I always saw a ton of different pencil challenges for the classroom, and they always looked like they would take a lot of work on my part. So I set out to develop a different way of encouraging students to keep track of their supplies. Where to Find Inexpensive Pencils
The rules for commas can be overwhelming not just for students but for teachers as well! I can remember the first time that a student asked me why a comma went somewhere. I told them it was because there was a pause in the sentence. In my defense, that’s what
I first came across logical math puzzles using pictures from our math curriculum when it was the warm-up one day. I was floored at how motivated and excited the students were to try to solve this puzzle. I watched them use their math facts, recall all the properties that we
Using the dictionary in your classroom doesn’t have to be boring- or outdated. It turns out there are quite a few ways to make the skill of using reference materials a lot more fun and constructive! If you’re at all like me, you’ve had a class set of dictionaries sitting
I wish I had used left brain vs right brain tests sooner in my teaching career. During my first year of teaching, I did the normal first day/first week of school activities. Little get-to-know-you activities where I found out their favorite color and snack. They told me how many pets
In my upper elementary classroom, I structure my reading time using the rule of thirds. One-third of our class time is for read-alouds, one-third is for shared group reading, and one-third is for independent reading. Why Use the Rule of Thirds? At first, I’ll admit, I didn’t think that this
Today I am sharing some of my best Amazon classroom must haves for teachers. If you’re like me, you have Amazon packages arriving pretty frequently to your front door. I always like discovering a new teacher tool or classroom must-have. Each of these would be great to add to your
The spelling worksheet, although it may have a place now and then, doesn’t engage students in a way that encourages and excites them to learn to spell correctly. When I first started teaching, my spelling time was not very exciting for students. There were spelling lists and spelling practice and
There has been no greater strategy for effective classroom management than the classroom economy that engages and motivates my students all while teaching them responsibility and money management skills. My room didn’t always used to be like this! I hopped from behavior management system to behavior management system trying to
What is a Desk Pet? Desk pets can absolutely be a successful classroom incentive for the upper elementary student. It isn’t just for lower elementary, but there are a few different ways I suggest you cater this incentive to older students. I can remember my very first year of teaching,
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