Throughout this school year, I have been creating flip up books for teachers and students to use. I wanted to show you how we you can use them in your classroom and why they are a great learning tool for students! 1. Multiple content areas are addressed! Teachers are telling me that they are loving them […]
Happy New Year, friends! I love the fresh, new beginning of a new year in the classroom. Even though it’s not a new school year with students, they come back refreshed, excited, and ready to roll (for the most part at least!). It’s the perfect time for you to take advantage of the clean plate […]
Last summer as I was busy preparing for a great trip to Vegas to learn more about TeachersPayTeachers, meet up with some great friends, and just have some good girl time I ran across A+ Images. They were offering a FREE teacher shirt! I just knew I had to have one! I was late to the party, […]
The end is so close, dear friends! Most of you have one more week with your sweet babies and then you get a well-deserved break! But before that can happen, there is a holiday party you need to pull off. 😉 I have been loving ALL things reindeer this season so I dreamed up how […]
‘Tis the season for some gingerbread activities! I know when December rolled around, I was always so excited because the students were eager to learn through some new engaging units–Gingerbread, Reindeer, and Christmas Around the World were some of our favorites! I always loved teaching thematically, but here’s the deal: I had to be able […]
Teaching doubles addition was always something that I enjoyed. Math always seems like the perfect opportunity to try to reach students through all different learning styles. We would do a lot of chanting, singing, game playing, and of course, the timed math fact tests. These three activities helped my students develop a strong understanding of […]
One thing I have learned over the years is that no matter the child, drawing on a relevant, engaging topic that brings excitement benefits our learning environment. Depending on the time of year, it can be life cycles, animals, insects, or even pumpkins. The fall is so fun and is a great time to bring […]
Did you know that October 4-10 is National Fire Prevention Week? It would always creep up on me, and I would have to rush to find something to squeeze it in. As a child, I remember this week being a total blast at school! The firetruck would come and the firefighters would do a demonstration. […]
Fall is right around the corner. That means pumpkin spice lattes, apples, and college football! Usually by the third week of school, we are ready to move from back-to-school themed books to apples. My students always enjoy apple activities as I integrate it into our balanced literacy and science. Let’s take a peek! Here are […]
For Texas teachers, today was the first day back. This year I am at home again as we wait on our little girl from the Congo to be able to come home. I cry every year–not because I am ungrateful to be home or for my precious little guy that is here already, but because […]
I know what you are thinking, “What is this teal and white classroom? I thought you were staying home with your son and waiting on your adopted baby girl to come home!” You’re right. I am still at home, BUT my new sister in law and brother both are starting their first year in a […]
Being organized in the classroom doesn’t come easy for everyone, but I would like to think that I am a fairly organized person. It never failed, though. At the end of the day I looked around and I had a pile of papers that needed to be organized, but I wasn’t sure where to put […]
The back to school season is busy long before your students enter your classroom. There are so many things to prepare for and meet the teacher is one of them. I wanted to help you prepare with these simple meet the teacher tips. Here are a few things that I have learned throughout my years in […]
Parent Communication can seem like a daunting task. At the end of a long day sometimes the last thing we want to do is spend more time on the phone, writing emails, or on social media. But we have to remember one thing: Parent communication is of the utmost importance. As a teacher, you want […]
I have been using science interactive notebooks since my first year of teaching. I had a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful science teaching coach who was all about using science interactive notebooks in the classroom. It was a bit of a struggle for me to get them going. Some years were better than others for implementing them, but […]
When you open your guided reading binder, what do you see? Are your lesson plans and student data forms easily accessible? Do you know which students need a running record today? Do you have all the resources you need at your fingertips? I know I got tired of disheveled papers falling out, losing track of […]
I love Instagram. It’s the perfect way to share something quick and simple. It doesn’t filter through your feed like Facebook does. I am guaranteed to at least have the opportunity to see everyone that I follow! I love that about Instagram! I also love how easy it is to connect with others! My dear […]
As the end of the year approaches, summer is on your mind! Students are starting to check out you are working hard to keep them engaged in learning as you focus on instruction for the last few weeks! I always found that introducing a new idea or way of practicing skills was fabulous for my […]
