I love when students learn from one another and I hear the buzz and hum of engaged learning conversations. When partnerships are successful, it’s amazing what learning occurs! It’s taken me awhile to adjust, and readjust how I form learning partnerships. In my classroom, I assign long-term partnerships in math, writing, and reading. These partners get to know each other as learners and work together to build their skills. It’s a great day when students successfully and purposefully learn from each other! Read on as I share some tips that I’ve used to help manage long-term partnerships and mak ..read more

Hi teaching friends!  Sometimes classroom organization and decor are more than just functional. Sometimes we decorate for fun because it makes you smile. And that’s ok too. When you spend so much time in your classroom, your space should make you smile. It truly is your home away from home. Today’s post is all about one of those small details that is truly just for looks. But if it brings a smile to your face every time you see it, then the few minutes of making it is definitely worth it. I decided to grab a couple of items at the craft and big box store the other day and really had a bl ..read more

I know most teachers with good classroom management strategies would say the answer to the title question is “usually not.”  If you are normally a more reserved teacher, then yelling could certainly take them by surprise.  lol.  But, at least it has been my own personal experience, that many students get yelled at at home quite a bit, and have learned to tune it out. Here’s a great classroom management plan to try  – if you raise you voice three times or more at a student or at a class, then take it as fact it doesn’t work.  Getting louder than the noise from the clas ..read more

Hey everyone!   Today, I wanted to answer a question that was posted on our Facebook page wall that is from Pamela O. She says, “Hi Charity, I am looking for some creative inspiration for my home office. I was wondering if you had any tips for how to organize the plethora of teaching materials and supplies I keep at home. My classroom just doesn’t have enough storage space and I do a lot of prep-work at home. My home office doubles as a guest room and I still want it to be cute and functional. I would love to see how other teachers have organized their work spaces at home as well. Th ..read more

This section is for class sizes of 30 or more students. While all the photos show options for 30 students, feel free to place additional students on the end of groups, or add additional groups, if needed. Students are in two long groups, but are staggered for less talking than in traditional pod formations.  They will face one another, but have access to many different students for interaction and collaboration. How else could you use this seating arrangement in your classroom?  Feel free to share in the comments below! You might want to check out: Want an AD-FREE resource book ..read more

This section is for class sizes of 22-23 students. While all the photos show options for 22 students, feel free to place an additional student on the end of one of the groups, if needed. Five teams are placed in a linear formation.  This type of seating chart is popular in many classrooms. How else could you use this seating arrangement in your classroom?  Feel free to share in the comments below! You might want to check out: Want an AD-FREE resource book of all 87 seating charts in one easy-to-print format?  190 pages in total!  Now available in our Bookstore!   ..read more

Hey OC readers! It’s almost time for the big heart day! I hope to make it a little more lovely for you if you are looking for some fun last minute Valentines Day Activities. You will need a bag of Hershey Kisses for these gems… I know, I use food a lot in my freebies and many schools say no to food… good things is you can modify and instead of Hershey kisses use another shape to do these activities. Or you can tweak these activities to match the standards you are working on. The first activity is a CVC reading matching activity. The student reads the word and matches the picture to the corre ..read more

This section is for class sizes of 20-21 students. While all the photos show options for 20 students, feel free to place an additional student on the end of one of the groups, if needed. The pairs of desks are arranged in loose lines, making sure to alternate between sets so that all students have a clear view of the board and/or direct instruction at the front of the room. How else could you use this seating arrangement in your classroom?  Feel free to share in the comments below! You might want to check out: Want an AD-FREE resource book of all 87 seating charts in one easy-to-pri ..read more

I am super excited to be here today to share some ideas for you on how to organize your technology center. I started this post to be specifically geared to a computer center and then realized that it also pertains to iPads, MP3 players, E-Readers and various other forms of technology that might show up in your centers. My personal classroom has 3 computer stations and an iPad station, which get mixed and matched depending on the needs of myself and my students. You might want to check out: Need some new ideas for simple tech routines in your classroom? This 181 page digital book has you co ..read more

Do you ever feel that your students would rather watch a video than listen to you? Children are so engaged by technology that we must find ways to use it to our advantage. Voki is a free online program that can help you in a variety of ways. The image of the male Voki was made by one of my students, when I taught in a self-contained and pull-out classroom. His research topic was on gun control, and he had to make a Voki of someone that would explain the problem and his solution. I love that he put him in a big city, where this child knew gun control was a problem. The kids had so much fun ma ..read more