100 Followers Giveaway!

I will be having a giveaway that will run from August 6-12. Three of the  first 100 followers to my blog will be entered to win any two items they'd like from either my Etsy shop or my Teachers Pay Teachers store, both of which will have a few more items in addition to what is there before the week is over. You will also get a shout out link to your blog if you win and have a blog. You can choose, and the files will be emailed to you. All you have to do is follow this blog, and comment on this post that you want to be entered. Thanks!

Teacher created book for greater than/ less than

Teacher Blog Links!

I am a blog hopper, and here are a ton of teaching blogs for you to browse through. I can not recommend them all, because I have yet to browse all of them,  but go check them out!

Classroom Management Tips and Strategies

Hand Signals Poster                                                                          

Ever find yourself having to stop frequently throughout a lesson because a student has their hand up? Maybe they have a question, which is great, but it could also be that they need a tissue, they need water, a restroom break, or perhaps to borrow a pencil. Now, if a student raises their hand because they have a question, you should probably answer it. However, do you really want to take 15 seconds from your lesson for a student to raise their hand, you ask what they need, they tell you, you respond when you could spend much less time for such instances? This is where hand signals come in hand (no pun intended). Students are taught to raise a certain number of fingers depending on what it is they need. For example, 5 fingers means they have a question, but maybe 2 fingers means they need water. If they have two fingers up, just signal for them to get water (or not get it) rather than have a 15 second back and forth. It takes up a lot less time, especially when you think about how many students you have in your classroom. You should have a sign or poster posted so your students are aware of the signals, and introduce and rehearse them with the students. Students do actually follow this.

Learning through song

Learning through song and music  is a wonderful way to engrain material you have taught in your students' brains. I have found that students truly love music. As a class we have created our own songs to explain lessons, and have also listened to and recited songs from around the internet. If you are having your own class create a song, it might get a bit loud..but typically they are going be on task and will truly enjoy making their songs. Set ground rules (location, how loud, content that needs to be included, length, type of genre). I have heard some wonderful raps, country tunes, and playful kid songs come from my own students. Having students create their own songs makes them responsible for their learning in a fun manner, and they are likely to remember their song and classmates' songs.

I have a few links for free songs that may go well with a lesson you are teaching. They are fun and cute. Think about your audience when you are choosing songs. I find that a 5th grade class will not appreciate cutesy "itsy-bitsy spider" style songs as much as younger students. Try to understand the type of music your students listen to. As a teacher, they will especially appreciate you if you come up with your own original song for the class.

1. Have Fun Teaching Songs - a large amount of songs for various subjects (writing, phonics, science, math, ELA, counting, etc...) and grade levels. The songs have lyrics, are free, catchy, and the students will love them! Other wonderful resources are available on this site as well.

Review Games Ideas and Link for Fun and Learning!

Bring Bingo to the Classroom

Reviewing covered material before a test in a fun format is a great way  for students to see what they learned, and what they still need to work on (this is useful for the teacher also). Below I will describe my favorite 5 review games that I know about. Please comment with any review games and links that I do not mention.

1- Jeopardy ! Jeopardy review games are fun and easy to make. You can split the students in teams and keep track manually of points earned, or use an online template.
There are a lot of powerpoint templates you can download, but what I love is the online web site Jeopardy Labs. You enter the questions and answers, and it saves the link online for you to bookmark and retrieve whenever.  It's easy, check it out! In addition, this site has some pre-made templates you may be able to use as well. Wonderful!
Jeopardy Labs

Classroom Design From All Over

I have seen many various types of classrooms; small, large, dark, bright, cluttered, uber-organized, welcoming, cold, trailers, old, new, dirty, clean. Just for fun, and maybe even some tips I thought I'd post some pictures of various classrooms from all over the country and world for a different perspective. What does your dream classroom entail?

third world nation's classroom
credit: creative commons from abdulrahman

Classroom in Jakarta. Lots of students in that class!
credit: creative commons from Shanghaidaddy

About the blog

Welcome to my teaching blog, where you will find links to my favorite stores, blogs, articles, pins, and finds related to teachers. I will also show you great lesson ideas, and other things you may need to help you in the classroom. I hope you enjoy this site. Please browse my store and support other teachers :
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Share the blog with your teacher friends, and I hope you find some useful resources on my site. Enjoy!