Today I want to talk to you about mindful classroom design and organizing your classroom--classroom organization that leads to efficient teaching and learning. We often get so caught up in planning lessons and activities that we forget that the space we teach those lessons in can really impact our teaching--and student learning! Every classroom is so different--it's hard to give clear direction ... Read the Post
Classroom Must Haves: Teaching Tips
Sometimes it's fun to reflect on our favorites and "must haves" for our classrooms. Today I thought I'd share a few of my classroom must haves. First of all, I wanted to share one of my favorite school supplies. I am a HUGE fan of Mr. Sketch smelly markers...but when I make my anchor charts, I have found that some of the Mr. Sketch colors fade under fluorescent lights. I tried the ... Read the Post
Back to School Anchor Charts: Getting Your Year Started!
Whew! I've been so swamped with back to school and life in general! I feel like my poor little blog is so neglected! For fun, I thought I'd do a quick sharing session of my first week of school--in anchor charts! Back to school anchor charts are posted all over my room right now. These are in no particular order...and, of course, this is just a teeny piece of our week. Also, please remember ... Read the Post
It’s a Bright Ideas Link Up! Chart Paper tip!
It's time for a "Bright Ideas" link up--and today's is a short and sweet one. This is one of those ideas I have used for years and didn't think too much about-but I've had so many teachers in my building comment on that I thought "Hmmm...maybe not everyone has THOUGHT about this!" so I'm sharing with you! Forgive me if I am telling you something you already know! If you are like me, ... Read the Post
Anchor charts…form vs function
Anybody who has taught for any length of time knows that anchor charts can be on unbelievable resource for the classroom teacher and for the students. Anybody who has been on Pinterest knows that you can find an anchor chart for just about anything! Many of them are adorably decorated and make us all wish we were that creative. I can't help but wonder, however, if people are forgetting the ... Read the Post