How to Teach Empathy in the Classroom
Empathy may seem innate to you. Maybe it never crossed your mind to explicitly teach empathy to your students. However, while empathy is innate to some, it does need to be explicitly taught and modeled to others. If we teach students to recognize others’ feelings and perspectives, it will not only make classroom management easier, but it will make your students more aware and empathetic people. Here are four ways
How to Use Goal Setting in the Classroom
Teaching students to set goals is a key to student accountability and success. When students regularly set goals and evaluate progress, they work harder to achieve success and take ownership of their success and learning. As teachers, we want students to understand their role in learning. Here are tips to regularly incorporate goal setting into your classroom routines. Begin each quarter with time to set goals. At the beginning of
Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for Elementary School
Mother’s Day is coming up. It wasn’t until I was a mother to my two kiddos that I realized how much moms cherish the little Mother’s Day crafts kids make in school. Many crafts are geared towards preschool and lower-elementary, so I thought I would share some of my favorite Mother’s Day gift ideas for second grade and up. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Mother’s Day
3 Fun Teaching Ideas for Career Day
Thursday, April 28th is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. I’ll never forget the excitement of “skipping school” on this day to follow my dad into his office for a fun lunch at McDonalds. Then, later on, when he worked at home, convincing my mom I needed to “stay home” to watch him work, even though I basically saw what he did every day anyway. For me, the
10 Things Teachers Need to Know About Autism
As a teacher, I worked with many children on the autism spectrum. Although I learned a lot by working directly with these students, there are a lot of things about autism I can never understand. Izzy Lively is a lifestyle content creator for neurodivergent individuals who desperately want to live independently. She is sharing the ten things teachers need to know about autism. When she’s not creating content, you can
Six Earth Day Teaching Resources & Ideas
Are you searching for out-of-the-box Earth Day activities to help students read, write, and create while learning about the important responsibility of protecting our planet? Here are six activities that teachers and students love when celebrating Earth Day. These Earth Day teaching resources move beyond the basics and challenge students to think critically while practicing important skills. 1. Practice Speaking and Listening with an Earth Day PBL Resource! Challenge your
How to Use Close Reading to Unlock Deeper Thinking
Thinking critically about complex texts and answering text-dependent questions can be tricky for many students, especially for young readers, and yet thorough analysis of texts is an essential skill for all. Using Close Reading, students can unlock deeper thinking with any text. What is Close Reading? Close Reading refers to the process of actively reading a text multiple times in order to generate a deep understanding and create meaning. Close
Five Fun Tips to Celebrate National Poetry Month
Since its creation in 1996, National Poetry Month has reminded the public of the importance poetry plays in our culture and has become the biggest literacy celebration in America. Here are five fun ideas and resources to help you make celebrating National Poetry Month feel more like a party and less like a chore. 1. Read Alouds I love to bring poetry into the classroom for read alouds. Since they’re
Five Fun Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day Tricksters
Everyone is Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day! So you might as well wrap some meaningful learning into this fun theme. From reading to math to STEM, here are my top five fun ideas and resources for St. Patrick’s Day. These are guaranteed to get your students so engaged that they will forget they are practicing key skills. Fun Idea #1: Virtual Field Trip to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day Take
Five Ideas for Read Across America Week
Read Across America Week is coming up! Beginning in 2019, the NEA decided to end its licensing agreement with Seuss Enterprises and focus on diversity. Read Across America Week is a wonderful time to run with this theme and introduce your learners to a wide range of diverse authors and books. I love Read Across America Week because it presents the opportunity to incorporate a ton of cross-curricular activities that
