All the best teacher-proven tips and tricks.
Encourage language development, while fostering fine motor skills, following directions and other functional life skills. Cooking in the classroom with visual recipes, step by step recipes to foster those super important life skills, and work on those IEP goals and objectives... all at the same time!
If you work with children, I can promise you that you will come across at least one student that has these difficult behaviors. Not only are they really stressful for the teacher but they impact the student’s life in many ways. Behaviors like disrespect and defiance can make classroom's chaotic.
The ultimate list of classroom management strategies, organized into verbal and non-verbal strategies, parent communication tips,rewards and prizes, games, brain breaks, and visual strategies.
Classroom hacks that actually work in a special education classroom setting. Tried and true methods from actual teachers. Read to learn more.
Real life math lessons are key to helping students see the connections between in class lessons and real life.
Here’s a few classroom procedures that have worked well for me – and a couple awesome ideas I’ve run across since I’ve stepped out of the classroom...
No, you’re not going to ignore their misbehavior. It’s just that . . . well, let’s back up a little. When you first receive your roster for the coming year, it’s normal to want to get the lowdown on your new class. It’s normal ... Read more
Do you teach an autism classroom? Here are my 5 must-haves to help develop your own successful autism classroom!
Being a new special education teacher can be overwhelming and stressful. Check out The FIRST thing to do as a new special ed teacher.
Do you have the skills it takes to get through everyday life or in the midst of a global crisis? It's easy to get wrapped up in all the to-do's of life that we don't always take the time to learn the things we need to live "the good life." Don't miss the 48 life skills EVERYONE should know—even our kids.
Some days you just need a break from the monotony! Preparing for exams, transitioning to a new unit, days when half your students are gone for a basketball tour
Learn how to manage one of the biggest challenges of teaching: Six disrespectful students in the same class. Yikes!
Stop taking away recess and using other punishments to control your students. Find success with 10 powerful classroom management strategies!
I wanted to share how I use (and have used for several years) a token economy in my classroom. I taught at different PBIS/PBS schools for 7 years, and a token economy is the perfect addition to what your school is already doing! I’ve used this system in 1st, 2nd, and 4th grades, and absolutely ... Read more
How to set up and implement a classroom behavior plan that really works, with advice from Smart Classroom Management's Michael Linsin.
Have you ever had a class that just tried your patience day after day? Have you ever felt like you could walk away from teaching forever tom...
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The Montessori method of education teaches reading and writing by isolating each sound/symbol and allowing the child to manipulate them herself through the movable alphabet. So why would we teach …
Attention seeking students can use up all of your energy, but when you provide them with the right kind of attention they can blossom into engaged students.
Whether your students are lethargic or super-charged, adding movement to your lesson plans will help to solve both issues. Not only is it healthy to move throughout the day, but it can also help students focus and become more engaged with the content they are trying to master. Due to the nature of English classes, ELA ... Read More about 10 Ways to Add Movement in the ELA Classroom
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Incorporating seven simple signs into your classroom can eliminate unnecessary interruptions and maximize teaching and learning.
Looking for effective classroom management policies and procedures for secondary classrooms? Here are 5 key starting points!
Want to take your kid's knowledge to the next level in your homeschool? 16 old-fashioned or vintage skills to boost your homeschool experience.
Do you need to make some changes to your classroom management? This simple tip allows a little mystery to create classroom management magic.
I've been reading the book, Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci, and just finished chapter 3. It was a real eye-opener. Through all of my years of teaching, I thought I was differentiating by planning and implementing reteaching and enrichment lessons and activities as my class worked through a unit. But in this chapter, I learned how important it is to start the differentiation before the unit even begins! This process begins with the preassessment. So much valuable information can be gathered before you begin teaching a unit. The purpose of the preassessment is to find how much students understand the content before you plan and teach the unit. Do they have a complete understanding of the content? Then they will need enrichment and/or accelerated activities. Do they have a partial understanding of the content? Then you need to make note of the gaps in their learning so you can plan accordingly. Checklists are a great way to keep track of the objectives and student mastery. From this checklist, you will also see students that need to be grouped for instruction. Keep in mind that this grouping will change as students master the objectives. Another insight I gained from this chapter is the different types of assessments used in a classroom. I put together this graphic to sum up the three types of assessment you should be using in your classroom. Click on the image to download the pdf version. You can also download this free packet with three quick and easy formative assessments you can use
So the lesson finished earlier than you expected. And now you have ten minutes to fill. Ten. Minutes. For many teachers, the very thought can make them break out in hives. Because, even when you have a reliable activity you can pull out at ... Read more
Looking to develop your Canva confidence so you can create beautiful handouts, flashcards, and models for your ELA classroom? Great! Find help in this post.
