5 Meaningful Ways to Fill 5 Minutes in the Classroom


It happens every day.  We all have 5 minutes here and there during our day in the classroom that we need to fill, and we want to find meaningful ways to fill that 5 minutes. We want to make the most of those minutes, so it is important to find activities that are both educational and quick.  I am here to help!



2

Celebrate Thanksgiving in the Classroom with a Thankful Card and Craftivity



Thanksgiving is here again, and we all have turkey on the mind.  I love using Thanksgiving themes in Art and any other area of the curriculum that I can easily integrate.



0

Teaching Patterning? How to stop using boring worksheets!




I love, love, love using hands-on centers during my guided math time. What I don't love is marking the worksheets that often accompany centers.  The more I reflect on my practice, the more I am coming to realize that I can use centers, and I DON'T NEED to use pattern worksheets for kindergarten or first grade.   Read on to find out how I did that when teaching my Patterning unit.

Stop using worksheets and start using hands on activities to teach your patterning unit.

Math Centers and math activities are a huge part of my math instruction. Students NEED kinesthetic learning experiences as much as possible.  My first math unit is always Patterning.  That is the one area of math that students all seem to come to first grade with an ability to do.  They can easily recognize and create patterns, so it sets them up for success in math right from the start and helps them approach math with a growth mindset.

Start off with a Patterning Scavenger Hunt

Patterns are everywhere, and a pattern scavenger hunt is a perfect spot to start! Now I did suggest to stop using boring worksheets, but worksheets with a purpose are a whole other thing.  This worksheet gives students a chance to catch their thinking.  An alternative would be to use an Ipad and do a digital scavenger hunt and have them take pictures of patterns around them.



Create patterns with anything!  Loose parts, math manipulatives, whatever you have! 


Putting out any and all of your math manipulatives and loose parts is also a great way to inspire kids to make patterns.

Use math manipulatives and loose parts for patterning centers

Use math manipulatives and loose parts for patterning centers

Use math manipulatives and loose parts for patterning centers


Documentation - How to capture their learning without a Worksheet!  

As teachers, we want to document their work as proof of learning.  Having students draw to show their work is one way to do it or giving them a worksheet is another. Lately, though, I have embraced technology and now have my students show their learning very frequently by taking a picture on our class I-pads.  They love to use the I-pads, so they are motivated to complete their tasks, so they can take a picture and share their work with me.  All of those pictures need a home, and I found the app that makes this process super simple.

I absolutely love the app Seesaw - The Learning Journal
(I am not affiliated with Seesaw, I simply love how simple the app is for both my students and me) 


The app is a digital portfolio, and so much more.  I only use the app to store their work in their own digital folder, which I can access later for planning, assessing and reporting.  If you are interested in learning more about how the app works, my good friend Erin at Mrs. Beattie's Classroom has written a terrific post about setting up the app to use in the classroom.  You can check out her post {HERE}

Pattern Blocks are the Perfect Manipulative for Patterning (obviously!) 

When I am ready to target particular expectations, I somewhat move away from using any manipulatives and use more directed centers aimed at addressing specific expectations.  My favourite go-to manipulatives have to be pattern blocks when it comes to patterning.

If you interested in this set of Patterning Centers click any picture to check out the resource

shape pattern centers for first grade

Clip cards are a huge hit in my class. They love colourful clothespins. These cards challenge students to name the pattern, and another option asks students to extend the pattern, both first-grade expectations you can address with this one activity.

patterning centers for pattern blocks for first grade kindergarten and second grade

The ability to look closely at a pattern and discriminate between patterns and non-patterns is a critical skill to develop. You can use these cards as a sorting center - worksheet free - or many students can use the same cards and colour their responses in.

pattern blocks for patterning activities and ideas in first grade

This is a more open-ended activity that provides criteria for pattern creation but allows students to create with the blocks of their choosing.  It is differentiated in that your students can create a simple pattern as was created for the bottom card or they can create a more complex pattern using the same blocks for the same Make It! Task card.

pattern blocks for patterning activities and ideas in first grade

Post-its are another excellent tool for quick and simple check in's.  Rather than using a worksheet use a post-it and have student's record their answer on it.  You can do a simple checkmark on the post-it to show you have seen it and they understood the concept or take a picture of the post-it and the center.

