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Data Tracking for Students Do your students keep track of their own data? Do your students even know what the scores on their papers mean? Let us tell you-- it's a game changer when you start making students aware of their scores throughout the year. As teachers, we...
Like so many teachers, we worried about about what school would look like for 2019 - 2021. We were especially concerned about our Literacy Centers and how distance learning for kindergarten or 1st grade would work. We worked frantically to find ways to work in-class,...
Replace your wall calendar and save bulletin board space by doing all your calendar math digitally! Calendar math provides a set time for crucial math review each day. The basic idea of calendar math is that students practice and review math standards they need to...
What are Sight Words? For new readers, it’s important to learn to read sight words quickly. Sight words are both difficult to sound out phonetically and words that show up frequently in text . Therefore, the goal is to help young readers learn to recognize these words...
Digital Research We are beyond excited about our new 3-in-1 Independent Research for primary grades! Get your students doing independent research in minutes with zero prep! This resource is compatible with Google Slides, SeeSaw and is printable. It's pre-loaded onto...
It's Time to Focus on Mindfulness As educators and parents ourselves, we have been navigating social distancing, distance learning, and parenting during the coronavirus crisis. Our children range from toddler age to teenagers and we are STRUGGLING! Amidst the...
In our classroom we focus our morning meetings around diversity in February. We have some great discussions about our differences. Black History Month Bulletin Board After Read Aloud Time We use our read-aloud time to read texts that help us learn more about black...
Super Engaging Martin Luther King Jr. Lesson PlansMartin Luther King Jr. Independent Learning Quest leesson plans are super engaging for students. As a matter of fact, we often hear from teachers (and our students directly) that the students have been begging for more...
Are your students like ours? Are they sponges when it comes to learning about informational topics? If your kids LOVE subjects like science and social studies then we recommend using their interests to your advantage! Here's how: Leverage your students' interests in...
My little learners are sponges when it comes to learning about informational topics. They just LOVE subjects like science, history, and social studies. And, I LOVE using their enthusiasm to my teacher advantage. That's right! I'll take every opportunity to leverage my...
GROUPING CARDS provide an easy way to make collaborative groups. These cards provide a fun, quick way to group students in 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 5’s or more. To group students in pairs give each student a card and instruct them to find the partner with the matching food...
Have you heard the buzz about mindfulness & meditation in schools? It seems everywhere we go, people are recommending mindfulness. As teachers, we know the success of our students’ learning relies not only on providing academics, but also a safe...
20 Effective Transitions in the Classroom "If you can't line up quietly, then we will sit back down and try again." I know I've said it over and over again. After 8 years of teaching I've come to a realization that lining up quietly isn't always the best way to line...
Classroom Attention Getters Provides Structure to Student Learning. According to a study in 2013 by Erik Rosegard & Jackson Wilson classroom attention getters is a key component to learning. The article states, "Getting and holding attention is a critical aspect...
Use Positive Shoutouts to Build Classroom Community Classroom shoutouts are quick, easy and effective way to help teachers build your classroom community. As teachers, we know that students react far better to positive reinforcement than negative interactions. With...
Morning Meeting Greeting Cards The 5 components of a Morning Meeting Lesson Plan A morning meeting lesson plan consists of 5 components: message, greeting, reading, sharing, and an activity. Preferably, morning meeting should be scheduled right after your students...
Do you teach morning meeting in your classroom? A morning meeting consists of 5 components: message, greeting, reading, sharing, and activity. It's a time set aside to have conversations with the class that you otherwise wouldn't have time for. It also allows for a...
Impress your principal, parents, and even yourself as students engage in both fun and learning right up until the last bell rings before Winter Break with the 5 Day Classroom Countdown! All teachers know the last week before the winter break is difficult to fill. ...
Bonaparte Falls Apart by Margery Cuyler Bonaparte is afraid of going to school because he is literally falling apart. His friends try to help him with creative solutions, but they fall short. Finally, a "service" dog comes to the rescue by fetching Bonaparte's bones,...
Teach growth mindset, perseverance, and building friendships with read-alouds. Planning our Back-to-School Interactive Read-Alouds truly gets us excited to start a new school year. This summer, we met at the Cheesecake Factory to select books and sketch out plans....
Do ALL teachers hate writing sub plans as much as we do? Whether it's for PD, vacation time, or a sick day,creating plans for a substitute is something many teachers would like to avoid. We even have to admit it may seem easier to go to school while sick than to write...
Marvelous March Read-alouds for First and Second Graders We chose 7 Marvelous books for our March read-alouds. We picked 'The Luckiest Leprechaun' by Justine Korman because it is an old favorite of ours. We chose to do a compare and contrast with 'The Three Little...
February Read-alouds for 1st and 2nd Grade February is a month full of fun holidays. We chose our books for this month to help students celebrate. We LOVE every book selection this month. We closely read each book and spent 3 to 4 days asking text dependent questions...
The Emperor's Cool Clothes Lesson Plans 'The Emperor's Cool Clothes' is a new and modern retelling of the classic tale 'The Emperor's New Clothes'. Lee Harper is a great author and illustrator. He turned this classic into a fun story that kids will love. His...
Wonderful Winter Holidays Around the World Integrated Lesson Plans and Art Projects Before I start our 12 Days until Christmas in the Classroom Countdown, I love to teach about Winter Holidays around the world. Every year this is always one of my class' favorite...
6 Delightful December Interactive read-alouds! We have 6 delightful December read-alouds for you to use in your classroom. Embrace the Christmas spirit during the crazy month of December with these stories. We promise your students will fall in love with all six of...
