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sprinkletoppedteacher

Text reads: testing motivation for students. Purple and pink paper with letter to parents and a black pen

Testing Motivation for Students – Perfect for State Tests!

State testing season is upon us. Whether we like it our not. Luckily, I have found there are so many ways to provide testing motivation for students! The best thing we can do for our students is to make them think of testing as a super fun time! They should walk into standardized test days feeling encouraged and excited to show all that they've learned! One of my favorite testing treats to have ready for students is a letter of encouragement waiting on each of their desks! Motivate Students[...]

Super easy stem activity for elementary students with image of marshmallows and toothpicks

Easy STEM Activity for Elementary Students

Confession time. The idea of teaching my students a STEM activity in my elementary classroom used to sound anything but easy. I didn't take any college classes on teaching STEM. My school didn't provide STEM curriclulum. As a new teacher, I wasn't really sure where to begin. It's also no secret that STEM is a growing industry. As teachers, it's our job to prepare our students for the real world. Plus, there's no down side to adding STEM activities to the classroom. It only increases student's cr[...]

Free cursive handwriting practice worksheets

Free Cursive Handwriting Practice for Kids

What if I told you that free cursive handwriting practice worksheets could make your class better in other subject areas? I've got great news... It's true! Research has proven that there is a positive correlation between better handwriting skills and increased academic performance in reading and writing. A study published in the Journal of Early Childhood Education and Development looked at 1,000 students when they were in pre-K and then later in second grade. They found that pre-K students with goo[...]

Easy St. Patrick's Day Activity for Kids

Low-Prep, Easy St. Patrick’s Day Activity

St. Patrick's Day is almost here! I'm always looking for an easy St. Patrick's Day activity to do with my students. Something that includes a fun craft, but is still academic. And if I'm telling the truth, I don't love classroom parties. They get chaotic. The class usually forgets every classroom rule, and I leave feeling exhausted. A few years back I made the switch to more themed activities and review centers on holidays instead of full blow parties and cupcakes. The class still has a blas[...]

Sub Plans Template for Google Drive

Sub Plans Template in 3 Easy Steps

It's 3am. You wake up with a 102 fever and it hits you. You are going to have to write sub plans and have no template prepped. Ugh. I used to have that "I think I can make it through the day" attitude until I finally realized, I only end up even more sick and probably pass that nasty bug to everyone else. The more years I taught, the more I realized the importance of having a solid sub plans template prepped and ready to go so that when I did get sick, I can quickly finish my plans in 20 minutes and[...]

Fun Handwriting Worksheets for Older Kids

Handwriting matters. The problem is that it's difficult to find fun handwriting worksheets for older kids. It seems like each year, students are spending more and more time using technology. Technology is great and I'm all here for it, but fine motor skills matter too. Dr. William Klemm from Psychology Today explains, “The benefits to brain development are similar to what you get with learning to play a musical instrument.” Yet handwriting is one of the first activities that gets pushe[...]

Math Fact Worksheets for 2nd grade

Fun Math Fact Worksheets for 2nd Grade Students

Typical math fact worksheets for 2nd grade are boring. There I said it. Passing out a stack of addition problems all lined up in rows is not engaging. Very few kids actually enjoy practicing math facts this way. Yet we do it anyways. I'll be the first to admit, I'm just as guilty as the next teacher. I had my students practice their math facts on boring worksheets every day for years. Finally it dawned on me that there HAD to be a better way to teach math facts to my second grade students.[...]

No Prep 2nd Grade Math Warm-Up

Let's talk math warm-ups! My first couple years I struggled to keep up with making copies, making time for the warm-up, and making sure each standard was covered. I finally had enough and designed a bulletin board that covered each standard in 5-10 minutes TOTAL. Yes, I said bulletin board which means NO weekly copies and NO prep!Bulletin board prep!1. Print the pieces you want to cover each day!2. Laminate the pieces so you can write on them with a dry erase marker!3. Hang them up how you'd like!* I loved th[...]

Number Search Math Fact Practice

Practice math facts with number searches! Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division!If you love Google Classrooms, you can now access these in a digital format! It includes easy to follow directions on how to assign Number Searches to your class!Grab the bundle HERE![...]