Teacher Performance Pay When my last school started talking about implementing performance pay for teachers, it put a knot in my stomach. I imagined that test scores would be the main, perhaps only, means for measuring teacher performance. While student academic growth (even if not on grade level) is one mark of teacher quality there…
Most of us would probably have no trouble making a classroom wish list that’s a mile long, but in case you needed some ideas… These are some of my teaching must-haves. Make sure you enter the iTeach 2nd gift card giveaway and you could be crossing some items off of your wish list! My husband…
Printmaking for Kids I’m always looking for kids’ art projects that really look like art and this is a good one. Printmaking allows kids to use paper and paint in a new way! Materials: paper tempera paints plastic page protectors cotton balls clothespins Sharpie markers (optional) 1. Draw big outlines of flowers and leaves on pieces…
Mixed Up Chameleon Craft If your students love The Mixed Up Chameleon by Eric Carle then this is the perfect craft for them. Students cut out different animal parts from old magazines and put them together to make a new mixed up animal. It also includes a template for writing about what the animal would…
Mother’s Day Craft Life as a teacher is definitely easier when you have all your students’ moms on your side! Click the picture to pick up an easy and fun bath salts craft you can have students make for Mother’s Day.
You may have seen the news article going around right now about things that 3rd graders wish their teacher knew. In response, here are several things that I wish my students knew. I bet you could add several of your own. I wish my students knew: -I don’t like all this testing either.…
Today’s teacher humor is inspired by school supplies. How could school supplies be funny….well, teachers know : ) Creativity is something that we encourage in our students. Frequently, their creativity knows no bounds, like with school supplies, and all the ways they can think up to use them as things…other than school supplies. Teaching tip…
If you asked the average person off the street what they would say to help someone struggling with a tricky word, I bet a lot of the responses would be, “Tell them to sound it out!” And then the average person off the street would say, “What kind of question is that, anyway!” : )…
Teaching coordinate graphing has never been so lively! Here are ideas to engage all kinds of learners. Capture the Penguins Coordinate Graphing Game Turn coordinate graphing practice into a game! MathWire.com has several different coordinate graphing games to play but I loved this one! Students fill the grid with some kind of marker. Here the…
For your entertainment, teacher humor! If you’re old enough to remember MacGyver then you’ll get this one. I notice a few constants with the art projects for kids that I see on Pinterest. Most involve some kind of genius way to use cheap/free materials like paper plates, paint color cards, toilet paper tubes, etc. Just…