pattern blocks for patterning activities and ideas in first grade

Recognizing pattern rules and expressing a pattern regarding the rule is more challenging for my students.  This is a great activity to purposefully pair stronger readers with weaker ones to create a more successful center time while sorting patterns with pattern rules.

pattern blocks for patterning activities and ideas in first grade

Sorting out patterns by names helps students to realize that any pattern can be represented in a multitude of ways.  They are always amazed as they sort that there are several cards on each of the pattern names. They have an idea that there is only one correct answer and thus only one way to make each pattern.   It helps to solidify the idea that there is not one right answer.

You can check out these centers by clicking on any of the above images or by clicking on the image below.

Centers to practice all the patterning skills including creating patterns, extending patterning, discriminating between patterns and non-patterns


Use Pattern Blocks to Solve Patterning Problems

While there is some problem solving evident using these centers, it is not the focus. Instead, we work through pattern block problem-solving challenges.  I do have students complete these activity sheets, but you could also project them on your interactive whiteboard and have students solve the problem with pattern blocks at their desk and take pictures of their solutions.

You can now use these challenges digitally on Google Slides.  Check out the preview video to see if this is right for your students.

Patterning Problems for Google Slides




Patterning Problems Printables


Worksheets to practice solving patterning problems


I am not advocating doing away with paper pencil tasks entirely, but I am advocating finding new ways to document learning.  One added bonus I am finding during center time is students returning to centers they have already worked at.  This has not been the case in the past when they completed the center and accompanying worksheet.  I think once they completed the paper, in their mind, they were "done" and saw no reason to return and work there again.

I hope you have found a bit of inspiration here for your own Kindergarten or Grade 1 patterning unit. It is a great math unit to break away from traditional methods and let the kids surprise you. If you are looking for more math center ideas, then check out this post for 2D geometry.

2d geometry centers for first grade using pattern blocks and geoboards

Take a moment to Pin this Post!


Until next time,


0

12 Ways to Teach using Play Doh!

Play-doh is something every child loves to play with.  Have you ever thought about using that love to excite your students and use it to teach?  There are so many possibilities and all of these ideas really help our kinesthetic learners.  Today I am sharing 12 ways you can use play-doh in the classroom during your math and literacy times.

Use play doh in the classroom to teach math and literacy skills


0

Simple Centers for Back To School

It's time to think about preparing for Back to School.  I do not return until after the Labor Day weekend but I know many of you have already started or will be back in your classroom shortly. I am fortunate to be part of an amazing group of teacher bloggers and it is our mission to bring you some great Back to School Freebies and tips.


5

How to Effectively Practice Sight Words

So you have a word wall, and you are not sure what to do with it! 

Well, you are in the right place.  Putting up a word wall in your room is pointless if you don't teach your students how to use it.  That requires you to show HOW to use the word wall.  In this post, I am going to give you lots of suggestions for using the word wall with your students, which leads to them gaining independence.  The best part is that it doesn't have to take a lot of time.  


practice your sight words the right way.  find lots of effective strategies to practice sight words

21

A Surefire way to Teach Students to Read and Spell Tricky Words

Do your students get stuck when reading and spelling tricky words?  My students got hung up on those rule breaker words ALL THE TIME.  What if I could show you a way to make sure those words were always spelled right?  Continue reading to learn how I introduce my words each week and more about how I use a Word Jail or Doghouse to establish dedicated practice for rule breaker words.



1

Getting Started with a Word Wall in the Primary Classroom


Do you use a Word Wall?  I think that a Word Wall is an essential part of a primary classroom and WELL worth the wall space that it takes up.  There has been a lot of debate in recent years about the merits of a Word Wall.  I feel strongly that it is a necessity, but I also feel strongly that it is only beneficial if you TEACH kids how to use it.




7

5 Cheap & Easy Ways to Make the End of the School Year Memorable


It's the end of the school year.  You're tired, and you don't have money to spend on a big end of year celebration.  All is not lost!  Pick your head up off your cluttered desk and read on to find 5 cheap and easy ways that will give your students a memorable end of the year and won't cost you a fortune.

