Have you ever used candy when teaching math skills? I love teaching graphing skills with candy. It keeps students engaged, and they get to go home with a special treat. What types of candy should you use? 🍭 Using candy hearts is a fun way to review graphing skills on Valentine’s Day. Let’s face it, Valentine’s Day is one of those days where it’s hard to keep students’ attention. It doesn’t have to be a wasted day. Buy some small boxes of candy hearts, and students will love participating in these math activities. But what about the rest of the school year? Can you use candy anytime? (YES!) Do the activities have to coincide with a holiday? (NO!) This 3rd grade graphing with candy resource can be used with any colored candy, and you can use it several times throughout the year! I know there are mixed feelings about students getting candy in the classroom. If you aren’t sure how parents will feel about it, let them know ahead of time what your lesson will look like. Students don’t have to eat the candy at school. Simply give each student a baggie to hold their candy. They can then take…

Do you use color by number/code activities in your classroom? I’ve heard some say they have no educational value, and they’re considered busy work. I completely disagree! These activities can definitely be a great addition to your classroom. You just need to get creative! The most common type of color by number activities go along with math skills. But what other subjects could benefit with these types of worksheets? What if I told you grammar, or even…..reading comprehension?! Have you ever heard of collaborative coloring posters? I learned about them recently, and I’m hooked! Some people use them with positive growth mindset phrases, where students get to color their section however they want. Personally, I enjoy putting an educational component to them. And, they look great as bulletin boards! Keep students engaged in their learning. They’ll be getting LOTS of review of important skills while coloring and having FUN! Here are some examples. READING COMPREHENSION Use color by number activities to build your students’ comprehension! Each resource has students read a passage and complete several activities to show their understanding of the reading. Presidents’ Day BUNDLE Students read passages about both presidents. There are several comprehension worksheets, including the color…

Do you need some fun Thanksgiving activities to get through those hectic days leading up to Thanksgiving break? I’ve got you covered with activities for math, grammar, and writing! These are perfect for students in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. They’d also work well with older students who struggle with certain concepts and need an extra review. Before I start, scroll down to the bottom to find some turkey in disguise examples and ideas! Have you ever heard of Collaborative Coloring Posters? They are so FUN! Students each get a small part of the full poster to color. Once the poster is put together, you can use it as part of a bulletin board. Check out this fall-themed collaborative poster! 🍁 Collaborative Coloring Poster Fall Bulletin Board – 25 individual student pages that go together to create a 30 x 30 inch poster. Each student page includes multiplication problems (2s-12s). Students solve the problems and color based on the code provided. Build a positive classroom community as students complete the blocks and put the poster together. The end result will look great on your fall bulletin board where you showcase your students’ math skills! 🦃 Thanksgiving-Themed Math Skills Review Worksheets…

How do you address character education in your classroom? Do you put up a few posters and point out the traits a couple times a year? Are you looking for meaningful activities to teach students what it means to have good character? Keep reading to see how easy it can be to create a positive classroom community while teaching about positive character traits. Posters can be a great addition to your classroom, but you need to ensure students understand the meaning of different traits. All of these activities will help you teach what positive character traits are, and how STUDENTS can show these traits at school, at home, and out in their community. In addition to students understanding their own character through their actions, they will be able to notice what traits a character has in a story they’re reading. Grasping character analysis will improve your students’ reading comprehension! BONUS IDEAS: The bundle includes 17 activities to use throughout the whole school year. What’s great about this bundle is it reinforces the same key traits several times, and it gives students the opportunity to write about how THEY show each of these character traits! WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE INCLUDED? Character counts…

Free Money? Yes, please! 💲 Did you know you can earn credits on TPT? All you have to do is leave a review. Yep, that’s it! Simply go to My Purchases, find all of the products you’ve purchased, and click on the Leave a Review button. When you review a paid product, you’ll get 1 credit for every $1 spent. (1 credit = $0.05) That may not seem like a lot, but these credits can really add up, especially if you’ve never left any reviews. A few years ago I purchased a HUGE science bundle. After the 3 licenses (so my two colleagues could also use it), my purchase was over $200. After reviewing just that one, I had over $10 in free credits to use in the future. So what are you waiting for? Head to My Purchases on TPT and start earning credits today!

