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Free Earth Day Resources: Just a Dream to Save Our Planet

A few years ago I posted a question on Facebook asking teachers to tell me their favorite book to read aloud for Earth Day, and Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg was the top recommendation.  

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Leprechaun Luck Math Game Digital Challenge

If you’re looking for a fun and educational math game for your students to play on St. Patrick’s Day, Leprechaun Luck might be exactly what you need! But then again, it might not, and that’s  

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How to Get Started with Boom Cards

Whether you’ll be starting the school year online, in the classroom, or both, one of your biggest challenges will be finding digital resources that can be adapted for the new reality of teaching during a pandemic. Fortunately, Boom Cards  

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How to Teach Social Skills, Step by Step

Seating students together is not enough to ensure teamwork. Many kids have very little idea how to interact appropriately with their classmates. They simply lack the social skills needed to perform the most basic cooperative learning tasks. Lack of  

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December Activities Your Kids Will Love!

Seasonal lessons are perfect for the weeks leading up to the winter holidays. Those days can be chaotic, so it’s important to plan lessons that are both meaningful and fun. Kids are more likely to stay on task when  

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Make Your Mark on International Dot Day!

Have you heard about International Dot Day? It’s celebrated on September 15th, and it’s all about encouraging kids to discover how they can make a difference. Why is it called “Dot Day”? To find out, read the book that  

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Free 2020 – 2021 School Year Calendar

Years ago, I searched everywhere to find the perfect calendar to use with my students, but I couldn’t find one that worked. I wanted one with 8 1/2 x 11 inch portrait-style pages that would fit  

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Teach Kindness on Pay It Forward Day

Have you ever heard of Pay It Forward Day? Each year, on April 28th, we’re encouraged to perform random acts of kindness for friends, family members, and even total strangers. The Pay it Forward Day website  

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Team Stop Signs Help Kids Stop and Refocus

Cooperative learning lessons are awesome for engaging students in the learning process, but sometimes a team will become overly enthusiastic and noisy. Even if everyone is still on task, their energetic behavior can be distracting to others. In most  

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Protected: Sharing our Blessings with YOU!

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Teaching Informational Text with Magazines

With the Common Core emphasis on teaching informational text, you might be wondering where to find appropriate texts for reading instruction. Most classrooms are overflowing with great children’s literature and novels, but many schools lack a good selection of  

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Multiple Intelligence Theory and Growth Mindset

Dr. Howard Gardner first proposed Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory over 40 years ago, suggesting that IQ is not one-dimensional, and that it can’t be described by a single number. Instead, he proposed that there are at least 8 different  

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