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May 2012 - Posts
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Research shows that children will lose academic skills during the summer months due to lack of practice. When parents work with their children during the summer months, they help their children avoid what many educators have referred to as the "Summer Read More...
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ABCyaGames: Award Winning Fun for your computer and your mobile device I'm so excited to tell you about one of the newest games from ABCyaGames : Base Ten Bingo. If you're like the many teachers out there, you probably have Math Bingo on your mobile device. Read More...
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Have you ever thought about having your students assess your teaching? What would they say? Could you take it - the good, the bad and the ugly? I really think that letting your students assess your teaching is a great practice. I wish that I'd done it Read More...
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Catch the next wave to Mermaid cove and be ready for a fun splash to read The Little Mermaid Last summer we had a great time reading the story and doing some activities related to the ocean. We played some games such as "Sea monster are you hungry?" "Pin Read More...
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I've been working through the steps of how to create an awesome plan for your school year. Today, I present the final step. This series walks you through how to plan without losing your mind. Imagine facing the school year with anticipation, not dread. Read More...
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While some of you lucky ducks are already on summer vacation some of us are still plugging away!!! This is my last week of school and grades were already due SO what to do? what to do? well... you do an art project!!!! These took us about 2 days to do Read More...
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MindMaple: Perfect for Working Professionals, Educators, and Students who are involved in Project Management, Brainstorming, and Task Scheduling! Do you use Graphic Organizers? This month MindMaple is offering you a chance to use your creativity to earn Read More...
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Are you already starting to collect materials and ideas for the next school year? {Sidenote: Is there an off button?! Seriously...I still have 18 days of this year left and I can't stop planning for next year! If you know where the off button is, do tell!!} Read More...
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Happy Monday! YES, that is excitement you hear...probably because I am screaming. LOL. I am so pumped about this week. It is my last week with my students and it's going to be a whirlwind of FUN! But, here's the even better news (for you at least)... Read More...
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What do the following things have in common? Declaration of Independence. Summaries. Singing. Greeting Cards. Stumped? This week, in my class, we used the four things above in a lesson my students just LOVED! While searching for a new and different way Read More...
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How do you call on your students? I bet many of us use different variations of the same idea! I assign each of my students a classroom number, and pick sticks from a jar. Just this week, I decided to spice up this management idea with colorful numbers: Read More...
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An Interactive Math Resource for Elementary Classrooms! Math Game Time : Math Game Time is the home for trustworthy educational content for kids, parents and teachers. MathGameTime.com features free math games , homework help, worksheets and videos. All Read More...
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I know, I know....school is out (or almost out) for many of you. Well, I go until the end of June! And we are still working away and having fun on our Ocean theme! If your students love using the felt board to retell stories and create new ones then you Read More...
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We work so hard, all year, for this one night! Thoughts and planning and sweat and tears hard-work to show off how much we've learned! It's so worth it though when you see the bright smiles of your students and the pride that they have in their learning! Read More...
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I LOVE displaying my students' work, and I LOVE creating cute bulletin boards to display their work on. I think fantastic work deserves a fantastic display. This is our Poet-Tree. My students have been hard at work this week adding new poems to their Read More...
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Good morning, good morning, and good morning to you and you and you! J Are you out of school yet? I have one more week to go. I cannot believe how fast this year has just flown by. I must say that the last day of school will be bitter sweet. I just love Read More...
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This year, I have found myself gravitating more and more towards foldables. These little folded pieces of paper (originated by Dinah Zike in Dinah Zike's Teaching with Foldables, Science & Mathematics ) are such a great way to get the students involved Read More...
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Do you need more audio books for your listening center? Do you cringe every time you see how much audiobooks cost? (I do!) I have a free idea for you to try out this summer to update your listening centers! Create your own listening centers by recording Read More...
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Many of us are counting down the days, maybe hours, until summer vacation begins. You plan and plan all year long and when summer comes, you just want to chill out. If you are not a parent, by all means, go right ahead. But for those of us with our own Read More...
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It's the simple things in life that are so fun for kids! No lesson plans, no agenda...just magnets! We had a ton of FUN with magnets today and I just used some basic materials that I already had at home. Magnets are a great way for kids to explore and Read More...
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TBA is having so much fun joining in with you and sharing what we love on Pinterest! We are so thankful to our latest followers for joining thousands of our following friends . We want to invite anyone who isn't yet a follower to become one today so that Read More...
