We all know the importance of teaching and reviewing rules and classroom procedures. As upper elementary school teachers, we are bombarded with recommendations to have clear expectations and practice routines and procedures constantly, particularly the first week of school, and then to keep practicing them throughout the school year. But how do you teach and review procedures over and over …
For me, having well thought out morning procedures is absolutely crucial to my survival in an upper elementary classroom. Not only does the classroom morning routine set the tone for the day, but it is also the best time of day to do all those annoying but necessary tasks like sharpening pencils and turning in field trip forms. It’s also …
I HATE interruptions in the classroom. Most upper elementary teachers hate being interrupted, I’ll admit. But I really, REALLY hate it. So when my 3rd grade students would interrupt a lesson to ask an off topic question related to bodily functions, it would make my blood boil a little. I always felt bad about getting so aggravated. I mean, if …
I’ve never seen a movie or TV show that showed an accurate depiction of what dismissal time is like in the elementary classroom. Usually, you’ll hear a bell ringing and then see hundreds of students come running out the door screaming without any supervision or procedures in place. 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers know that dismissal is NOTHING like …
I’m convinced that more people would appreciate the worth of teachers if they were required to get 25+ students to use the bathroom quickly, quietly, and without making a mess. Creating good bathroom break procedures is a skill that elementary teachers have to finely tune if they want their year to run smoothly. Throughout my years teaching, I experimented with …
Once the end of the year frenzy is over and you are finally able to enjoy your well-deserved summer break, make sure you take same time to relax and destress. Below is a summer checklist for teachers that will help refresh you for the upcoming school year! Sometimes I recommend products using affiliate links. If you click through and buy, …
The end of the school year always brings forth a huge range of emotions in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers. Eagerness about the upcoming summer break. Sadness about students moving on to the next grade level. Anxiousness about all of the end of year administrative tasks. But mostly, teachers feel completely exhausted at the end of the school year. …
Use this free point of view slideshow to help you teach point of view to your 3rd grade or 4th grade students. Begin by having students practice point of view within fiction text. Students read 3 different paragraphs telling the same story from different points of view. They have to determine who is telling each story. Next, have students think …
Using tables and charts is an often overlooked way to practice comparing and contrasting with your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. Adding lessons on how to use and create tables will benefit your compare and contrast unit for a variety of reasons, including: Tables are important text features in nonfiction that students should be able to read and interpret …