Make the end of the year memorable with free or inexpensive activities with your students such as playing with chalk and bubbles, using the outdoors as a classroom and have a board game or pajama day.

I went looking for ideas, and Pinterest bombarded me with countdowns galore - with balloons, paper chains and more.  However, I am more of the last week of school activities kind of teacher or the last day of school activities teacher. What about you?   

1

Honest Advice for Teachers


This is an open letter to those teachers who, like myself, have been teaching for a while and can see the end of their career coming.



Dear Teachers, 

I am here to share with you my insight after teaching for 22 years.  Perhaps you feel the same way as I do or perhaps you have a ways to go in your career.  Either way, I hope you gain something from this letter and leave a little more inspired and comfortable in your own teaching. 

teacher quotes

You have been teaching long enough to see trends come and go and then come back again. What is new to some you recognize as a re-packaging of something that was "new" earlier in your career. This is your opportunity to step up and share your knowledge and let people learn from your experiences. Resist the temptation to point out that this trend, whatever it may be, is old news.  Take the lead.

teacher quotes

You have been teaching long enough to also know that you don't need to jump on the bandwagon of every new thing that comes down the line.  You have experience on your side and "know" what works for kids.  If there is a choice, pick and choose what you know will work best for kids and quietly leave it at that.

teacher quotes

You have been teaching long enough to know there will also be others in your building ready to give you advice.   Perhaps it is the new teacher who is fresh from Teacher's College and wants to bring you up to speed on the "newest trends".  It might be the teacher down the hall who feels like they are an expert and feels the strong urge to let everyone know that.  Don't let this phase you.  You have been around for a while and know what you are doing.  Don't second guess yourself.  You are successful, you have made it this far in your career.   Don't let others make you believe otherwise.

teacher quotes

You have been teaching long enough to know that you can't do it all and hopefully have reached the stage in your career to accept that as the reality of teaching and LET IT GO!  You will see many teachers in your building totally overwhelmed by the need to be all things and do all things.  Reach out to them and speak from experience.  My advice is to focus on what you can do and do it really well while working on growing in other curriculum areas.  I for one feel like I am a very strong literacy teacher but know that I still have room for growth in science and social studies.  We continue to grow as educators throughout our entire career.  Embrace your strengths.

You have been teaching long enough that you can see that retirement date in the not so distant future. For me it is under 10 years now.  I have 22 years of teaching under my belt.  I believe that is quite an accomplishment.  As each new year dawns I hope you feel the same excitement of setting up your room and preparing for a new group of students.  I hope you continue to love coming to work each day and teaching and learning with your students.  You are at a point in your career when you can see the end but you are enjoying the ride until you get there.  Embrace the journey!


Click on any of the links below to visit the blog post about each of these other teachers. Chances are you'll be in one of these shoes sooner than you realize!
~An Open Letter to a New Teacher
~An Open Letter to the Teacher in the Prime of her Career
~An Open Letter to a Teacher in a Rut
~Open Letter to the Retired Teacher
13

How to Make a DIY Schedule Board for your Classroom


Staying organized is a must in the classroom.  I like to be able to see what is happening for the week at a glance.  Sometimes my plans are buried under all the "stuff" that accumulates on my desk (OK, most of the time, if I am being honest) and I have to dig around to check my schedule for upcoming items.  This DIY schedule solves the problem of my messy desk!   


What you will need: 

~Dollar Store frame
~Scrapbook papers
~Letter stickers or vinyl and a Silhouette cutting machine


I found this picture frame at my local Dollar Store for $3.00.  I wanted the inserts to match the colours in my room so I headed to Michaels to find matching scrapbook paper.  My final step was to cut out the vinyl letters for each of the days of the week using my Silhouette Cameo.  For under $5.00 I created a functional and attractive schedule board.  

Now each week I use a dry erase marker to jot down important events.  I also have a code for my duties.  That is what the R and L indicates.  We are on a rotating day system as well, so I can glance at my schedule to remind myself what "day" it is.  

Pin this picture to help you remember and consider making yourself one over the summer!  Check out some other great teacher tips over at Mrs. Beattie's Classroom.  I am linking up with her this week and sharing this little project.  





