The first week of school is filled with creating routines, establishing expectations, and connecting with your students. Each year, I have back to school activity that I love doing with my students both at the very beginning of the year and then again at the very end. I call it "The Compliment Paper". Here's What You Do Have your students (and you) sit in a circle - You'll want everybody ... Read More about Build Trust Week One: A Back to School Activity
DIGITAL Back to School Forms
This year, streamline your process for collecting Back to School Forms with a digital Questionnaire for parents to fill out. This is going to make your life easier both for remote learning and if you're face to face. I can't believe I spent so many pre-planning years doing this.... Typing up questions to ask about my new class of students Printing the form and handing it to parents ... Read More about DIGITAL Back to School Forms
Instagram in the Classroom: A Parent Communication Tool
We're always asking parents to question their children when they come home from school or when parents get home from work or whatever the scenario may be. Our students are our first line of parent communication about what's happening in the classroom. Here's what parents have told me their typical conversation sounds like: Parent: "What did you do today in class?" The usual ... Read More about Instagram in the Classroom: A Parent Communication Tool
Interactive Place Value Chart
Do your students struggle to have a strong understanding of place value? One of the skills I have found most challenging to get across to my students is not only the value of a digit but also its value compared to others. I wanted to find a way to get my students to be able to see numbers in a different way and be able to move digits around with their hands and manipulate them. I created ... Read More about Interactive Place Value Chart
Setting Up an Interactive Place Value Chart
How Can I Set Up An Interactive Place Value Chart? Take a day where you can devote time to printing, laminating, cutting, and assembling your place value chart. Although it can take some time, I promise that it will be time well spent, especially if you find a space that you can keep it up all year long and use again in future school years. Watch the video below for more ... Read More about Setting Up an Interactive Place Value Chart
Activities to Use with an Interactive Place Value Chart
If you have your interactive place value chart set up, it's time to get your students interacting with it. How Can I Use This Place Value Chart in My Classroom? Read a number to your students and have them form the number in standard form on the chart (whole numbers or decimals) Have students create a number and challenge a partner to write that number in different forms When ... Read More about Activities to Use with an Interactive Place Value Chart
