For many of us in education, it's closing in on that time of year. You know the time I'm talking about... testing season. Just hearing the phrase uttered causes a feeling of anxiety to wash over me. So much pressure is placed upon teachers. Even more upsetting, though, is the pressure and anxiety that many of our students experience when the time to take standardized tests draws near. Too often, our students feel powerless when it comes to standardized tests. Therefore, when I spotted a book called The Anti-Test Anxiety Society as I was scrolling through Instagram one weekend, I had to check it out! It is written by Julia Cook, author of A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue and My Mouth is a Volcano . Before becoming an author, she was a school counselor and teacher. She lives in a small Nebraska town not far from my hometown, and she spoke to students at my elementary school several years ago. She was a phenomenal speaker! Anyway, when my book arrived, I read it immediately. ......

        I love it when I find a teaching tool that has so many benefits! Playing games in the classroom is actually one of my favorite teaching tools because besides being fun, it helps kids in so many ways.                   There are lots of different kinds of games, from digital to whole class, to board games, and each is beneficial in different ways. In this post, I'll share some of the reasons low-tech board games for learning can still be a valuable tool in every classroom. Benefits of Board Games: 1. Increased Engagement         Board games allow teachers to add variety to the types of activities offered in the classroom, and games add  a certain excitement to the classroom!  Best of all, even though the game may be a learning game, to students, board games feel like play. This element of fun may mean that kids have more buy-in for the activity and are more ......

        Task cards are one of my favorite things in the classroom! I love how they provide concentrated practice for my students, how they can be used for any subject, but most of all, I like how engaging they can be. Students often view them as simply fun, although they are definitely an effective learning tool.         Another great thing about task cards is how versatile they are. They can be used in so many ways! In fact,  I wrote another blog post with  16 Ways to Use Task Cards , if you'd like a few more ideas!   Using task cards with board games is one activity that makes task cards even more fun!         So, how exactly do you add task cards to a board game?  1. Gather Some Board Games         If you're a mom or a dad, you may have lots of board games at home that your children have outgrown, or that you can borrow. You may also find them at garage sales or of......