Virginia’s Board of Education officially adopted the 2024 ELA SOLs in March 2024. While these new SOLs bring changes you should be aware of, I have found the changes to be much more minor compared to other SOL revisions in recent years. (looking at you, math and science!) In this blog post for Virginia teachers, you’ll find the reason for the changes, resources to help you teach the 2024 ELA SOLs, and a list of the biggest changes to the upper elementary SOLs. Finding content aligned to the Virginia SOLs is hard. If you’re looking for news and resources just for Virginia teachers, be sure to ..read more

One of the Virginia Science Standards of Learning (SOLs) is all about forms of energy. Some of the concepts students learn as part of these forms of energy lessons include— describing energy identifying different forms of energy identifying and describing how energy can be transferred and transformed explaining conservation of energy Energy is all around us and it takes many different forms. Teaching students to recognize energy in all its forms is exciting. Here are ways to transform your forms of energy unit with hands-on fun for students! Tips for Teaching Forms of Energy in Virginia Dep ..read more

A few years ago, I was sitting in a faculty meeting and heard many teachers complaining that they didn’t want to teach another US History SOL. Several lamented that the subject was “boring” and that there was “no way to make it hands-on.” If you’re one of those teachers who thinks the US History Standards of Learning are boring, I’m here to change your thinking! This blog post is packed with US History lessons and activities for EVERY SOL. And, what you’ll find here is anything but boring! You’ll discover hands-on activities and games to get you and your students excited about US History. Note ..read more

One of the Virginia Science Standards of Learning (SOLs) is all about electricity. Some of the concepts students will learn as part of these electricity lessons include— conductors and insulators circuits static electricity electrical energy transformations electromagnets Electricity is a fun science SOL to teach. It’s one of the most hands-on science units and students can easily relate what they are learning to everyday life. Let’s explore ways to supercharge your electricity lessons with hands-on learning and games! All of the science experiments listed in this blog post are included in ..read more

The US History SOL test will be here before we know it. If you’re a US History teacher in Virginia, you’ve come to the right place! This blog post is packed with review games, activities, and projects to keep your students engaged at the end of the school year as they review for the US History SOL test. United States Road Trip Project Working project-based learning into your US History SOL test prep is a great way to keep students engaged at the end of the school year and review for the SOL test. One of my favorite project-based learning activities involves planning a road trip through the Un ..read more

Looking for light and sound activities? You’ve come to the right corner of the Internet! There are many simple, hands-on experiments and fun games you can play to help students learn and retain science concepts related to light and sound. Your students will “light up” when you use the experiments, activities, and games shared here! How to Teach Light and Sound Together or separate… that is the question! When planning to teach light and sound, you must first decide whether to teach them together or separately. As a Virginia educator, I usually teach these concepts separately because they are t ..read more

The math SOL test is just around the corner. If you’re an upper elementary teacher in Virginia, you’ve come to the right place! This blog post is packed with games, books, and ideas to keep your students engaged at the end of the school year as they review for the math SOL test. **This blog post for Virginia teachers contains affiliate links.** Math SOL Jeopardy Jeopardy games have quickly become the go-to SOL review game in my classroom. Students love them because they allow for friendly competition as they review the math SOLs. And, I love them because they are an easy, no-prep way to revie ..read more

One of the Virginia science standards is all about force and motion. Some of the concepts students will study as part of these force and motion lesson plans include— defining kinetic energy describing motion and changes in motion explaining what happens when objects collide explaining the relationship between mass and motion describing friction If you’re looking for ways to turn these science concepts into engaging lessons, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s explore ways to make your force and motion lessons memorable! Force and Motion Experiments One of the easiest ways to increase stud ..read more

Manipulatives and models are helpful tools when learning the times tables. And, the best multiplication tools are the ones students have with them all the time—their fingers! Multiplication using fingers is one of the best strategies you can teach students to help them memorize harder multiplication facts. Using Fingers to Multiply 6-10 When multiplying two factors that are both between 6-10, multiplication using fingers is a great tool. The first step is assigning the following numbers to each finger. Make sure that when you are looking at your hands, your palms are facing up and the same nu ..read more

Of all the multiplication facts, students tend to struggle most with the 6, 7, and 8 times tables. Unlike other times tables, there are not as many helpful tips and tricks students can use to memorize those multiplication facts. But, there are some easy strategies students can use to help them quickly find the products for multiplication problems that use 6, 7, and 8. 6, 7, and 8 Times Tables Strategies For some times tables, there are simple tricks or models that can be used. There are not any tips or tricks that are specific to the 6, 7, and 8 times tables, but there are general strategies ..read more