All About Me Ideas Written by Guest Blogger Brittney Klingl In addition to the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, the feeling of the chiseled tip on a brand new Expo marker gliding across a whiteboard, and the beauty of a perfectly organized classroom library, one of my favorite things about kicking off a new school year is getting to know …
As teachers, you already know the value of making sure your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students are exposed to diverse, multicultural literature. Unfortunately, books are expensive. And when you are trying to stock your classroom library with books you find at garage sales and dollar sales, it can be hard to find quality, multicultural books. (Side note: These tips …
All 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade teachers know that students need plenty of practice with multiples and multiplication facts. As much as we don’t like emphasizing rote skills, we know that math fact fluency will help students later on. These multiples mazes are a fun way to practice this important skill in a new way!Free Multiples ActivityIn this multiples freebie, …
Teaching is overwhelming. There is always more to do, and never enough time to do it. Time saving tips that actually work are a huge commodity in the education world. Teachers that invest a little time up front can end up saving time and energy later, while also being more effective. Check out these 8 best teacher habits that can …
We help our students establish morning routines and dismissal routines – why are teacher morning routines and afternoon routines not more prevalent? If you take the time to create an intentional morning routine that helps get you feel prepared for the day, then you can start the day off stress free. Having an afternoon routine that you go through before …
Looking for some alternatives to round robin reading in your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade classroom? Then check out these 9 different ways you can do whole class reading. All of these methods allow for a safe classroom environment where students can feel comfortable taking risks without embarrassment. Using a variety of the methods below will help keep your students …
How My Innovation Journey BeganA reflection on innovation in the classroom by guest blogger and 5th grade teacher Kelly Honn The phrase I heard often in my undergraduate classes at Northwest Missouri State University was that we should all aspire to be “lifelong learners.” I took that to heart and let it guide me through each of my twenty-five years, …
Engaging fiction picture books are easy to find. 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers usually have plenty of them in their classroom libraries. However, nonfiction and informational text picture books that are actually engaging and on an appropriate grade level are much harder to find. If you are trying to be intentional about doing more nonfiction read alouds with your …
Written by Guest Blogger Kerry Heino As teachers we often long for the beginning of summer vacation, the start of a well-deserved holiday and a break in our all-consuming career. How easily we forget though, how hard that final week of school can actually be; weather that is unbearably hot, with often no air conditioning, curriculum that is done being …
One of the best ways to help students become more fluent readers is to have them do repeated readings. This type of fluency activity can get old very quickly, especially to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. Liven up your repeated readings using “silly voices” – a no prep activity that makes repeated readings more fun.A Fluency Idea for 3rd, …