📚 Are you ready for BACK TO SCHOOL? As much as we love our summer break, it’s really hard not to think about the new year that’s creeping up on us. I’m here to make your life easier! Plan ahead, and get ready for an amazing first day, week, and month of school. First off, if you’re new to teaching, this free CHECKLIST might help! It’s just some tips to help you get through your first day. As you think about the new school year, is your classroom prepared for a substitute? If your answer is no, or you’re not sure, read my post on The Importance of Emergency Sub Plans! During those first few days and weeks of school, you need to make sure you’re keeping students engaged. In addition to establishing the rules and procedures of your classroom, make sure you have some fun activities that students will enjoy working on. I like to have ALL ABOUT ME activities because it’s easy for students to write about what they like. Here are some activities that will help you get through the first few weeks of school, while you’re still trying to establish a routine. Back to School Pennant…

Let’s face it, the last few weeks of school can be chaotic! Everyone’s ready for summer break, but as the teacher you still have to plan everyday to keep the students engaged. You need SEVERAL end of the year activities! Click HERE to see more about all of the activities listed below! What type of activities are best? A lot of teachers love giving activities where students reflect on the school year and what they learned. Memory books are a great idea. I especially love keeping their beginning of the year memory book so they can compare how much they changed throughout the school year. Another great option is using flipbooks. These don’t take as much time as a memory book, but they can still be a fun keepsake! Blast Off To… are some of my favorite activities since I love anything space-themed. With these activities students get to reflect on what they did throughout the school year, and they write about what they’re looking forward to in the next grade. There are several options! Since students are REALLY looking forward to summer, give them some writing activities that get them excited about what’s to come! These summer-themed writing craftivities…

Start your new year off right with a FUN hashtag sale! Get some amazing $1 deals on TPT from January 1-2. You’ll find two of my resources for math and grammar skills review, plus hundreds of others. Remember, hashtag sales can feel overwhelming with how many resources are offered. Use those filters for grade, subject, holiday, etc… to find exactly what you need. Search #2024deals on TPT, or click HERE to go straight there! Jennifer Cook

Do you need some fun Halloween activities to get through those hectic days leading up to Halloween? I’ve got you covered with activities for math, grammar, and writing! These are perfect for students in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. They’d also work well with older students who struggle with certain concepts and need an extra review. 🎃 Halloween Math Skills Review Worksheets — 43 pages of math worksheets and color by numbers reviewing – 👻 Halloween & Fall-Themed Grammar Skills Review Color by Code Activities — Keep students engaged with these fun color by code activities that are perfect to do in the fall and around Halloween. Students practice identifying nouns, adjectives, verbs, and more! You’ll get 10 color by code activities. You can use these as independent practice after teaching/reviewing a skill, complete one or two each week during September and October, and/or put them out for early finishers! Here’s what your students will be reviewing: 💀 Halloween Writing Activities Bundle — SEVEN amazing resources to get your students writing! Including –

I decided to bundle together most of my math resources. They are perfect for review, assessments, early finishers, and holiday & seasonal fun. I started with 32 great products already available that are perfect for 3rd grade, and they would work great for older students as review or for those who struggle in math. But I have several more resources I want to create. I’ve been putting off making my bundle because I knew there would be more resources to come. That’s when I came across information on GROWING BUNDLES! Basically, a growing bundle is a bundle of resources that will grow. You purchase the bundle at a lower price, as it’s growing, and you get all future resources that are added for FREE! That’s right….. FREE! When a new resource is added, the price of the bundle goes up, but not for those who’ve already purchased it. You can search for growing bundles on TPT. Most sellers explain what’s already available, what still needs to be created, and when new resources are expected to be added. I’ve purchased some growing bundles recently, and I’m so glad I did! I go back to My Purchases often on TPT and check…