Let us help you teach like a ninja!
Meet the Teacher Night is a valuable opportunity for teachers and school staff to connect with students and families, establish rapport, and set the tone for a successful school year. Traditionally, our Meet the Teacher Nights are held after about two weeks of school. This usually means students have settled into the classroom a bit. Come learn some of the easy ways we organize our night where families meet the teacher.
[Read more…] about Simple Meet the Teacher Ideas
Fortunately, we have worked at schools with administrations who also don’t believe in taking away recess from students who act out in class. Sometimes, it feels like our hands are tied when it comes to dealing with student behaviour, but we have a few strategies that go beyond “building a relationship” to help get you through it. Come read our ideas so you don’t have to take away recess.
[Read more…] about 13 Ways to Deal With Behaviours Without Taking Away Recess
We make all our anchor charts with our students as we learn each lesson. It helps them connect to the information, and all of the language on the chart comes from the kids, but let’s face it: They are ugly. We’ve admired beautiful anchor charts online, and while we would love to decorate our classroom with those types of works of art, we believe that our students should be part of making them.
Come learn some of the ways we include our students when making anchor charts.
[Read more…] about Get Great Anchor Charts Without Making Great Anchor Charts
Do you ever have days where you just want to put in earplugs? Do you smile at the serenity of sitting in your quiet car all the way home? Is your noise level burnt out when you get home and wish for the sound of silence?
As an introvert, I always felt my classrooms growing up catered to noisy kids. I was so lucky that I often got sent to work in the library or other rooms with smaller groups. Some of that was a reward for having my work done, but I know Miss Rodney could see I was drowning in the noisy chaos.
It makes me sensitive to the students who probably feel the same way. Come learn some of the ways I’ve tried to manage the chatter in my upper elementary classrooms over the years.
[Read more…] about How Change the Noise Level in a Chatty Classroom
Did you know that it is possible to have good classroom management without the use of charts, rewards, or bribes?
The kids in our classrooms now are not the same as those in our classrooms even ten years ago. Many students struggle with regulation. Most students and families have not dealt with the trauma (yes, it’s trauma) that the global pandemic caused. This trauma trickles into the classroom daily.
We’re not saying you can’t reward your students when they exceed your expectations. The key here is to exceed. Come read about some of the classroom management strategies we use to help maintain the sanity of everyone in our classroom without the use of charts, rewards, or incentives.
[Read more…] about How to Chuck the Classroom Management Charts
One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is fostering positive relationships between students. A powerful way to do this is through cross-age buddy programs. Pairing older students with younger students can create lasting friendships, enhance social-emotional skills, and promote academic growth. Buddy teachers can also become life-long friends. Come learn the benefits and collect these ideas to add to your classroom buddy time.
[Read more…] about Inspire New Friendships With Classroom Buddies
World Kindness Day is observed on November 13th. It’s a great opportunity to promote kindness, empathy, and compassion in your classroom, school, and community. One of the most important lessons about kindness is that it is possible for everyone to be kind. It doesn’t have to cost money or take a lot of time. Here are some of the ways we celebrate World Kindness Day in our school.
[Read more…] about 10 Quick Ways to Celebrate World Kindness Day
Each year, we organize a Festival du Voyageur for students learning French in our school. Over the years, we’ve learned some tips to make the planning easier because there’s already enough to do in February. Come check out these activities and see which ones the French learners in your school might enjoy.
[Read more…] about Inspiring Ways to Celebrate the Festival du Voyageur
Each year, we host a simple event to celebrate the Carnaval de Québec with the students who are learning French in our school. It doesn’t have to be complicated or elaborate to celebrate, but over the years, we’ve learned some tips to make the day go smoother. Come check out some of the events you can do to make your day special.
[Read more…] about How to Host a Carnaval de Québec in Your School
We love creating collaborative posters. They are so much fun to make, but our students also love to create them. Of course, we have made over one hundred different designs and nobody is going to have the time to use them all. But, there’s more than one way to use a collaborative poster. Come learn some of the different ways you can use them (and spoiler alert–they aren’t more complicated and still don’t require much prep).
[Read more…] about Five Ways to Use a Collaborative Poster
It seems that teachers are expected to have a wealth of knowledge about everything under the sun. Even as the world changes, they keep adding the new learning to the old content so that students will benefit.
Coding is a vital skill and there are so many ways it enriches the classroom. However, many teachers feel completely inadequate to teach coding because they have never been taught to code.
That’s ok. Coding isn’t about knowing how to code. It’s about knowing how to problem solve and we already know that’s where teachers excel. Come learn some of the ways you can teach coding without being able to code.
[Read more…] about How to Teach Coding Without Knowing How to Code
Have you been hired as a substitute teacher at the last minute? Are there no substitute teacher plans in place or you can’t find them? We pulled together this list of activities you can use to get your day sorted out. Most of the activities are designed for upper elementary, but you might be able to adapt them for your group of students.
[Read more…] about Last Minute Substitute Teacher Ideas When Plans Fall Through
