20 Gift Ideas for Teacher for Christmas – From a TEACHER! If you stop to think about it, M-F teachers spend just as much time with our kids as we do! I know I’m beyond grateful for the time and energy these superhumans pour into my “mini-me”s each year. That’s why you’ll find me searching, …
Gift Ideas for Teacher for Christmas – From a Teacher! Read More »
Positive Report Card Comment Ideas Are you an elementary teacher looking for report card comment ideas? I’ve got your back! We typically have our students all day long. The upside is we get to know our students super well. The downside is sometimes that can leave us struggling to consolidate what we want to share …
5 Simple Ways to Connect with Students Every Day I’ve been teaching for much longer than I’m willing to admit and I’m still amazed at how quickly the days fly by. It seems like my littles always find ways to keep things interesting, so the days are over before I know it! That’s exactly why …
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How to Use Printable Journal Prompts in Your Classroom I love using writing prompts in my classroom! Both nonfiction and narrative writing prompts can be a great tool to help kids develop writing skills in an engaging way. When you keep printable journal prompts on hand it can be easier to remember to incorporate them …
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3d Shapes Unit – 1st Grade / 2nd Grade Why plan your math units one day at a time when you can have the entire unit planned at once? This unit contains everything you need to teach 3D shapes in your 1st grade or 2nd grade classroom: daily lesson plans, lesson slides, 3D shapes printable …
There’ s nothing more frustrating for elementary teachers than when you take the time to plan an engaging lesson and then have to convince a student to participate. When this behavior begins, it’s important to use the correct work refusal interventions, such as a student work completion chart, to put a stop to it quickly …
Research on Homework Benefits To give homework or not? This has been a long-standing debate for educators everywhere. You can find research on homework benefits and about how homework can be detrimental to your students. Most educators can see both sides of the argument. That’s because when it comes down to it – both sides …
Understanding the Math of Shapes Let’s dive into the math of shapes in the elementary grades – and don’t miss the free download at the end of this article! Sometimes, teachers think teaching shapes for second graders is simply having students memorize shape names. And that’s no surprise when you look at the materials out …
Best Geometry Lesson – Math of Shapes (free download) Read More »
Manage Classroom Behavior Through SEL Instruction We often think of the need to teach social and emotional learning (SEL) and manage classroom behavior as two different things. In all reality, teaching SEL is essential for improving classroom management and student behavior. When teachers consistently implement SEL into their instruction, they are being proactive in helping …
What is respect? When creating a respect lesson plan and activities, it’s important that you, as the teacher, have a clear understanding of what respect IS and IS NOT. This will allow you to form an ideas of how to explain your own simplified definition of respect in a classroom to your students. This post …
What is Blurting? If you’ve been an elementary teacher for more than 45 seconds, you’ve probably already experienced blurting. I’m sure every elementary teacher has Googled, “How to get students to stop talking out” at least once in their career! If that’s you, read on for a plan of action and a FREE DOWNLOAD! Blurting …
Keys to using Restorative Practices in Your Classroom I’ve been teaching for 18 years, so when it comes to behavior management in classrooms, I’ve seen it all! The good, the bad and the ugly. If I’m being honest, I’ve probably TRIED it all. Use restorative practices in my classroom changed everything for my classroom community! …
Who doesn’t love this tradition? Kids standing on their front porch, by the bus stop or in front of their new school holding their first day of school printable posters are the cutest! I started this tradition with my own kids when my oldest was in Kindergarten. We do the same thing on the …
How to use SEL Morning Meeting Questions In recent years, teachers are realizing the value of teaching Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). While many teachers see the benefits and want to teach these important life skills, they aren’t sure how to incorporate them into their already full days. Plus, elementary teachers are already planning so …
5 Brilliant Classroom Library Ideas When I became an elementary educator, I knew I would have to spend a lot of time managing student behaviors, managing data, and teaching kids to manage their emotions. I had no idea I would have to spend so much time managing my classroom library!!! In this post, I’m going …
