Literacy

Professional Development

15 Must-Try Brain Breaks for K-1 Students

Have you been in the middle of teaching a great lesson and you start seeing several students getting wiggly? Then you might see them start to look up, around, and everywhere except at you. And before you know it, half the class is just not focused and engaged, and you’re doing more redirecting than teaching. […]

How to Set Up a Learning Space for Successful Distance Learning

Part of classroom management this fall might look a little different than every other year. Normally, you hang up your alphabet chart. Set up your word wall. Plan out seating arrangements that build a positive classroom community. This year, you might find yourself needing to help families set up a learning space at home for […]

Tips for a Virtual Meet the Teacher

If your school district has already planned to have a virtual meet the teacher night, you might be a bit frazzled trying to figure out what to do. I get it – we normally use meet the teacher night to start putting together names and faces and get a pulse on our students for the […]

How to Keep Classroom Interruptions at a Minimum

Keep classroom interruptions at a minimum with this 1 simple trick! It's memorable for the students and they love that it's a little silly!

At the beginning of the year I always spent the first 6 weeks focusing on classroom procedures and expectations. Without this, I just felt like I was herding cats all year long. In a classroom full of little learners, teaching them when it’s okay to interrupt classroom instruction was at the top of my to-do […]

The Importance of Celebrating Character in the Classroom

Celebrating character in the classroom should be a priority. I love the reasons listed here and it truly is a simple thing to do!

There are two times of the year that I would find myself sitting and reflecting on my classroom atmosphere more than any other time–the beginning of the year and the end of the year.  Year after year a goal of mine was to do more celebrating of character in my classroom.  At the end of […]

The Secret to Motivating Students to Help Clean

The Secret to Motivating Students to Help Clean the Classroom-Genius!!

Do you ever get to the end of the day and think to yourself, “How in the world did my classroom floor get to be so messy?” or “Where in the world did my clean classroom go?” I did all the time.  I found myself crawling on the floor at the end of the day […]

Simple Punch Cards for Positive Behavior Support

Using simple punch cards for positive behavior support in the classroom

Positive behavior reinforcement is always something I strived to improve in my classroom. It always seemed like I was whipping out an old trick from a seasoned teacher to try.  Sometimes a new, simple concept to reward behavior was just what I needed to get my students back on track after a long weekend or […]

4 Tips for a Simple Classroom Party

4 Tips for a Simple Classroom Party-Must Read!! I love these ideas, especially number 4! We all need that reminder for our classroom parties sometimes! #ClassroomParties #ClassroomManagement

Classroom parties can be the highlight of the day for the kids, but a headache for you, the teacher.  They simply do not have to be that bad! Let’s be honest–as much as we know the kids love them, they are work for you. Planning for them, cleaning up your classroom because parents are coming, […]

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