Problem: My kids are really bored with test review but we’ve got to do it anyway! Solution: Make it a game! This is a little bit like Jeopardy but I make some modifications to ensure maximum engagement. Use index cards or pieces of paper to create the “game board.” This one is set up for…
Problem: My kids need some poetry mentor texts and it’s hard to find something (other than expensive anthologies) at the bookstore. Solution: Pick up Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. So much depends upon a blue car splattered with mud speeding down the road These are the first few cryptic lines…
Problem: How can I get kids to master skip counting? I can’t spend several lessons on it. Solution: Skip counting takes repetitive practice but it’s not something you would want to devote a whole lesson to many times throughout the year. Instead, short, frequent skip counting routines can help all students master skip counting. Skip…
Problem: My students have such a hard time with unknowns in all positions of math problems. (Common Core standards 1.OA.A.1, 2.OA.A.1) Solution: Give them plenty of exposure to part-part-whole! It seems so basic, just a way of showing the two smaller numbers that combine to make a bigger number. As shown on the picture, 3…
Problem: I need a fun way to address manners with my class. Solution: Badness For Beginners is a hilarious book about the Wolf family. Mommy and Daddy Wolf work tirelessly to teach their two wolf cubs to be bad. Your students will immediately recognize that the lessons Little Wolf and Smellybref are learning are exactly…
Problem: My students aren’t acting the way I tell them to act! Solution: As with all things related to behavior, there isn’t necessarily one solution but successful classroom management starts with setting clear expectations. I specifically remember an instance during my student teaching when I was trying to get kids on task by standing at…
Problem: I feel like I’m not building very strong rapport with some students, especially those that struggle with behavior. Solution: Problem behavior can have many causes and potential remedies. One idea certainly won’t be a quick fix for every kid but this is something I’ve found helpful: I had a big “ah-ha” moment in…
Problem: I’m dying to find something funny and interesting to read aloud to my class. Solution: Read them The Witches by Roald Dahl! When a boy and his grandmother go on vacation they discover that they are sharing their hotel with a group of disguised witches that have a plot to destroy all the children in England! …
Problem: I love cute and colorful bulletin boards but I don’t have a lot of time or money to spend on them. Solution: With the number of hours a teacher spends in his/her classroom, I think it’s so important to have a fresh and aesthetically pleasing classroom environment. To put some color on the walls,…
Problem: It’s sooo hard for some of my students to memorize their multiplication facts! They can’t do harder math because the basic facts take them too long to figure out. Solution: Sometimes a silly rhyme is all it takes. To this day, when I need to solve the fact 6 x 8, I think to…