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
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 […]
Colored Glue – Who Knew?
Howdy! So, I ran across this super cute idea for creating colored glue for painting glue pictures from Almost Unschoolers, so I HAD to try it for myself! It turns out it was as easy as it looked – for real! I can see it being used in so many ways in the classroom from […]
Teaching Making Predictions/Inferences eBook!
Ask the fans at The Organized Classroom Blog Facebook Fan Page a question, and they always come through with an answer! This week’s Collaboration Wednesday question had to do with ideas for how to teach making predictions and inferences. This one was always hard for me as a teacher, especially with 2nd and 3rd graders […]
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 – […]
Monster Caps Craft and Graphing Freebie
First of all, I just want to give a big thanks to Charity for allowing me the opportunity to be a guest blogger and to have the chance to share my ideas with a larger audience. ¡Muchas gracias, OC Blog! Now, let’s get to those cute, little guys! Although I’m a fourth grade teacher, I […]
The Great Candy Comparison
Hey teaching friends! I was thinking about how quickly the fall seems to be going – for me anyway. And how the holidays seem to be rushing past! I just realized that Halloween is coming in less than a week – ahhhh! In our local area, it seems as though EVERYONE is now having trick […]
Standing up to Your Teacher Desk
One of the biggest issues for teachers in the classroom is lack of space. Not enough room for the large class sizes, not to mention the ability to move around freely for learning centers or cooperative learning activities. Because of this, many teachers have given up a private desk space. Mind you, they still need […]
Sideways Storage in the Classroom
Classrooms can get cluttered without a doubt. Smart teachers save everything. You never know when you might need that stack of newspaper sale ads for a budgeting lesson. Or a class set of mini magnifying glasses when you find a cool bug in the room. Or even all those millions of google eyes when you […]
Hanging Around for Chart Organization
Do you have a bunch of charts you always forget to hang up or change out throughout the school year? Here is a handy idea for making sure you are able to remember where they are, and when to change them out! First, you will need to gather all your large posters and charts and […]
Math Problem Solving Anyone?
Thanks so much to the fans at the Facebook Fan Page for all their help in creating the free eBook below! I know problem solving in math (especially with the standardized testing season upon us) is a skill that continually needs honed. With trick questions, answers that are super close to one another, and vocabulary […]
Kindergarten Classroom Library Success!
Today I want to share my tips for organizing your classroom library. After years of trying to keep the library organized and manageable, I finally found a system that worked for me and my students! I tried organizing my books by genre and letters and themes. That worked great for me, but did not […]
Celebrating Student Birthdays!
Hi teaching friends! Since today was my beautiful daughter’s birthday, and my….I can do this…really I can….39+++ birthday is next week on the 17th of September (told you I could and that barely hurt – lol), it got me to thinking about what I normally do in my classroom for student birthdays. Traditionally, I have […]
DIY Reading Strategy Fans!
Today, we have a guest blog post from Stephanie at Teaching in Room 6 where she explains a handy little tool she uses for comprehension reading strategies and even provides a freebie for you as well! Make sure to stop by her blog to say hello! Reading comprehension is such an important skill for our […]
Silly Stories Fall Freebie!
Happy fall y’all! I was feeling particularly fall-ish today on account of the gorgeous fall weather in northern Ohio and thought you might enjoy a little fall freebie! If you loved doing MadLibs as a child, you will love this set of 2 fall-themed silly story worksheets! Download below – or if you are an […]
Classroom Library Solutions
I know so many of the readers here at The Organized Classroom Blog ask every year about the best classroom library organization ideas. I am pretty positive that the decision for how best to set up YOUR classroom library needs to fill to your preferences and that it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. I have […]
Pencil in a Routine
Having a classroom management procedure in place in your classroom is a given. That’s the stuff nightmares are made of. But, what happens if you don’t have other simple systems in place once the school year gets rolling? Maybe nothing. Maybe a little bit of confusion. Probably nothing to lose sleep over. Let’s look at […]
Popsicle Stick Pattern Cards Sampler Freebie!
Hi everyone! Seems like I haven’t posted a video in FOREVER! So, here is a super short and simple one – only 4 minutes long! I hope you enjoy and make sure to grab your free download as well! Prefer to read the transcript? Gotcha covered! Transcript: “Hi, everyone! Charity Preston here from the Organized […]
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 […]
Make Your Own Multi-Pocket Writing Folders!
So – today I have a super easy and quick idea for all of you who don’t want multiple pocket folders in your students’ desks! DIY multipocket folders from two 2-pocket folders with brads without needing staples, tape, binding machines, or anything else! Of course, you could make them even larger IF you want to […]