education resources & more
Time for some real talk… Writing is always (I mean ALWAYS!) an area of “opportunity” for my fresh-faced second graders. I’ve decided that writing must be the “summer slip” for first graders. They are out of practice! But, what could I do as their teacher to help rebuild and expand on their writing? I found that my students have tremendous… Read More
The first week back after Winter Break is always a hard one… the kids are not *quite* back in the routine of school, and let’s face it… neither is the teacher! That’s why it is so important to review your classroom procedures the first week back! One way I like to do this is with the book, “Officer Buckle and… Read More
One of my favorite back to school writing activities is to have my students write about themselves. What kid doesn’t like to go on and on about their likes, dislikes, family, and hobbies? I’ve taught for 9 years and have yet to meet a kid who didn’t want to take the time to share about their favorite person: themselves. This… Read More
I slump down at the table in the middle of my academic coaches’ room. I wasn’t just exhausted from the day, I was already exhausted in anticipation of today’s team meeting. Today wasn’t just about our upcoming plans for next week (which I still needed to do!) or a new professional development goal we need to add to our year-long… Read More
So what’s sweeter than all the chocolate that students bring you on Valentine’s Day and also doesn’t go straight to your thighs? Having those same sweet kiddos write about their sweetest acts! I love doing this writing activity around Valentine’s Day and it’s always a hit! I mean what kid doesn’t want to make a giant chocolate kiss complete with… Read More
If you teach in a Common Core (or fake CC state like I do) then you are very familiar with the idea of “responding to text” and “close reads”. These ideas seem to be fixtures on my lesson plans and although we’ve been slowly working on a routine with these two practices, we really didn’t hit a breakthrough with text… Read More
