Organizing classroom files has pretty much been the bane of my teaching career. If you’re looking for the easiest, best way to organize classroom files, you’re in the right place! Specifically, I’m talking about master copies of activities, interactive notebook pages, graphic organizers, worksheets, and craftivities. File Organization Systems I’ve Tried For one reason or … Read more
I use a pacing guide to help me see the big picture for the school year. It’s what I pull out before I plan day-to-day lessons. If you’re wanting to know how to use a pacing guide, you’re in the right place. What is a pacing guide? A pacing guide is used to pace out … Read more
With less than 2 months until Christmas, it’s time to start thinking about gift giving, so I’ve put together a teacher holiday gift guide. The teacher holiday gift guide was inspired by the best gifts I’ve received, as well as my favorite gifts to give. Felt Tip Flair Pens Teacher Tumbler Sherpa Throw (Save $10 … Read more
At any given time, there are approximately 7,392 things on my to-do lists. During the back to school and end of the year craziness, that number triples exponentially. Having planning lists for the classroom during the craziest of times is pretty much essential for surviving the back to school rush. My lists don’t start during … Read more
Of all the writing genres, I think personal narrative is the hardest to teach, which is why I’m sharing my favorite 15 personal narrative mini-lessons. While students all have stories to tell, I’ve found that students struggling telling their story in writing. After teaching personal narrative writing mini-lessons for years, and never feeling like I’ve … Read more
A teacher could quite literally go broke buying all the things. But, let’s not actually do that. Supplies new teachers actually need doesn’t have to break the bank though. You just got hired for your FIRST teaching job! CONGRATULATIONS! Cue the confetti and music! But now, you start asking your teacher friends what you need, and … Read more
A few years ago, I wrote about the best planner I have EVER used, and I felt like it was probably time to give an update. You can read about it HERE. So here’s the question: Is an Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner really worth the money? I’ve been using an Erin Condren TLP for … Read more
I always like to think of January “back to school” as sort of a reset after Christmas Break. Everyone feels refreshed, and ready to tackle the second part of the school year. It’s also the perfect time to revisit some of the growth mindset books I shared with my students at the beginning of the … Read more
Every year I spend about two weeks reading gingerbread stories, and doing all the gingerbread things. My BEST tip: do your gingerbread unit AFTER Christmas. Say WHHAAAT? I know, I know. But seriously, I have so many Christmas books (you can read about those HERE) I want to share with my class, that there’s just … Read more
December is jam-packed with lots of holidays, and celebrations. Just with any other time of the year, I love having read-alouds that compliment whatever is going on. I split this post into different sections so you can easily find the topic you’re looking for. Plus, there’s lots of non-fiction books too, which I marked as … Read more
Halloween seems an appropriate day to dust off the cobwebs on my little ol’ blog, and share some of my favorite Thanksgiving read-alouds. Favorite Thanksgiving Read-Alouds Thanksgiving is easily one of my most favorite times of the year, and I’ve collected Thanksgiving themed read-alouds since I first started teaching. There’s so many Thanksgiving books I … Read more
It’s no secret that I love books! I especially love books that help my students understand kindness, community, friendships, and teach valuable life lessons. The follow list of books is pretty extensive back-to-school read aloud list. I don’t read these all in one day, but rather spread them out over the course of the first … Read more