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I've been using Pinterest since it first began issuing invitations and I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I'm a visual learner & an OCD organizational freak so it's perfect for someone like me! When they came out with the app I was in heaven! Those nights Read More...
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Do your students use computers in the classroom or in the computer lab? Do you have trouble keeping track of all of the bits and pieces that might be used as students begin to work in larger groups with a limited amount of teacher help to go around? I Read More...
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Teaching the questioning strategy for comprehension is always a tricky one. I wanted to find a way to model this strategy in an engaging way. So, this year I came up with a little game to motivate my students to use this strategy. First, I introduced Read More...
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Last Thursday, I went to visit the dentist. I don't like going to the dentist. So as you can imagine, I was dreading going to see him. I knew I had to go, because I had chipped my back molar badly. I thought I would need to have a root canal, for sure. Read More...
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Smart Tools. Safer Kids. Parenting is Getting Tough Chances are your kids are connected in one way or another to Facebook, or another social networking site. They can use just about anything to access their profiles and friends but so can others. Parents Read More...
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Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in Read More...
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Toddlers and Preschoolers are constantly changing and growing. As educators and parents, one of the best things we can do for these little learners is provide them with a variety of learning opportunities. At this age (2-3), it is so important that these Read More...
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I think organizing and planning are two things that seem simple, but cause a ton of grief. You can look all around and see great ideas that make you wonder why you haven't done that since it's soooo easy. (think Pinterest!) But the reality is, you don't Read More...
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As a kindergarten teacher (and as a grandma to two kindergarten-aged little boys), I believe in the benefits of teaching children sight words. A big sight word vocabulary allows children to quickly read most "beginning reader" books, since these books Read More...
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The song that comes to mind is "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. Okay, I'm old I know! My family and I had a blast tonight observing a 90% eclipse! We are in southern Arizona and it started about 5:30pm. My daughter was TOTALLY into it! I Read More...
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I really do like to think of myself as a life-long learner. I plan to get my Master's Degree at some point in the future, when my kids are a bit older, for instance. We're all teachers and we thrive on new information, right? I like to find new strategies Read More...
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Friends~We are off to The Emerald City in Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of OZ. I have been planning tons of fun center activities to accompany our character study of Dorothy and the Gang. I even watched the movie tonight with my Lily and Ian. It was Read More...
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Is your classroom library complete chaos now that the school year is coming to an end? Are you thinking about reorganizing it, relabeling it and just plain redoing it? Are you thinking you want to do it, but aren't sure where to start. If so, come on Read More...
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Best Practices for Teaching Today "Kids don't show up to learn new stuff. They show up to apply the things they've learned at home." Aaron Sams As a new teacher, I often seek advice from other mentors. Because of the strong mentors I've been fortunate Read More...
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I have spent a large part of the day reviewing the past school year and developing goals for the next year. I have developed a list of seven goals that I am going to implement into my 4th grade classroom. I choose to call these goals "Operation 2012-2013." Read More...
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Looking for a fun writing activity as we are nearing the end of the year? Want to motivate your students before a writing task? Have a room full of students who crave competition? Need an idea to review material before a test? Have a lot of leftover pencils Read More...
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We've been studying transformational geometry in math class this week. I decided to make an interactive tool for our math journals, showing translations, reflections, and rotations all on the same grid. Each of the shapes has an interactive aspect to Read More...
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As this year draws to a close, I am already thinking about how I can get myself ready for next year. I really just want to enjoy my (very short 6 week) summer, and getting a few things out of the way will help me to do that. Each day, during my recess Read More...
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Are you even ready to think about next year? Whether you are, or aren't... that's okay! If you're not, be sure to pin or bookmark this post and come back to see me in August! If you're ready to bring on the planning, then join me as I share my planning Read More...
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Hello!! It's that time of year.....you know, cleaning, packing, purging......the list goes on. I have decided to do some super organizing as I am packing up for the summer. That way, when August rolls around, everything is neat and tidy and ready to roll. Read More...
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We spent some time enjoying the book "Aliens Love Underpants" by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort in the Swamp this week! We used a YouTube recording of the book to listen and talk about the characters, where they live, and what they liked to do. Then we Read More...
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Do you have a freebie that you'd like to share with teachers everywhere? Then join TBA's Freebie Friday and link up with us! Each week on TBA we love to offer you the opportunity to link up your freebies from the past week and have one place to find them Read More...
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Teaching a child how to read has to be one of the BEST parts of being a teacher and or a parent! When you first hear a child sound out /c/.../a/.../t/ C A T ! There is a HUGE smile on your face and their face:) Pure excitement fills the room and they Read More...
