Sorts are a great way to informally assess all students, but they work especially well for those who can’t write independently and need an alternate way to show what they know. Lori Faas at Bee the Change uses sorts not just for letters and numbers, but for keyboard symbols that are new to her students. […]
FUN FRIDAY: Egg carton place value
Spark your students interest in learning place values with this clever game from Doris at Third Grade Thinkers. Simply take an empty egg carton, write the place value at the top of each column, and fill the carton with small manipulatives (i.e. erasers). The student shakes the closed container, and opens it to reveal a […]
TODD’S TECH TUESDAY: Keyboard symbol sort
Sorts are a great way to informally assess all students, but they work especially well for those who can’t write independently and need an alternate way to show what they know. Lori Faas at Bee the Change uses sorts not just for letters and numbers, but for keyboard symbols that are new to her students. […]
Finding time to individualize
Today we are featuring a great tip from the idea-filled website First Grade Frenzy. This teacher uses a cute visual to hold questions and bookmark time in the future with the student in need. When learners need help or want her attention, she asks the kids to go over to the “Later Gator” board, write their […]
FUN FRIDAY: Adjectives in bloom
Click over to The Teachers Lounge to learn about these sweet visuals for learning about adjectives.
FUN FRIDAY: Shiny sight words
I love sensory stuff in the classroom and thought some of you would too. This idea would be great for teaching, but could also be used as a practice game in the home (maybe a project for the long winter break). Fairy Dust Teaching is the site featuring this whimsical idea of making sight word […]
FUN FRIDAY: Doing the hokey pokey with blends
To practice blending sounds, Marna at Crayon Bits, sings the Hokey Pokey with her students. She shares an example of the words she substitutes into the song, helping her students practice blending the letters: You put a (s- say letter name) in, you put a (m – say letter name) in, you put a (s […]
Got any Cubism or Impressionism?
Today’s idea will help art teachers build community in the classroom while allowing students to express their individual viewpoints as artists. Students at Becker Middle School created artist trading cards. While learning about color, line, and texture, they created 2.5 by 3.5 inch cards to showcase elements of art as well as their own artistic […]
FUN FRIDAY: Get spin-spired
We found this project from the blog Lil Blue Boo and thought it would be such a neat addition to any teacher’s classroom. Some of the choices on this spinner are “on cloud 9”, “a firecracker”, and “Ironman”. You could use these ideas or create a more classroom-centered theme. For instance, an English teacher could […]
FUN FRIDAY: Cute math puzzles
Have your students practice their math skills with a easy-to-make puzzle! Melissa uses these apple shaped pieces of paper to create these cute puzzles that feature different “names” for the same number. Try using these for math centers, take home practice, or peer tutoring. These puzzles can be made more challenging by providing multiple puzzles […]
