By Rachel Lynette
Benchmark Assessments Sometime soon, you’ll be asked to administer a benchmark assessment to your students. (MAJOR EYE ROLLS! (For real- The acronym BA is far too close to BM!) What exactly is a benchmark assessment for? All through your teacher preparation in college, you heard the terms formative assessment and summative assessment. Both of those are vital parts of teaching students. But what they didn’t
Should you do a Legacy Project with your students? The end of the year is approaching fast, you’ve already taught the entire curriculum, and you’re looking for something fun to fill those last few days. Have your students do a legacy project! I concocted the term “legacy project” several years ago when I prioritized station work and hands-on-activities in my classroom. My first legacy project
For help using the coloring tools, you can watch the video below. Tip: If you see the PICTURE icon (it looks like a book,) you can click it to see more pictures you can color. Tip #2: If one of the black lines does not connect fully to close a shape, you can use the brush tool to finish the line so your paint won’t “leak”
How-To Create a Video Anchor Wall If you’re like most teachers, you have probably used Word Walls and Anchor Charts in your classroom! Both are wonderful resources for students. They are designed to continue supporting students as they transition from one skill to the next. In this post, I’m going to show you how you can combine the best of Word Walls with the best
Click for a FREE copy! Formative Assessment is an Important Part of Learning I love that education has taken a turn toward standards-based learning! In my early years, everything was grade averages and completion. Nowadays, there’s a greater push toward mastery. In a perfect world, emphasis is on the learning process, and grades are only assigned once learning has been completed. Since we don’t need
Would You Rather or This or That, whatever you call it, it’s the perfect St. Patrick’s Day activity for your students!
Printed PDF ➜ Google Doc ➜ Read Aloud Has anyone else found themselves in a situation where you’re wanting to use your print materials in your digital classroom? I have a teacher tech hack that will make it super quick and easy to bridge the gap between paper and digital while providing your students with added support! How to Convert PDF to Doc (with text
Your students are soooo lucky! I mean, you’re their teacher! If anyone knows that it is better to give than receive, it’s teachers! So, I thought I would take this week and elaborate on ways you can use fun scratch offs in your classroom! Plus, I’ll show you how to make the paint that you can use on all of the free templates! It’s not
How to add the Magic of the Holidays with Five Merry Read Alouds It’s the most magical time of the year! You want to get into the holiday spirit with your students but don’t want to lose weeks of instruction. As an upper elementary ELA teacher, I would see the arts, crafts, and activities that kindergarteners and first graders were working on down the hall
Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Your Elementary Students Tired of the same old “trace your hand” Thanksgiving Activities? This post has lots of ideas to spice up the holiday season. (Did the word spice make you want a latte like it did me?) Check out the freebies we’ve included, and grab as many as you’ll use. Critical Thinking Thanksgiving Activities Thanksgiving Analogies Analogies are fun little
There’s a story and a ton of memories behind one of my all-time best-selling resources! Here’s what inspired it! https://minds-in-bloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/turkey-commercial.mp4#t=5 Murder Mystery Parties & Other Fun Stuff A couple years ago, I hosted a murder mystery party for my daughter’s 16th birthday. She is a theater kid, as are her friends, so it seemed like the perfect party! AND IT WAS! The only problem was
You (and your students) can make a Kahoot in no time flat! If you haven’t yet played Kahoot with your students, it’s about time! Kahoot is a gamified way of practicing just about any skill with your students. It’s fast-paced, super engaging, and will leave kids begging to practice their skills again. Kahoot’s quiz format encourages students to answer questions carefully in order climb the
**UPDATE 10-28-20 This celebration was fun, but all good things must come to an end! We’re looking forward to the next one! Days Hours Minutes Seconds MINDS IN BLOOM HAS 100,000 REASONS TO CELEBRATE! For the last 14 years, Minds in Bloom has existed to help teachers be the best educators they can be. We’re pleased to announce that we have just surpassed 100,000 followers
You might also like this free Computer Shortcuts resource! Did you know you can create your own teacher font? Have you ever wished you could have your very own font? With your personal handwriting? Or maybe that signature heart you dot your i’s with? Well, I’ll walk you through the fast, easy, and free way that you can make your very own custom teacher font
Arts Education: Benefits That Must Be Saved As an educator, there’s truly no better feeling than helping children succeed. Proper support and learning techniques are an important part of the process, but that’s not all that’s needed. Studies have shown that kids thrive when they have opportunities for fun, diverse, hands-on education — the kind that art, music, and theater classes naturally encourage. When the
https://minds-in-bloom.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ghost-zeros-video.mp4 Download a FREE Craftivity! Two different versions: 1 for adding & subtracting with decimals & 1 for dividing with decimals I always ask the students “What sound does a ghost make?” When they say “ooooo,” I spookily ask them if they think it’s a coincidence ghost zeros spell oooooo. NOTE: As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. Ghost Zeros Exist- In Decimals that
