If your math centers feel loud, messy, or more work for you than your students, you’re not alone. Math centers can either be the most productive part of your math block… or the most overwhelming. The difference usually isn’t the activities. It’s the structure behind them. When math centers are
Let’s be honest — primary students are not designed to sit still for long stretches of time. If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “Why can’t they just focus?” the answer is simple: their bodies need movement in order for their brains to refocus. Brain breaks aren’t extra. They’re necessary. And
There are so many fun and engaging apps you can use in the classroom to enhance your students’ learning! The only downside to having so many tools available is knowing which ones to try out. A lot of apps are great for teachers and older kids, but it can sometimes
“I’m Done!” — Now What? If you’ve ever heard those two words during your lesson — you know the chaos that can follow. Early finishers can quickly become a distraction if they don’t know what to do next. That’s why having a solid plan for early finisher activities is essential.
Helping young learners solve story problems can feel tricky. Many students who can add or subtract just fine still freeze when they see a word problem. Why does this happen? Story problems require students to combine reading comprehension, number sense, and problem-solving strategies all at once. When one of those
Helping young students recognize high-frequency words is one of the best ways to build strong early readers. But let’s be real—just handing out flashcards doesn’t always do the trick. If you’re looking for strategies to teach sight words in K-2 that actually stick (and don’t require hours of prep), this
Coding can seem like an unconventional way to approach learning for teachers who don’t have a ton of experience with computer sciences. And often we think about teaching coding and programming just to the older kids. But the truth is, coding is appropriate for all school-aged children. And there are
There are so many parts to reading instruction. It can be tricky to keep them all straight if you aren’t well-practiced. Luckily I can break this one down for you! And, of course, I have some great resources to improve fluency instruction in your classroom. Eventually we want to bring
It can seem like a daunting task getting little ones to stay engaged in the writing process and push themselves to grow and improve as writers. If you don’t have a system in place, you’ll quickly find yourself scrambling for ways to help your students become better writers. To help
February brings us lots of reasons to celebrate: it’s Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, and we’re only a month or so away from Spring! In my classroom, I tie in all the special February days with a focus on friendship! I weave the theme of friendship throughout many of my
