Category: Teaching Ideas & Inspiration

End Of The Year

7 Amazing End of the Year Gift Ideas For Students

*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* The end of the school year is so wonderful!  Teachers and students alike daydream about all the wonderful things to come.  However, it’s also a time of reflection over the year that passed, and for many it has a tinge of sadness about the things that will be missed. For these reasons, many teachers give their students parting gifts commemorating the year and looking forward to the next.  Oh, and there is no need to spend a fortune, most students are perfectly happy receiving goodies from your local dollar store.  Here are 7 amazing end of the year gift ideas for students that you must see: 1. Pencils AnyContinue reading

Art

8 Ways to Teach Landscape Art

Landscapes are so beautiful to look at, which is why it is so great to teach your students how to recreate them.  There are so many artistic principles that can be taught through a landscape unit.  For example, you can create lessons around line, foreground & background, artistic messages, color representations and symmetry (to name a few).  Landscape art also ties in really nicely with a Social Studies unit on Urban & Rural communities.  Here are ways to teach landscape art. 1. Start with the sky: In this form of landscape art, the sky is the main feature.  So naturally, students plan out their landscape by first painting/coloring the sky.  I like the swirl approach,Continue reading

Classroom Themes

Up Up and Away Classroom Theme

*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* I love this up up and away classroom theme!  It suggests something magical and adventurous, and if you combine this with your students imagination you have the perfect mix!  There is something empowering about soaring towards the sky and it’s wonderful imagery to give your students regarding their own journeys throughout the year.  Here are some ideas about an empowering and uplifting up up and away classroom theme: Classroom Decor Here is a great opportunity to give your class a splash of color.  I also love how imitating a blue sky in your room just brightens up the atmosphere.  Seeing all this flight and promise is sureContinue reading

Classroom Themes

Dr. Seuss Classroom Theme

Dr. Seuss is just the kind of quirky & colorful theme that will have your students feeling alert and alive in the classroom.  Not to mention, they can contribute to the theme or point out what they notice after read alouds of Dr. Seuss books.  Behind all the wacky language, Dr. Seuss books contain some wonderful messages to share with your students.  Also, how fun would it be to reward them with a Dr. Seuss movie as a class management technique!  Most of these ideas are completely DIY-compliant, which helps when budgeting.  Take a look at these Dr. Seuss classroom ideas: Classroom Decor All you need to complete some of these looks are pool noodlesContinue reading

Math

2D Shapes Lesson Ideas for Grade 3

*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* Grade 3 students will have already had quite a bit of exposure to 2D shapes.  Most of them will only need a refresher before moving on to 3D shapes and other geometry lessons.  So, why not reinvigorate your students’ knowledge with some fun and exciting ways to approach 2D shapes.  Here are some classic, as well as some unique, ways to craft your 2D shapes lesson ideas for grade 3 :). Anchor Charts: First things first, you will need good anchor charts.  Some students have trouble remembering the names of shapes, so colorful anchor charts are key to their success.  Try these out:   Games: Just sayContinue reading

Reading, Teaching Ideas & Inspiration

Teach Reading Strategies – All Students Need This!

I always (always!) start my year off with teaching reading strategies.  This will help your students in everything they do throughout the rest of the year.  Not only does it work miracles for their reading, but they can use these strategies across all subjects.  Here is an overview on how to teach reading strategies: First things first: Download this super helpful reading strategies bookmark.  This fun bookmark is the perfect tool for students doing independent reading! It directs them to use strategies when they are having difficulty with a text. When they’re done reading, it gives them post-reading strategy ideas! Choose from 5 different bookmark designs for students to decorate. Create Schema Connections: Students need toContinue reading

Reading, Teaching Ideas & Inspiration

NonFiction Lesson Ideas for Primary Grades

*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* By the end of the primary years, students should know all about nonfiction.  They should be able to define nonfiction, identify text features and more.  Here are some nonfiction lesson ideas for primary grades I have come across: Compare Fiction & Nonfiction: This goes without saying, students will learn better when they can compare concepts that they are already familiar with.  A comparison between fiction and nonfiction will help them to better understand how to classify both genres.  Here some ideas to try out: Anchor Charts:     Worksheets: Focus on Text Features: Here, you want your students to be able to identify and define the text featuresContinue reading

Reading, Writing

Biography Unit Ideas for Primary Grades

By grade 4, students are expected to be able to conduct some research, organize ideas and use their knowledge to create various pieces of writing.  What better way to facilitate these practices then by conducting a biography unit?  Biographies offer students many benefits, some of which are gaining a new perspective on their own life, while being inspired by the works of others.  Below are some biography unit ideas for primary grades. Before beginning this unit it is a good idea to have a discussion about fictions vs. non-fiction texts.  As well as, discussing how to write an engaging story/biography. For reference, you can look into a story writing unit and learn more about nonfictionContinue reading

Math, Teaching Ideas & Inspiration

Teach Time – Lesson Ideas For Telling Time

*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* Telling time is one of those things that is so practical, it’s all around us.  Here are some ways to empower your students; try out these how-to teach time lesson ideas: Make it personal: Like I said, telling time is all around us!  So, use it to your advantage and make your teaching personal.  My students always get excited when they can use their personal lives in their work.  I feel like it makes the learning more relevant!  Here is an idea I really liked: Create references: This is always helpful for students (and adults alike).  When your students are able to look around your classroom orContinue reading

Centers, Math, Teaching Ideas & Inspiration

Graphing Math Centers For Grade 3

  *This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* Centers are an awesome way to get students practicing what they’ve learned in a variety of fun ways.  Here are some great ideas I’ve come across for creating Graphing Math Centers for grade 3. Identifying Graphing Elements: It’s important that students are able to identify the types of graphs as well as all their parts.  This will help them make meaning of the data presented to them.  Here are some ways to get students to do just that:     Once students are done working together to identify the graphs, they can create their own graph as a group on chart paper (oh how they love toContinue reading