Kids love running around in the sun all summer long, but they have to rest at some point! When they do, have some summer reading fun ready with these book log printable games. They’re the perfect way to keep those reading skills sharp and avoid the summer reading slump! (Read more about the importance of …
It’s summer break and kids are ready to unwind and indulge in some fun after the long school year. And they should! We know they deserve the break … but we also know that there are great benefits of reading 20 minutes a day. This is especially true during the summer when they aren’t getting …
Are you ready to give your students a dedicated space to manage their emotions in your classroom? Join the Grace Over Grades Email Community & get your FREE PRINTABLE CALMING CORNER SET along with 4 MORE FULL RESOURCES for your classroom! What access to our Full LA, Math & More Membership? Simply click the …
Are you, like most teachers across America, noticing an uptick in mental health concerns with the students in your classroom? One area that I’ve seen a significant need is Managing Emotions. As this continues, teachers are relying more and more on social and emotional learning (SEL) in order to create academic success for their students. …
As a teacher, it’s essential to have an organized daily agenda. You can make this visual for your students using agenda slides for the day. To make this process easier, we’ve created this great resource of free PowerPoint slides to use and they are absolutely FREE TO TEACHERS! These slides will help you …
5 Essential Components of a Successful Sight Word Lesson Plan Sight words are an essential part of learning to read and write, but actually teaching them can become tedious! I used to write them on a notecard and have students go off and “practice”. Thinking back on this makes me cringe! Talk about ZERO engagement! …
Activities With Prefixes Anyone else remember dreading the grammar block when you were young? It was just so boring! We have a way to get your students excited and asking when they GET to learn grammar! Start with these activities with prefixes! Interactive notebooks are the fix! The activities are hands-on and allow time for …
Try out these experiments for static electricity in your classroom. With each experiment static electricity will come to life for your students! What is static electricity? All objects are covered in atoms, which are too small to see. Atoms can either have a positive or negative charge. Static electricity is an imbalance between positive and …
Why you should start a Kind Kids Club Every elementary teachers says it daily: “How do you think that made ______ feel?” Usually, this is followed by a long face and a shrug … occasionally even a smirk (grrr) … or if I’m having a lucky day, I might get the answer “bad”. This leads …
It’s August: back to school time! Time to head back to your classroom for the first time since you said goodbye to the students you knew like the back of your hand. If you’re anything like me, you start to wonder how you’ll build classroom community that’s as strong as last year. Not only do …
Building Classroom Library Bulk Are you looking to build classroom library selection for your students on a teacher’s budget? I know how limiting that can feel – especially if you’re just starting out! I’ve spent years building up my 2nd grade classroom library. We all know how important it is for us to offer a …
Teacher friends, it’s that time of year! Mid-July and time to start thinking about school again. 😲 I know my first year teachers out there are spending their July wondering how to prepare for first year teaching. I can remember that time of my life like it was yesterday! The first priority for me …
Whether you’ve already been offered a teaching position or you’re anxiously waiting for a post-interview phone call, your mind is most likely spinning wondering how to prepare for first year teaching. It might have been 16 years ago, but I can still totally remember that feeling! It seemed like my list of first year …
Are you wondering how to celebrate the end of the school year? This is one of my favorite ideas for end of school year party! Why not have a luau party?! This is one of my favorite ideas for end of school year party. There are many fun classroom spring party ideas that can be …
Activities for Growth Mindset Mindset is a big deal in our classroom – really in our entire building! I love that our school encourages us to teach kids to be aware of their own thinking and feelings. We’re always looking for new activities for growth mindset. From kindergarten on, children in our building are …
Have you noticed all of the Mother’s Day crafts for kids out there? It’s like an unlimited number of Mother’s Day craft ideas. When I first started teaching, I would plan these elaborate Mother’s Day activities for students in my class. Each year, my class made this Mother’s Day card that would fold out into …