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Some ideas to teach, review or practice colour red with the little ones Suggested books: Big Red Barn - Margaret Wise Brown Big Red Fire Engine - Rose Greydanus Big Red Fire Truck - Ken Wilson-Max Clifford The Big Red Dog - Nor man Bridwell Clifford The Read More...
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Last month TBA launched our reward program to thank and reward you for being an addict right along side of us! You can redeem any points you earn for free stuff! Yes, it is true! You can earn gift cards to restaurants, Barnes and Noble, Groupon, and even Read More...
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As the summer months near, I know that many of you are dreaming of lazy days at the beach, family vacations and back to school. Why is that? I have a great ice breaker that I have used with older students and adults. This can be easily adapted to meet Read More...
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Even though it is the end of the school year, if you are anything like me you are already thinking about next year. Many of us have a Bucket List for the summer and this may be something you want to add to yours =) I have been doing a Class trifold Brochure Read More...
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As the year draws to a close, many of us are getting ready to say goodbye to our students. For those of us who teach a transition year (like 5th grade or kindergarten...maybe 6th in some schools?) this time of year is filled with preparation for graduation. Read More...
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I LOVE studying poetry with my students - reading it and writing it! When we write poetry, I usually start the students off with some simple template poetry, then we move on to more complex types. So far this week we've written biography poems, emotion Read More...
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I have had a certain project on my to-do list for months , and I am super happy to announce that I finally sat down and MADE IT! Here it is, my new writing center! I made it on a foam tri-fold board and spruced up the edges with some decorative border. Read More...
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But not close enough!! Ha! I have 24 school days left! What about you?? Fishing to keep my kiddos engaged! Then I stumbled across an adorable idea on Pinterest and recreated it for my students. I mean seriously, how "cool" are those shades?! Brainstorm Read More...
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We are tackling the planning process one tiny baby step at a time. When it comes to planning anything, whether it be your weekly menu or your yearly homeschool plan, it helps to have a clear purpose and time to think. My new series, Winning at Planning, Read More...
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It's bittersweet! I'm excited for summer...sleeping late (well, past 5:30 am), having free time, and lunch dates with other teacher buddies. But I'm also sad to see my kids go. I've had a really good group this year and hope that they do well in 4th grade! Read More...
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Behavior Board in My Classroom As the year is coming to an end {13 1/2 days, but who's counting?} I've been very pleased with my class and as the team leader, I've been very pleased with our entire 3rd grade. We had "the group" ~ you know what I'm talking Read More...
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Friends~I am dabbling a bit in summer themes and next week I am going to crack a watermelon and enjoy some reading, writing, and math with that yummy treat! Have you read The Enormous Watermelon by Brenda Parks and Judith Smith? It is a fun and easy read Read More...
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Pre-K and Kindergarten graduations are coming up. This is an exciting occasion for parents, teachers and students. It is so much fun preparing an end of the year program followed by the graduation ceremony. In the past, our students have presented the Read More...
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This school year is quickly coming to an end and I am oh so sad about it. I truly have a precious group of kids this year that I hope and pray have learned a lot from me.......I sure know I have learned a lot from them. Memory books, memory books.....I'm Read More...
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I sometimes feel bad for our fathers. We make a big deal out of Mother's Day, making cards, macaroni necklaces, pinch pots and tissue paper corsages then by the time Father's Day comes around we're already out of school! And don't get me wrong, you mother's Read More...
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I don't know about you, but this year is very quickly coming to an end. With all that I have to do this year (and for some reason it just feels like MORE), I am finding that the old standby activities I used to do aren't going to cut it. One thing that Read More...
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...in what is expected in your class. Procedures, routine, and expectations are so important at the beginning of every year. I know you invest countless hours of teaching time telling students about these things, but you can make your job a little easier. Read More...
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It seems just about any preschool or kindergarten curriculum includes a unit on Farm Animals. From learning the names of the farm animals to perhaps even visiting a local farm, it's virtually a rite of passage that all children take a week or so out of Read More...
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Last year, I sent home a summer activity calendar with my students. This calendar includes short activities that will keep your student's brain engaged all summer long. I had many requests to make a new one for this summer. I have changed the dates and Read More...
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Blogging tips ahead! I had so much fun creating new buttons for all of these fantastic bloggers in celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week! I realized that being a newbie now, sometimes you aren't shown the ropes or have had an "in" on conversations Read More...
