For Big Kids Read More »
I’ve always found it fairly easy to make math fun. There so many different ways to create active and hands-on math lesson, especially with topics like geometry, fractions, and measurement. Unfortunately, I’ve always struggled with addition and subtraction of large numbers. In fact, I believe in some of my older blog posts I even said
No Prep Addition & Subtraction Read More »
