Looking for cute and free printable brain dump templates? Here are 19 brain dump worksheets plus a brain dump trigger list for productivity!
At this time of year, feeling out-of-control busy is the status quo for everyone I talk to. So I thought I'd share a little trick I use to ease that feeling of wanting to crawl in bed and never come out again.
We are a Leader In Me School and talk a lot about using the 7 Habits of Happy Kids in our everyday lives. I love the idea of encouraging kids to act as leaders in the classroom and beyond. What I have noticed, however, is that sometimes "leadership" comes off as "bossypants" and that is not the route we want to take! I know you've probably heard of Sheryl Sandberg (of Facebook fame) and her campaign to end the word "bossy" (read or listen to an NPR story HERE), but I was hesitant to come straight out and use that word in our class. Instead, I wanted them to think on terms of "boss" and "leader" to recognize the differences between the two and to think about their own language choices in the classroom, in small groups, on their sports teams, and more. We first looked at this picture and talked about what we noticed: (source) This led to some discussion about leadership versus boss behavior. While the kids were discussing, I was passing out example cards to their table spots. Before I dismissed them, I shared this leadership quote from John Quincy Adams: They were then given instructions about our activity. I had printed example cards on two colors: blue for boss and green for leader (although they didn't know that yet) and they needed to read their card and find someone with an opposite color card and opposite example (good time to incorporate the word antonym, too!). I dismissed them to their tables and first had them converse with students in their table group to ensure they understood the word or phrase on their card. When they gave me the thumbs up, I told them to find their match and them meet to discuss why they went together and be able to give examples. We then began assembling our Anchor Chart. Each pair would come to the front of the class and would explain which card was descriptive of a "boss" and which was descriptive of a "leader" and why. They gave examples and I elicited a lot of help from the classroom for additional examples and language that both a boss and leader may use during that example. I would tape the cards to the Anchor Chart and we continued through each pair. There were two groups of three (with two leaders to one boss) and that worked out perfectly with my class (definitely feel free to adjust if you have lower numbers). Our completed anchor chart looked like: It was so powerful to see how often kids may think they are helping, but instead find themselves on the "boss" side of the chart instead of the "leader." I know several of the examples are repetitive, but we really talked through these and used examples from our own lives to recount when using "leader" words and language set us up for success. I also explained the "me vs. you" mentality of bosses versus the "we and us" mentality of leaders. Overall, it was a very powerful lesson and I look forward to referring back to this Anchor Chart this year, especially when "bossypants" behavior leads to conflict. I think these concrete examples can help guide the naturally strong leaders in my class to make better language decisions that can help grow them as leaders and really inspire others, just like the Adams quote! If you'd like a copy of these cards and quote, you can download this as a *freebie* HERE. How do you address bossy vs. leader behavior in your class? Share in the comments, I would love to build on this lesson!
Check out these teacher organization ideas that help you create systems in your classroom to help with all those teacher papers!
How and why to organize your life as a teacher: 1. your binders and folders; 2. filing system; 3. plan your day.
Organizing your classroom and teaching materials can make instruction more efficient! Check out these tips for classroom organization!
Building character in students should be an everyday task. I love this tip to develop strong character building behaviors in the classroom.
My Life As a Teacher!
Are any of these ineffective teaching methods still part of your practice? Time to reconsider.
When you get your students organized, you will save time in your classroom for the important things like teaching and learning! Check out these student organization tips for any teaching classroom for time saving!
It is fully possible to teach math in a student-led manner, and the younger you start the process, the better it is for student achievement.
This post shares 35 things you can throw away from your classroom to improve your classroom organization + a FREE decluttering checklist!
Is the existence of happy teachers a myth? Do they actually exist, or are they just something that we aspire to? We all have them. You know what I am talking about. Those habits that hold
Many teachers reach out to me with questions about how to minimize paper clutter in the classroom and keep their unit resources organized. When it comes to organizing your teaching resources, it’s helpful to find an organization system that will help you store the essentials and force you to tidy up routinely so paper clutter doesn’t build up in the first place. Here are my favorite organization tips for four categories in your classroom.
4 simple teacher organization system hacks to plan for the day: teaching portion, extras, prioritize, and digitize.
Maintaining organization in the classroom is tough! Using these top 20 tips for classroom organization will be sure to help!
