When it comes to testing the Virginia science SOLs (Standards of Learning), I am a big fan of using a variety of games and interactive review activities to help students review and prepare for testing. But, traditional study guides are also helpful tools that students can use to study for the science SOL test independently […] The post Best Uses for Virginia Science SOLs Study Guides appeared first on Vestal's 21st Century Classroom ..read more

One of the Virginia Science Standards of Learning (SOLs) is all about how animal and plant structures aid in growth, development, and survival. Some of the concepts covered in this SOL include: Most kids love learning about plants and animals, so your animal and plant structures lessons can easily grow students’ love for science. Let’s […] The post Animal and Plant Structures Lessons Students LOVE! appeared first on Vestal's 21st Century Classroom ..read more

Let me tell you one of my best-kept teaching secrets… you do not need massive room transformations and hours of planning review games to make your SOL test review engaging! Math SOL test prep does NOT have to be overly complicated or time-consuming to plan for. Often the best review games and activities are the […] The post No-Prep 5th-Grade Math SOL Review Games appeared first on Vestal's 21st Century Classroom ..read more

There are lots of games and activities you can use to review the Virginia Studies SOLs (Standards of Learning). But, my Virginia Studies Escape Rooms are the review activities that my students beg for at the end of every unit. Escape rooms are the best Virginia Studies review activity because they— Let’s take a closer […] The post The Best Virginia Studies Review Activities appeared first on Vestal's 21st Century Classroom ..read more

If you teach multiplication with multi-digit numbers, it is helpful to keep a variety of strategies in your math toolbox. Using partial products to multiply is one long multiplication strategy that is essential for every upper elementary math classroom! Let’s explore how you can multiply by using partial products! Why Teach the Partial Products Strategy? […] The post How to Use Partial Products to Multiply appeared first on Vestal's 21st Century Classroom ..read more

There are lots of math SOL practice games and activities that you can use before SOL testing at the end of the school year. There are task card games, TEI practice items, dice and card games, study guides… endless possibilities! But, the best math SOL practice activities are the ones that meet the following criteria– […] The post Fun Math SOL Practice! appeared first on Vestal's 21st Century Classroom ..read more

If you’re a 5th-grade science teacher in Virginia, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, you’ll find everything you need to know about the 5th-grade science SOLs. From the theme to the main ideas of each unit to fun lessons and experiments… it’s all here! What do you need to know about the […] The post Everything You Need to Know to Teach the 5th Grade Science SOLs! appeared first on Vestal's 21st Century Classroom ..read more

The new 2023 Virginia Math Standards of Learning will be fully implemented during the 2024-2025 school year. New SOLs can be scary but don’t panic! Vestal’s 21st Century Classroom is here with everything you need to know about the new math SOLs and resources aligned to Virginia’s math standards. How Have the Math SOLs Changed? The 2023 Virginia Math Standards of Learning are bringing big changes to math classrooms across Virginia! I’ve written another post for Virginia teachers that outlines everything you need to know about the new math SOLs. You’ll discover: why the math sols changed the t ..read more

Everything you see or touch is made of matter! That means there are lots of simple, hands-on activities you can use to make your matter lesson plans engaging for upper elementary students. All of the activities described in this blog post are related to the upper elementary Virginia science SOL related to matter. Concepts covered include: matter is composed of atoms substances can be mixed together without changes to their physical properties energy has an effect on the phases of matter All of the science experiments listed in this blog post are included in my Matter Lesson Plans. The lesso ..read more

We use different energy sources all throughout our days. Whether turning on a light, typing an email, or riding the bus to school… energy is consumed to make these things happen! Teaching your renewable and nonrenewable resources lesson plans does not have to be complicated because you can pull in all of these scenarios around you to help students easily grasp the concepts. Some of the topics that are part of the Virginia Science SOLs related to renewable and nonrenewable resources include— Identifying sources of energy that are considered renewable and sources of energy that are nonrenewable ..read more