Lesson Planning

5 Easy Low-Prep Substitute Teacher Activities

Prepping for a sub got you down? Check out these 5 easy, low-prep activities you can use over and over again for a substitute teacher! You know, those beautiful crates wrapped in ribbon with a matching label “SUB TUB”. I envisioned it would sit somewhere near my desk so that

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Tech Tools to Try This Year

One of the really wonderful things to come from 2020 was the urgency it created to learn new things. I’m sure we all learned some new tricks out of necessity. Here are some tech tools I will continue to use and encourage you to try this year! I’ve always considered

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Why Guided Math isn’t Always the Best

Guided math has become one of the new “trends” in math professional development. It’s like as soon as these buzzwords arise, leaders are quick to want to shift immediately. But, like any new educational trend, we need to really evaluate whether or not the instructional strategy is the best fit

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Favorite First Week of School Activities and Ideas

This time of year can be exciting but exhausting. While new schedules and routines get established, it’s important to create a classroom environment that is encouraging, creative, and conducive for learning. That’s why we’ve gathered some of our favorite first week activities and ideas. After greeting each student at the

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First Three Reading Lessons of the School Year

I am really excited to wrap up my “First Three” blog series with my first three reading lessons of the school year. If you missed my other posts, you can check them outhere. While I love teaching math and I definitely identify as a writer, teaching reading is also a

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My First 3 Math Lessons of the School Year

Planning for the beginning of the year is so important for setting the tone in your classroom. For 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

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The First Week of School: Free Lesson Plans

Last week was full of classroom prep and professional development (some good, some not so good). Now it’s time to get excited for a new school year! I finished my first week plans about a month ago…although some things have been tweaked and changed! The Solar Eclipse on Monday has

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First Day of 2nd Grade Activities & Lesson Plans

It’s mid-July and already starting to feel like a Sunday night, even though I have about a month of summer left. Our first official teacher day is August 16th, students come in on Monday the 21st. (EEK!) My family is going to the beach at the end of July which

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