Weekly Words I got this idea from Beth Newingham. She can probably explain it better than I can, so go check out her Scholastic Blog! I do a variation on Words Their Way (I lovee this program). I have four different spelling groups; Cupcakes, Crayons, Strawberries ... Read More
Friday Journals
Creating a connection between home and school has such a huge impact on a student's education. One way that I go about this is having students share with their families what we are learning in the classroom through a series of hand-written letters. On Fridays, during Writer's Workshop, my ... Read More
You Have a Student Teacher…Now What?
You volunteered to have a student teacher in your classroom this year or maybe you were assigned one without warning. Regardless, having a student teacher is a great responsibility and opportunity to help out a new generation of educators. Here are some tips to get you started! 1. Space One of ... Read More
Save Paper! Save Ink!
Oftentimes, I have teachers ask me how to print multiple slides of a resource on just one page. It's easy! Here are 4 simple steps: Open the resource you want to print in Adobe. Click on the print icon (looks like a printer) or choose Print from the File drop-down menu. Then the print box will ... Read More
The First Week of School in Grade 2
I remember back to my first year of teaching. I had completed my student teaching and had a few years of subbing under my belt. I felt fairly confident about teaching in general. The first of school, though? I was petrified! I had never even witnessed the first day of school from a teacher's point ... Read More
The Morning Routine
Chaotic. Frenzied. Loud. Yep, my mornings used to start out like that too. As it turns out, that's not a great way to start the day in elementary school classroom! I was frantically trying to get attendance and lunch count done (please don't call my room again - I'm sorry I forgot to send it!). ... Read More