Teacher Tips & Tricks -

An Attitude of Gratitude: 3 Quick & Easy Classroom Activities for Thankfulness

Thanksgiving is a great time of year to focus on class routines around thankfulness, but that doesn’t mean it is the only time to practice showing appreciation! Incorporating academic activities that focus on thankfulness throughout the year can help students develop a sense of gratitude and encourage positive attitudes and appreciation. Plus, they can be a fun change of pace! Here are a few of my favorite low-prep and quick academic activities around gratitude and thankfulness! Thank You Cards I am an avid thrift shopper. When I find thank you cards on sale, I snag them! I keep these cards…

Using Digital Task Cards in the Classroom: A Quick How-To Guide for Teachers!

Since the pandemic, teachers everywhere have been incorporating more technology into their classroom practice. It makes sense - digital activities have a lot of benefits that the distance learning era brought to light. For example, digital assignments are easy to share with students whether they are present at school or not. They save paper and your time at the copier. Students (and teachers) won’t lose Google files as easily as they may lose a worksheet, and some digital activities are uniquely interactive and even self-correcting! One type of digital activity that has a permanent place in my classroom routine is…

5 Quick Tips to Set Up A Stress-Free Classroom

Setting up a classroom, whether it's your tenth classroom or the first classroom that is all your own, is overwhelming! It’s tough to know where to start, and many teachers feel the need to create a Pinterest-worthy classroom before the students even arrive for the first day of school - but that’s just not needed! Your focus should be on making your classroom functional and comfortable, for both your students and yourself! Here are some tips to get you headed in the right direction! 1. Think It Through! Setting up your classroom is actually not the first thing you should…

$The Great Classroom Escape: Using Escape Rooms to Ignite Student Learning$

The Great Classroom Escape: Using Escape Rooms to Ignite Student Learning

When most people hear the term “escape room”, they picture elaborate puzzles, locked rooms, hidden keys, and a ticking timer. Modern escape rooms have developed a reputation for being a ton of fun and great opportunities for teamwork. However, setting one up involves countless hours of prep work beforehand, both physically setting up the space and mentally planning it all out with perfect precision. If this is your idea of an escape room, you may feel confused when other teachers talk about using an escape room in their classrooms. Maybe you think, “Who’s got time for that?!” Not me! Luckily,…

How to Easily Teach Technology Skills in Your 21st Century Classroom

“Wait, how do I copy and paste again?” “I didn’t mean to do that!” “Can you show me how to…” Sound familiar? I love using technology to enhance my students’ time in my classroom, but I hate all of the tech support I need to do that stops me from helping students with actual content! Students have more access to technology than ever before - but that doesn’t mean they always know how to use it in the most efficient way. With increasing numbers of school districts moving to a 1:1 technology model, efficient computer use has never been more…

I Taught it but They Still Don’t Get It! – 3 Easy Strategies to Stop the Cycle & Make Your Lessons Stick!

"I taught it but they still don't get it!" Sound familiar? You’re not alone! Millions of teachers every year run to their teacher BFFs to vent about the very same thing! With so much curriculum to fit in a year, it can feel so disheartening to come back the day after you’ve taught a great lesson only for your students to look at you with blank stares and no clue where to start. Here are my top tips for stopping this cycle! Find the real starting point for your students! Understanding 6th-grade math doesn’t start on the first day of…

Accommodations Explained – Checking for Understanding

As a classroom teacher, providing the necessary accommodations to your special education or 504 students may feel like ONE MORE THING added to your already very full plate. However, most accommodations can be simple to implement and even improve your teaching practice for all of your students. Today’s accommodation we will explore is often seen on IEPs as “Checking for Understanding”. Checking for Understanding is a common accommodation for students who tend to fly under the radar. Perhaps the child struggles with advocating for help or has a weakness with processing language and therefore, has a hard time understanding class…

Successful Co-Teaching Practices for Happy Teachers and Engaged Students

Coteaching is becoming a very popular arrangement in education. It is a way for special education students to receive support in their general education classrooms for math, ELA, and other core content areas. There are many arrangements of co-teaching, so it may look different depending on each school. Coteaching is one of the main ways that we are able to serve special education students in my school, and I have been co-teaching for the last four years to support students in their math classes. I have been incredibly lucky with my co-teaching partners and we have built strong relationships over…

What to Buy for Your Classroom and What to Leave Behind For Less Back-to-School Stress

I am a shopaholic. I admit it. It's true. Want to hear something even worse? My shopping addiction only gets worse when I feel stressed - so basically the entire school year! That fact, along with all the TikTok videos, back-to-school-themed store displays, and online sales (looking at you, Amazon Prime Day) means that I have spent way too much money on my classroom over the last few years. As a math teacher, I couldn't even total it up for you! I remember when I was a first-year teacher, feeling like I needed everything other teachers recommended or shared to feel…

Getting Started with Student Council – Quick Questions to Help Find Your Vision!

A few years ago, I was cornered at the copier. Through a short but persuasive conversation with my principal, I was “voluntold” to lead our school’s 6th-grade student council. It was our very first year as a middle school, and we were starting everything from scratch. Over my years in the district, I’d gotten a reputation for going above and beyond, which apparently translated to “please add more to my plate!” To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement! I had never been on student council while I was in school, so I had no idea where to start or…