Last week I reviewed my heat unit with one of my favorite science experiments. It's fairly easy to complete, and it really helps students understand the concept of insulators and conductors (which almost always gives my students trouble). All you need is a glass cup, plastic
Elapsed Time
Do any of you have one of those topics that you just dread teaching? You know, that topic that you try to put out of your mind as much as possible. For me, that would be elapsed time. It's the one topic that I wish I could skip. Since that's not going to happen, I do try to make
How to Organize Your Math Centers
Centers can be a great addition to the classroom, but it's not always easy to organize your center activities. And then once they're organized, it can be a challenge to KEEP them that way Fortunately, there are several organizational tricks and strategies that will make
Magnet Activities
I love teaching about magnets, mainly because it's probably the easiest unit I teach all year. My students have some magnet background knowledge from first grade, and the third grade content isn't too difficult. Plus, I get to do really fun hands-on activities with my class. I
Planning for January
It's always hard to believe that the end of December marks the halfway point of the school year. Looking back at all students have learned and accomplished over a few months is astonishing. It's sometimes hard to see the gains students have made day-to-day, so it's nice to stop
Classroom Christmas Activities
There are few things I enjoy more than teaching through classroom Christmas activities! There is just something magical about that time of year, and I love being able to share it with my students. I recently created the 12 Activities of Christmas, and it is different from my
Veterans Day Choice Board
Each year around this same time I start feeling crunched for time, because I'm always behind the curriculum map, and little assemblies and programs start popping into our day on a regular basis. I'm always happy for my students to have new and interesting experiences, but I do
Animal Adaptations Lessons & Activities
Animal and plant adaptations has to be one of my favorite science units. There are several fun lessons and activities that students love, and there are so many ways to make the lessons meaningful to students. This post shares a few activities you can use to teach plan and animal
Fantastic Fall Lessons
Teaching through the holidays can be so much fun! I am often guilty of wanting to hurry through fall and Thanksgiving activities to get to Christmas (my all-time favorite), but there are just too many meaningful fall themed lessons to skip. These are not Halloween based lessons.
Advice For New Teachers
I believe that teaching has to be one of the most rewarding yet challenging professions, but I couldn't imagine doing anything else. Here is my best advice for new teachers (and experienced) teachers.
Advice For New Teachers-Organization
Don't get too caught up in
