Life with 5 Boys

🖍️ 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’m hooked! Some people use them with positive growth mindset phrases, where students…

Third grade isn’t just about memorizing multiplication and division facts, although those are VERY important. Teaching 3rd grade math means you’re introducing and expanding on rounding, fractions, telling time, elapsed time, perimeter, area, quadrilaterals, mass, two-step word problems, subtracting across zeros, and more. Add in the fact you have to DIFFERENTIATE because students are all at different levels, and it can become very overwhelming… for both the teacher and the students! What helps? SPIRAL REVIEW Spiral review doesn’t have to look the same for every activity. It doesn’t have to be something done at a certain time of day. A…

Let’s face it, giving students only traditional worksheets for guided practice, independent practice, review, and assessments can get BORING — both for the students and you! And while technology in the classroom is important and needed, you may not want every activity to be on the computer. So, what do you do? You think of ways to incorporate some fun activities that will keep students engaged and learning all year! FRAMES My coworkers and I first started using frames when adding depth and complexity to activities for our gifted students. We quickly realized that these frames could be incorporated in…

📚 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…

Our grade level won a prize from our PTA one time. It was an escape room. A mom got it all set up, and while she had the best of intentions, it was way too hard for the third graders. Add in the fact that the first class that got to experience it ruined it for the other two classes at recess, and it just wasn’t successful. I do think escape rooms and scavenger hunts can be successful activities to add to any classroom. You just have to make sure the puzzles are age appropriate. I’ve taken a few courses…

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 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…

📓 How do you feel about research reports in your classroom? Does the thought of teaching students how to research and complete a project seem daunting? It doesn’t have to be! Get students excited about researching a topic and completing FUN activities. Below you’ll see three projects that are perfect for helping students understand how to research. The activities included are great for DIFFERENTIATION, where students who struggle will still be able to feel successful in the process. Your students who need a challenge will also benefit! Animal Research Project – Outline, Written Report, & Google Slides™ Teach your students…

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! 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. Keeping students engaged will lead to fewer…

❄️ What is the hardest time of the school year? For me, it’s January, February, and March. There’s so much going on August through December. There’s the anticipation of back to school, starting fresh and looking forward to the year ahead. Then there’s fall and all the upcoming holidays. In April and May, summer’s on the horizon. The days are getting longer again, and students are getting antsy. But January, February, and March… these seem to drag out the longest. You know the next break is spring break, but that seems so far away. If you’re feeling it as a…

❄️As a teacher, I know I don’t need to tell you about the weeks leading up to winter break! And the few days before, it can seem like a lost cause trying to get students engaged in any learning. It’s not just the days before the break, but the days you go back in January can be just as hard. Do you like to do holiday activities whole group? Maybe you set up centers with parents helping students. How about giving some work that students can complete individually? I know one of the hardest things I’ve dealt with in my…