1

4 Ways to Use Drawer Organizers in Your Classroom


Do you struggle to stay organized in your classroom throughout the week with your copies and lesson materials?  If so then I may have just the organizational solution for you!

I am linking up with Erin at Mrs. Beattie's Classroom again this week.  This time I am sharing how I use drawers to organize various things in my classroom.  

I love drawer organizers. The first one I found and made for my classroom has truly been a lifesaver. You have probably seen similar ones on Pinterest. 


Sometimes it was a struggle to keep everything together for my lessons so when I saw this idea I was excited.  It has truly helped me stay organized.  These drawers are slightly larger than the conventional paper sized drawer, which is great for adding books and other things for your lessons. This is 2 sets of 3 drawers stacked together.  I believe they are made by Sterlite.  I added the lettering using my Silhouette Cameo, but you could easily use peel and stick letters, too.  


I don't know about you but there are always pens, pencils, highlighters etc floating around on my desk or collected in various cups.  I started looking for a way to collect all of those supplies into one place.  Pinterest to the rescue again!  I found this hardware cabinet at Lowe's and repurposed it using labels I found on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Voila!  A functional storage system for all the desktop paraphernalia.  Substitute teachers love it too because they can always find what they are looking for. 


My first graders seem to lose their crayons ALL...THE...TIME.  They were always coming to me looking for missing colours.  I solved that problem with, you guessed it, another drawer organizer! This one was thrown together hastily, so there is no pretty labels on it.  I had planned to rectify that but as you can see, it hasn't happened.  There is always next year, :).  My students put crayons there that they find on the floor and go there when they are missing a colour.  When I give students a new box of crayons I often go through their table baskets and move some of those crayons to the extras.   


My last drawer organizer is a favourite with teachers from Staples. I have seen it used for many different things but I use mine to store all my additional supplies.  Again, my substitute teachers love it as they can quickly find extras for students when they lose things.  It is amazing how much gets "lost" when I happen to be away.  

Do you use drawer organizers in your classroom?  If so how do you use them?  I am always looking for new ideas.  You can never have too many drawer organizers!  :)

Looking for more organization ideas?  Check out my Classroom Organization Pinterest Board for more ideas.  


Until next time,



1

A Simple Classroom Management Strategy for Lining Up



Do your students struggle at line up time?  Do they have a problem leaving enough space for others or crowd together so that everyone ends up pushing and shoving?   This group of firsties has been particularly challenged with lining up.

I am linking up with my good friend Erin at Mrs. Beattie's Classroom for a new weekly blog series.


0

How to Use Cereal Boxes to Teach Media Literacy

Teaching Media Literacy to young children can be a challenge, so use something they are familiar with to get them hooked.  Get students looking at cereal boxes with intention, and they will notice lots of media elements that they never saw before.  I created this Cereal Box Media Literacy Unit to teach those expectations in a fun way, and in a way, I can tie in the Health curriculum as well.

Use cereal boxes to teach media literacy skills and integrate healthy eating, oral communication and probability too.


2

A Simple Strategy to Review Sight Words

Are your student's struggling to learn their sight words?   Would you like an easy to use system with those student's that targets just the words that they need?

I am blogging over at Who's Who and Who's New and sharing about how I use my free Word Wall Words flip books to do just this. You can read all about it by clicking here




Until next time, 

0

How To Use Whiteboards To Get Students Excited About Learning



Using whiteboards with your students is a sure fire way to increase student engagement.  It has been my experience that any task that involves writing is always better when done on a whiteboard!

Do you love to use whiteboards in the classroom?   Are you looking for a few more ways to integrate them into your day?  If you answer yes to either question then you should check out my guest post on the Education to the Core blog where I share my favourite tips and tricks with whiteboards in the classroom.  Click on the image below to visit the blog and check out my post.


Until next time,
0

Tips for Using Picture Books to Teach Inferring


This month I want to share a bit about how I begin teaching about inferring. I love to teach about inferring because I can hook the kids with the idea of being a detective - we search for clues in the pictures and in the text and put it with what we know (our schema) to infer. We make an anchor chart to help us remember what we do to infer.

books for inferring, picture books for inferring


4

Snowball Saver STEM Project

I am super excited to be blogging tonight.  You may have seen my posts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and made your way here, so welcome.  Stick around to hear all about something I dreamed up to do with my students in response to our work with The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.


