Life with 5 Boys

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…