This Valentine's Day Fraction Freebie is a great way for your 3rd and 4th grade students to review fractions in a fun way

A Free Fraction Activity for Valentine’s Day

Keeping students on task and engaged around Valentine’s Day is hard.  The excitement – and the candy – that comes with this holiday can be a distraction for many 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students.  Use this free Valentine’s Day fraction activity to help keep students engaged and learning while still celebrating Valentine’s Day.Free Fraction Valentine’s Day ActivityThis Valentine’s Day …

This black history month freebie will help your third, fourth, and fifth grade students learn more about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Free Activity for Black History Month or MLK Day

Black history – the influence of African Americans on culture and politics, the historical treatment of African Americans in America, and the impact different African Americans have made – is too complex and important to only teach in February or on MLK day.  However, Black History Month is a great opportunity to spend some intentional time on that history.  This …

Set the tone for your math instruction by providing a safe environment for students to explore math ideas in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade.

Easing Into Your Math Program – Setting a Tone For Mathematical Learning

Written by Guest Blogger Kerry Heino Starting your year off on the right note is always paramount to most teachers. We want students to get a feel for what the year will be like within those first few days.  We want to make sure that our students understand what is expected of them, but we also want to instill a …

Ideas for teaching upper elementary students (3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students) how to annotate texts in a fun way

Annotating Text in 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade

Written by Guest Blogger Jessica Thompson I remember telling my class we were going to annotate the text. Wait. We are going to anno-what? Very simply put, to annotate is to take notes or add comments. For students in third, fourth, and fifth grade, learning to annotate the text they are reading will be an imperative skill as they get …

Gather data and increase student engagement in upper elementary using the free tool Pear Deck that integrates with Google Slides.

Gathering Data and Keeping Student Interest Using Pear Deck

Written by Guest Blogger Amy Clancy Formative assessment- getting to know each student by analyzing data that reveals student knowledge and performance. Engagement- Finding a way to engage students in your lesson- to participate in a thinking fashion- and better yet- A way to engage AND assess…. But how? Do you know how many students I have? How do I …

Passion projects - a variation on genius hour for upper elementary students

Passion Projects – A Variation on Genius Hour in Upper Elementary

Ever wanted to try genius hour or a passion project in your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade classroom?  Check out how another teacher has made this work in her classroom!  This is a great project to do after testing is over but before the end of the year.   Written by Guest Blogger Kelly Honn For a long time I had …

18 Christmas Writing Prompt ideas for upper elementary (3rd, 4th, 5th grade)

Christmas Writing Prompts for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade

Christmas time lends itself to some fun and engaging writing prompts, activities, and journal writing. The 18 Christmas writing prompt ideas below don’t require any prep, just pencil, paper, and an upper elementary student.  However, many of the prompts below can also be easily used to create fun December bulletin boards or activities if you want to spend a little …

This free snowman activity integrates art and math. Students must draw a picture of a snowman using their knowledge of fractions! Great for 3rd or 4th grade students as a fun winter review.

Free Winter Fraction Activity – Drawing a Snowman

Teaching fractions to 3rd and 4th grade students can be stressful and sometimes boring.  Engage your students with this free winter fraction activity that integrates art.  It makes a great fraction review!Free Snowman Fraction ActivityIn this free winter activity, students must use their knowledge of fractions to draw a snowman.  The activity is easy to differentiate by either requiring your …

Tips for using SeeSaw as a way to integrate technology and improve parent communication in the upper elementary (3rd, 4th, and 5th grade) classroom. Activity ideas to engage students!

SeeSaw in the Upper Elementary Classroom (Grades 3, 4, and 5)

Written by Guest Blogger Taylor Zonin Seesaw is both an app and computer based resource that serves as a student driven online portfolio that also incorporates simple, positive, parent communication. Seesaw is a wonderful platform for all subject areas and promotes student engagement with curriculum while integrating technology. Although Seesaw can be used across all grade levels, 3rd, 4th, and …

Lesson ideas and websites to help lower middle school and upper elementary school students practice determining the authenticity of websites.

Determining Authenticity of Websites for Upper Elementary/Lower Middle School

Fact or FakedWritten by Guest Blogger Amy Clancy By this point in time- we all realize the power of social media and of the media in general. We know that our students are often left unchecked at home, filling their brains with vivid, interactive experiences, images, and messages. How young is too young to begin teaching credibility of sources? If …