2019

Flexible seating in the classroom is one of the best changes I've made over the years. Flexible classroom seating allows students to take ownership over their own learning. With the right procedures and expectations, flexible seating can lead to a classroom full of independent workers.If you are interested in hearing a more detailed description of flexible seating, you can check out this amazing podcast I did with Edverything Education! I did include some Amazon affiliate links for you to easily gra[...]

  The ABC countdown to summer is one of my favorite activities to review the alphabet and get kids excited about the last couple weeks of school! The ABC countdown to summer is an activity where you have a letter for each of the last 26 days of school. Each letter gives you and activity you will do that day. For example A is for art project day!  The ABC countdown to summer not only keeps my kids motivated those last couple weeks, but myself as well!     How the ABC Countdown to Summer Works: I created a[...]

Earth Day is a great way to introduce kids to taking care of the earth! This activity helps students learn to reduce, reuse, and recycle!  This Earth Day activity for kids in the classroom is the perfect craft to teach students about the importance of the Earth! The hand print craft looks great on an Earth Day bulletin board too!How to use this Earth Day activity in the classroom: I love this flip flap because it only uses ONE page of paper per student! Talk about perfect for Earth Day!  You ca[...]

April 2nd is one of my favorite days to spread awareness about Autism.  One of my favorite books to read is The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin. You can grab the book HERE through my affiliate link. The book is about Temple Grandin, a girl who was diagnosed with Autism at a young age.  Temple learns that she is "different, not less".   She went on in her life to do some pretty amazing things! It's a great story to teach children about how o[...]

Tattling in the classroom can drive a teacher bananas!  My classroom was struggling with tattles until I introduced our whole class journal!  We call it our friendship journal, and anyone in the classroom can write in it after they finish their work.How Friendship Journals Work: Any time a student finishes their work, they have the option to grab a Friendship Journal and use a sentence starter! As a class we talked about writing specific feedback, using our best handwriting, and including the d[...]

I just hate how anxious some students get during state testing or district testing.  I feel like as teachers, it is our job to provide testing motivation for students.  This editable testing letter is a spin on testing treats that helps students feel motivated and relaxed on testing day. How it works!Before the big test, send home a letter to parents with all the information on the test. Explain when the test is, what it is used for, and provide parents with tips for helping their child be succ[...]

State testing and standardized tests can be so stressful for our students. I love to start each day of testing with treats for students! Who wouldn't want an extra snack to keep them motivated during the test!?Here are a few Testing Treats to motivate students for state testing or district testing:Testing Treat #1: Grab a bag of chips and this Chip Chip Hooray Gift Tag as a little testing day snack!  Nobody wants to take a test on an empty belly!Testing Treat #2:  Have parents/guardians wr[...]