How you start your day determines how the rest of the day will go. If you start in a positive, engaged, and happy manner the day will continue that way. But if you start rushed, stressed, etc., that is how the day will go. Creating a happy, calm, and fun start to the day for your students is essential if you want a classroom that is full of happy and engaged students. Each day we go through the following steps in order to have a well formed morning that is academic, social, productive, and ... Read More about 3rd Grade Morning Routine

Many times teachers think about themselves last, they are so busy taking care of their students and families that they don't take care of themselves. Without a happy and healthy teacher, the students can't have a happy and good classroom year. That is not just something going around Instagram, it is true. You have to do a few things each day to make sure that you are taking care of YOURSELF. Because Happy Teacher = Happy Classroom. I am going to share some easy to implement ideas and ... Read More about Become a Happy and Healthy Teacher

I hear from teachers often that they are spending over an hour planning each week. Does that sound like you? Well, it just doesn't have to be that way! I am never spending over an hour planning, many times much less! So, let's get down to 10 easy and actionable tips! Tip #1: BATCH This time is ESSENTIAL. If you are not batching your planning, you are doing it wrong. It is that simple. Now, what does that mean? It means you are planning all the same content for a certain period of ... Read More about 10 Tips for Easy Lesson Planning

Reading aloud is one of my favorite parts of teaching, it is also an essential part of the beginning of the year. Today, I am going to share with your my favorite read alouds for back to school and how I teach them. You can click on each book to be sent to the Amazon affiliate link for that book. Back to School Picture Books The Exceptionally, Extraordinarily Ordinary First Day of School by Albert Lorenz This is a super interesting book about a HILARIOUS first day of school. My kids ... Read More about Back to School Read Alouds for 3rd Grade

Each day it is important to implement reading centers in your classroom. Literacy centers can vary based on grade level, classroom needs, etc., but the one thing that is important is that students are working diligently to gain reading skills while staying engaged the entire time. But sometimes it can get overwhelming to think about all of the centers that you need to plan each week. So, today I am going to share with you how to EASILY organize and plan your centers every week in under 20 ... Read More about Organizing and Planning Literacy Centers