I took awhile to get on the graphic novel train, but I'm on it now! I had no idea there were many quality, nonfiction graphic novels out there, so I want to share 15 I've enjoyed - both informational and biographical. I'll take more recommendations!
How do you make a morning meeting work at a distance? I know when I think of morning meetings I still think about circles of kids cozied up together on a carpet. That is definitely still not okay in my school, and I'm sure it's not okay in many others. We are still spending morning meetings at our desks in our own space, but we are trying to build community still! It may not even be okay next fall quite yet, or perhaps some teachers will just be more uncomfortable with physical closeness due to other personal factors. So what do we do? Here are some things that have been working for me mostly during the activity component of a morning meeting.
This week, I am back in the physical classroom for in person learning! I have been wrapping my brain around all of this for awhile, and today I'm sharing my lesson plans for the first week back as well as procedure posters and a few other structures. I hope it helps someone out who is jumping into concurrent or hybrid teaching.
In this post I explain 18 games or activities that are educational AND appropriate for a socially distanced classroom. These are all intended to be used within content areas. These will get your students moving, interacting, and thinking when they might be stuck at their desks throughout the school day. I hope a couple get you brainstorming!
If you're teaching online/virtually or concurrently/hybrid, I hope at least one of these 15 ideas will inspire you! There are several free templates linked here to get you going. Have fun! Laughter is the best medicine. Spread some love to your students and build that classroom community no matter the circumstances.
I love hands on math activities. While you can purchase games, these are 10 easy structures that can be used for any math content at any level. You just need a few materials to create your own activities for the classroom. I promise it's better than a worksheet!
I love teaching with a workshop model, and I love teaching in small groups. Stations are so much fun to me. I love feeling like the class is shifting in time and being productive. I wanted this virtually, too, but how? I knew what I needed to get started. Here are some ideas for how to get going and what kids can be doing while you're with small groups. I'd love to know how it's going for you, too.
I love google forms! I have done tons of assessments using forms, gathered feedback, used it to create groups based on student choices, and more. It's a fantastic platform that can fill many needs.
If you're like me, you're teaching online, and breakout rooms are one of the few things that make my online classroom feel real and interactive. Here are 7 ways I'm using this tool and 9 recommendations for gradual release.
Number Sense Routines have become my passion. Over the past couple of years, I've been exposed to more and more websites with so many free resources. Now, I am obsessed! There is so much variety. I love how these routines and puzzles teach students so many skills. Most of these could be used in an online environment, so no matter how you're teaching this year, these will work for you!
I love having kids reflect in journals on paper and take notes in notebooks; however, I've enjoyed using Google Slides as digital reader's notebooks. Read here to get a set of slides you can adapt and use for free.
When 5th grade students are reading at a primary level or a 7th grader is still at a 3rd or 4th grade level, it can be hard to make sure they're engaged in what they're reading and don't feel embarrassed by the books they hold in class. I'm sharing why I believe you should let students reach for texts that are out of their instructional level. There are benefits to this for them, books you can use that will be less of a stretch, and other strategies you can use to support them in their reading growth and identity as a reader.
Do you struggle finding age appropriate books that are still accessible based on the reading level of your struggling readers? These recommendations should give you lots of ideas for which books to press into your students' hands!
This year held some regrets for me over what I wish things had been. I had to change paths and reroute so many times, but I am proud of the way I responded to change. There are a lot of great things I did this year with students. They learned. I know what I did mattered to the kids in front of me. I have already done a lot this year. I bet you have, too. Give yourself some credit.
