We’re nearing the end of the semester already! And it can be hard to keep things fresh and exciting for students. Everyone is ready for the upcoming holidays, and looking forward to having a break from school. Sometimes that means students aren’t as engaged in learning as they were when
Winter is the perfect season for winter craftivities that add hands-on fun to your classroom! These three winter craftivities – Hide-and-Sneak Snowman, Skating Penguin, and Winter Bear – are designed to keep your students engaged, enhance their creativity, and reinforce key skills. Whether you’re looking for quick prep crafts or
We all know that a solid foundation in mathematics is important to a child’s overall educational success. But helping our students go from just knowing numbers and basic concepts, to really understanding how to apply those concepts independently, and in a way that makes sense to them, is a process.
Isn’t it exciting watching our students as they’re learning to read and actually comprehend what they’re reading? Once a child can read independently and absorb what they are reading, it becomes fun for them and opens the door to endless learning opportunities. When we bring in writing instruction that supports
No matter what your curriculum looks like, phonics instruction for primary grades is a big undertaking. One super effective way I initiate my phonics instruction each year with my first-graders is with a Letter Sounds Bootcamp. I usually spend most of September teaching and reviewing letter sounds that were taught
It’s true that sequencing is so common in our day-to-day life, recognizing patterns and putting things in order usually comes naturally for our students over time. Even at home, whether they’re putting toys in order from biggest to smallest, or recognizing daily patterns and predicting routines; sequencing can become almost
Every week, every day, every hour of teaching is dynamic and always changing. But one thing stays the same for me: I always include the same five elements in my weekly plans: Each week might look a little different in terms of the frequency or the order of events, but
The first days of school are full of hope, excitement, a few back to school jitters, and a great opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the year! I love the energy a new school year can bring, but it can also feel OVERWHELMING. I know that feeling
Picture books and fictional stories can be so much fun to read with primary students, but it’s also important to expose kids to plenty of nonfiction passages. Becoming familiar with informational texts is an important “real world” reading skill, and it prepares students for upper elementary and secondary school when
Classroom management—it’s one of our biggest issues as teachers. Without a solid classroom management plan, kids can quickly get off-task and disruptive, which isn’t exactly conducive to a productive learning environment. Since I know teachers can always use more tricks up our sleeves, today I’m sharing my top five teacher
