Welcome Back: Nurturing SEL Through Positive Feedback ? The start of a new school year is an exciting time filled with fresh beginnings and endless possibilities ?! As students return to the classroom, it's crucial to prioritize their social and emotional well-being in addition to academic achievement. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) plays a vital role in fostering healthy relationships, building resilience, and creating a positive learning environment. ? One powerful tool for supporting SEL is through the use of positive feedback. ? When students feel seen, valued, and appreciated, their co ..read more

Boost Number Sense with Engaging Number Talks! ?✨ Build number sense and computational fluency through dynamic number talks! Are you implementing number talks and CGI math with your students? Or perhaps you’re new to the CGI approach and need a little guidance? You’re in the right place! Why Number Talks? Daily number talks can significantly enhance your students' confidence and skills as mathematicians. By fostering a supportive environment, you'll see their abilities grow exponentially! What is CGI? CGI (Cognitively Guided Instruction) is not just a curriculum; it's a teaching app ..read more

STEM Challenge: Build Your Own Roller Coaster! ?? Building a roller coaster is not only fun, but it also teaches important scientific principles like gravity, friction, and speed! In this engaging STEM challenge, we created two types of ball runs: tabletop and wall coasters! What’s Included: Introduction: A brief overview of the importance of STEM education. Standards: Aligned educational standards for various grades. Types of Ball Runs: Explore store-bought, wall, and tabletop options. Materials: Teacher Directions: Clear instructions to guide the activity. Design Challenge: Exciting ta ..read more

Fun Coding Adventures with Scratch Jr! ?? Coding with your littles is an exciting journey! This Scratch Jr coding lessons bundle is a fantastic digital resource that allows kids ages 5-7 to create their own stories and games using a simple programming language. With colorful coding blocks, your kids will absolutely love bringing their ideas to life!  This lesson bundle is a great place to start with some basics. Lesson Format: Start with ISTE standards to align with educational goals. Engage with an inclusion activity to foster collaboration. Introduce the new coding blocks for t ..read more

Create Fun Games with Scratch Jr! ?? Did you know your little ones can design their own games using Scratch Jr? With this engaging bundle, coding has never been more fun! Gamification makes it even more fun. Your kids will love creating their own games while learning essential coding skills. What's Included: Four Exciting Games: Match Game Rabbit is Hungry Catch the Fairy Frogger (Kid Version) Lesson Format: Each lesson begins with ISTE standards and includes an inclusion activity. The step-by-step format covers: Background setup Sprites creation Coding instructions ..read more

Alice in Wonderland Close Reading Novel Study ?? “And what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversations?” —Chapter 1, Down the Rabbit-Hole Seriously...one of my favorite books in the world!   Immerse your students in the enchanting world of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll with this comprehensive close reading guide! This resource includes engaging comprehension activities designed to enhance understanding and foster critical thinking. What's Included: Thought-provoking discussion questions Fun, interactive activities In-depth anal ..read more

3 Strategies for Managing a Classroom Effectively These strategies will help you in your classroom management. Be clear! Set clear expectations and rules from the beginning of the school year. Communicate these expectations to students and ensure they understand the consequences for not following them. By having a structured framework in place, students will have a clear understanding of what is expected of them, promoting a sense of order and respect in the classroom. Relationships are everything!    Develop positive relationships with your students based on trust and mutua ..read more

What is design thinking? Design thinking is being creative.  It's about looking at problems through different lenses and trying to solve them in creative ways! Stanford d school Right before the Covid lockdown (geez, that seems so long ago!), I had the great fortune to attend a 3 day deep dive at Stanford University. It's called the dschool or the k12 lab. As a school team, we experienced design thinking as a students would.  We were given scenarios, we followed the protocol and designed away! It starts with empathy, defining, ideation, creating a prototype and testing it out ..read more

Great pd: Gilder Lehrman Zoom          History is an important topic to teach and Gilder Lehrman makes it wonderful and authentic.  If you are looking for great pd that connects to your students and your standards, check them out.  I am currently taking the course on The History of Latino and Latina People in the US.  They have courses on the American Revolutions and all historical concepts attached to the US.      Sign up as a member for free and get access to all they have to offer.  Make sure to sign up your sch ..read more

Classroom environment Time to consider classroom environment! Why? Why is classroom environment so important? It's not just about making your classroom pretty.  It's about making your class a safe place.  An inviting place.  A place where kids can look up to see their learning reflected and find resources to help them succeed. How? Consider: Arrangement.   Are your desks and tables set up for great flow and easy access for pair work, discussions and group work? Materials.   Can your students access all materials easily and does it foster independence ..read more