I get asked quite a bit how I manage to teach full time during the day, plan lessons, grade essays, start a side-biz, do webinars and Facebook Lives, spend time with my family, and still maintain my sanity. People wonder if my husband and child are neglected (they're not), if I have a virtual assistant
I've had such a love-hate relationship with data notebooks over the years. I've always worked in "Baldrige" schools that have required every teacher to have a data wall and every student to have a data notebook. My first few years in the classroom, this would be something that I spent my first week of school
It's no secret I'm a huge fan of Growth Mindset-thinking, and I try to incorporate it throughout our day whenever I can. If you haven't seen my previous posts about Growth Mindset and goal setting, be sure to check them out below, including a great resource round-up to help get you started. To begin our year, I love to reference this fantastic anchor chart by Stephanie Skelton: {Source} I chose to make this activity a bit more interactive since it was the beginning of the year and I wanted to keep my students up and moving as much as possible. I also had these phrases (along with a few others I added) typed up and ready to go, mostly because the kids weren't yet familiar with the new language associated with Growth Mindset. Our final result looked like this and I cannot be happier, especially since it's the first thing you see on our wall as you enter our classroom: Creating Your Own Anchor Chart as a Class: To help us introduce these ideas, we read these two fantastic picture books: After a class discussion about these characters, we were ready to dive into the two mindsets. I set this activity up by passing out each of these slips of paper and having students walk to the end of the classroom they thought their phrase belonged in: Fixed or Growth. After they were on either end of the classroom, I had someone from the "Fixed" side read their slip and someone on the "Growth" side would share their slip if they thought it was a better way to frame that problem. While there are no hard and fast pairings, some do fit better with others, and we enjoyed referring to the books (and even our own experiences) for evidence and examples. I then glued these down onto large sheets of butcher paper (each color is 24" across, so 4 ft. wide altogether!), and hung it front and center in our classroom, so it's the first thing you see as you come in the door. Tip: You could also copy these responses on green and red paper and use white butcher or chart paper to display them. If you're interested in these slips, they are available as a freebie on Google Docs HERE. I also recommend checking out the links below and I hope you enjoy this activity with your students!
Feeling overwhelmed by your overflowing classroom cupboards? Let me take you through, step by step, how to organize your teaching resources. It probably won’t take as long or be as arduous as you think! I don’t know if you’re like me, but I usually find the tasks that I keep putting off, don’t take nearly as long as I expected them to! So, let’s get started!!! 1. Clear out your teacher closet / cupboards I’ve found this to be the best place to start! Otherwise buying new bits and bobs for the classroom and having no room for them can be frustrating and overwhelming. First things first – get rid of that junk that has been left in the classroom from that teacher who was in there in 1990! Then look at each remaining resource and ask yourself: will my students use this item this year? If this answer isn’t a definite yes – get rid of it! You want to be Maria Kondo’ing your cupboards. If something’s not sparking joy, it’s gotta go!!! Cleaning out my cupboards from time to time helps me to see what I have with fresh eyes – especially when I know which upcoming topics or themes we’ll be focusing on. You may not even remember what resources are tucked away! And those things you know you’re not going to use? There might be another teacher who could use them, or an op shop that will gladly take your unwanted items. A simple way to get your messy cupboards sorted is by grabbing some tubs or bins from Kmart or the Dollar Tree. There are *so* many types available. I’m positive you’ll find some that suit your needs and style. I’m not going to lie, purchasing baskets and tubs may involve a bit of an outlay to begin with, but do remember that these are things that will travel with you throughout your teaching career. If they’ve come out of your own personal expenses, then you are entitled to take them with you when you move on from the school. 2. Minimize Hard Copies As we all know, we live in a digital world. Almost everything is digital nowadays. So to minimize the hundreds of things you have in your classroom – recycle those hard copies! If you know you have a digital copy of something, get rid of the hard copy! If it’s something you really need to keep, file it into binders or folders so it’s out of the way, and easy to find when you need it. Organizing your digital resources well is just as important as keeping your physical resources organized. It took me a lot of ‘learning the hard way’ before I started making sure each resource, document or image I downloaded was saved with an appropriate title in an easy to find folder! Scrolling through hundreds of items in your ‘downloads’ folder ain’t fun, and feels like such a waste of time. Which leads me to something else super important – BACK UP YOUR HARD DRIVE! Alternatively, move to a cloud based storage system. I can’t stress this enough. Losing documents means losing *hours* of work… and re-doing those hours of work! It’s heartbreaking stuff. 