School and the City

I've already written all about my spelling bins that my students use to independently practice their spelling words. My students love the spelling bins, but sometimes they prefer working with their classmates.  Spelling lists and spelling groups are hard enough to organize and implement without having to also keep up with specific games for every list or sort. These versatile activities are fun, engaging, and effective - and they can be used with ANY spelling list! Students practice all aspects of word study while working on these activities: spelling patterns, pattern generalization, and word meaning. The rules are simple, thus students can play independently once the game is taught. I have three options for you that I've been using in my own classroom for about 6 years (!!!) now: 1. Word Master This game is designed to be VERSATILE and EFFECTIVE. Word study or spelling groups are hard enough to organize without having to keep up with different game...

Are you looking for an engaging resource to make the instructional days before Thanksgiving meaningful, academic, yet super-engaging? Want a simple, no-prep resource that you can use ALL DAY long as you near a crazy holiday? Are you hoping to cater to varying learning styles and free up time for yourself to enrich or remediate as needed? Look no further! I am thrilled to introduce my newest product to you: Thanksgiving choice boards!  No need to dread those instructional  days before Thanksgiving  break... gobble up a super-engaging, easy day of fun!  ⁣ I’ve created two choice boards - math and literacy - to help you make teaching on on those long days before Thanksgiving simple yet meaningful. ⁣ ⁣ ✅  standards-based skills⁣ ✅  editable to fit your needs ⁣ ✅  low prep (just make copies!)⁣ ✅  cross-curricular connections ⁣ ✅  real world connections ⁣ ✅  high-interest topics and tasks⁣ ✅  review of previously-learned skill...

I'm no expert, but I've learned a lot throughout my teaching journey. Classroom management is a big deal, and it's NOT easy!  Here's some of the best advice I've been given along the way: Would you rather watch in video form? You can do that  here .  We often expect students to know how to behave when they enter our classroom in August, especially older grades. We say things like   "Third graders don't do that." or "You should know better than that." ...but, have you taught them?  Have you explicitly modeled and practiced expected behavior? Have you redirected until students have shown masterty? We have to be explicit, and that's something that we often forget.  If you have low expectations for your students, they'll meet them.  If you have high expectations, they'll rise to the challenge and meet those, too.  It's okay to have high expectations for students...

Halloween falls on a Thursday this year - AKA a full school day... YIKES! Don't be too frightened; I've got some ideas to help keep you sane on one of the spo0o0okiest teaching days of the year. Need a class pumpkin? It's not complicated or fancy, but I actually loveee this basic class pumpkin - simple and sweet! I'm totally doing this again this year. #easiestideaever Need a read aloud? I love reading Junie B books during the holidays. They are hilarious and timeless - even my third graders love Junie B! The short chapter books are easy to read to your class in a week - or even just a few days - in order to cover those holiday bases and then move on. Junie B's Halloween book is called Boo, and I Mean It . It's less than five bucks on Amazon! It's perfect for discussing character traits because, well, she's one of my favorite characters ever! Need lesson plans to keep you - and your students - sane? No problem, friend! I'...

Choice boards are a staple in my classroom. I've explained why and how to use choice boards and even how to easily create your own choice boards , but what if you're just getting started, and you aren't sure how to begin? Trying something new in your classroom can be daunting, but I'm here to help you answer this question: How do I get started with choice boards? When your students see a choice board for the first time, they will likely be overwhelmed by the unfamiliar layout and amount of print. Combat this by explaining how much you love choice boards - remember that your excitement is contagious! Explain that choice boards allow the students to choose how they learn and how to show what they learn. It's intended for students to choose tasks that interest them in order to deepen their understandings. In order for students to be successful, you'll need to set expectations. The higher your expectations are, the more your students will achieve! At...

I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up. I'm loving the classroom right now, but I think I'd eventually like to move towards teaching teachers. Over the summer, I was looking for some books to read to help myself grow into a teacher leader, so I asked my community on Instagram to share suggestions. Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. By purchasing an item from Amazon using these links,  I will receive a small commission on your purchase, although your price stays the same! I use that commission to keep my blog up and running. Thank you! You guys gave some awesome suggestions, and I promised I'd share: 5 Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler Dare to Lead by Brené Brown How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader by John Gabriel Lead Like a Pirate by Shelley Burgess and Beth Houf Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance by Valorie Kondos Field Shaping School Culture by Terrenc...

I used Class Dojo to manage student behavior this year. It was AMAZING. If you've never heard of Class Dojo, you're in for a treat.  If you are a Class Dojo veteran, can I get an AMEN?! ABOUT CLASS DOJO Class Dojo is an online program that I can access from a computer, my iPad, or even my iPhone. Students can earn or lose points all day long, no matter where we are in the building. Students can earn points by setting a good example, staying on task, and following directions. Students may lose points if they demonstrate behavior that is disruptive to the learning environment. Class Dojo also has the ability to create reports, which are great to use for report cards and parent conferences. You can check reports for today, yesterday, this week, last week, this month, last month, all time, OR a custom date range. It's incredible! The best part about Class Dojo is that parents can create their own Class Dojo parent account and log in at a...