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Buddy Bio Poems Back-to-School Partner Poetry Lesson

Imagine yourself as a student in a new classroom during the first week of school. Unless your teacher starts off with at least a few getting-to-know you activities, it might be weeks before you feel...

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The Question Connection: Advice from Real Teachers

Got Teacher Questions? Read this post to find out how the Question Connection works, and then submit your question HERE. When I first started teaching I was full of questions, and I continued to h...

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Boom Learning Changes You Need to Know About

Boom Learning Changes You Need to Know About

Boom Cards are an amazing resource for classroom teachers, and I love creating them! If you’re not familiar with Boom Cards, they are interactive digital task cards that are played on the Boom Learn...

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Free School Year Calendar

Grab Your Free 2024 – 2025 School Year Calendar!

Are you looking for a monthly planning calendar that you can use yourself and also share with your students? If so, my School Year Calendar might be exactly what you need! The 8 1/2 x 11 inch portra...

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Caring Classrooms Contest: Striding Toward a Cure

Caring Classrooms Contest: Striding Toward a Cure

The Caring Classrooms Giving Page on DonorsChoose was founded in 2013, and since that time we have helped hundreds of teachers receive funding for classroom materials and basic supplies. Over the ye...

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How to Teach Poetry, Step by Step (It’s Easier Than You Think!)

April is National Poetry Month! When you saw those words, what was your first reaction? You might have been thinking, "Yay! I love poetry, and now I have an excuse to teach it!" But more likely yo...

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Going Marbles for STEM Hands-on Learning

Guest blog post by Francie Kugelman Do you remember the thrill of dropping a marble into a maze and watching it roll, spin, and finally end at the bottom of your run? Having your students create a ...

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A Tribute to Francie, the Heart of Caring Classrooms

Francie Kugelman and I founded the Caring Classrooms Community in 2013, and we spent the next 10 years collaborating on ways to spread the word about DonorsChoose and to help teachers get their clas...

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Teaching Kids How to Have REAL Discussions

Do you remember the last time you and your friends had a great discussion? I’ll bet you didn’t take turns around the table with each person speaking for 30 seconds or a minute! Instead, it was pro...

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Thankful Writing Activity: Easy Expository Writing Lesson

Happy November! Is there a better time to write about all the things we are thankful for? This writing topic might seem may seem trite and overdone, but we can never overdo the message of showing appr...

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Celebrate Do Something Nice Day!

Did you know that October 5th is Do Something Nice Day? Google it and you'll see! What a great time to teach your kids how to be a good citizen and learn to consider the needs of others!  To help y...

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Free Halloween Word Work – Seek & Spell Fun!

How much time do you spend each week on spelling instruction? If you’re an upper elementary teacher, the answer is probably “not enough.” While you might recognize the importance of phonemic awa...

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