I'll never forget the most important lesson I learned in college as an educator. It had a HUGE impact on me, and I still think about it every year as I get my new group of students. I was a double major - elementary and special education. At my particular university, this meant I took 13 credits more than than someone pursuing a an elementary education degree. What it really meant - more sped classes. No biggie. So I took my special … [Read more...] about The Most Important Educator Lesson
Search Results for: label/Beginning of School
Beginning Sounds Worksheet Alternatives, Games, or Literacy Center Puzzles
These beginning sounds magic square math puzzles are great for preschool, Kindergarten, and 1st grade grade kids. The puzzles are a PDF download. You will NOT be able to edit or modify the puzzles. WHAT YOU GET: SIX puzzles THREE versions of each puzzle - one has students match the two pictures, while the other two options have the students match one picture to the correct letter Here are the letters each puzzle contains: … [Read more...] about Beginning Sounds Worksheet Alternatives, Games, or Literacy Center Puzzles
FREE Beginning Sounds Center Game
Magic Square Puzzles make it quick and easy for teachers to provide hands on activities that meet the needs of all students! This FREEBIE contains one Magic Square Puzzle; however, there are three versions of it. The first has students match two pictures that begin with the same letter. The second and third puzzles have students match one of the pictures to the corresponding letter. Unlike most of my magic square puzzles, there are no pictures … [Read more...] about FREE Beginning Sounds Center Game
Helpful Hints & Tips for New Teachers
Congratulations! You got through student teaching, found a teaching position, and you're ready to get started. YEA! It's an exciting time! Today I want to share some helpful hints and tips for new teachers. Your brain is probably in overdrive right now. You're trying to remember everything you learned during your years of college, while student teaching, and all the helpful information gathered from veteran teachers. But I know from experience … [Read more...] about Helpful Hints & Tips for New Teachers
Tips for the First Six Weeks of School
If you’re a teacher that participates in teacher groups on social media, there’s a chance you’ve seen a post at some point about a teacher who’s having a hard time with classroom community and/or management. It’s frustrating if you’re the teacher experiencing the problem, and it can be hard to give clear advice online. Or you get SO MUCH advice that it's hard to wade through it and find helpful/valuable suggestions. One way to circumvent this … [Read more...] about Tips for the First Six Weeks of School
Kindergarten Reading and Writing Centers
Here's how I taught Kindergarten Reading and Writing Centers. No, I am not teaching Kindergarten this year, but I wanted to let you know how I ran my Kindergarten centers when I was teaching them. Everyone runs theirs differently, but I always like reading what other people do. Sometimes I hear about something and it's like, "Whoa! Why hadn't I thought of that?!" So here is what I did, as well as links to as many of the resources as I could … [Read more...] about Kindergarten Reading and Writing Centers
Departmentalizing Across Grade Levels
This past year our elementary school did something different. We decided to try departmentalizing across grade levels. Why, you ask? Because we only have one section of each grade, yet we felt our upper elementary students needed to rotate teachers to prepare them for junior high. That, and the three teachers each had a specialty. Our fourth grade teacher is excellent at teaching math and extremely qualified. I love reading and have … [Read more...] about Departmentalizing Across Grade Levels
100th Day of School Activities and Books for Elementary Kids
Every Elementary school teacher knows that the 100th day of school is kind of a big deal. First off, it means the school year is two-weeks past the halfway point. Secondly, the weather starts to show signs of warming (depending on where you live). Bonus - it’s a great time to have fun with math! If you’re on the lookout for some great 100th Day of School activities – I’m here to help! This blog post is going to showcase some great 100th Day … [Read more...] about 100th Day of School Activities and Books for Elementary Kids
School Rules – How to Teach Them to Start the Year Off Right!
I like to keep my classroom rules VERY easy! Typically it's just one rule - be nice or show respect. The K-2 folks get the "be nice" rule, while the older kids get the "show respect" rule. (Keep reading for a FREE download you can display in your classroom!) This rules is then broken up into three main parts. to others to property to yourself Even though the rule only has one main part (or three smaller ones!), it can still be a … [Read more...] about School Rules – How to Teach Them to Start the Year Off Right!
