sprinkletoppedteacher

What’s better than a warm cup of hot cocoa on a chilly winter day? Hot cocoa science! No, this isn’t a false alarm — you can actually use hot cocoa to teach your students with this hot chocolate science experiment! Here in Minnesota, we need all they help we can get to warm up in the freezing winter months. Seriously people, it’s no joke! If you’re like me and have a sweet tooth, anytime you can manage to bring treats into the classroom for learning’s sake is a win. Plus, you have to love s[...]

“Ugh, handwriting again?!” Sound familiar? As a teacher, I am sure you have heard that sentiment in your classroom before! Your students may have enjoyed handwriting when it was new to them, but older kids (up to sixth grade) are quick to get bored with it. And don’t even get me started on cursive handwriting practice for kids — it is so important to make cursive worksheets fun to keep boredom at bay. Most cursive handwriting practice for kids that I come across is super repetitive. The majo[...]

There's nothing more exciting than graduating college and landing your first teaching job! But it turns out, there's a whole lot they didn't teach you in college. We've asked some amazing teachers to share their best advice for first year teachers and there's definitely a theme! We'd love for you to add to the list of advice in the comments too! If I could share one piece of advice with my first year teacher self I'd tell them... "1. Self-care first. You can only do so much and without taking c[...]

As teachers, I know we are always looking for easy resources that make handwriting for older students a breeze! I've put together free printable handwriting worksheets just for you! When it comes to handwriting, tracing the ABCs gets boring for kids — and us — fast. Only younger kids can tolerate tracing their ABCs. Once they reach a certain age, regular handwriting worksheets are guaranteed to elicit some groans from the classroom. I am always looking for ways to keep handwriting fun for my studen[...]

I am a full believer that an organized classroom is a happy classroom! That's why I love this digital calendar for teachers! My calendar has always been my best friend. It keeps me on track, and it keeps my students on track too. The benefits of using a calendar with students are the reason why my calendar is a staple in my classroom. It is super important for little ones to be able to keep track of the days, weeks, and months. It gives them a much needed sense of structure and helps them understand ti[...]

In the classroom, it’s super important to know where your students’ heads are at! But keeping track of formative assessment in the classroom can be overwhelming! If a student is falling behind or struggling to grasp a concept, they will start to feel frustrated if you move ahead too quickly. On the other hand, teaching a student a skill they have already mastered could be just as frustrating. Regardless of whether a skill is a strength or a weakness for your students, you’ll want to write a quick an[...]

Most adults are familiar with positive affirmations — daily mantras that encourage a healthy outlook on life. We sometimes forget how important positive affirmations for kids can be! Lots of people use positive affirmations to start their day off on the right foot, boost their self confidence, and set their goals for the week ahead. It is truly amazing how much a positive attitude can change your whole day! But, did you know that kids can benefit a lot from positive affirmations too? Positive affirmatio[...]

Hey teachers! If you are looking for a great and easy gift for the end of the school year, look no further. And of course, as the Sprinkle Topped Teacher, I had to put a “sweet” spin on these gift tag printables (free!)! At the end of the school year, I always look forward to giving my students something extra special to remember our class by. However, even though the school year is ending, I still want the gift to be an easy option. There are always tons of strings to tie up at the end of the school[...]

When I was in the first grade, my teacher had the amazing idea to give us all kids’ pen pal kits as a summer end of the year gift for students! She provided her address on the kits, and we started exchanging letters over the summer. I have such fond memories of writing about my summer adventures and feeling the anticipation of waiting for her next letter to arrive! What started as a fun activity for the summer quickly turned into something more meaningful. To this very day, we still send each other lett[...]

If regular interviews weren’t already a little nerve wracking, now there is a new interview territory to prepare for: the virtual teacher interview. If you are currently on the job hunt for a teaching position, there is a good chance you will have to go through the virtual interview process. While the questions will likely stay the same, there are a few key things you will need to get right to make sure your virtual teacher interview goes as smoothly as possible! Totally new to virtual teacher interv[...]