Hello all you math workshop lovers!  I absolutely love math workshop too. I've read so many workshop 'how to' teacher books and I'm constantly reflecting on ways to improve workshop instruction. There are lots of benefits to the workshop style of teaching, but one drawback can be finding quality formative assessment.  Assessment seems to be an issue that comes up a lot with my colleagues. Teachers need to know what their students understand and what they need to practice.  Sometimes this is hard to assess in a workshop environment when students are working co ..read more

I'm beyond excited to share my 5th grade classroom with you!  I've minimized the zebra print (yes gasp!) this year and I've added other black and white patterns as well as lime green to accent.  The results make me truly happy.  I can spend 8 hours a day in this space for sure now, probably even more.  We all know, a teacher's work is never done!   #1  Front of Room - This is our daily meeting space. It also contains our white board and easel for recording lesson notes and our Smart Board. The Learning Carpets CPR467 - Solid Green Rectangle  ..read more

Books to Share with your Students on Columbus Day, Independence Day, 9/11, Memorial Day and Veterans Day Our country doesn't have the kindest past.  Celebrating America can be hard because of the way our founders treated those who were different from themselves and the ways we've continued to allow racism and fear to dominate our story. We need to teach our students about this past so they know the truth, but we also need to celebrate the present beautiful diversity of a country filled with different cultures and traditions. If you're like me, you sometimes wait until the last minute t ..read more

Are you struggling with how to talk with your students about racism, acceptance and equality?  We have to spark these conversations, for ourselves and our students.  One of the best ways to teach life lessons is through characters in books who've 'been there, done that.'   As teachers it's our responsibility to show our students how to have empathy and kindness.  We can do this with diverse read alouds and a culturally responsive classroom library. I've spent some time researching the best books for upper elementary/middle school students that will spark education ..read more

I don't know about you, but during my first few years of teaching, by the end of the school year I was dead tired and didn't have the energy to give my students time to reflect on and celebrate how much they'd learned.  I was teaching right up to the end of the year, throwing in a few fun last week activities, and then packing up and running towards my bed to sleep off my exhaustion! But after I got better at time management and I wasn't as tired as previous years, at the end of the year I started taking the time to have some discussions with my students about what they'd learned durin ..read more

If you are teaching math online or even if you have students working on electronic devices in the classroom, digital exit slips are a powerful way you can assess your students quickly and easily. Similarly to paper exit tickets, digital exit slips are short formative assessments designed to show you which students have a concept and which students need more practice.  The great thing about digital exit slips is that they reduce paper use and they are self-checking. Win-Win! I'm working on transferring ALL of my paper exit slip resources that I use daily, into digital Google Forms ..read more

Are you new to using Google Classroom or online distance learning?  If so, this guidebook is for you. I've been using Google Classroom for the past few years and I have all kinds of notes, tips and advice I'd love to share to help you out. I've compiled this FREE how-to guide and it's posted in my TPT store - it's called Google Classroom FREE Guide for Online Learning.   I hope you check it out!  This guide contains information on: What is Google Classroom? Why use Google Classroom? How to get started How to create assignments How to share assignm ..read more

I Am A Math Workshop Addict!  Any other math workshop teachers out there?  I absolutely love math workshop - it is my passion. I am constantly reading teacher books and thinking about ways to improve my reading, writing, and math workshops. While there are lots of benefits to the workshop style of teaching, there are also a few drawbacks.  Assessment seems to be an issue that comes up a lot with my colleagues. Us upper elementary teachers need grades, (unless we are lucky and have standardized report cards) and grades are often hard to come by in a true math workshop.  ..read more

FREE SAMPLE ALERT I have something amazingly exciting for you to try out to ensure your students will have success on the state test this school year! I've been working hard on creating a test-prep instruction pack to go along with my best selling Common Core Critical Verbs vocabulary word wall set.  This instruction pack is really helping me to intentionally introduce each vocabulary word to my students plus it's giving my students time to analyze, discuss, and master each individual word. And I'm sooo happy with their progress.  After all, students can't do well ..read more

Who Needs to Use Reading Response Letters in the Classroom? You do! They are the perfect supplement to your daily conferring during Reading Workshop time!  Reading Response Letters guarantee you hear from each reader, each week!  They also replace those pesky reading logs (you know the ones that everyone lies on anyway - sorry/not sorry). Reading Response Letters: Allow your students time to reflect on their reading and to think deeply about the text  Give you the opportunity to respond and guide/push your reader's thinking about text Offer authentic situations to writ ..read more