Introducing the Snowball Saver!  What is a snowball saver?  Well, we have spent the last two weeks working with the book The Snowy Day.  As you will know, near the end of the story Peter's snowball melts, after he leaves it in his coat pocket.  My first graders giggled and said that Peter was really silly to put it in his pocket.  This lead to a discussion about what he could have done instead.  There were lots of suggestions that he should have put it in the freezer.  

This got me thinking about how to turn this wondering from my students into a challenge we could work on. We spent some time talking about how we could keep a snowball in our classroom.  Could we make something to store it in?  My students paired up and started brainstorming what they could make or build.  Some of their ideas were crazy and far fetched, like building a refrigerator and using concrete blocks to build a cold room in the classroom.  I figured I needed to help them be slightly more realistic in their thinking.  To do this we watched a great little video about making a "keep a cube" container, which is essentially the same thing.  Here is the link to the video on Youtube:  



This got them moving in the right direction.  I sent home a note to families with a few suggestions that most of the students came up with and then they added items to the list if there were other things they needed from home.  This ensured we had a good selection of found materials to build with.  


This morning I set out the collection I brought in.  I knew some would forget and some would not have anything to contribute.  Many children did contribute the class collection and we ended up with many more materials with which to build.  

STEM, winter STEM, inquiry based learning

We gathered on the carpet and I went over the steps we were going to follow in order to be real scientists investing the problem or challenge:  Can you keep a snowball from melting in our classroom?   The first thing partners did was gather their materials and make a materials list.  

STEM, winter STEM, inquiry based learning

Once partners were done with planning out their Snowball Savers they got to work creating it.  This part was fun but very messy.  There was paper, foil and lots of other random things everywhere, but everyone was engaged and they were having a blast.  

STEM, winter STEM, inquiry based learning

Now that the Snowball Saver was ready it was time for the snowball.  Up until this point the snowballs were all sitting in a cooler outside staying cold.  Before they were able to put them inside their Snowball Saver,  they needed to measure the diameter of their snowball so they had something to reference at the end, if the snowball did not melt.  They loved handling the cold snowballs and were very gentle so that they did not break apart.  

STEM, winter STEM, inquiry based learning
As soon as students got their snowballs I put our "control" snowball in a dish in the classroom.  We needed to see how fast it melted out in the open in order to compare to our protected snowballs.  

STEM, winter STEM, inquiry based learning

STEM, winter STEM, inquiry based learning

After the snowballs were safely tucked away it was time to draw a labeled diagram of the Snowball Saver.   Next, partners wrote the steps they followed in order to build their Snowball Saver, just like a real scientist.  

This process took us all morning.  Two hours after we started we took a look at our "control" snowball and it was almost melted, so it was time to check on our Snowball Savers.  The results might surprise you!  The results certainly surprised them.  

STEM, winter STEM, inquiry based learning

Almost all of the snowballs were still intact and only a few had started to really melt.  We decided if there was water in the container or on the wrap that they used around it then it was melting.  They were totally blown away by the results.  Only 1 of the Snowball Savers had a fully melted snowball.  

This is the one that showed no signs of melting.  It generated a lot of conversation as did the ones where the snowball was wrapped up with multiple layers of things like waxed paper, plastic wrap, newspaper, tinfoil etc.  Why did the snowball in a styrofoam container not melt at all?  How about the ones wrapped in of layers?  Lots of great questions were asked.  

STEM, winter STEM, inquiry based learning

I deem this project a total success.  It incorporated so many aspects of the curriculum and generated amazing conversation with the students.  It touched on the following curriculum areas: 
~ measurement
~ 3D Shapes
~ Science - matter/materials/fasteners
~ Science - structures
~ Writing - writing How to, creating a labeled picture or diagram, sequencing. 

Another possibility to link it to Oral Communication would be to interview students and have them explain their choices and why they think that their Snowball Saver will keep the snowball from melting.  

I hope you enjoyed this peek into my room at my first STEM inquiry.  This is now available in my store.  Click on any of the pictures to be taken to my store. 

I would love to hear your thoughts on this project.  Please comment below. Thanks so much for stopping by.  

Until next time, 

4