We always knew handwashing was an important “hidden curriculum” skill we needed to teach our young students. We didn’t know that it would become something that is a HUGELY important skill. Read on to see how I teach handwashing and download some FREEBIES! Teachers have always hoped that students come to them with good handwashing skills. It has been something that I’ve needed to remind my students to do, but I felt comfortable that they could do it on their own. Insert a global pandemic… Proper handwashing is now hugely important. Students need to properly lather up and scrub for 20 seconds ..read more

Teachers have limited time to plan and prep during the school day. Yet, in order to teach all day, they must spend time planning and prepping. So, how do you do both? In my thirteen years experience, I found my prep times hard to manage. Until, I made a weekly planning checklist! When you have been teaching for hours and *finally* get a prep, the last thing you want to do is figure out what needs to get done. You want to eat. You want to get coffee.   You want to go to the bathroom. You want to say hi to your teacher bestie. You want to turn off the lights in your room and enjoy the sil ..read more

As a one to one iPad teacher, I am always looking for great apps and sites for my students to learn while using them. Especially ones that are free! When I came across Lalilo I knew that it would be perfect for my young learners. It is an innovative, visually engaging, standards-aligned literacy software program for K-2 students and teachers. They support literacy learning and instruction through interactive exercises with extensive data tracking and planning tools for teachers. Sounds amazing, right?! Read on to learn more! Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. However, all thoughts and ..read more

As a first grade teacher, one of my most important jobs is to foster a love for books. Opinions on how my students enjoy reading, and how they see themselves as a reader are formed so early. It is my obligation to start them out on the right foot with school. That is why I love “hooking” my students onto a chapter book series! My students have at least fifteen minutes to read every day. Every single day. It’s a non-negotiable in my book. They book shop for books. I help them pick out books. But they get to a point in the year where they want more. Around December, I start reading the Mercy W ..read more

If you have been following along with me for awhile, you know that I love incorporating iPads into my daily lesson plans. I am lucky that I have been teaching with iPads for seven years and have been 1:1 for five. So, I have had a lot of time to try new things and refine my practice. I am always sharing bits and pieces of what I do – so I decided to sum it all up in one place! Learning how to use iPads effectively can be tough.  Especially because there is usually very little training that accompanies them. – I know teachers that receive a set of iPads with no apps on them and are expe ..read more

As a reading workshop teacher, my kids are independently and partner reading for at least 30 minutes during our day. I confer with them weekly and conduct small groups when needed. My kids do a great job of tracking their reading with our tracking sheets. Sometimes they need something else though. Something to keep them accountable and for them to process their thinking. That is where I came up with our reading response journals! I follow Teachers College framework for reader’s workshop. For my first graders, our daily reading schedule usually looks like this: 15 minute Mini Lesson 30 minute ..read more

“Stop” “Stooooop” “Stop!!!!” How many times do you hear this word in your classroom? How many times is it totally ignored? If your classroom is anything like mine – it’s a lot. Read on to learn how I teach my students to respect this word and help improve our classroom community. I don’t know why, but I hear the word “stop” being ignored in my classroom constantly. Student is yelling into another student’s ear while they are reading. “STOP!” Student keeps yelling. The whole class is trying to quiet down and someone is crawling over the floor acting like a puppy. The other kids say, “stoooop ..read more

I love incorporating technology in my classroom. I am always on the hunt for new apps that help to teach my kids, while engaging them. That is why when I heard of a new Augmented Reality app that was designed to support social-emotional development – I quickly downloaded it for my son. Read on to learn more about it AND enter an amazing giveaway! Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.   My son Leo loves learning on the iPad. As a “mobile native” he has had technology at his fingertips all his life. As a teacher, it is fun for me to see ..read more

Transitions are tough. Transitions in the classroom can be tough. Transitions at home can be tough. Something that I have found that helps with this are social stories. Creating social stories can be extremely simple – and can have a big benefit. Read on to learn how I create social stories for both my kids at school and my kids at home. Have you ever read a picture book to a child? Are they engaged? Do they connect to the pictures? Do they talk about what is going on? Imagine if they had something like that to help them better understand something. How to react in a situation. What exactly ..read more

I would love for my students to be completely intrinsically motivated and want nothing in return for excellent behavior. That would be a dream. Although I usually have some students like this – most of my students do well with some incentives. I am not a huge component of several incentives, but I like putting a few throughout our day. Read on to learn about my new favorite one that my students and I thought of together! I like teaching in a chair that is low to the ground. I like being close to my students. I am a pretty petite person and it works for me. Except when I’m pregnant… I bought ..read more