Classroom Awards Make Kids Feel Special!

…Most of my students received an award, but there were always some who didn’t receive anything at all. Typically these children were the very ones who had struggled all year…

Teaching Kids How to Write Super Sentences

…practice their sentence-writing skills by learning how to revise and expand kernel sentences. This activity should be modeled in a whole group or guided literacy group first, and older children

Make Your Mark on International Dot Day!

for your class. The Dot is a simple book, but it’s definitely one with a message to share. Actually, it has several important messages. Children will be able to relate…

Google Classroom Management Tips

…Design Studio. Finding a balance between school, raising two children, and being creative is important to her. Part of that balance is found while “being techie” on her laptop and

Christmas Paper Chain Connections Craftivity

…different types of connections: text to text, text to self, and text to world. Children are often taught to recognize and distinguish between these three, so I created a printable…

Mitten Science: Questions to Explore

…students; most elementary children think that if they perform an experiment one time, the results are “proof” that their hypothesis is correct. However, scientists don’t draw conclusions based on a…

The Power of Praise

…teacher supposed to say when a kid easily masters every concept? Yet problems arise when children spend the first 10 years of their lives being told they are smart, and