Did you know August 26th is National Dog Day? In my classroom, I always try to center my activities and plans around holidays or seasons. It just makes it more fun and engaging. One of the easiest ways to connect holidays and seasons into my plans is by using themed reading comprehension passages with questions […]
Goodbye Guided Reading Groups – Hello 5 Essential Skills
When I first started teaching, I remember wondering, “what is guided reading?” What does that mean? What does that look like? How will that help my students? I don’t know if this is universal across districts, but it seemed to me that no one really knew… I heard different things from different people. Even different […]
Halloween BINGO
BINGO is such a fun game to play when you have some spare time (who has that?) You might be able to play BINGO during a holiday party or during indoor recess. One thing is for sure, students will LOVE playing this Create Your Own Halloween BINGO. Students can create their own luck by deciding […]
Halloween Grammar Word Searches
I was obsessed with Word Searches growing up. I always wanted to be the first one to find all of the words. I’m very competitive like that! Now that I’m a teacher I want to include some of that fun into my classroom too. However, nowadays we have to justify every little thing we are […]
Halloween Grammar Sort
I love including holiday fun in my curriculum every chance I can. So far this year we have worked on nouns and verbs in my class. Many are already claiming it’s “spooky season” so why not prepare for the coming holiday with this fun Halloween Grammar Sort? All of the words to be sorted are […]
Halloween Bookmarks (FREE)
End of the Year Student Gifts
There is usually a lot of debate whether teachers should spend their own money to buy their students gifts throughout the year. I struggled with the idea myself, especially considering how little I made this year due to a middle of the year shift in districts. However, I did end up getting my students a […]
How to Create a Calming Classroom Environment – 3 Simple Ways + Bonus Tips
What comes to your mind when you think of calm? I personally think of a “spa-like” atmosphere with soft lighting, subtle aromas, and soothing white noise. Wouldn’t it be nice to work and learn in this type of environment? The latest trend seems to be to have a “calm down corner” but what if we […]
5 Must Have Items for Your Classroom
As a teacher, there are a TON of things we need and want, but our budget can only go so far. I spent some time reflecting over all of the items I have bought the past four years. Out of everything I have purchased, I believe I have narrowed it down to 5 must have […]