Using Hip Hop in Class

Problem: I want to introduce my students to a wider range of poetry than just the typical Shel Silverstein funny stuff. Solution: Branch out into songs as poetry, even hip hop as poetry!  One of my students’ favorite poems to study all year is “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugar Hill Gang.  The classroom scene goes something…

Details

Test Review Game

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…

Details

Love that Dog – Poetry Mentor Text

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…

Details

Part-Part-Whole

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…

Details

Badness for Beginners

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…

Details

Clear, Kid-Friendly Expectations

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…

Details