The first few days of school are so chaotic! Everyone is nervous, even the teacher. Establishing relationships and classroom community is so important because without those teaching content is infinitely more difficult. The back-to-school activities that we use should be lighter on content and heavier on getting to know each other. And don't miss my earlier posts about back-to-school. back-to-school activities for the first week of school There's so much for first graders to learn about school before they can really learn anything IN school. They need to be taught everything … where to hang t ..read more

One way teachers can assess how their students are doing and where there are gaps in understanding different concepts is by data tracking. The information you can learn from the data you collect is invaluable to help you know where to focus your instruction the most. It's also beneficial in that you can determine how to group students and differentiate them according to their needs. Check out this earlier blog post about other math resources. let students track their own data Just as gathering data is useful to you as the teacher, it's also very useful to your students. But I'm not referring ..read more

Word centers are so important for young students learning to read and write. They allow them to focus on one particular skill or to practice and review what they've already learned. They can do word word centers at any point in the school day and even at home. Working with words in all areas such as rhyming, phonics, etc. will make your students better writers, readers, and spellers. I have more ideas for word work in this previous post. ideas for fun word centers Write a Silly Story This is a word center activity that students really like because they get to make up silly stories! Have a wor ..read more

Are you studying animals? Looking for some fun classroom decor? Are you teaching science vocabulary? Want to further develop your students' speaking and listening skills? You can cover all of these bases with animal posters! benefits of using animal posters Of course, the most obvious use of animal posters is to decorate your classroom. Kids love animals and have endless curiosity about them, so it makes perfect sense to use them around your room as part of your decor. But posters can be much more than just decoration. Here are some benefits of using animal posters in your classroom. An eye ..read more

Handwriting practice is so important for young students. But for those who are having difficulties it can be a very frustrating endeavor. How can we help our students practice their handwriting without making them bored or frustrated? I've gathered some ideas together here for you. You might want to try one of these fun ideas! fun handwriting practice ideas One thing that really helps with this skill is to make students forget that they're practicing. If the activity is fun, chances are they'll be much more willing to try. Practice that isn't schoolwork – Change things up by practicing writi ..read more

Whether you're out of school for the summer or just winding down, I bet you're already thinking about back to school time! It's a relief to do some planning when you can actually take a breath. And that's a good thing, because your first week of school is so very important. That first week can set the tone for the rest of the school year, so it really pays off to spend plenty of time thinking about the type of atmosphere that you'd like to create in your room. Find other back to school ideas here. back to school activities Establish a morning routine. You have work that you have to do in the m ..read more

Classroom organization is one of those things that are very individual. What works for one person may not work for another. If a picture or idea that you see here resonates with you, it might be worth giving it a try. I've gathered five fun and easy ideas for ways to organize your classroom … maybe one or two of them will work for you! See my earlier blog post for technology organization ideas. Classroom organization ideas Use Filing Boxes and Dishpans These handy containers can be used for so much more than just files and dishes! Sort construction paper in a file box by color. You'll always ..read more

I'm pretty sure you've heard about task cards, and you may have used them in your classroom. They're such a useful and versatile tool in just about any classroom and there's absolutely no wrong way to use them. I've put together a list of ideas for you to try. Not every idea will work in every classroom or with every teacher, but there's most likely something here that will work for you! They can work for distance learning too. See this earlier post about Boom Cards. Ideas for using task cards Using Task Cards at Stations or Centers – these little cards were made for stations! Here are severa ..read more