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How to Make Christmas Wreaths With Recycled Materials

by BrainNinjasWP

This simple lesson can be done by anyone using recycled fabric. It makes a great Christmas gift from your students to their parents. Come read through all the instructions and make one for yourself and check out some of our other Christmas crafts.

Here is a great activity your students can do that is both environmentally friendly and makes a wonderful Christmas gift. If you plan on using this as a Christmas gift from your students to their families, you’re going to want to start collecting the materials a few months in advance so that you have enough pieces.

[Read more…] about How to Make Christmas Wreaths With Recycled Materials

Filed Under: Engaging Lessons Tagged With: Art, Christmas, Holidays, Holidays and Seasonal, Makerspace, recycled materials, Recycling, Seasonal, wreaths

How to Change Math With Interactive Notebooks

by BrainNinjasWP

Are you avoiding interactive math notebooks because they seem like too much work? Are you struggling to teach math because you worry about your own knowledge base? Never fear! We have the solutions! Let's get you teaching math today!

When a colleague told us we should try interactive notebooks in math, we agreed and then went on our merry ways and did math the same old way for another year.

At the end of that school year, she approached us again and DEMANDED we buy an Interactive Math Journal lesson plan set. We took a look, bought it and then went on summer vacation, never to think about math for a whole two months.

Near the end of the summer, we opened it up and it CHANGED OUR WORLD. We will never teach math the same way again. That being said, there are a few things we learned about the process and we wanted to share these tips with you so you don’t have to spend so much time figuring things out yourself.

[Read more…] about How to Change Math With Interactive Notebooks

Filed Under: Classroom Tips, Engaging Lessons Tagged With: Classroom Set Up, Differentiation, interactive math notebooks, Interactive Notebooks, Math, Math Lessons, Mathematics, Teachers Pay Teachers, TpT Products

How to Create Recycled Paper Ornaments

by BrainNinjasWP

Use up all that paper laying around your classroom and make some great ornaments that make great gifts! These make great Christmas or Earth Day crafts.

Here’s a little task you can give to your students to make an environmentally friendly Christmas tree ornament. Using recycled paper products is good for the environment, especially if parents keep the ornaments that are created for generations. It’s especially great if you have lots of extra paper lying around. Rescue it from the recycling bin and use it to make the holidays a little brighter.

This is a great task to put into your makerspace for the month of December, but you can make these any time of year if your paper isn’t seasonal.

[Read more…] about How to Create Recycled Paper Ornaments

Filed Under: Engaging Lessons Tagged With: Art, Art Lessons, Christmas, Holidays, Holidays and Seasonal, Makerspace, Recycling, Seasonal

How to Stretch Your Classroom Library

by BrainNinjasWP

Use these tips to expand the number of books in your classroom. Reach those reluctant readers and don't waste your money! We've collected all the different ways we could think of to get free or discounted books for your classroom library.

You are a great teacher, but don’t have a classroom library? Of course, you want your students to have a great selection of books for reading throughout the year, but most schools do not pay for classroom libraries. How on Earth are new teachers (and even the more experienced ones) expected to have a quality selection of classroom library books?

[Read more…] about How to Stretch Your Classroom Library

Filed Under: Classroom Tips Tagged With: books, classroom library, Classroom Set Up, library, ninja tips, Professional Learning, teaching on a budget

How to Teach Research Skills in the Library

by BrainNinjasWP

With all the digital resources available, the library seems to be overlooked. Schools are cutting back on librarians and purchasing books. What a waste! There are so many valauble research skills that can be taught in the library. Come read some of the ways we do it.

When you want to do research in your school library do you often find your school just can’t afford the resources (or even the librarian) you need? This is why so often we take our students online to do research. In doing this, we often teach students that libraries are not a valuable resource because nothing could be further from the truth. Help your students build research skills by taking them back to the library and showing them the value.

[Read more…] about How to Teach Research Skills in the Library

Filed Under: Teaching Strategies Tagged With: books, Language Arts, Learning Commons, library, nonfiction texts, research skills, text features

How to Save Your Time and Be a Productive Teacher

by BrainNinjasWP

Teachers have so much to do every day and there doesn't seem to be enough time to do it all. Use these practical tips to be more productive with your teaching duties so you can reclaim your personal time!

Do you have boundaries when it comes to using your personal time for teaching-related activities, but want to be a productive teacher? Is “no” a difficult word for you? Do you always find people add to your to-do list because you’re just so darn good at everything? Are you struggling with time management? Need a boost to your productivity?

This was us, but we managed to start carving out time by doing a few simple things. We reclaimed our personal lives to spend the time we wanted to spend on our life priorities. You can learn to do this, too.

[Read more…] about How to Save Your Time and Be a Productive Teacher

Filed Under: Classroom Tips Tagged With: productivity, productivity path for teachers, Professional Learning, Teacher Wellness, Time Management, Work Life Balance

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