While Santa is busy up at the North Pole making his list and checking it twice, you should be doing the same with your lesson plans. December brings changes in schedules, unexpected interruptions to your routine and a general feeling of excitement in the air which often translates into chaos in the classroom if you aren’t prepared for it. Don’t panic! December does not need to be all about surviving until winter break. In fact, it is the perfect time to take all that energy and channel it into motivated learning. Below are three tips to make sure that when it comes to your classroom, “all is calm” and when it comes to your students, “all are bright.” This is the perfect time to plan research activities for your class to work on throughout the month. Research projects are chock full of reading, writing, drawing, and artistic tasks that will automatically create a quieter learning environment just by the nature of the activity. They are also ideal because they are great sp...
If you are like me, you are constantly looking for ways to liven up your instruction to keep things from becoming stagnant and--wait for it... Boring. That's right.  The dreaded "b" word.  Indeed, sometimes the practice that is necessary to truly cement skills into our minds can be perceived as boring or routine.  So...one way I like to keep things fresh is by using task cards.  Over the years, I have learned that there are SO many ways to use them, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorites! 1.  Brain Boosting Warm ups! I think we often use task cards to supplement independent or station work--but good task cards are GREAT whole class warm ups!  If you have a document camera it makes it a snap, but if you don't-try enlarging it (or rewriting it on construction or chart paper) to display.  In addition to focusing the class and getting their brains ready to work, this is a great way to model how you want the REST of the cards in the collection ...
To reward or not reward students? That has been the question educators have pondered throughout the ages. This blog post will attempt to look at both sides (intrinsic and extrinsic motivation) and give you our perspective on what we feel is the best classroom management system for students. First, let's get a clear definition of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Intrinsic rewards are where students are working for their own satisfaction and goals, nothing is given to them in the form of a reward. Extrinsic rewards are where students are awarded something for either achievement or for the desired behavior. Both Eric and I grew up in the public school system in Wisconsin. We now are taking some time to look back on what motivated us to learn. Yes, grades were probably our #1 motivation. We wanted to succeed in school. But what motivated us besides the grades? Well, here is a small list of things that stand out to us as a product of a public school system. 1. Awards/Certif...
Every year it seems like the holiday excitement (or craziness) begins earlier and earlier. Us teachers have to be on our toes constantly to get our students to pay attention in class when all they can think about is their upcoming school break and all of the fun things they're going to do during it. Whether you're a new or an experienced teacher, these four activities can help your students stay engaged during the holiday season! Talk Traditions Incorporate their holiday transitions into your lessons as much as possible. Talk to your students and find out what they do during this time of the year. This is valuable information you can use to plan your December lessons. You can incorporate something small into each lesson, even if it's just a some fun clipart of a Christmas tree or a dreidel on an assignment. It's all about novelty! I love to read books about different holiday traditions. Even though I have upper grade students, I can fit these in during mini-l...
Have you ever been reading a book, and made a mental note like  I need to remember to refer to this book the next time I am teaching how to write a strong lead ?   And, if you're like me, you promptly forgot about it before taking the time to write yourself a note and place it in the correct file. This has happened to me more times than I care to count! As teachers, we are constantly noticing things we can use in our classrooms. Recently, I was reading  Three Times Lucky  (a book recommended to me by my own fifth grader at home), and I was struck by the incredible lead used by the author, Sheila Turnage! Once again, I had that  I have to remember this!  moment. Instead of forgetting about it, though, this time my idea grew as I decided to take the time to find some strong lead examples, and share them with fellow teachers in a blog post. I searched for a variety of leads, and these are some favorites that I ran across:             ...
Hi there! Jenn here, from The Teacher Next Door. One of the strongest teaching philosophies I've held over the years is to teach to the whole child. Of course, I want kids to learn and grow academically, but it has also been a big goal of mine to help them learn those social and emotional skills which make them into the kind of people who will help shape the world in a positive way.  Teaching gratitude in the classroom is one of the character traits I include each year. Gratitude doesn't just make us feel good, it can be a life-changer for kids and adults alike. In fact, studies have shown (Froh and Boo) that gratitude improves mood, mental health, and satisfaction with school and with life in general. It has also been shown to reduce stress, increase a sense of self-worth, boost levels of energy, optimism, and empathy. Since we know having a grateful attitude is beneficial, what are some things we can actually do in the classroom to create kids who have a more...