Teaching writing can be difficult, but today I am going to share with you five fun ways to use writing prompts with pictures to enhance your writing instruction! Read on... My second graders LOVE using writing prompts with pictures! I try to use them in my writing instruction as much as possible.  Picture writing prompts are such a fun, visual way to help your students write!  Here are 5 ways that you can use Writing Prompts with Pictures in your classroom! 1. Use Writing Prompts with Pictures in your Writing Lessons Writing lessons are always more fun when you use writing pr ..read more

Well, now we know the plan for going back to school in 2020.  Read on to see what is happening in my neck of the woods! This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.  That means if you purchase anything through Amazon using the links provided, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.  Thank you for your support! The schools that I teach for are offering 2 choices.  1. Distance Learning:  All instruction will be provided via the computer.  2. In-Class Learning.   So, for our in-class learners, we are going back to school this year on ..read more

Wow.  I really am not sure how to start this post. But, here we go.   In my experience, teachers by nature are planners. I usually spend a large chunk of my summer vacation making plans for the next school year. As of right now, our school district does not have an opening plan in place. I am really glad that they are taking their time.  I am really glad that there are several (a lot) of teachers on the reopening committee.  But I am really nervous about what this coming school year is going to entail. Read on for things that I can do while waiting to hear what th ..read more

Such strange times we are living in.  As I write this post, I am still in quarantine, but the state is slowly starting to reopen.  I am in an area with more cases of COVID-19, so we will be a week behind the rest of the state.  The last day that I was in school with my students was Friday, March 13, 2020. Our school year is winding down, with only a few days left of school... A little background... I am fortunate enough to be in a school system where the students have 1:1 devices.  All students in our schools have a device provided to them through book rental.  The ..read more

I LOVE using Writing Journals with my students.  So much, that I am doing a blog series about Writing Journal Ideas for Elementary Students!  Welcome to Part 2!  If you missed Part 1, you can find it HERE! Keep reading and don't forget to grab your freebie! Writing Journal Ideas Part 2: Writing Journal Types Just as varied as styles, there are tons of different types of journals you could have in your classroom. Subject Journals:  You could have journals for any of the subjects that you teach.  This could lead to having a TON of journals.  Or, if you are using a binder as a journal ..read more

I LOVE using Writing Journals with my students.  So much, that I am doing a blog series about Writing Journal Ideas for Elementary Students!  Welcome to Part 1! Please note that this post does contain Amazon Affiliate links.  If you purchase anything from Amazon through these links I receive a small commission at no cost to you! Keep reading and don't forget to grab your freebie! Creating Writing Journals To get started you will need some writing journal ideas of the type of journals that you want to create for or with your students.  There are so many ways that you can create writing jo ..read more

Welcome Back!  It's time to start thinking about getting back into the groove!  I don't know about you, but the school year FLIES after Christmas Break!  So, I am here to share some teaching ideas for January. Please note that this post does contain Amazon Affiliate links.  If you purchase anything from Amazon through these links I receive a small commission at no cost to you! Keep reading and don't forget to grab your freebie! January Teaching Ideas: Back to School "Bootcamp" So, the first few days of school back from the break we spend some time reviewing our classroom rules and procedur ..read more

So, if you have been around here at all, you will know that I am a children's book addict enthusiast.  My classroom library is more of a library that has a classroom in it.  This year though my classroom library was starting to become a point of stress in my classroom. What do I mean?  Let me show you. This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon. Before my Classroom Library Makeover: A lot of my book boxes were stored on these metal cubes.  They worked FANTASTIC for the first few years that I had them.  After 7 years in my classroom of 2nd graders however, they no longer do the j ..read more

Hello there! I am so excited to announce that this month I am doing an e-mail series about my classroom library! Yes, there will be a freebie each week this month!  You really don't want to miss this one!  When you sign up for my newsletter, you also get an awesome, full-sized Pick a Prompt product that is not available in my Tpt store (or anywhere else for that matter)!  Ready to sign up and get your fun teachery tips, tricks and freebies? Click the Newsletter Pick a Prompt pic or HERE to sign up now ..read more

Happy Back to School Season! It’s that crazy, exciting time of the year again! Getting your classroom ready, organizing a million papers, and preparing for a new group of kiddos to love on for the year is exhilarating, but can exhausting if you don't practice self-care. As teacher-authors, we are so grateful that you allow us to be a part of your classrooms and lives and want to give you a big virtual hug in the form of a giveaway. We know that teachers can use a little bit of extra love this time of year, and I have teamed up with some amazing teacher-authors to show one lucky teacher LOTS ..read more