If you’ve ever taught 2nd or 3rd grade, then you know what it’s like to teach basic fractions. This can be a fun concept to teach students because there are so many visuals and math manipulatives you can use to help students understand what a fraction is. One of my favorite ways to introduce fractions to my students is by reading the book Gator Pie by Louise Mathews! This story was one of my favorites as a kid. What I really love is that none of my students ever know the book. It feels like a rare thing nowadays to be able to introduce something new to students that will keep them engaged. In the book, two gators find a pie. They decide to split it in half. Unfortunately, lots of other gators have found out about the pie and want a slice. The visuals in the book really help students understand the concept of when the denominator gets bigger, the pieces get smaller. Drawing models, writing in word form, looking at equivalent fractions, and understanding where they land on a number line are all very important fraction concepts for students to understand. You can practice all year with my…

Do you find it hard to teach students writing? Do you expect students to know how to write a paragraph when they enter your classroom? Have you been told to differentiate for students, but you’re not sure how to do it? LOOK NO FURTHER! For years I taught 3rd grade. Each year the students came to us knowing less and less about how to write proper sentences. When I’d started my first year in 3rd grade, we were able to work with the students on writing multiple paragraphs. After several years, we had to work on teaching them how to write a complete sentence. I knew I had to change the way I taught writing, so I decided to focus on teaching students how to write a good 5 sentence paragraph. But what do you do if some students can write a paragraph and others can’t? You differentiate! At first, all students will write on the same topic, but you can differentiate how they get to the final draft. Some students will need sentence frames to help organize their five sentences. Others will get to the point where they can organize their sentences themselves. They also get to practice how…

It’s time to read with your students!  What are you doing to ensure students are comprehending the stories?  Are you following the weekly guide in your reading curriculum TE?  If you are, I know that can get monotonous.  You need to keep students’ attention.  But how? Easy… you give them Response to Literature activities!  What are some activities you could complete? activities before you start reading – examples include looking at the cover and chapter titles visualization – have students draw and color something from the story; have them compare with their classmates to see similarities and differences setting – think about if the setting changes and if all settings are equally important characters – there are so many activities – character development, character traits webs, acrostic poems, comparing characters problem/solution author’s purpose summarize the story unanswered questions at the end letter to the author or illustrator compare stories – Is there another story that’s similar?  Have students read a different story from the same author? story’s message – moral/lesson; what the character(s) learn text connections – text to text, text to self, and text to world storyboard – students write a sentence or two for main events and draw a…

These Back to School activities are perfect for the first week of school! These writing activities, crafts, and beginning of the year memory book packet would look great on Back to School bulletin boards. Students can write about themselves and what they’re looking forward to this year. Click HERE to get these amazing activities! Products Included: First Week of School Activities: Getting to Know You – These are great for independent activities. They are created to look like a frame. Students fill in sentences around the perimeter of the frame, and the inside is used for pictures! – First Week of School Writing Activities – The activities include Questions for my Teacher, First Day of School, Letter to my Teacher, and My Family. These are completed individually and will give you a good idea of each student’s writing ability at the beginning of the year. – Back to School Activities: Blast Off IN… – Students can: – make an 8 1/2 x 11 book with a cover page that says “Blast Off in __ Grade!” This option has several pages to choose from. There are graphic organizers and sentence starters to help your students get started. – make a rocket…

Being a teacher is hard. Being a substitute is hard. Let’s make each other’s lives a little easier! Right out of college I started substitute teaching….over 20 years ago! I then had my own classroom for 17 years. Currently, I’m back to being a substitute. And boy, things have changed! I put together this checklist for teachers. It’s perfect to look over before school starts to make sure you’re prepared anytime a substitute has to come into your classroom. Some are a little time consuming – such as information for fire drills/lockdowns/etc. Others are simple – such as have a pen or pencil available for your substitute. You wouldn’t believe how many classrooms I’ve been in where I cannot find something to write with! Click on the link below to get your FREE copy of this checklist before the new school year begins! PLEASE SEND ME MY FREE SUBSTITUTE CHECKLIST!

Teacher appreciation week is here and we are celebrating with free math resources your students will love! My teacher friends and I came up with the teacher appreciation week freebie event in order to save you time and sanity as you close out the school year. And guess what!?! All 24 of these amazing math resources are FREE! You can download them all or just choose a few. Click HERE to get some fantastic Math FREEBIES!

Click here to get How to Create a Writing Rubric for FREE! If you’re like me, you’ve been frustrated with what’s provided to you for teaching writing in the classroom. Many years ago I went to a presentation where we were taught how to create a rubric. I really loved the way she explained how to make a rubric for any writing assignment. It didn’t give me a curriculum, but once I knew how to create the rubric, it was easy to come up with writing ideas. Something I love about creating my own rubrics is that I can customize it to my students’ needs. This is great for students who struggle and for those who want to go above and beyond! Creating a writing rubric doesn’t have to be daunting. There are many different types of rubrics, and your writing assignments don’t have to always have the same one. Once you’ve decided on what it is you want the students to complete, choose which type of rubric you want to use. IMPORTANT: I am a firm believer in giving the rubric to students at the beginning of the writing process! You want to make sure they know what’s expected…

Sub plans are necessary for a classroom to run smoothly! Being both a teacher and a substitute, I can’t say that enough. I’ve been in classrooms where I have no plans, and I’ve been told to make copies of random pages left. Substitute teachers have a lot to deal with, especially if they’re new to your classroom and school. ARE YOU PREPARED FOR A SUBSTITUTE? Get this FREE CHECKLIST to make sure your classroom runs smoothly while you’re gone! WHY YOU NEED THESE SUB PLANS I learned a long time ago that I hated having to head in to school at 5 a.m. to leave decent sub plans when I had a sick child. So, I created Emergency Sub Plans, and everyday I left a day’s worth of work (with instructions and answer keys!) on my desk/front table. My Emergency Sub Plans Bundle allows you to leave everything you need for the substitute to have a successful day in your classroom. The only thing you need to do is print and make copies. Instructions and answer keys are already done for you! When one set gets used, you simply get out the next set. Any not used can be kept…

Have you ever heard of a hashtag sale on TpT? I’ve been a buyer for over ten years and a seller for a year and a half. Last week was the first time I’d heard of it. Basically, it’s a group of sellers that join in on a sale together. There are rules to follow, so if you’re a seller, don’t join one unless you’re part of the group and know the rules! The sellers choose products (I’ve seen from 1 to 4) in their store to offer at a discount for a certain number of days. I’ve seen discounting down to $1, as well as 1/2 off products. When searching through one sale, I spotted a bundle product that’s normally over $100 marked 1/2 off. What a deal! You’ll know which products to look for by searching the # in the search bar. Check out the hashtag sale going on now! (January 23-25, 2023) All products included in this sale will be discounted to $1. Simply type #januaryjoy in the search bar on TpT, and you’ll find lots of great products!