Teaching place value to upper elementary students is a crucial milestone in their math education. It lays the foundation for understanding larger numbers, decimals, and more advanced mathematical concepts. To help you make place value engaging and effective for your students, I am sharing some of my favorite tips and strategies. From hands-on activities to real-world applications, these ideas are designed to help your students master place value. Table of Contents Place Value Visual Aids Hands-On Activities Explore Expanded Form Connect with Word Form Comparison Activities Real-World Exampl ..read more

Welcome to Week 4 of the final week of the End of Year Challenge!  This week we will reflect, engage, and have fun with our students. For an overview of the End of the School Year Challenge, read this post here. As the school year is winding down, it’s not just the teachers who are feeling a bunch of different emotions. The last days of school are a big deal for students too, signaling the end of a chapter in their educational journey. To make this time memorable and meaningful for your students, there are simple, yet enjoyable activities you can incorporate into the final weeks of scho ..read more

Welcome to Week 3 of the End of Year Challenge!  This week we will make sure that we take care of a very important person. YOU. For an overview of the End of the School Year Challenge, read this post here. Teaching is hard and requires a lot of energy and dedication, and the end of the school year can be particularly challenging. Let’s face it, we’re all tired. That’s why it’s crucial for teachers to prioritize self-care all year but especially during this time. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of wrapping up the school year, but neglecting your own needs can lead to b ..read more

Welcome to Week 1 of the End of Year Challenge! This week we will reflect on the past year and set goals for the next school year. Want a copy of the End of Year Challenge Board? Get it HERE. As another school year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on all the progress made in the classroom over the past year. This step may seem daunting right now but everything is still fresh in your mind and not dulled by the thrilling haze of the last days of school. Take a moment and examine what worked well and what didn’t, this reflection can provide valuable insight into how to improv ..read more

As Earth Day approaches, it’s a great time to focus on the critical environmental issues facing our planet. Environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, and deforestation, are becoming increasingly urgent concerns, and it’s important to help students to understand the problems and students in addressing these challenges. In this blog post, we’ll explore ideas for engaging students in a research project related to environmental issues. These ideas will provide a starting point for inspiring your students to become environmental advocates and change-makers. Table of Contents Benefit ..read more

As the end of year approaches, it’s important for teachers to reflect on their teaching practices, set goals for the future, stay organized, and make sure to take care of themselves. To help with this, we’ve created an end of the school year challenge that offers 16 tasks for teachers to choose from, with a focus on four main areas: Reflection and Goals, Organization, Self-care, and Engaging Students. Each week, we will send out an email that focuses on one of the four areas, and provide a blog post that outlines the tasks for that week. This will give teachers the flexibility to choose the ..read more

Teaching students about angles is a fun and interactive way to introduce geometry concepts. Understanding angles is important for students to be able to visualize and analyze shapes, as well as to understand relationships between objects. Teaching angles to elementary students can be challenging, but with a few creative and interactive strategies, it can be a fun and engaging experience. Here are 10 activity ideas to get you started: 1: Relate Angles to the Real World Point out angles in everyday objects such as clocks, doors hinges, and table legs. This can help students see the relevance of ..read more

Winter is a great time to incorporate STEM activities into your classroom curriculum. Not only do they provide a fun and engaging way to learn, but they also allow students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world problems. One way to do this is through a winter STEM challenge that focuses on reviewing the engineering design process. The engineering design process is a series of steps that engineers follow to solve a problem or meet a need. It is a crucial concept for students to understand, as it helps them develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. By particip ..read more

What is classroom management? Smart classroom management is so important and is a critical skill for any teacher. It involves setting expectations, monitoring student behavior, and creating an environment where students can learn and thrive. Classroom management is not always easy, but it is essential to the success of any classroom. With a little bit of knowledge and practice, you can become an expert and have a toolbox of classroom management skills to create a learning environment that is safe and enjoyable for both you and your students. Classroom Management Tip: Using Student Behavior Pu ..read more

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