The Blog
Flexible Seating Reflections
Starting the new year in August, we were implementing some massive changes! We were the first grade level piloting BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), we stopped assigning homework, we were gearing up for our IB Reauthorization Visit, and the biggest…
Using Pictures to Teach Reading and Writing Skills
For years, I have witnessed, over and over again, the value of using pictures to teach reading skills in my classroom. I always use them to introduce reading skills like inference, story elements, cause and effect, compare and contrast, etc. I…
MORE Multiplication Resources and Ideas
It’s that time of year for us– we have begun diving head first into multiplication. Since I teach 4th grade, that means reviewing the basics of multiplication that they learned last year AND teaching them multi-digit multiplication. It’s always a…
Easiest Partner Math Fact Practice Ever
Yet another game that the wonderful Hope from Elementary Shenanigans adapted for her classroom was Headbandz! If you’ve ever played the game, you know how ridiculously silly and playful it is, and kids LOVE ridiculous and silly! 😉 I knew…
Elapsed Time Amazing Race
Can you tell we have been hard at work mastering our elapsed time skills? This is something that can get pretty boring pretty quickly because of how much practice you HAVE to do. I started searching for more ideas to make it…
Elapsed Time Game!
A few weeks ago, I had the great privilege of attending a two day training at The Ron Clark Academy. They are all about high student engagement and adding a little bit of extra magic to a rigorous curriculum. One…
Coordinating Conjunctions and Compound Sentences
One of my big goals this year is to make writing as FUN and ENGAGING as I possibly can. So many students equate writing with boring skill practice and monotonous prompts, and I want to change that! We are very lucky to…
Host a Classroom Book Tasting!
I hosted my very first classroom Book Tasting yesterday, and my students were ALL IN! Book Tastings are a wonderful way to get kids engaged in reading and familiarizing them with a wide variety of genres. As an extra bonus, they…
Classroom Snapshots 2016-2017
Just one more post with classroom snapshots around classroom set up, and then I promise it will be back to my regular content-based blog posts! Now that all of our seating options are in, here are a few pictures to…
Back to School | Classroom | Classroom Management | Classroom Organization | Flexible Seating | Seasonal
First Day of School with Flexible Seating!
Hi there! This will be a quick post since today was the first day of school. I’m exhausted and still have plenty to do to get ready for another busy day tomorrow! I have had so many questions about flexible…
Back to School | Classroom | Classroom Organization | Classroom Pictures | Flexible Seating | Seasonal
A Peek into my {In Progress} Classroom Set Up
As I’ve been working on my classroom, I’ve shared a few pictures here and there of some spots in my classroom. It’s nowhere NEAR done, but several people have asked for source lists as well as labels. Here they are!…
How and When I Teach Reading Skills in Upper Elementary
I am frequently asked to share a scope and sequence for what order I teach reading skills. I’ve always been hesitant to do this because there are so many variables. There are often a few standards that I haven’t specifically…
