Did someone say book club? Few things excite me more than having motivated readers in my classroom that want to gather and talk about what they’re reading. Don’t think book clubs are just for your overachieving bookworms, however. Getting book clubs started in your classroom can benefit all of your students, from the reluctant reader to the one that lives… Read More
End of the Year Advice for Future Students
Kids love being the expert of all things. So why not have them be the expert of your class, grade level, and you as a teacher! Yes, you heard me. Let them take all that they have learned and be an expert to share advice for future students who will be coming to your class next year. Over the years… Read More
5 Easy Rewards and Positive Incentives for Students
Recognizing the good your students do is so important, especially in upper elementary grades. Students are used to getting “gold stars” and constant praise in their early school years, but as they continue in their academic careers, we often just expect them to do the right thing and work hard in school. It’s imperative to reward students who traditionally follow… Read More
Increase Student Engagement: Strategies for Setting the Stage in the Classroom
Our classrooms are competing with online stimuli, social media (yes, even in elementary school), video games, and television when it comes to intriguing, inspiring lessons that hold our students’ attention. Fortunately, you can succeed at teaching students engagement strategies by incorporating picture books, games, and making connections. Increase Student Engagement by Teaching Writing Through Picture Books and Mentor Texts… Read More
Amazon Teacher Outfits on a Budget Spring Trend Fashion
Spring is almost here, and it’s time to spruce up your teacher wardrobe with Amazon Teacher Outfits on a Budget. These teacher spring trends will have you ready for anything whether it’s testing, daily classroom activities, field day, or parent teacher conferences! Just like you update your bulletin boards for spring, update your fashion style. From head to toe, these latest… Read More
Strategies that Promote Reading Comprehension Skills
Chances are you have students at various reading levels in your classroom. There are students reading at grade level, students who are reading far above grade level, and students who are struggling to comprehend classroom texts. Regardless of reading levels, the strategies that promote reading comprehension skills can be used with any text. Using these skills and strategies in your… Read More
Black History Month for Kids: Celebrating Influential Black Leaders
All of our classrooms are blessed with a rich diversity of backgrounds that we should honor and celebrate. I have always loved celebrating all cultures in my classroom through sharing books, activities and recognizing important influential leaders. During the month of February we celebrate Influential Black Leaders , we honor heroes such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks,… Read More
Winter Activities to Keep Your Students Engaged
It is a New Year and we are typically still on “vaca” mode after being off. It is hard to get into the mindset of teaching, so I wanted to share some ELA winter activities to keep your students engaged! My Winter Activities usually partner with some wonderful books I have a created a collection of my favorite Holiday and… Read More
Winter Top Amazon Teacher Fashion Trends
Dressing for comfort while remaining in #teacherstyle can be a challenge for a busy teacher like yourself. Fortunately, current teacher fashion trends make it easy for you to update your professional wardrobe. My favorite thing is to shop online and to save on a budget, I love saving all my favorite trends in my Amazon Shop for future reference. Make… Read More
Motivating Books to Inspire Reluctant Readers in Upper Elementary
Free reading can be a joy for many upper elementary students, but for others, it can be a time of fake reading or fear. For reluctant and struggling readers, time to read in class is neither inspirational nor enjoyable. However, there are books that even the most reluctant readers can find themselves drawn to. In fact, finding the book that… Read More
Winter Creative Writing: Bulletin Board Ideas and Winter Read Alouds
It is the most wonderful time of the year, the excitement is all over. One thing I always do is keep my students engaged with thematic units of learning. I love having this Winter Creative Writing Bulletin Board and incorporating Winter Read Alouds for the season. Engaging your students will come easy when they see the fun in the lessons. I… Read More
Meet Jacqueline from The Little Ladybug Shop, Texas
Creating my website and teacher shop have been a creative blessing for me the past 3.5 years. Today, I am excited to share that I am recognized in a Voyage Houston Magazine. Here is a snippet of the article, Meet Jacqueline, that I would love for you to check out. Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Ortiz. So,… Read More
Literacy Free Resources for Elementary Teachers and Homeschoolers
Planning engaging lessons for your students should not be a headache. As a teacher my goal is to make life easy for myself and others. My goal is also to offer ideas to new teachers, tips that work for me, and offer literacy free resources for elementary teachers that you can use that are a no hassle! When I started… Read More
Favorite Fall Learning Bulletin Boards, Books and Fall Poetry Writing
Fall is such a fun time with the weather changing and so many special events during the season. I love planning special activities for my students to do from fun Fall Learning Bulletin Boards, to great Autumn and Fall Books. Also, we love writing and creating poetry and displaying it for students to enjoy! Let the fall learning fun begin… Read More
Hispanic Heritage Month Ideas and Activities
Building awareness of all the different cultures and diversity is such an important part of every classroom. A celebration that many recognize early in the school year is Hispanic Heritage Month. We celebrate the Latino culture from September 15th to October 15th. It is a great time to recognize the influential leaders and read books that will help students and families… Read More
Classroom Organization Tips for Teachers
It never fails. Each school year, I have a goal to get organized for the upcoming year. Once the kids enter the classroom, it’s easy to get bogged down with assignments and paperwork. These classroom organization tips for teachers can help you stay focused and keep on track all year long! Classroom Organization Tip 1: Declutter and Digitize You know… Read More
Teaching Growth Mindset Activities and Growth Mindset Ideas
Growth mindset may seem like the latest catch phrase in education, but it’s changing the way my students think about learning and their own self worth in the classroom. Teaching growth mindset to elementary students can help them change from a fixed mindset of “I can’t” to a positive self confident “I can” attitude. Positive Language Teaching Growth mindset is… Read More
