Freebie: I Love My School Shoes

Here is a great back-to-school activity that integrates technology and literacy! Check out this post: http://teacherstuff4u.blogspot.com/2015/09/freebie-i-love-my-school-shoes.html

Teacher Stuff: I Moved!

I changed my blog from Wordpress to Blogger. Please follow me at my new address!

teacherstuff4u@blogspot.com



Teacher Stuff: I Moved!: Thank you for joining me at my new address! I decided it was time to have everything in the same place, so it was time to move. Please si...

Who's Who and Who's New: Happy 2014!

Have you ever wondered how much influence we have on our kiddos each and every day? You've got to read this story about a little boy and his flag from Santa! Puts it all back in perspective!


Head on over to read the whole story and check out our new blog- 

{Who's Who and Who's New}

Created by Hilary Lewis from Rockin' Teacher Materials! 

You will get to read a new post each and every day of 2014 and you'll never know what you might pick up along the way! 

Hint . . . there might be a freebie in it for you!

Rockin' Teacher Materials: Tips For Keeping Your Students Healthy During The ...

Rockin' Teacher Materials: Tips For Keeping Your Students Healthy During The ...: Hey all! I wanted to share a guest post from Marcela De Vivo about keeping your school kids healthy. Good reminders for a brand new year!

10 Page My First Day in ______ Grade Freebie!

Friends~Don't miss this fun 10 page freebie from The Schroeder Page.  Your students will love recording all of their first in class with this simple draw and write booklet.  

Copy it on half sheets of paper back to back to save paper!  It is perfect for a time capsule activity!  Click over to grab this freebie and sign up for The Schroeder Page News!  You will get a free link to my Singing is Learning songs on Sound Cloud.  

Two Math Games

It's important that children spend some time in conversation.  Brain research proves that, and as classroom teachers, we know we need to let them talk... sometimes!

Brain research also proves that getting the emotions involved helps the memory.  (Think back to those very emotional times of your own life... they bring back strong memories, don't they?  Think:  weddings, babies, holidays)

For those reasons, I make sure my kids play plenty of math games.  There are so many math skills that need to be repeated to be strengthened, and games can be played again and again!

Come on over to Elementary Matters to download these two math freebies!

Creative Ways to Line Up Your Class {Freebie}

Sometimes, if you're like me, you need a fresh idea for lining up your little sweet peas.  Walk on over to I Love 2 Teach to scoop up a free copy of twenty-four ideas that you can use to creatively get your kiddos in line.  Here's a sneak peek...

See you soon!

The Brain, Baseball, and Geography

I read a lot about the brain because I find it absolutely fascinating.  I also want my students to learn, so I'm always searching for ways to help them remember what I've taught.

I've found that kids learn best when they get a little bit at a time, frequently, rather than one big lesson all at once, then never to see it again.  (Unfortunately, our present Math program does the latter.)

There's plenty of evidence out there to prove that frequent review and practice is the best way for children to remember what they're learning.

There's also plenty of evidence to prove that connecting the learning to the passions of the children help the learning process as well.

So, what does this have to do with baseball?  Come check out my blog at Elementary Matters to find out!

What's up for Spring Games?

I am so ready for Spring!  Here in New Hampshire, the temperature seems to have trouble getting past the 40s, and there are still patches of snow everywhere, including my garden!

But Spring is in my heart, as well as my classroom.  

Games make up a big part of my centers, and I have several spring activities in my classroom!

Come on over to Elementary Matters to see some of my Spring Activities!

Earth Day Writing Freebie

I'm a big fan of Earth Day.  I think looking out for our world is HUGE and it needs to happen now.  Each and every one of us needs to do what we can to help this place be around for our grandchildren and our grandchildren's grandchildren.

I always celebrate every Earth Day with plenty of good literature.  Here are some of my favorite children's books with an Earth Day theme:

          

Earth Day is an ABC book, and makes a great introduction to the concept of protecting the environment.

The Lorax, is classic Seuss!  He tells about a mystical land of fantasy, which, in true Seuss fashion, a much deeper real story.  Even my second graders understand this valuable lesson.

The Wump World is a fun book to read to the children and NOT show the illustrations (even the cover) until the children have had a chance to show the Wumps and Pollutians that they visualized while listening to the story.  Another great story about a fantasy world with very real lessons!

This one is a new discovery to me, and my new "Earth Day Favorite". 

A River Ran Wild is a story that dates back to the days the Native Americans ruled this area, and respected the earth.  It continues through European settlers, the industrial age, and attempts to clean up the river.  This book is based on a local river, which makes it near and dear to my heart, but it's a valuable message about protecting our world.  My students became very upset when they saw what happened to the beautiful river!

See THIS BLOG POST for more about this book, and an art activity to go with it.

You can click the images above for a link to Amazon, to learn more about these books.

After reading, I intend to have the children do some opinion writing and/ or explanatory/ informational writing based on what they have learned about protecting the environment.

Here's a collection of writing paper with the Earth Day theme that I'll be using.  

Come over to Elementary Matters to download this freebie.

How are you honoring Earth Day this year?