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remind101 App now available in iTunes free. fast. safe. effective I started using remind101 when it first launched 7 months ago. I enjoy how simple and effective the site is to use. A friend of mine also uses remind101 and states, "The impact it's had Read More...
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When looking for homeschool classes online, know that there are tons of programs out there from preschool all the way through college. In my latest post, I wrote about the pros and cons of online classes. Just like workbooks are not the best way for every Read More...
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The end of the school year can only mean one thing- time to start planning for next year. Okay, maybe it's time to start thinking of planning for next year. I know most people put it off as long as possible and then feel stressed about it later. I've Read More...
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I love labels, almost as much as I love containers. I get butterflies in my stomach just walking down the school supply aisles. I have labels in every possible size. I should have bought stock in Avery products. Lately I've been getting crafty with my Read More...
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The fun times with fractions just keeps rolling in my Grade 4 class! Once we had spent some time learning about denominators, numerators and fraction benchmarks I wanted to turn our attention to some real life problem solving with fractions...so of course, Read More...
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I think we've all looked out at our students at one time or another and thought, "Wow, they look bored!" Or maybe that's just me! You know... it's those times when you've been working on a new or difficult topic... prepping for tests or exams... or just Read More...
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College...a topic that seems so far away but it is oh so close! It is never to early to start preparing for college! My kids are working on it now! The kids can practice writing their college entrance letter, complete their college application and learn Read More...
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ETA introduces Home Team Advantage to Keep Students Learning & Having Fun all Summer! Call it what you will—the Summer Slump, the Summer Slide or, even, Summer Learning Loss—but there are numerous studies and ample research to prove that children lose Read More...
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Kidzmet : a Student Screening Tool How would you like to get to know your students better - perhaps even before you meet? You'll be so amazed how your lesson planning can be enhanced! How? With Kidzmet of course! Kidzmet's Student Snapshots help teachers, Read More...
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I was a bit surprised when Mark at PlanetShoes reached out to me last week to do a product review their Alegria shoes . After all, this is a blog created by and intended for teachers, how do shoes really relate? Mark explained to me that PlanetShoes is Read More...
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Do you have a freebie that you'd like to share with teachers everywhere? Then join TBA's Freebie Friday and link up with us! Each week on TBA we love to offer you the opportunity to link up your freebies from the past week and have one place to find them Read More...
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Isn't this the greatest week ever? I've gotten so many great products and ideas from some pretty wonderful teachers. I think teachers work so hard, there should be two Teacher Appreciation weeks. Today, I am thrilled to offer my second Teacher Appreciation Read More...
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Last night, my school had our Spring Into Art Show and it was a HUGE success! Since the Kindergarten classes are beginning to learn about our Under the Sea theme, we thought it would be a great idea to create art work of sea creatures. All of us got a Read More...
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Only a few days remain in MindMaple's Mind Mapping Contest , which awards winners with the most creative mind maps Amazon gift cards. MindMaple is a tool which was created for anybody that works creatively, and it helps to clarify thoughts, manage their Read More...
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I've decided to end this wonderful week of celebrating all teachers by giving away some fun freebies. I will be listing a new freebie each day until Sunday. Since I have 3 grade levels represented in my house, I will try to provide a variety. Today's Read More...
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Who doesn't love a good fairy tale? Animals talk and wear clothes. Evil is triumphed. And kindness is rewarded in the end! We're delving in this week to distinguish which stories are just good stories and which are {*sigh*} fairy tales. In a class of Read More...
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We're excited to see teachers be appreciated - especially during teacher appreciation week! TeachersNotebook.com is hosting a “ Teacher Appreciation Week Sweepstakes ” that will run from May 5th to May 11th. One winner per day will win a credit of $100 Read More...
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I occasionally use a Think-Tac-Toe as an anchor activity to give my students a chance to explore alternatives to what we are learning. A Think-Tac-Toe is great for students that finish early with an assignment. They are also great for differentiating Read More...
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Differentiated instruction is something that I always strive to do. It's not possible to differentiate every assignment all of the time. However, I think most of us are familiar with having to adapt and modify for the learners in our classrooms. I tried Read More...
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I have to say I have been overwhelmed with the amount of freebies and sales going on due to Teacher Appreciation. Overwhelmed in a very good way:) As a teacher myself, I know how hard we all work and this time of year is even harder with all the end of Read More...
