What does a teacher's summer look like? Many use this time to become better teachers! Crazy, right? Here are some of my plans for these warm months. 1. Read! Kids Books Summer is a great time for me to get a jump start on chapter books that my 5th graders might be interested in during the … [Read more...] about A Teacher’s Summer
Teacher Appreciation Week
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week! At our school, we get all the students involved to show the staff how much we really care about them. It's a really simple, easy project that has a big impact. Each student receives a blank template to complete. Classroom teachers can decide to do this in … [Read more...] about Teacher Appreciation Week
Poetry Notebooks
Poetry is a wonderful way for students to build fluency and accuracy while reading. I was a little upset when they pulled it out of our second grade curriculum. I knew I wanted to incorporate it into our classroom, even if I wasn't explicitly teaching it to my students. I decided to have my … [Read more...] about Poetry Notebooks
The Westing Game
Many of my fondest memories of elementary school occurred in my fifth grade classroom. Not only did my teacher constantly expect our best effort, but she made learning fun. When I was moved to fifth grade a few years ago, my goal was to emulate her teaching strategies. Not a day goes by where I … [Read more...] about The Westing Game
Flat Stanley goes on an Adventure!
Have you ever gone on an adventure with Flat Stanley?? It was one of my students' favorite activities in second grade! We would read the original novel by Jeff Brown (there's a whole series) together. It is a wonderful story about a a young boy who is flattened (but unharmed) by a … [Read more...] about Flat Stanley goes on an Adventure!
Animal Research Projects
I'm throwing it back to my second-grade days today! One of my favorite field trips was our visit to the local zoo. In preparation for this trip, my students would research an animal and become an "expert" on that animal. They would then write a non-fiction book to add to our classroom … [Read more...] about Animal Research Projects