No matter how much you love kids and love teaching, teaching isn't easy! From the paperwork to pressures of testing, behavior issues, difficult parents or administrators, and the time that's required, it's very stressful... more than most people realize. As teachers, we nurture our students and nurture our own family, but most of us really need to remember to take care of ourselves! Consistent self-care is the key! When we do some kind of self-care, it re-charges us in some way, restores our energy, and even feeds our soul. We all need more of that. Here's a list of 50 ideas with a variety of self-care activities. Some are absolutely free, while others aren't. Also, I'm sure that some ideas will resonate more with you than others, but I hope this list will encourage you to start including at least one deliberate act of self-care each day! 1. Listen to your favorite music. 2. Go for a walk outside. 3. Read a novel while snuggling up on the cou......

Finding the theme may be one of the trickiest concepts to teach in reading! I like to tackle it using a variety of teaching tools and using biographies to teach theme is one of my favorites! Here are a few tips for teaching theme or the central message using biographies: 1. Use Picture Book Biographies With upper elementary students, I like to use picture book biographies, instead of chapter books for teaching theme, especially in the beginning. There are several reasons for this: Picture book biographies are usually "quick reads" and can be read in a single setting, which means that multiple biographies may be read over the course of a week. Picture books are less intimidating (and seem like less of a chore) for most students, so buy-in is greater. Picture books are usually very focused, so the theme of a person's life story should be evident. Picture books are often plentiful in classroom or school libraries. If that's not the case with y......

Whether you call them literacy centers or literacy stations, big kids at the upper elementary level love center time and get so much out of it! How do literacy centers benefit kids? They add variety to learning and to the routine. They allow teachers to easily differentiate learning. They are a great way to help cover and reinforce all of the standards. They give students a place to practice important social skills, like collaboration, problem-solving, and communication. So how do you set up literacy centers and run them successfully? ...

I love teaching area and perimeter! These geometry concepts lend themselves to some really fun hands-on activities, which is something I always enjoy! Here are some of my favorite activities to teach area and perimeter: 1. Area and Perimeter Songs Perimeter Around the Area by Bazillion - This one has really cool cats and music. The cats either travel around the perimeter of buildings or stay inside their area.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU8aWpRd6Qw Area and Perimeter by Flocabulary - This one is a rap and starts off with a Star Wars theme and then travels to Mars! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSVMrPu0__U 2. Area and Perimeter Outdoor Game I try to include movement throughout the day, whenever I can. This is a simple area and perimeter game that could be played either on a blacktop, in the gym, or on a grassy field. The important thing is that there is an obvious perimeter or boundary line around the outside of the square or rectangular ar......

        As teachers, we know the benefits of giving kids movement in the classroom. It's easy to see that after even a short period of sitting, kids need to get the wiggles out so they are ready to learn again. Scientific studies support this idea and even contend that frequent brain breaks lead to higher  a cademic achievement, increased concentration, better on-task behavior, and improved student attitudes. Sounds great, right?         I love brain breaks so much that I wanted to share a dozen of my favorite brain breaks here. If you like them, you can find a link at the bottom of the post to a FREE set of 12 print and digital task cards in my TpT store. 1. Places and Spaces : Kids pretend to tour a particular place in the world and do movements that relate to those places. For example... We are now touring the United States! Pretend to… Surf the beaches of California, Stomp through the swamps of Mississippi, Cl......