For the past 15 years, I have been doing a project in my classroom that tops all of the other projects I do. It is the type of project that comes up in any conversations I have with past students who are back for a visit. Years ago, my brain conceived this project and it has only gotten better with time! When I do it, we create an ACTUAL FISH TANK in our classroom. Other teachers have used the project as more of a Project Based Learning project where students … [Read more...]
Opinion Writing: Unleash Student Voice
Happy Sunday! I hope you're enjoying a long weekend. Our district has done away with February vacation, but we do get Presidents' Day off and Tuesday as well. Today I wanted to share an activity that I do with my students when it comes to opinion and persuasive writing. I thought it might be something you could put in your lesson plans too. I read my class The Three Little Pigs, while exploring the idea that different perspectives lead to … [Read more...]
Maker’s Monday: Gingerbread House Fact Families
Maker's Monday this week was the perfect blend! Multiplication and division fact families, easy to assemble art work, and a quick holiday bulletin board made for a great morning. Normally Monday mornings bring in kids bummed that the weekend is over, but ever since instituting Maker's Monday, kids come bouncing in and immediately read the SmartBoard in order to find out what they will be making for morning work. They nearly … [Read more...]
Veterans Day Agamograph
This week we will be celebrating Veterans Day. It is a great holiday and I always start the week with some reading passages so that my students can begin to understand the importance of the holiday. The week ends with an amazing celebration assembly where veterans within the community and the school come to be recognized in their full uniforms. This week for Maker's Monday, we decided to try to create a Veterans Day … [Read more...]
STEM: Keeping it Simple and Effective
There are always buzz words out there in the teacher world. Right now, two that I can think of are Flexible Seating and STEM Challenge. If you go on Pinterest or follow any teaching groups on Facebook, you have surely seen these two terms over and over. As teachers, I think it is easy to get sucked up into the current trends in education, but it is REALLY important to remember that you need to be using these trendy ideas with a critical mind. … [Read more...]
DIY: Storage Drawers
While I was on summer vacation, was looking around on Pinterest and I saw this set of storage drawers. It was on a blog called Down The Learning Road. I knew it was something that I wanted for my classroom to keep all my odds and ends in. On the blog, it said that I could get the drawers at Lowes or Home Depot. I was able to find mine on Amazon and I was able to use some of my Amazon points. All they had available was black so I knew … [Read more...]
