By Rachel Lynette
Mental math may seem like an ingrained skill that doesn’t require practice or development. But, elementary students who are still growing may lack the capacity to solve math problems in their head. Practicing mental math prepares students for harder math equations and also helps them to solve equations more quickly and accurately. Without the help of a calculator or scratch paper, students have to rely
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
Minds in Bloom is excited to have RuthAnn Lane from Learning Lane guest posting for us today! RuthAnn has written a great blog post all about authentic project-based learning in the classroom. As an experienced PBL educator herself, RuthAnn shared some really fantastic tips and insight! Keep reading to learn from her and to get ideas for implementing PBL yourself. A few years ago, I
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
As you well know, your students need to have a clear understanding of prefixes and suffixes, but often these concepts (especially suffixes!) can be tricky to teach. Of course your activities need to be related to the standard, but you also want them to be fun! But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. This post is your one-stop shop for effective and engaging lessons that will
Minds in Bloom is so excited to welcome Ofer Tirosh of Tomedes to the blog! Ofer has written a fantastic post discussing the importance of inspiring children to love languages and translation, including information on why kids’ brains are better adapted to learning languages (as opposed to adults’ brains) and games that you can play in the classroom to help students practice translation. We hope
The standardized testing season will be here before you know it. Whether this time of year excites you or frightens you, it’s time to prepare your students for the big test. Teaching them test-taking vocabulary can really help. Not only will your students perform better on the text, they will also gain confidence in their abilities to understand and respond to difficult questions. Read on
We’re excited to have Sydney from Love, Laugh, Teach guest posting for us today! Her post includes helpful insight and advice for developing critical thinkers in the classroom. As teachers, we all know how important critical thinking is, but sometimes it feels like an abstract concept to teach. Read on to learn Sydney’s suggestions! Developing critical thinkers in the classroom is essential to creating a
It was 2008, my first year teaching kindergarten, and building rapport with students was not at the top of my to do list. I was excited, nervous, and mostly just lost! It wasn’t my first year of teaching. I had been in the classroom for four years; however, I taught Pre-Kindergarten and at a private preschool. This was public school. To top it off, I
STEM subjects are on the rise, and for good reasons. By studying science, technology, engineering, and math, kids will develop the skills needed for lucrative careers and to lead the next generation into the future. However, while parents and teachers see the benefits, kids aren’t sticking with STEM. Nearly a third of college students who began pursuing a STEM degree transferred out of the field.
Self-regulation is the ability to calm yourself down when you are upset and cheer yourself up when you are down. In the classroom, students may need help with self-regulating their emotions and managing their behaviors. The ability for students to learn how to manage their own emotions and behaviors can be vital for them to be able to learn in a school environment. Teaching students
Minds in Bloom is thrilled to have Ann from Little Library of Learning guest blogging for us today! Ann has written a great post for us all about an incredible app called Quiver. When you’re using Quiver in the classroom (or in the library), you provide your students with coloring sheets and assign them to color them in a way that aligns with your lesson
Minds in Bloom is excited to welcome Michelle from The IgnitED Teacher to our blog today! Michelle has written a really helpful post about classroom management tips for high-poverty students. Classrooms where the population of students is at-risk tend to be common places for struggles with behavior management, which is often understandable when you consider that students frequently choose to misbehave to distract from the
The last few weeks of school are a great time to do some of the those fun enrichment activities that you may have had to put off in order to fit in all that is required. Make some memories, get outside, and start thinking about the long days of summer ahead. Here are some ideas! Write a Letter: Some ideas include having students write a letter
Minds in Bloom is thrilled to have Dr. Erica Warren back to the blog today. Dr. Warren is sharing information about screening students for dyslexia and how to support them if and when a formal diagnosis is given. Continue reading to learn more! When considering the estimates that 1 in 10 people have dyslexia and that there are successful teaching methods available for this
We are so excited to have Tanya from The Butterfly Teacher guest blogging for us today! Tanya has written an excellent post about an important topic: getting your students to listen without yelling. Give her post a read, and we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! Let’s begin with a little visualization exercise: Imagine Teacher Tanya saying very calmly to her students, “Ok,
