Creating Art is a time for celebrating free thinking, creativity and workmanship. Often times, when students complete an art piece they feel proud about it and want to display it. Of course teachers love to display student artwork as a way to liven up their walls. However, with time and experience that form of displaying art can get dull and predictable. So, I present to you: 8 unique ways to display student artwork. Your students will be thrilled to see their artwork this way! 1. Create An Art Mobile This is an awesome way to give your room some umph! An art mobile adds a 3D element to the work, and allows the artwork toContinue reading
Month: May 2015
10 Creative Writing Prompts – Pictures & Graphic Organizers
Have you been wanting to jazz up your writing activities? I have just the thing: picture writing prompts. Each prompt below targets a specific writing genre and is accompanied by a graphic organizer, which will help students in their writing process. Using prompts is a great way to give students vivid imagery without giving them all the details. You’ll be surprised to see the ideas that your students will come up with. 1. Attack of the Gummies! This picture will definitely appeal to any kid and get their creative juices flowing! Which kid wouldn’t be excited by the possibility of a faucet that provides endless candy. This would make a perfect writing prompt for aContinue reading
4 Gifts For Teachers That They Actually Want
*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* At the end of the year, some students & parents opt to give their teacher a small token of appreciation. So I’ve put together a list of 4 gifts for teachers that they actually want & find useful. As a teacher, I can tell you that (even though it is dearly appreciated) some personal items are not relevant to all teachers. For example, a box of chocolates may not be suitable for a teacher with an allergy or dietary constraint. However, I can tell you that we certainly appreciate the thought and admire the effort. Check out the list below if you’re interested in getting your child’sContinue reading
Kidpreneur – Teach Kids Entrepreneurship in 5 Steps
*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* The feeling you’ll get if you’re able to achieve this project will be such a rewarding moment. Inspire your students to think outside the box and become a kidpreneur! You may just spark something in your students that will remain as a life long lesson. What I love about this is that it gives your students character lessons in self confidence, persistence and hard work. Ideally, you can tie these entrepreneur lessons in with a media literacy unit. The two go hand in hand, since students will need to think of such things as target audiences, appealing to consumers, etc. Here are the steps you’ll need to teach kids entrepreneurship.Continue reading
Top 4 Creative Student Awards
*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* Throughout the year, and especially as the year ends, we often look to acknowledge our students’ strengths as a way to give them encouragement and keep them motivated. It’s also common to hand out student awards for overall achievement at the end of the year as a way to celebrate their efforts. But, in all honesty, this can get kind of boring. So, I give you: the top 4 creative student awards that you MUST try! 1. Ribbons This is unlike your typical certificate because students can wear them and display them with pride to all their classmates. There is something so rewarding in receiving a ribbon!Continue reading
8 Amazing End of the Year Activities
*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* The end of the school year is a special time. It’s brimming with excitement and promise, while also garnering reflection over the year that passed. When this time rolls around teachers are mostly done with their core curriculum and find themselves with more time to try new and creative lesson ideas they couldn’t otherwise do. However, this time shouldn’t be squandered or eagerly passed, there are really useful lessons to be had. Here are 8 amazing end of the year activities every teacher must try! 1. Go Out with A Bang… or a pop? Leave a lasting impression of your creativity with your students. Make the last fewContinue reading
7 End of the Year Classroom Clean-up Tips
*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* Ok, so I know it’s not quite time to start clearing your desk, walls and student belongings, but getting an early start on your end of the year classroom clean-up is imperative! It makes life so much simpler. You’ll be more organized, productive and frankly happier for taking these steps early on. 1. Before all else, take pictures: You’ll definitely thank yourself later for this step. I used to pull up old pictures of my classroom when I was stumped on how to set up a specific section for the new school year. This is really helpful because sometimes you either want to avoid or follow specificContinue reading
7 Steps to EQAO Test Success (and other standardized testing)
Standardized testing is quite the ordeal for teachers and students alike. It really can cause undue stress and anxiety to our students and often cuts into our curriculum time as we prepare our classes. I wont discuss the merit of standardized testing, but since it is part and parcel of our schooling system, I’ve listed 7 steps to EQAO success (and other standardized testing), which can be used in any grade. I’ve implemented these steps in my classroom and really found that they helped to both prepare and calm my students. Take a look at these steps, and let me know which steps you use in your classroom in the comments section. *Please note that, as perContinue reading
4 Steps To Effectively Teach Point of View!
Teaching point of view/perspective in narratives is one of my favorite units! After following these four steps, your students will be pros at identifying and describing points of view in various texts and also create unique perspective pieces. These 4 steps to effectively teach point of view are meant as a guideline, you can use and expand them to cover many more lessons. Take a look: 1. Define & Identify Start off by discussing point of view and who exactly is narrating the story. Are they speaking in the first person? Do they have abilities to know all sides of the story? Is their view limited? Some of these questions may be philosophical but your studentsContinue reading