Today’s guest blogger is Marcy from It’s a Teacher Thing. Marcy has shared with us five tips for effectively running literature circles in your classroom. Read on to learn more! Don’t be scared off by literature circles (book clubs). They just take a little time and organization. I attempted my first session of literature circles more than nine years ago. I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into,
Archives for March 2015
5 Apps to Support Close Reading
I’m Erin from Technology Erin*tegration. I am excited to share my technology twist on close reading using iPads. Thanks for having me, Rachel! Just as there are many models for close reading, there are a multitude of apps that will support your students in digging deeper into a text. I am sharing my five favorite free apps for annotating and note taking on the
6 Secrets to Successful Research with Kids
Research, the very word, can draw shudders from teachers and audible sighs from students. If you are one of those shuddering educators dreading that next research project, then you are truly going about research all wrong. Take it from this elementary school librarian! I have been an elementary educator for twenty years and a certified library media specialist for the last seven years. I am
Trying a New Classroom Approach
How excited am I to be here!? I am Melanie from Momma with a Teaching Mission. I am a first grade teacher in Maryland. I teach on a departmentalized team. Departmentalized means teaching one subject to the entire grade level, instead of teaching multiple subjects to the same group of 20 kids. Are you a stressed out elementary school teacher? OF COURSE YOU ARE! Who
Would You Rather Questions for Spring and Easter
Flowers by: Whimsy Workshop Would you rather… Have flowers growing out of the top of your head or Have butterflies constantly flying in a circle around your head? Would you rather… Have a magic Easter basket that produces 10 chocolate eggs each morning or Have a bunny that can talk? Kids love Would You Rather questions like these, and now you can
The Teacher and the Speech-Language Pathologist: Tips for Effective Collaboration
We’re thrilled to welcome Maureen from The Speech Bubble SLP to Minds in Bloom today! Maureen has a wonderful guest post all about effective collaboration between the teacher and speech-language pathologist. Enjoy! These days, you will find at least one child in every classroom that receives speech and language services of some sort. This means that you, as the teacher, will probably have some type
The Power of Rewards and Incentives in Reading Instruction
Say hello to Jessica Sanders, the Director of Social Outreach for Learn2Earn and our fabulous guest for the day! It’s called extrinsic motivation—being motivated to read, or do anything, based on outside factors such as money or rewards. Extrinsic motivation is evoked when students are incentivized to read more and this is a hot topic in the education world. Many people who are against using a reward system or incentives have
36 Awesome Test Prep Review Ideas!
It’s time to review what you’ve been working on all year long for those oh-so-important standardized tests. But don’t despair, test review doesn’t have to be dull. There are plenty of ways to make it fun! Here are 36 of them: Use QR Codes. Find out how from Stephanie at Math Teacher Time Out. Ask the whole class or a small group a question
10 Tips to Make a Meaningful Classroom Video
Hi, Everyone! I’m Lessia from I am Bullyproof Music. Thanks so much to Rachel Lynette for inviting me back. Such an honor! Here’s hoping my tips inspire one and all. Teachers frame ideas for students daily. Videography is a natural next step. By making lessons visual and personal, we can make them truly memorable. Biggest piece of advice: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Focus on hearts and minds.
5 Fun Ways to get Students Engaged in Reading Aloud
Hi everyone! I’m Mary Beth from Brain Waves Instruction, and I’m so happy to be sharing ideas with you all today. Rachel, thanks for letting me stop by! Like most teachers, I’m constantly on the hunt for engaging ways to help students become more confident, effective, and critical readers. Sometimes, I even go “old-school” and have my students read passages out loud in class…but reading
Positive Behavior Management Strategies for the Primary Classroom
Hi there, everyone! My name is Marine Freibrun. Elementary school teacher, mom, wife, and blogger! I am the author of Tales from a Very Busy Teacher. I am so honored and excited to be writing a guest post for Minds in Bloom today! I am sharing TEN positive behavior management tips for the primary classroom with you today. Classroom/behavior management is one of the