3. Invest in 10 drawer cart or teacher trolley I feel these guys are the ultimate way to organize your teaching resources. I’m obsessed with my teacher trolley (or 10 drawer cart for my US friends!) and I even have one in my home! They make it so easy to keep your resources handy and organized! Once I’ve got my week planned, all of my important documents and worksheets are tucked away safely, ready for me to grab whenever I need them. I also allocate a drawer to emergency teachers. That way, if I wake up unwell and unable to go to work, all I have to worry about is getting enough rest because I know my fill-in teacher will keep my kids entertained and busy! My 10 drawer cart or teacher trolley labels are editable, so you can fill you trolley with anything and everything you like! They’re available in *seven* different styles, so you’re sure to find a set that matches your classroom aesthetic! You can see them all here: Boho Rainbow Cactus Tropical Botanical Rainbow Earthy Rainbow Modern Boho Vibes 4. Choose a teacher resource filing system and stick to it! This is totally a matter of personal preference, and it may also be determined by how your school does things. Filing resources by subject or by grade level might work best for you. Whichever you choose, stick to it the whole year! In my early teaching years, I remember finding it so enjoyable working out filing systems, but then the novelty wore off and I got slack… and then when I couldn’t find what I needed? It was the worst! I solved my problem (and hopefully yours!) by creating a tonne of editable binder covers and spines to keep folders organized and looking fab. To keep things looking consistent throughout the classroom – ‘on trend’ and aesthetically pleasing – I’ve created seven styles of binder covers so they can be in the same theme as your classroom decor. Another thing that I recommend to help you organize your teaching resources, is using a teacher toolbox. This thing is such a time saver. No more looking around for rubber bands, blue tack, sticky tape, thumb tacks, or even your own hair ties! I’ve made editable labels for teacher toolboxes so you could literally store anything you like in there! These toolbox labels have been specifically created to perfectly fit the Bunnings Handy Storage Organizer. Check out this video quickly showing the different styles my teacher toolbox labels are available in. 5. Label Everything!!!! If there’s one thing I couldn’t live without as a teacher – it would be labels! (After coffee, of course!) It doesn’t really make sense to have a filing system or tubs of resources that aren’t easily identifiable when you need to grab them quickly. So make your life easier, and label everything! And for your students? When everything has its place in the classroom, and is labelled accordingly, it makes it so much easier for your little learners to pop things where they belong when they’re finished with them! Over in my shop, it’s editable classroom labels galore! I’ve got labels for your teacher trolleys, as well as your teacher toolboxes. Both of these resources come in 7 styles, so you can find something to suit your classroom. Curious about how you’d apply the labels to your teacher trolley? Watch this video here! 6. Take the time to explicitly teach your students how to pack up and where things belong That’s a lifelong skill right there! I know as a parent, my kids are much better at listening to their educators when they’re asked to pack up, than they are me! So teachers – let’s set out students up for life! By taking the time to help them understand WHY it’s important to take care of their and the classroom belongings, we’re putting them in good stead for taking care of things of value down the track. You might feel like a broken record repeating yourself constantly… but soon enough, your students will catch on that the faster they pack away, the more time they have for the fun stuff! When students can’t find their personal belongings or something within the classroom, it’s an opportunity for a gentle, teachable moment. You could try: “Ahhh… you can’t seem to find xyz? This is a great example of why it’s so important to pop our things back where they belong, isn’t it?” Once you’re all organized? Take a step back and enjoy the good lookin’ classroom you’ve created! And don’t let all your hard work go to waste – keep it as organised as you can. It’s such a time saver when you know where everything is and you don’t have to waste time looking for something that’s right under your nose! If you have any other ideas on how to organize your teaching resources, I’d love to hear them! Comment below, and I’d love to share them over on my IG page with the MJLL community!
Oh. My. Word. This is THAT year. You know what I mean. Every teacher has had at least one. This year is really going to help me grow as a teacher. That's all I can say. Well, I can say a lot mor
Discover our expert tips for organizing instructional materials efficiently! From determining storage solutions to color-coded labeling and file organization, streamline your teaching process and spend more time with your students. Get organized and stay focused on what truly matters in education!
Many teachers know how to get organized, but it's the staying organized part that is hard. This post shares 5 useful tips to stay organized as a teacher.