Too Many Toys FREE Interactive Read-aloud Try our text dependent questions, lesson plans, graphic organizers, writing, and craft instructions for FREE Teachers are loving our interactive read-alouds. They are saying things like, "This is my favorite TPT purchase ever!...
Trendy Tricks that Help Students Produce Higher Quality Writing After 15 years in the classroom, I have found that using relevant or trendy topics as a springboard for writing really helps to motivate my students, especially my most reluctant writers. Here is the...
ISH BY PETER H. REYNOLDS An Interactive Read-Aloud and Lesson Plans This is a wonderful story about a creative boy named Ramon, who loves to draw until he is teased by his older brother for the way his pictures look. The boy’s younger sister helps him learn to...
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires Growth Mindset activities, lesson plans, and craftivity I can't say enough about this new picture book by Ashley Spires. This inspiring story presents the idea of perseverance and growth mindset to young kids. The little...
STAND TALL, MOLLY LOU MELON BY PATTY LOVELL AND I LIKE MYSELF! BY KAREN BEAUMONT Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon is a heartwarming story about a confident little girl who wins over Ronald Durkin, the school bully. The gorgeous illustrations...
Interactive read-aloud and lesson plans This book about manners is a must have for the beginning of the year. It is a great way to start a conversation with students about treating 'otters' the same way you’d like them to treat you. It introduces students to the...
Invisible Boy activities and lesson plans to accompany a 4 day interactive read-aloud. This heartfelt story brought us to tears as we empathized with Brian, the boy who feels invisible. He is sad and lonely at school until the new kid Justin asks him to join him and...
We're All Wonders by R.J. Palacio These lesson plans and activities are perfect for the #choosekind movement. This picture book is written by the same author that wrote the ‘Wonder’ series for upper elementary students. We were so excited to bring the #choosekind...
6 Back-to-School Read-Alouds that Build Classroom Community These lesson plans will get your class discussing friendship, bullying, manners, kindness, self-assurance, perseverance, and growth mindset at the beginning of the year. We chose our first set of books...
You sigh as you glance at your 'Days 'til Summer' countdown chain and think it still looks far too long. Guided reading and text books are already turned in. The crayons are broken and you have an overflowing box of scrap paper. You think to yourself, "How in the...
We just love using National Geographic kids informational texts in our classrooms and decided to pick three great titles for this bundle. 'Polar Bears' by Laura Marsh was a perfect choice from their selection. We started our Polar Bear Lesson for this book by looking...
6 Best October Read-Alouds for 1st and 2nd Grade Lesson Plans, Graphic Organizers, Text Dependent Questions, and Craftivities We recently revised our October Read-Alouds. We are in love with this combination of new best sellers and old favorites, so we chose not...
Teaching students about 9/11 with sensitivity. Discuss the sensitive events of September 11th, 2001 with elementary children. Let's be honest...it is no small task to teach students about September 11, 2001 without scaring them, becoming too political, or...
Life Cycle of a Chicken Research for Primary Grades We love learning all about life cycles in the primary grades! Students watch caterpillars form chrysalises and turn into butterflies as we learn about the Monarch butterfly life cycle. They explore the life cycle of...
May 1-2 End of Year Bundle: Interactive Read-Aloud Lesson Plans Curriculum We can’t believe it is almost May and another school year is winding down. Our kids are getting a bit antsy waiting for summer vacation. It is getting a little harder to keep them engaged in...
Meeting the Common Core Reading Literature Standards can be challenging. Like many teachers out there, we are using old basils,. A booked published published before the newest Core Standards were implemented. The result? In order to meet our Core Standards, we...
As we enter April, spring fever is in full effect at our school. Our kids are getting a little restless and wishing they were outside enjoying the nice weather instead of being cooped up inside a classroom. The one special time of our day is our read-aloud time....
Why Do We Celebrate Valentine's Day? We're very excited to teach the students about the legendary history of Valentine's Day using our "How Valentine's Day Came to Be" text. First, students will read the text (or have the text read aloud to them). Then students will...
Spaghetti with the Yeti Interactive Read-aloud We found the perfect read-aloud for January. Take your students on a fun adventure with a boy named George as he tries to find the Yeti. George is sure the Yeti will love some spaghetti! This book has fun rhyming text and...
This witty story by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by David Small, is a must-have! "One Cool Friend" is structured around a "misunderstanding" between Elliot and his father. When Elliot reluctantly visits the aquarium with his father, he falls in love with the penguins and...
Our class read-aloud time has quickly become our favorite time of the day. My students can't wait to see what our next story will be. Their love for reading is unfolding through each read-aloud. It is entertaining to hear their answers to the text dependent questions,...
Try our best selling Christmas in the Classroom countdown lesson plans and activities for 12 full days of themed learning- now including digital activities for distance learning. Impress your principal, parents, and even yourself as students engage in holiday fun...
Read about our lesson plans, text dependent questions, graphic organizers, and craft for each November read-aloud. This month we chose a seasonal title, two Thanksgiving themed stories, an old favorite, and two books for Election Day. We selected stories that...
Halloween: Then & Now As always, we try to maintain our focus to engage students in educational activities, even (and maybe especially) for the holidays. Halloween is no exception! All teachers know that Halloween is such an exciting time for students. If any of...
In this article we breakdown the 4 key commonents of an elmenetary lesson plan and how to select activities for a lesson plan. Get tips for easy lessson plans, ideas for engaging kids and more!