Preparing a writing center always felt extremely daunting. Where will I store everything? How do I keep it stocked? Am I going to be able to teach students not to blow through all of the supplies? Will they even look at the examples, vocabulary words, writing ideas? Who will keep
Kids love to talk. I love to talk. Most people I know enjoy communicating. It’s in our nature. But, where do we draw the line? How much talking can we allow without disrupting the productivity of our classrooms? And what can we do when our students are just talking way
Deciding on name tags is such a big deal! Before stepping into the classroom, I would have never guessed that something as simple as attaching name tags to desks could be so complicated! My first year of teaching, I got these HUGE name tags from some fancy teaching store. They
Planning for the beginning of the year is so important for setting the tone for your classroom. My first 3 math lessons of the school year, I ask myself “What do I want to communicate about what is valued in our classroom in this subject area?“ In math, I want
There are so many teacher tools, tricks and lists of classroom must-haves. And while I love so many fun supplies and gadgets, I have learned over the years that the most simple things can be the most effective tools. Here’s one thing you should always have in your classroom (and
It’s December! Busy, chilly, stressful, fun, frantic, fabulous December. Your students excitement is building while you are just trying to cross of your gift to do list (what do I get my parents?!) while still maintaining some sense of classroom normalcy. Keeping the engagement level high during December can be
Two years ago, my class was starting to get pretty squirrely….and it was the beginning of November. I knew I had to do something to stay sane until Thanksgiving break. So, I printed out a turkey and some feathers. The idea was that students had to earn a certain amount
Just like other executive functioning skills, we can support our students in getting better. Getting students to follow directions is one of those teaching struggles that never seems to fade. It may get better or worse from year to year (or even day to day). But while there aren’t any
The beginning of the school year is overwhelming. There are so many things to prep, plan for and teach. It’s easy to forget the “little things.” Here’s one big beginning of the year mistake and how to fix it! My first year of teaching, I was SO proud at how
A classroom economy can be a wonderful behavior management tool. We know relationships are the key to creating a safe and stable learning environment. However, a classroom economy can be an added layer of support which ties real world experiences into the classroom. It is not only motivating for students
Transform students’ yawns into “YES!” with these interactive games to use with any skill or subject. Or, create your own with the editable cards!
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