Let’s chat about learning centers today! Many of you have a specific center time. Others may offer centers to early finishers. Still others may incorporate centers into reading or math time—when I met with small groups, my third graders rotated between assigned morning work, center work, and small-group time. What I’d like to know is…
Planning and Curriculum
Marching Into March
Okay, y’all. Left, right. Left, right. Let’s march into March! We’ll arrive one day early, but that’s okay. I’m ready for a new month—aren’t you? So what’s on your school calendar for March? Are you planning a nutrition unit? Squeezing in a wee bit of Irish blarney? Planning to investigate rainbows and other weather-related elements?…
What’s Your “App-titude”?
I must confess that I’m a newbie in the world of apps. I knew what they were and had heard about several popular ones. But it wasn’t until last weekend that I actually tapped my first app! And, trust me, I didn’t tap just one! I had the best time. I still don’t have my…
Planning for the Week
Happy Valentine’s Day! Can you believe I forgot to wear red or pink today? It’s just not like me. I’m such a holiday gal. My sis would tell me that before I hit the sack I should know what I’m going to wear the following day. This just doesn’t happen in my home, especially on…
Tough Question Giveaway
I have a question for y’all! I think it’s a tough one, but I’ll let you be the judge of that. There are no wrong answers. In fact, there’s a good chance each one of you will have more than one answer! Here’s the question: Which skill or skills do your students have the most…
February Teaching Plans
It will be here next week—February, that is! Quite frankly, February is rather full, isn’t it? There’s good ole Groundhog Day. (Note to Mr. Groundhog: there’s nothing scary about your shadow, big guy, so even if you do see it, please still stick around and let us have spring!) There’s Presidents’ Day and Valentine’s Day….
Holiday Activity Substitutes
It’s always great to have a few ideas on hand for students who do not celebrate holidays. I learned this my very first year of teaching. I’ll admit that I sort of blundered my way through the first experience—I was totally unprepared for so many things that year! 🙂 Here are a few nonholiday options….
No, I Can’t Be Sick!
What teacher hasn’t eked out those words at three o’clock in the morning? I know I have! In fact, I’m pretty sure I willed myself back to wellness on several occasions, especially during my first few years of teaching. Just the thought of trying to describe my class schedule (which varied daily) and my learning…
Handy Dandy Forms
Do you have favorite forms that you use year after year in your classroom or with your students’ parents? I used a lot of student checklists, weekly progress reports, seasonal incentive charts, and monthly newsletter forms. Because my students were older, I let them fill in the monthly newsletter forms, and they got a kick…
Jazzed About Booklets
Booklets are on my brain today! Joan’s comment on “First Day Faves” jump-started my thinking. She begins the year knowing she’ll have a class-made book for each child to take home at the end of the year. Isn’t that a great strategy? If I were teaching, I’d make that my class book strategy for sure….