By Rachel Lynette
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
It may seem silly to read about ideas to help you teach main idea! It seems like such a simple… well… idea! But, even though the main idea of a text is the most central and important underlying idea, it can often be difficult for young students to recognize. Most main idea practice is just that – practice. Many textbook worksheets have students read a
Some of the best lesson plans are those that span over the course of many months. They build on concepts, helping students to develop learning strategies along the way. You may have a certain project or lesson that sticks out in your memory. Was it a one-off worksheet, or an intensive project that required your time, attention, and knowledge? Maybe it was a science fair
Minds in Bloom is thrilled to welcome Kerry Tracy! She’s addressing why many teachers (only think they) hate STEM challenges and how teachers can approach them differently in order to use them as a successful learning tool. You are probably reading this because you’ve watched that teacher down the hall doing STEM challenges. The kids are always talking about it, but it looks like a
In today’s world of digital media (mostly social media), our students often only hear about current events in passing. For instance, they may overhear a parent stream a news story broadcast on Facebook Live or accidentally catch a few seconds of the six o’clock news while flipping the Smart TV input to Netflix. Long gone are the times when a family would gather like clockwork
We are excited to welcome Erin to the blog today! Erin has written a really inspiring post about ways to add academics to video games, which is something I’m sure many teachers would shy away from. Read on to learn more about Erin’s ideas and suggestions! At the end of the school year last May, a parent asked to speak to me after class. She
Today’s guest blogger is Michelle from What’s Cooking with Kids. She’s prepared an excellent post that details the many ways you can incorporate cooking to your teaching toolkit and how you can make it interdisciplinary! As a teacher, you are busy. Swamped, in fact. You might even be so overwhelmed with content standards, district mandates, and department politics that you are reluctant to try a
We’re welcoming Melissa from The Paisley Owl to Minds in Bloom today. She’s got some excellent tips for those of you who teach upper elementary but still want to implement the Daily 5™ in your classroom. How can I put students at the center of their own learning? How can I hold students accountable during language arts centers? How can I differentiate to meet
Please welcome Kristal to Minds in Bloom today. She’s sharing a fun guest post with us about how we can connect cooking to literacy. The next time you’re reading a book that talks about food, see whether you can incorporate cooking! Eating food can create experiences for us beyond nourishing our bodies. Oftentimes, we remember foods that were a comfort to our souls, that made
Please join me in welcoming Patty to Minds in Bloom today. Patty is sharing a tradition her school does: Transportation Day for kindergarteners. Read on to learn more about how Transportation Day works at her school and get ideas for how you might be able to start this fun day at yours. Every spring the kindergarteners get to see, feel, and hear about many kinds
Please enjoy this guest post from Matt of Digital: Divide & Conquer. He’s sharing a lot of really excellent insight into making project-based learning work for all learners. We live in a world of projects. From our homes to schools, we are knee deep. It’s the reality of our lives. If the real world is filled of projects, shouldn’t a student’s classroom world be filled,
Today’s guest blogger is Tracy from Wild Child’s Mossy Oak Musings. Tracy is sharing her insight on how integrating arts into general education makes for more rigorous, long-lasting learning. Enjoy! Many moons ago, in a teacher’s lounge far, far away, I sat around a lunch table with my colleagues eating a tuna fish sandwich, while trying not reach for the sleeve of thin mints seducing
Today, we’re welcoming Sarah from Homeschooling and Homesteading to Minds in Bloom! Sarah is sharing her unique perspective as an outdoor educator to share the learning benefits of gardening with children. Gardening with a child can be a mutually beneficial experience for both you and your young companion. Growing food offers an abundance of creative learning opportunities. I have gardened with children and written related curriculum
Hi, I am Susan from Lopez Land Learners. I want to share you with engaging and entertaining ways to integrate art into all of your curricular areas. If your school is anything like our school, we don’t have an art teacher, so any and all art projects come from me. Budgets, along with the demands and pressures on testing, have taken that scheduled time out
Hi everyone! My name is Kimberly Crouch from English, Oh My! My passion as an English teacher is sharing my love of literature with my students and giving them the foundations of reading and writing to be successful in high school. I am truly honored to be guest blogging on Minds in Bloom, and I find Rachel Lynette to be a true inspiration and role model for teachers. Besides
Please welcome Joy, from The Teacher down the Hall, to Minds in Bloom today. She’s exploring the idea of drill and kill in instruction and how teachers can find more effective ways to build mastery. The makers of Prevnar 13 are asking: What if one push-up could prevent heart disease? What if one stalk of broccoli could protect you from cancer? My adopted textbook company seems to
