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Analyzing Firsthand and Secondhand Accounts
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.6: Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided. I’m not going to lie. This was a scary standard for me to tackle. It’s one…
Educational Upper Elementary Halloween Activities for the BIG KIDS!
Every year, I find myself frantically searching for upper elementary Halloween activities that are suitable for the big kids. There are tons of adorable activities for the K-1 crowd, but finding activities that are both educational and engaging for older…
An Amazon Listing Cumulative Novel Project!
It’s no secret that I love a good cumulative novel project as an assessment. I usually spend the entire novel brainstorming how we can sum it up! Sometimes the projects are a miss (you don’t get to read about those!)…
Teaching Compare & Contrast
A few weeks ago, my two year olds and I were perusing the shelves of the library when they stumbled upon a book that they wanted to read “because there is an apple and an orange, and I like fruit!”…
The One Rule Classroom: Just a little RESPECT!
There are so many ideas for classroom rules, and I love and respect many of them. I remember my mentor walking in on my first day of teaching while we were generating class rules. The kids, by nature, were shouting…
Teaching Place Value
A few weeks ago, I asked my Facebook followers about the very first thing they taught in math at the beginning of the school year. All but one or two people said PLACE VALUE! I looked back at my blog…
Classroom | Classroom Management | Classroom Organization | Intervention | Literacy | Reading Skills | Task Cards
Advanced Reading Intervention Plans
Last year, I spent a lot of my time with “advanced” readers. These are readers who can read lickity split and don’t need any more instruction on reading fluency. These are the students who so often get left behind because…
First Day of School Activities for Big Kids
Every time I mentioned Back to School on my Facebook page at least one person mentions that it can’t possibly be time yet! I know, I know! It’s much too soon… but the fact is that it’s coming. In fact,…
Smooth Sailing Back to School Tips: Preparing for the New School Year
It is around this time every year that my classroom to-do list starts looking a little lot overwhelming. I tried separating my lists into different categories like “Classroom Set Up” and “Academics” and “JUST GET IT DONE!” but I still…
Back to School | Building Community | Classroom | Classroom Management | Seasonal | The Parent Connection
Building Rapport on Meet Your Teacher Night
I can’t believe it’s almost time to start thinking about going back to school! That also means it’s time to start designing your classroom, planning your curriculum, and getting ready for loads of back to school professional development. But, there’s…
Back to School Math Freebie for my Fans!
I know it may feel a little premature to start talking Back to School, but some districts in my area go back toward the end of July. That’s less than a month away! It’s never too early, right? **UPDATE: These…
Cutting Corners with Interactive Notebooks
Teachers never stop working. I know we hear it all the time, but now I have proof! I posted a blog a little over a week ago, about The 5 Changes I made that Saved My Sanity, and that blog…
