Since it is beautiful and warm here in Australia today, I have been inspired to write about some of my favorite ocean activities. In Prep/1 (aka Kindergarten and 1st Grade) we did a huge “Under the Sea” unit. And with all units, the aim was to integrate as much math, literacy, science, and FUN into […]
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Early Finishers in the Middle Years
One thing that has always been a challenge for me in my teaching is the dreaded question, “What do I do now?” We all know that kids work at different ...
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Meditation
Mindfulness, meditation, and “enjoying the moment” seem to be catch phrases at the moment. Colouring books are wildly popular, all the celebrities meditate daily, and mindfulness is part of everyday ...
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Teaching Perseverance
This year my district has asked every teacher to set a personal goal for their teaching, which can be measured in some way. The idea is that our performance needs ...
Thundercake – An Amazing Read Aloud When It Starts to Thunder
This year I have switched roles and am doing a lot of substitute/relief teaching. Because of this, I spent some time over the weekend putting together a kit to carry with me of back up games, activities, and books to have on hand in case plans are not left. In doing so, I came across […]
Multiplication Strategies – The Box Method
In making the move to Grade 3/4 a whole new world of curriculum landed in my lap. Since I had never taught double and triple digit multiplication before, I naturally began to teach my students how to do it in exactly the way that I learned how. There is definitely nothing wrong with the algorithm […]
Heads Up Seven Up and Simple Addition Sentences
I was just playing another round of “Heads Up, Seven Up” with my class before Christmas and realized that I have not written about how I love to use this game when teaching math. This little gem came to me when I was teaching Kindergarten/Prep. I always start the day with a morning meeting. We […]
Death by Powerpoint
This past year I had a goal of helping my students to become more functional on computers. Technology is always complicated, as it is ever changing. Sometimes it seems unnecessary to teach kids how to use a specific program. However, I was consistently finding that, regardless of the software, my students needed to learn that […]
Travel – Connecting with Students By Sharing Your Experiences
Connecting with our students is one of our most important jobs as teachers. When students have a bond with us, they are more engaged in everything we say, and therefore everything we try to teach. A few years ago I wrote this post about using your own life as the script when teaching writing. By […]