The Blog
8 St. Patrick’s Day Activities For Upper Elementary
Are you looking for creative ways to incorporate St. Patrick’s Day into your lesson plans? You’re in the right place because this post is packed with fun and educational St. Patrick’s Day activities for upper elementary! From planning a trip…
Tried and True Math Teacher Observation Lessons
We’re continuing our no-stress classroom observation tips series with tried and true math teacher observation lessons for your next evaluation. If you haven’t read the first post yet, you can find general classroom observation success tips to use all year…
Leap Year Activities For Upper Elementary School
I’ve shared before how upper elementary students love seasonal fun, too. If you’re ready to embrace the Leap Year (you only get the chance every 4 years, so why not??), I have a full day of Leap Year lesson plans…
Family Learning Night Ideas
Is your school looking for a way to build stronger connections between home and school? Hosting a family learning night is the perfect way to bring families together for a fun and educational evening at school. Whether you host a…
The Benefits of Wordless Picture Books
Wordless picture books are magic tools that we can use in our classrooms to help students make connections and draw inferences effortlessly! Right about now, you might be thinking, Wait, really? Of what use are wordless picture books when teaching…
The Best Age-Appropriate Books For Advanced Readers
As a gifted and talented facilitator, I am always asked to recommend age-appropriate books for advanced readers. It can truly be a daunting task to find books to fit the bill for upper elementary students. However, it is crucial to…
Classroom Observation Tips
We all know how nerve-wracking principal observations can be, even when that’s not their intent. I remember, early on in my career, my mentor teacher told me that NO principal wants to see a dog and pony show – they…
Student Council Ideas for Elementary Schools
Does your school have a student council? Once reserved for middle and high school students, it’s now more common to have a student council at the elementary level as well. A student council can provide a valuable platform for students…
The Best Way to Teach Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) with Picture Books
In today’s ever-changing landscape of education, fostering Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is essential to prepare students for life beyond the classroom. Teaching students critical SEL skills is something I’ve become particularly passionate about over the last several years. I’ve…
5 Benefits to Mental Math Tasks
Throughout my career, I have always believed that laying a strong mathematical foundation is crucial for a student’s future success. And at the heart of this journey, I discovered the power of mental math tasks. In this blog post, I…
Fun Ideas for Teaching Figurative Language & Free Starter Kit
Ah, figurative language. Sometimes, teaching figurative language can feel like an uphill battle. If you’ve ever found yourself grappling with how to make teaching figurative language in the upper grades appealing and accessible to your students, you are not alone…
Christmas Math and Literacy Ideas for Christmas in the Classroom
As the holiday season approaches each year, I look for creative ways to infuse the festive spirit into our classroom. Over the years, I’ve created a collection of engaging (and educational!) Christmas math and Christmas literacy activities that are perfect…
3rd Grade Spiral Math Review | Math Skill of the Day