The one with MUST DO end of year prep in the classroom
End of year must do prep for teachers to be ready next year. Three easy ways to prep for the fall now.
The one about engaged poetry readers and writers
It’s all about a dog. I mean, how can you look in those eyes and not fall desperately in love? This is why I loved creating a poetry unit for elementary around Love that Dog by Sharon Creech. First: gratuitous picture of my dog! 😍 Okay, but really, I’m here
The one with digital poetry resources
We have been teaching virtually for almost a year now. How crazy is that? It’s just about time to get into poetry for third quarter. Poetry is my absolute FAVORITE genre of writing to teach. I like finding ways to read a little bit and write a little bit. This
The one about teaching writing while virtual
Teaching anything virtual is a challenge when you’re used to teaching in person. There’s the crazy will-they-or-won’t-they scenario for going back in person, scrambling to reinvent everything we’ve ever taught/used, and, well, you know. One subject that is especially challenging has been writing. Writing is a crucial skill, but it’s
The one about new year’s virtual activities
Winter break is the longest break from school, so our return to school is always momentous and filled with anticipation in seeing each other again. Being virtual this year, our New Year’s activities will be a little different. UPDATE: Dec. 2021- These virtual activities still fit, even when we’re in person!
The one about virtual student choice
Student engagement is extremely challenging while virtual. Not only are cameras off, but I’m battling the other internet tabs full of YouTube videos, their siblings’ teachers talking, mom and dad working from home, a barking dog, and their infant sister playing next to them. How do I get my students
The one with Thanksgiving activities for upper elementary
After a lot of debate and turmoil since early October, rising Covid case numbers finally led my county to officially decide to remain virtual through January. Now that I can officially plan virtual Thanksgiving activities for my fourth graders, I’m ready to share what we’re doing! 2021 Update: Even
The one with virtual Early Finisher Activities
In this new world of teaching, are there even early finishers? What does that look like? How can I implement this idea? For context, my school is completely virtual (right now). We have 4 synchronous learning blocks- math, language arts, science/social studies (alternating weeks), and flex (time to pull small
The one about engaging students during virtual meets
Virtual learning is a new thing for our students. In the spring, we were *mostly* making it all up as we go. At least I was. The good part was that I was doing all of that with students I already had relationships with. We spent the previous seven months
The one with Google Classroom organization
Google Classroom has been a staple for me the last few years. It’s a great tool to supplement our regular classroom routines, useful for projects, as a center rotation, and communication with students. When we went completely virtual in March, I was happy that we were using Google Classroom because
The first FIVE days of lesson plans for the beginning of the year.