Category: Teaching Ideas & Inspiration

Fall Classroom Ideas That Will WOW Your Students
Classroom Themes

Fall Classroom Ideas That Will WOW Your Students

Fall is such a fun time for our students, and gives us teachers some great classroom content! From science, to language, to math and more… the Fall season is full of teaching and learning wonders. It’s also a great time to spruce up our classrooms! Check out some of my favorite fall classroom decor ideas below: 1. Pumpkin Patch Kids 2. Personalized Fall Leaves 3. A Little Hide & Seek 4. Inspire Gratitude 5. Bring in Books Which is your favorite classroom display?

Crafts & DIY, Teaching Ideas & Inspiration

8 Genius Ways To Use Popsicle Sticks In The Classroom

I love the idea of turning simple and seemingly useless objects into fun educational resources or toys.  It shows kids the importance of innovating, being creative and valuing what’s around them.  Take a look at all of the fantastic activities I have created and found using mainly popsicle sticks! If you’ve got a stash of popsicle sticks lying around or you’re looking for a fun and creative lesson idea, keep reading! 1. A Probability Game This is such a fun probability game, and it’s super easy to create!  All you need are popsicle sticks, a paper towel roll, scissors and a marble (or small ball of playdough).  See the pictures and captions below for moreContinue reading

Teaching Ideas & Inspiration, Writing

Comic Writing For Kids

Comics.  How can something that looks like such a simple literary genre, carry so much weight?  Comics hold the heavy task of pointing at many social, personal, national and political problems.  But…. they can come in such a cute package!  Getting students familiar with this genre can be a very fun task, and one that we should all undertake at some point.  It’s an art to be able to talk about a legitimate issue, with an air of satire or comedy.  Let’s show our kids that they can effect and create change in their world, through literature.  If you want to teach your students comic strip writing, follow these simple steps below: Comic Writing –Continue reading

Book Corner, Math, Teaching Ideas & Inspiration, Writing

Extension Activities for The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot is a modern day tale of a robot that becomes stranded in the wild after an accident. This story is making it’s way across classrooms and into children’s lives, and with good reason.  It’s a captivating comparison of technology and the natural world.  As with all reading materials, they begin to take on more meaning when kids are able to apply what they’ve read in their lives and lessons.  That’s why I’ve created this cross curricular extension activity package.  It combines geometry and paragraph writing.  Keep reading to get a peak into how you can use extension activities for The Wild Robot. 2D Shapes The first part of this package asks kidsContinue reading

Teaching Ideas & Inspiration, Writing

Narrative Writing Plan For Kids

I recently gave a talk about creative narrative writing for 7-9 year olds after a book reading.  Below are my talking points, which you can use in your class or homeschool.  The kids responded really well to the plan and were able to reiterate the story writing process.  They were able to relate to the concepts, so overall it was a great success!  Read on to see the plan and you can find my narrative writing plan on TPT, it comes with and awesome poster set to display on walls.   Part 1: Problem/Solution This is the most basic principle of story writing.  The kids really seem to relate if you compare stories to a sandwich. Continue reading

6 Perfect Picture Books For Struggling Readers
Book Corner, Reading

6 Perfect Picture Books For Struggling Readers

For kids out there who struggle with reading, the thought of picking up a book can be daunting.  Reading a book, whether independently or in a group setting, can either: a) cause a great deal of anxiety or, b) cause students to “check out”, leaving them to miss key details for comprehension.  Whether students are struggling to read the words, or struggling to understand them, I’ve got a list of the 6 perfect picture books for struggling readers. 1. Press Here – By: Herve Tullet Press Here is a fun and interactive book that does not follow a traditional narrative format.  Instead it presents readers with a series of instructions, for which the book garners apparentContinue reading