Have a kid who can explain an entire football game but suddenly has nothing to say when you ask about reading? Football picture books can give you a starting point that already matters to them. You don’t have to convince your students—or your own children—to care about a completely new topic. You can start with
Focused classroom music can help create a calmer atmosphere while your students settle in, read, work independently, move through centers, and more. Below, I’m sharing a growing collection of free instrumental classroom music videos you can play during morning work, quiet time, reading, and other parts of your school day. What Makes Good Instrumental Music
You may have noticed the signs in your classroom before…A few students are slouching, someone is tapping a pencil too loudly, two kids are whispering, and one is staring straight out the window like they’ve mentally left the building. The good news is that brain breaks for 5th grade do not have to be elaborate,
You can easily spend $50 or $60+ on a teacher lesson planner. But do you really need to? I bought several affordable teacher planners from Amazon and compared them with the type of premium Erin Condren planner I used for years. I looked beyond pretty covers to see how these planners actually function for lesson
Have you ever needed a quick reset for your class… but the minute you think “brain break,” you can already picture the eye rolls? 🙃 If you teach older students, you know the struggle. Middle schoolers still need breaks, but they usually do not want anything that feels silly, forced, or too little-kid. The good
For many kids, American Labor Day simply means one thing: no school on Monday. But this holiday gives you a great opportunity to help kids understand the people, history, and hard work behind that day off. I’m sharing Labor Day activities, read alouds and ideas that are designed to make the holiday meaningful without turning
Does your morning feel like a juggling act before the bell even rings? One student needs help logging in, another is handing you a parent note, somebody forgot a pencil, and you’re trying to finish attendance without losing your mind. That’s exactly why a strong morning routine matters. Good 5th grade morning work gives students
Your students aren’t misbehaving. They’re overdue for a brain break, and their bodies are telling you before their mouths do. The pencil spinning, the whispering behind cupped hands, the sudden urgent need to use the bathroom, none of that is defiance. It’s a room full of seven and eight year olds telling you, in the
