When you train to be a teacher, you are taught many classroom management tips and tricks. It is only once you are in the classroom that you identify the tricks that work for you and your "teacher personality". What works for one person, may not work for another! Over the years, I have found a few strategies that work for me. I decided to share three of my favorite strategies with you to use as you see fit. Classroom Management tips: Be Over-Prepared for Class We've all ... View Post
Using Board Games in Science
Let me begin by saying, “I LOVE using board games in Science!” Well, not just in Science, in my classroom in general. They are so diverse and students love them too. Why should I Use Board Games in Science? Board games offer our students an opportunity to learn through play. If you had to pose the same questions in a worksheet and in a board game, which activity do you think your students would choose? Mine would choose the game over and over again. Now I’m not ... View Post
Create Personalized Dictionaries
Do you create personalized dictionaries with your students? Thinking back, I remember creating my own personalized dictionaries when I was a student in school. (I always loved studying my teacher's perfectly formed letters - is that weird? I'm still not happy with my printing, but I digress!) I recall searching for my desired word and if I couldn't find it, I would approach my teacher to add it to my dictionary. But not, as a teacher, I DREAD the September filled with "How do I spell.....How do ... View Post
Communication in Math
7 Ways to Improve Communication in the Math Classroom Do your students need practice with communication skills in math? Sure my kiddos can answer a sheet filled with addition and subtraction questions with the best of them - no problem. However, when the word problems get thrown in, many students start getting stuck. Ask them to explain "How do you regroup?" or "When should you regroup?" ...eish! These are skills they aren't used to doing in math. For a long ... View Post
Useful Websites to Teach Global Communities
The global communities unit is so fun, but also can be overwhelming. Many students haven't left the province, let alone the country. This can make learning about global communities challenging as it is an abstract concept. Without exposure, students can’t easily imagine places different to their own. As a result, I needed to create opportunities for them to experience different communities in an interactive way. With this in mind, I set out to find some websites and interactive ... View Post
Roles and Responsibilities in Grade 1
A perfect way to kick off the year in Grade 1 is with this Social Studies unit. Teaching kids about their new responsibilities as "big kids" in the school is a great way to begin this unit. It is always challenging to help students understand big concepts like 'rights', 'responsibilities' and 'roles', but breaking it down into ideas they can relate to makes it so much easier for them to comprehend. How do I teach Roles and Responsibilities in Grade 1? I've created a detailed and easy ... View Post