Ninja Notes

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Classroom Tips

7 Amazing Team Teaching Tips

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Have you ever had to share a class or classroom with another teacher? Team teaching can be a challenge even when you get along well with another teacher. We've got some advice and strategies to get you through a year of team teaching. Come have a read.

If you’ve ever shared a class or a classroom with another teacher, you might have called yourselves co-teachers or team teachers. What’s the difference between co-teaching and team teaching? We’ve discovered that most people use these terms interchangeably, but we’re going to challenge you to think about it in a different way. Do you like sharing a classroom with another teacher?

Sometimes team teachers are thrown together whether they planned it or not. Here are some ways to make the most of your team teaching situation.

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3 Ways to Support Introverts in the Classroom

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What are you doing in your upper elementary classroom to support your introvert learners? We have some practical suggestions that will benefit all the students in your classroom, while giving your introverts a chance to recharge. Come read and get some tools you can use right away.

Despite what some people might know about me, I’m an introvert and as a student, being painfully shy made learning difficult. As a teacher, it’s made me acutely aware that it’s important to support introverts in the classroom. We need to advocate for their needs. Check out some of the ways we support introverts in the classroom.

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7 Ways to Be a Great Mentor Teacher

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Are you becoming a mentor teacher for preservice or student teachers? Come read about some of the amazing things our mentor teachers did and how you can use as you begin to work with new teachers.

One of the best parts of being part of the teaching profession is the chance to be a mentor teacher. It can be a tough job, particularly if the mentee needs a lot of support.

Being a great mentor does not come easily to everyone, but these are seven ways we were mentored by great teachers and now try to do the same while we work with pre-service and new teachers.

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9 Easy Valentine’s Day Ideas for Upper Elementary

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Valentine's Day in upper elementary isn't quite the same as the little kids or the older ones. It's this weird time in a kid's life where they are too old to care about paper cards but also want to be included in getting paper cards. They are just starting to have crushes but the maturity level is all over the place. We've spent a lot of time watching our Valentine's Day ideas flop. Come read some of our students' approved Valentine's Day ideas.

Valentine’s Day in upper elementary isn’t quite the same as the little kids or the older ones. It’s this weird time in a kid’s life when they are too old to care about paper cards but also want to be included in getting paper cards. They are just starting to have crushes but their maturity level is all over the place. We’ve spent a lot of time watching our Valentine’s Day ideas flop. But not anymore!

Over the years, we’ve watched students in our Grade 4 and Grade 5 classes to see how they respond to different activities for Valentine’s Day and we’ve settled on focusing on friendship and kindness. Some of these activities can be done any time of year because they are not specific to Valentine’s Day. These are the best Valentine’s Day ideas that were approved by our students.

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10 Ways to Save Money in Your Classroom After Christmas

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There are lots of deals you can get for your classroom after Christmas if you're organized and know what to look for. Come read about some fo the things we try to find after the holidays and the way we use them.

Phew! You made it! Christmas is over, but remember how crazy and busy it was? We always get prepared one year in advance. Are we crazy? No, just thrifty. There are lots of benefits to planning out a year ahead. It means you can find lots of deals after Christmas that you can use for the classroom.

While some of these items are used for Christmas in the classroom, most can and should be used all year round.

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Learn the Truth With Books by Indigenous Authors

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We have collected some of our favourite books written by Indigenous authors. It's part of our commitment to raising the voices of Indigenous People across Canada. Canada is filled with so many wonderful creators, that it only seemed fitting to highlight some of the best. Come take a look at this book list of books for kids.

We have collected some of our favourite books written by Indigenous authors. It’s part of our commitment to raising the voices of Indigenous People across Canada. Canada is filled with so many wonderful creators that it only seemed fitting to highlight some of the best.

You will notice there are no affiliate links in this post. We ask that you support local businesses and authors by shopping at your local book stores. Teachers in our school purchased most of these books so we could have them in our school library and classrooms. Please be sure to comment below if you know of more books we should add.

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