Whether you are getting a new classroom in the fall or updating your theme in your current room, there are so many ways to decorate your student space. If you take the more difficult route, you could spend hours on Pinterest coming up with a theme and then more time (and money) creating and finding materials for the perfect classroom… Read More
Affordable Classroom Decoration Ideas for Elementary
Summer Activity Ideas to help Avoid the Summer Slide
Did you know summer time is one of the best opportunities for your kids to continue to grow and learn. Of course summer time is a great time for kids to relax, have fun and play a lot. However we want to avoid the summer slide and I will share some easy and fun summer activity ideas to keep your… Read More
Effective Classroom Communication: Newsletters & Calendars
Building special relationships with parents and guardians is very important and one way is communicating effectively. Sending Communication Newsletters is a resourceful way to communicate about all the wonderful things that are happening in your classroom. The time it takes to contact parents can be overwhelming, but an effective alternative is using digital newsletters and monthly calendars in your classroom. These… Read More
Fun & Inspirational Teacher Shirts
Who says jeans and inspirational teacher shirts can’t make for the perfect teaching outfit? My favorite day of the school week has always been spirit day or jeans day! So the past two years I have been creating my favorite themed shirts that are both fun and inspirational. You will love wearing your comfy cute jeans with the perfect teacher… Read More
Ways to Use Classroom Reading Logs with Questions
One thing I encourage my students to do outside of class daily is read! Studies show that even reading twenty minutes a day can drastically improve reading comprehension and even raise standardized test scores. Plus, reading independently helps our students enjoy reading more by focusing on texts that they love! Whether your students are reading informational or narrative texts, there… 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 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
