By Rachel Lynette
I’ve been reading James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, and one of my favorite quotes is “You do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.” Hopefully you’ve set some personal boundaries and goals for your work life this year. Maybe you want to leave school by 4:15 each day. Maybe you want to stop working nights and
Want to meet the needs of your students? You need to know their learning styles! See the different types and…
Struggling to Engage Students During Reader’s Workshop? If you’ve been teaching for any length of time, chances are you have gone to your district’s training on implementing Reader’s Workshop. It can sound very overwhelming to think about your students reading for 40 minutes straight. I bet you can think of those students in your class right now who are “fake reading.” They stare at their
These 5 steps will help you set up your classroom so that teaching history is not overwhelming.
The classroom is a place where students can learn more than the 3 Rs. How can you make service learning a part of your classroom culture? This post…
Awesome Ideas for Student Journaling Using Improv I’m so excited to share with you one of the many ways to make your english learning classes fun. Adding a dash of journaling and improvisational theatre. Both are great modalities for learning something deeper while the students are following the fun. Hope to hear how this might work out in your class!” -Alan In education and in
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