One of my craft projects for this upcoming school year is to put quotes in picture frames in my office, kind of like this: I haven’t decided yet if I am going to do them all myself or let the…
The end of the school year can be exhausting and overwhelming... for teachers AND students ;) A co-worker of mine tagged me in this on Facebook and I laughed way too hard... There is a LOT going on at the end of the year including lots of tests and exams for my classes and so I thought I'd share a couple of review games I like to use to keep things fun and still productive. Four Corners I haven't played Four Corners with my classes in a LONG time... but I'm planning on bringing it back for this Spring's exam review days. This game is awesome because it gets the kids moving and you can use it for any age, grade and subject! Before class starts - Create four large posters and label them A, B, C and D. Post one sign in each corner of your classroom. - Get enough index cards for your entire class. Write the word PLAYER on about 80% of the cards and write the word FIBBER on the other 20% I have a "class set" of these that I made a while ago so I didn't have to continue to make the cards and posters every time we wanted to play. If you want a copy of my cards you can click HERE to download the PDF and then just print it front and back. - Prepare your multiple choice questions. I usually make at least 10, but it depends on what we're studying/working on. The questions need to have four possible answers labeled A, B, C and D. I like to make my presentations on the SmartBoard so kids can see the question and the answer options (and don't ask me to repeat myself a dozen times. hahaha) The Game To begin the game, give each student an index card face down on their desk. Instruct students to look at their cards secretly to find out if their role in the game is that of a Player or a Fibber. Tell students to not reveal their roles to their classmates... because it's WAY more fun if nobody knows! I like to run through a couple of practice questions before beginning the game. Gather students in the middle of the room and show the first question and four possible answers. Ask students which response they think is the correct one. Have students who think the correct answer is A stand by the A sign. Students who think the correct answer is B, C, or D gather near their respective signs. Here's the catch! Students who hold the Player cards go to their appropriate corners while students who hold the Fibber cards are free to go to any corner. The Fibber's movements are intended to throw off the other students. Perhaps some of the brightest students are Fibbers and some players will be tempted to follow those students to the wrong corners. Doing this encourages students to think for themselves, not just follow the crowd. When all students have taken their corners, reveal the correct answer to the question. Ask students who chose the correct answer to explain why they selected that answer. Then you're ready to pose the next question. If students seem to be catching on to who the fibbers are then pass out the cards again and reassign roles. Round Robin Post-It Review Activity Before Class Starts - Create a worksheet with four questions on it (I like to use use word problems). The questions need to be CLEARLY numbered 1 through 4. - Split your white board into four sections and label them 1, 2, 3 and 4. The Activity - Split the class into groups of 4 - Give each group 4 sticky notes, 4 pieces of scratch paper, 1 copy of the problems and 1 pair of scissors - Have one member of the group cut the page with the questions on it so that each question is on a separate piece of paper (I've made these before where I distributed the four questions already cut... avoiding the extra step as well as giving them scissors! Win-Win!) - Each student should have one piece of scratch paper and one question on their desk. - Set a timer (I use my SmartBoard timer) and give them a designated amount of time to work out the question on their scratch paper. They are NOT collaborating with each other at this point - it should be silent. - When the timer goes off, have them pass their question clockwise and then restart the timer so each group member is now working on a different question. The solving and passing continues until all students have answered all four questions. - Next, set the timer and allow group members to share their answers to each question. Did everybody in the group agree on the answer to each question? If not, they will need to come to an agreement about the correct answer. When they have agreed to the answer to the first question they will need to write the following on a sticky note... - Then each group attaches their sticky note to the board in the section numbered 1. - They'll continue this activity, coming to an agreement about the answers to the other questions and making their answers official to each question by placing the post-it on the board next to the question number. - When all groups have posted their answers to all four questions, check the answers and assign a group grade. Discuss any errors to be sure everyone understands the correct response. If you can't split your class into groups of four, you could easily do groups of three with three questions (or keep the four questions and have them rotate to an "imaginary person"). I like this activity because of the independent work and then collaborative effort. Depending on the material, I'll usually do about 3 minutes per question and then about 5 minutes to come to a consensus and post their answers on the board. If we have a lot to review sometimes I'll shuffle them into different groups of four and then repeat the process with four new questions. If you missed it last year, you can find out how I make exams fun (for real!) HERE and you can read about one of the coolest ways to review HERE. Happy Studying, Friends!!! And here's to helping our students avoid this moment :)
This school year, I added a new item to my classroom, the ever-popular and current trend– the “letter board.” If you’re new here, I am a high school math teacher. This is my fifth year teaching full-time at the district from which I graduated, my seventh year as an educator. The very first day of […]
I loved my students. Toothless smiles, hugs, and an excitement for school that was so rewarding for me. So why did I feel like I was failing them?
Teaching study skills to kids is essential. It rarely comes naturally. There are a lot of tools we can give our children. These tips and tricks for teaching study skills to kids should be able to help you as you work with your child to set them up for success. I encourage you to try...Read More
When you encourage positive behavior supports in school, you get positive results. These posters will motivate any student to do the right thing.
Welcome back to my blog! In this post I am going to share how I organize all of my Creative Curriculum materials. I get asked about this a lot when I post on my Instagram stories so I thought that this would be a good place for me to explain it all in detail and […]
At this time of year, feeling out-of-control busy is the status quo for everyone I talk to. So I thought I'd share a little trick I use to ease that feeling of wanting to crawl in bed and never come out again.
