It’s Monday morning and Janelle walks into her classroom after having a lovely weekend off where she relaxed, cooked a fabulous Sunday brunch, and did some quiet grading (she IS a teacher after all and rarely do teachers not have to do some weekend work, right?). She was feeling pretty great actually. Lesson […]
Charity Preston
Easy Video Assessment
Student learning can be hard (or easy) to assess. So many times people think of assessment as nothing more than a paper and pencil test. Probably with some multiple choice options and an essay section at the end. That is certainly one way to assess a child’s knowledge about a certain topic. But, there are […]
Place Value Front and Center!
Teaching place value to kids in math class can be fun – if you have some hands-on learning activities and visuals, like charts. You can utilize game boards or worksheets. The key really is for students to understand the core of what place value is, which is abstract and much harder to get across when […]
Pumpkin Sorting Activity
I was feeling pretty inspired today and decided to whip up a fun sorting activity freebie hopefully some of you can use in your classrooms to celebrate the season! I love pumpkins all fall long! They are a good symbol of the season that I don’t have to change in a month’s time. I usually […]
Learning with Washi Feathers!
As I was thinking about US Thanksgiving, I thought about how I learned about Thanksgiving when I was in school. What I don’t remember learning a lot about was Native American culture throughout that process. {Keep in mind, this was a great many years ago.} So, while I was doing a little research, I did […]
WHOOOOO Loves November?
I adore November! There is so much excitement in the air between Veteran’s Day, the election, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and of course, the kickoff to the Christmas season! I don’t know about you, but I feel like this year is flying past like a jumbo jet! November can be insane and the pressure […]
87 Seating Charts for Any Class Size
Knowing the best classroom desk arrangement for your students takes a bit of time after school has started. You can always begin with one seating chart on Day One, but very quickly you start to learn whether the current desk configuration will work with your students – or will need to be modified. Some days […]
Student Slang for Teachers
I’m sitting minding my own business when my son comes in the door from the school bus and says, “Get wrecked.” I immediately thought he meant that the bus had gotten into a collision with something else and panicked. Turns out “get wrecked” just means a cooler way of saying ‘oh snap’ about someone or […]
Word Walls to the Rescue
Looking for some new word wall ideas? Word walls don’t have to be a standard wall full of sight words that remain static all school year long. You can create interactive word walls, word walls for character traits, or even a portable word wall that you only pull out when needed! There are so many […]
Boppin’ with Brain Breaks
How often do you stop instruction for brain breaks? Is it when you see the glazed look on your students’ faces – or perhaps you set a timer every so often to remind you to stop intentionally for a quick pick-me-up? However you decide to remind yourself to stop for a brain break, it is […]
Easy Classroom Jobs Rotations!
I feel like I’ve tried it all when it comes to classroom jobs! At one point I had different individual jobs for each and every student that I had to remember to change everyday (exhausting!). With all the little, and big, things teachers have to do, classroom jobs should be at the very least of […]
Character Day Ideas
Teacher Halloween costumes are usually either allowed per school policy or not. From asking my audience, I have found that the majority of schools still do allow costumes every fall. I looooooove fall. Even when it’s rainy like today and I’m under the blanket. And don’t even get me started on the candy. But – […]
Falling Into Classroom Management
I know you have probably seen those “you’ve been booed” signs around in different neighborhoods around town. They are fun and definitely festive! I actually don’t live in a neighborhood, but rather set way far back off a busy road. We have neighbors, but not really close by. And their kids are all grown […]
Classroom Seating Chart: Wigwams
This section is for class sizes of 24-25 students. While all the photos show options for 24 students, feel free to place an additional student on the end of one of the groups, if needed. Triangular groups of three is nice for group discussions and projects. This type of classroom desk arrangement would not be […]
5 Days to Parent Involvement!
Oh yeah! I know a lot of you LOVE my PD in your PJs Workshops and I have a NEW one for you that is sent purely all email and not a video training! This one is called 5 Days to Parent Involvement and it is presented a little differently than some of […]