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Sight words are such an important component to the reading journey! When both phonics and sight words are coupled together in a reading program, students have the skills necessary to succeed. I also love to make printables that make the learning FUN! Read More...
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Ever wish you could send out a mass text to a group? I started using remind101 when it first launched 7 months ago. I enjoy how simple and effective the site is to use. A friend of mine also uses remind101 and states, "The impact it's had on my students Read More...
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Last week on my blog, I wrote all about the importance of helping children learn to recognize digraphs. Digraphs are a combination of two or more letters that make a single sound (like sh or th, just to name two). When children are able to recognize digraphs Read More...
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When was the last time you stopped by TBA Today , Teaching Blog Addict's Radio Station? Here are some FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) and answers about TBA Today: Who should listen to the episodes? Teachers, parents, caregivers, school support staff, Read More...
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It's that time of year when most of us begin the countdown to the last day of school. We have 19 days left, some of those are half-days, throw in a few field trips, field day and assemblies and BUZZZZ!!! Time's Up School will be out and summer vacation Read More...
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Spring is great for so many reasons but we don't really get it in the south. Believe me, I'm not complaining about using the pool in April but hitting the 80s and 90s so quickly makes spring sometimes feel nonexistent. The easiest way to fix that is by Read More...
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Okay....so I'm hooked on making these qwerky little QR code blocks :) Here's one for a search the room for Money. I'll print off the codes.... Add the QR code to the front of a piggy band die cut and the words to the back. Kids will get a recording sheet Read More...
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Made from a bus die-cut using Rolo candy for the wheels. How will your school family celebrate YOU this week? Last year, I made these school-bus tokens of our appreciation for every teacher and staff member to hold the Sonic gift cards that the Administrative Read More...
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If I took a $100 bill... ...crumpled it up ...threw it down ... stepped on it ...picked it up ...straightened it out ...gave it to you Would you accept it? I'm guessing many (if not all) of you would! Why? When I treated it the way I did... it didn't Read More...
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Spring is in the air ... and we've been going buggy in the classroom ... literally! My students have been studying the classification system and learning how to classify living things in their latest science unit. I wanted a fun assignment to end our Read More...
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Happy Friday, Friends! Who could use some free stuff to start their weekend off with a bang? It is sweeter to give than to get, but it is sweeter yet to give AND get. Come shop and share over at my first linky party at Teaching My 3! May is all about Read More...
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Do you have a freebie that you'd like to share with teachers everywhere? Then join TBA's Freebie Friday and link up with us! Each week on TBA we love to offer you the opportunity to link up your freebies from the past week and have one place to find them Read More...
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I've created Three Little Pig characters for fun and for you to have for free! I often expect my kinders to use favorite stories as inspiration when doing writer's workshop. In fact, we even do a unit to stretch the pure amount of writing they can do Read More...
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Assessments play an important roll in understanding how much a child knows and where we can better meet their needs. Assessments also helps students identify their own areas of strengths and weaknesses. As educators, we uses assessments before, during Read More...
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We are huge fans of teaching blogs, I mean... um hello... we're all professed teaching blog addicts! And we think that what you each offer is unique regardless of the number of followers, blogging prowess (we were all at step one once upon a time), and Read More...
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Each year I envision this amazing schedule that I will have. I set out the perfect time frame where I can fit it all in, create my pretty little schedule to place on the wall, and hope for the best. The problem is that it never seems to work out the way Read More...
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Summer is coming up fast and your kids know it. Why not make a summer bucket list? If you're looking for something fun to do that is also a wee bit of work, then this list will help you and your kids out. Sure it isn't a 5 paragraph paper, but it sure Read More...
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It is the end of the year and we are wrapping things up. We are learning about dental health this week and boy are we having fun! I put together this awesome pack of craft activities that includes a 4 amazing crafts! My kids are having a ball creating Read More...
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ABCya Games: The Leader in Educational Computer Games for Kids! I always love posting about ABCya Games because it gives me the opportunity to play around on their site. I get lost in exploring and trying out new games and activities. Quite frankly, I Read More...
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I have always been drawn to teaching by the season - a thematic approach. I don't know why... Perhaps it's because in days gone by our calendar was governed by the seasons, farming, the church, special holidays etc. I guess nostalgia kicks in. I love Read More...
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Using Little Bits to Develop Elementary Engineers Little Bits: a little bit of geeky fun! On my 70 minute car rides home each day, I have a lot of time to listen to podcasts and TED Talks. One recent TED Talk captured my attention so much that I had to Read More...
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