The Ultimate Math Championship for 4th – 6th Grade!

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The Ultimate Math Championship is a FUN and easy way to help 4th, 5th, & 6th grade students practice math skills.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Ultimate-Math-Champ-Place-Value-Multiplication-Division-Geometry-More-3618526

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Ultimate-Math-Champ-Place-Value-Multiplication-Division-Geometry-More-3618526I have created several matching games that can be played in multiple rounds. Using my pyramid method, students naturally become paired with others working near their skill level. The student or students with the most rounds won is crowned the classroom Ultimate Champion! It is during these math championships that my students really become excited and truly began to grasp and retain the process. 

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7 Indoor Recess Ideas

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Hello fellow teachers! I hope everyone is staying warm with this super chilly blast of rain and snow!

Nothing quite drains teachers like a steady schedule of indoor recesses. It gets old fast. After a whole day trapped inside, our classes are in desperate need of some break time. Here are a few easy activities that make it less painful, and dare I say, even a little fun. Continue reading →

Make Journaling Fun with Washi Tape & a Straw!

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DIY Journals for Teachers and Students | How to start Journaling | Create personalized journals and notebooks for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, & 6th grade for daily prompts, doodles, creative writing, interactive notebooks, etc. Make writing fun with washi tape & a straw! Use these in your primary or upper elementary classroom. You get printables and the pages you need for beginners. first second third fourth fifth sixth homeschool #journals #writing #iteachtoo #iteach456 #interactivenotebooks

This post was originally written as a guest post on the blog Minds in Bloom.

Hi! It’s Melissa from Peas in a Pod. I am currently in my 11th year of teaching. I’ve taught kinder – 8th, thanks to a few combo classes. Writing is one of my favorite subjects to teach! There are so many ways to make it fun.  Today I’m going to guide you through personalizing super cute DIY journals with pencil holders! Continue reading →

5 Ways to Teach a Growth Mindset

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It’s possible to consciously change your mindset from fixed to one of continual growth. Once you have seen someone embrace a growth mindset, you can see its value. People will begin to take on challenges beyond what they might have otherwise. They push themselves with language like, “What can we learn from our mistake?” and “What are we missing?”

Growth Mindset Bulletin Board | Growth Mindset for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. FREE elementary growth mindset activities. Check out these anchor charts, lessons, posters, and quotes designed for upper elementary classroom or homeschool students. These printables make a great activity. Use these printables to help students embrace a growth mindset! ( third, fourth, fifth, sixth graders, homeschool ) #growthmindset

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Easy, Yummy, & Healthy Lunches for Teachers

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As teachers we need a quick lunch that will sustain us throughout a long day. You work super hard, and you shouldn’t have to sacrifice taste just because you’re squeezed for time. Check out these easy lunch ideas for teachers! Here are some of my favorite easy, yummy, & reasonably healthy lunches. I hope you find them helpful if you’ve run into a “lunch rut”.

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How I Survived My First Year of Teaching

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Overwhelming! It’s the perfect word to sum up my first year of teaching.

 

It’s not all doom and despair though. It is exhausting, but your first year teaching will also be full of discoveries and excitement! I’m reflecting back and writing this post with the hope that my experience makes the transition a little smoother for other teachers.

Here are the top 7 things I wish I had known going into my first year:

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New Perks for Teachers!

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The reading specialist in my district recently let us in on a little known “secret”! Teachers can now apply for special teacher library cards! The card lets you check out double the items, for twice as long, and they won’t accrue overdue fines. All you need to get one of these bad boys is a current teacher’s id badge. Continue reading →

Tips on Structured Student Conversations

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Welcome! I’m joining up with a few of my favorite teacher bloggers for a book study of Jennifer Serravallo’s book, The Reading Strategies Book. Join us as we focus in on a few of our favorite reading strategies.
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When our principal walks through our rooms she leaves a little note with a few compliments and a suggestion. The last suggestion she left me was to increase student talk. Knowing that this is an area I need to work on, I’m excited to take a deeper look at a few of the ideas presented in “The Reading Strategies Book”. Deepening comprehension through speaking & listening is part of the 12th goal. Here are 3 “gold nuggets” I especially liked from this chapter: Continue reading →

How to Effortlessly Teach Main Idea

https://peasinapodlessons.com/how-to-teach-main-idea/
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Understanding the main idea of a nonfiction text is crucial for effective reading comprehension. However, it can be a challenging concept to grasp and requires ongoing practice and refinement. Here are a few strategies for teaching students how to identify the main idea of a reading passage and improve their overall reading comprehension skills.

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