Sometimes the best way to survive the challenges of teaching is to laugh! I hope you have a full-time janitor at your school but I once worked at a school where the janitor left at 2:00 pm every day…and that is the inspiration for this meme: If you’re a brand new teacher, you probably don’t…
Today I’m linking up with Miss V’s Busy Bees to talk about assessment! Have you had this experience during math: “Everybody tell me what the answer to the problem is..” “Seventeen!” You think: Wow! My kids are doing great with solving math facts. Then you go to test them only to find out that some…
When I teach measurement I always wonder how kids make it so dang difficult! “Mrs. Braun, I measured my desk and it’s 2 inches long!” …..wait, WHAT!?! Every year I have taught, I encounter a kid who finds a different way to measure incorrectly. After a while it starts to get humorous! I’ve found that…
Between trying to put supplies away and answering about a million questions, it’s really helpful to have something kids can do independently and quietly for a few minutes during your first few days back to school. Your kids will love solving the doubles facts (within 10) and coloring the picture based on the answer they…
There are lots of things you won’t learn about teaching during your time in college. How to start up your literacy block at the beginning of the year and what you should be teaching in phonics are on the list. Making attractive bulletin boards is another one of these topics. Back-to-School bulletin boards welcome your…
Supplies: paperwatercolor paintblack tempera or acrylic paintthin paint brushes (better quality brushes if available)sponge pieces (optional) Practice: One problem with art projects is that kids can get easily discouraged if their product doesn’t turn out the way they thought it would. A few years ago I discovered that having kids practice a few elements of…
I’m linking up today with The Teaching Tribune where teachers are offering up their best bit of teaching advice. Here’s mine: I first heard this at a training a few years ago and it really made me stop and think. Of course we have to offer corrections, redirection, and constructive criticism to our students. But…
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown was one of my favorite books from childhood. Looking back at it now, the bright orange, green, and blue illustrations (and those crazy striped curtains) seem a bit strange compared to what book printers are currently putting out. But there was something about the lulling lilt of the words…