What are Brag Tags? Do you use brag tags in the classroom? Brag tags are a motivational classroom management tool. You can use brag tags for reading, writing, math, etc. You can also use brag tags for mindset and character development. So what are they? Basically, they’re mini awards that students can earn and …
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Do I love basketball? Nope. Do I look forward to March? YES! For me, March isn’t about basketball at all. Shh! Don’t tell my husband! Instead, it’s about something that I love so much more – children’s books & classroom fun! Here’s how I use a March Madness Book Bracket in my classroom: …
Anyone else get those monthly book deliveries from Dolly Parton? I know it’ s an exciting day when that free book shows up for our youngest little book lover, Andersen. She has this routine where she opens to the inside cover where there’s a photo of Dolly, gives her a big kiss and says “Thank …
How to Teach Kids About Money – Even at a Young Age! Read More »
Every year, I teach my littles about living and non-living organisms and basic needs. And every year I seem to have a hard time really getting them excited about this new unit. I know it’s important that they understand this before we move on to our habitats unit, but no matter how many songs we …
It’s alive! Teaching About Living / Non-Living and Basic Needs Read More »
The best way to understand someone else is to step into their shoes right? That’s why you’ll love this Cookie Paleontologist activity so much! This lesson goes beyond worksheets for second grade science. Your class will get hands-on experience excavating “fossils”. It’s so much fun while still covering second grade science common core standards. So, …
Beyond Worksheets for 2nd Grade Science – Fossil Lesson Read More »
Looking for One of the Best Diversity Classroom Activities? Try self-portraits! I teach in an incredibly diverse school. My classroom typically has children with families from all over the world – spanning at least 6 cultures. Creating self-portraits is one of my first diversity classroom activities every year. It teaches the kids to not …
It’s finally starting to feel and look like fall outside. It’s about time! This time of year I just want to throw on a hoodie and cozy up by a campfire. There just isn’t a better time of year to transform the classroom into a camping theme – complete with a tent, camping chairs, a …
The day of our cafe my littles came in buzzing! They were so excited to finally see all of their hard work come into play! We started by having a quick “mock” cafe with another class. The servers pretended to take orders and money. The cashiers went through the motions of organizing the money in …
Kindness Cafe Part 3: Day of Cafe & Revealing the Total Read More »
The prep jobs were an opportunity for all of the students to show some creativity and personality! Each group had some samples from real restaurants to study. We took time to meet and notice similarities in the products. We also discussed if the purpose was to persuade, inform, or entertain. The answer was often more …
Hopefully my initial Kindness Cafe post has lead you here. As you know, this project was such a success and I can’t wait to do it all again next year! But it required a lot of planning and prep. I thought I would save you a TON of time by sharing our journey as we …
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A few years ago, I introduced Kind Kids Club in my classroom. Each year the kids learn how great it can feel to help others. They also learn the value of working as a team to accomplish even more. Most importantly, they learn that no matter how small you are, you can still make a …
10 Powerful Black History Month Picture Books Looking for inspiring black history month picture books to share with your children during this February … or any other month of the year? Check out this list of 10 must-read titles. 1. Under the Same Sun This book is about a family split between two countries – Tanzania …
Let’s start by being honest. Black History Month content is heavy. First, African families were kidnapped from their homes. They were chained and crammed into ships where many died on the way to America. Next, those who survived were forced into slavery. We all know the inhumane treatment that came along with slavery. At this …
Today we had a “snow day” AT school! All activities were snow themed. We started by reading Snowmen at Night, by Caralyn Buehner. Actually by the end of the day we had read all of the books from this series. They’re all so great! We did various snowman themed activities and crafts. I wanted to …
We all know about the stresses that junior high and high school students are facing these days. Some examples are increased social pressures compounded by social media, high expectations for success in extra curriculars, and extremely rigorous academic courses with hours of homework. As an elementary teacher, it’s easy to think, “Thank God that’s not …