Prompting Hierarchy- How I got duped! What you need to know about the prompting hierarchy. Snag the infographic and info perfect for working with your staff!
Every English language arts teacher needs a variety of successful, student led discussion strategies that will provide opportunities for student learning.
Fun and engaging grammar games for your secondary ELA classroom! These grammar games will get your students collaborating, moving, and discussing those critical sentence structure and grammar skills! Bring fun to grammar instruction!
What they don't teach us in education courses is just how freaking much students talk, and how hard it can be to quiet them down. Help is on the way.
An escape room in the classroom is a super fun way to engage your students in any topic. Make one easily with the worksheet you already have!
Games can be the perfect tool to introduce and teach social emotional learning skills to kids and young adults. These are the skills that help kids become more self-aware, develop positive relationships, show empathy towards others, manage emotions, use self-control, resolve conflicts, and make posi
15 exit ticket ideas for any subject or grade level!
Tour my Orton-Gillingham based classroom and small group reading area. Sneak peek into my small group lessons and classroom organization.
I've been working on a few things for Behavior Management so I thought I'd join the party! Check out The Lesson Plan Diva to see others who have linked up! I've seen a lot of clip charts and stop lights in blog land and I have to say that I am not a fan. Don't get me wrong--I think they are pretty, easy to use, and a quick visual for the teacher at the end of the day when getting things ready to go home. BUT I strongly believe that kids should not be publicly embarrassed for their behavior. EVERYONE makes poor choices from time to time. Would you want the entire staff to know when you missed a deadline or made a mistake? I know this is not the intention, but it happens anyway. Instead I use a binder. I wish I had a photo to show but sadly it is locked up at school. In the binder is a chart with student numbers instead of names. When students make poor choices, they are asked to visit the behavior binder where they place a check mark next to their number. There is also a copy of our Quality Student they should quickly review. When sending students to the binder, I make sure to do it privately so the student is not embarrassed. Each Monday we discuss the previous week's data, celebrate if we made a goal, and make new goals for the coming week. The binder is also handy at conference time. As a class, we set goals for the number of checks we will try to stay under per week. Students also may have personal goals for how many checks they will have each week or grading period. Recently I found Homeworkopoly on Ladybug's Teacher Files and decided to teacher-lift it. She uses this for students who consistently complete their homework, but I decided to use it as a behavior incentive. ALOT of people have been posting about doing away with the prize/treasure box and this could work for that too. I included two "prize box" places on the board but you could easily replace them with something else. I am still working on the Chance cards and I also added a spot for "Student-written questions." My plan here is to have students write their own review questions for topics already covered. So my printer is running low on ink and the colors are a bit distorted but this is the basic idea. My plan is to post it on the chalk board and use pictures of the kids faces to make magnetic playing pieces. Students who made it the entire week without any checks in the behavior binder (or who met their personal behavior goal) will get to take a turn on the Behavioropoly Board. Check out Ladybug's Teacher Files to see how she runs the game. ***Update*** Due to a high volume of requests I am no longer sending out my template by email. You can go to my TPT store and download the files for free!
Learn the simple, quick strategies cognitive scientists say can boost student learning in any classroom.
Have you ever had a class with so many difficult, disruptive students that you felt that you could barely even teach? What can you do to get past it? In this post, I am going to address this problem with my best advice, and some advice from others as well.
There’s at least one in every classroom — yep, I’m talking about the kid who just sits there, and doesn’t work. The one who needs constant cajoling to put pencil to paper and get started. In some cases, there’s an attitude problem and the student is disengaged from school in general, and in other cases, … Continued
Is it a reflection of a warm school culture, or a subtle way to get teachers to work even harder? If you suspect it's the latter, it's time to push back.
Guest blogger Lori Desautels translates Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs into a blueprint for classroom practice that can set the stage with comfort, care, and self-reflection to optimize brain-compatible learning.
Has teaching pushed you to your limit? Recharge and laugh at some of these classic teacher memes we've rounded up, with special thanks to our WeAreTeachers Helpline community. By WeAreTeachers. Visit us at weareteachers.com
As much time as kids spend in school, you'd think that they would leave prepared for adult life. Here are some basic life skills that need to be taught.
My parents don’t know how to manage their strong emotions. Dealing with them is like riding a roller coaster; I never knew if they would get suddenly angry or yell. The topic of emotions and…
