Brain Ninjas

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Classroom Tips

How to Save Your Time and Be a Productive Teacher

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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.

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Memorable Books for Remembrance Day in Canada

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Come read the list of books we use in our classroom for Remembrance Day.

Looking for Remembrance Day books for Canadian classrooms? Our list has picture books, non-fiction, novels and graphic novels, plus short reading activities. Picture books work for older students too, and most of the novels suit students in grade five and up.

Preparing for Remembrance Day commemorations is a great opportunity to talk not only about the sacrifices of the past but also about our contributions to peace. There are so many Remembrance Day activities out there, but most of them involve poppy crafts. One of the best ways to learn about the past is by reading Remembrance Day books. They are always a great way to introduce solemn topics while uplifting our students. Most of all, they are portable, easy to use, and don’t require a lot of technology.

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How To Celebrate Halloween With Alternatives To A Party

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A pile of jack-o-lanterns are sitting. Are you avoiding hosting a Halloween party in your classroom? Here is a list of activities you can do in your upper elementary classroom that don't involve just letting them party. Come have a read!

Let’s be honest. Halloween is not one of the best days for teachers — even worse, the day after. So, unless the day lands on a weekend, chances are you’re going to be somehow involved in Halloween festivities. So, other than sitting and eating junk food while dressed in costumes, what alternative Halloween activities can a teacher do with their class while still celebrating Halloween?

We’ve got some great ideas for you to help keep things in check!

If you have students who don’t celebrate Halloween, communicate your plans with parents so they can make the decision about whether or not their child can participate.

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You Need to Stop Overlooking Wellness and Health Class!

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Healthy fruits and vegetables are part of the new Health and Wellness curriculum written by the Brain Ninjas for Grades 4-6.

Are you having trouble fitting health lessons into your plans because you already have too much to teach? Stop overlooking the value of health class! You can use health lessons to teach reading and writing. You can help students in your class stay organized, play safely and get along with each other. So why are you ignoring all these important outcomes?

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10 Things We Do On the First Day of School

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We use this routine for our first day of school each year. It works for most upper elementary classrooms and is sure to get your new school year started off right.

Be honest. You either LOVE the first day of school or hate it. As a teacher, it’s a fresh start to get back to spending quality time with these little darlings. For us, it’s always a chance to correct things we did in the past and start all over again, but there are ten things we do on the first day of school that help our whole year run smoothly. Turn back to school into a great time of year for you and your students. Keep on reading to find out how to make your first day back go smoothly.

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Your Big List of Must Have Books for Ramadan and Eid

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If you are looking for books about Ramadan and Eid to use in your upper elementary classroom, check out this list put together by our school community.

Reading is a huge part of our classroom, and it’s important to us to make sure the books and characters reflect all aspects of the lives of our students. That includes books about and including different faiths, backgrounds and cultural beliefs.

Ramadan is an important part of our classroom culture, so we searched high and low to find books that our students could use to learn from and reflect on. Here are some of the titles we found and thought you should check out yourself.

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How to Acknowledge Ramadan and Eid With Your Students

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If you are looking to acknowledge Ramadan and Eid with your students, come check out these activities you can use in your upper elementary classroom.

In our classroom, we celebrate everything. This year we learned about Ramadan with some of our Muslim students and celebrated Eid with a few different activities.

We think it’s important for all of our students to feel included. It doesn’t matter which different celebrations, observances or holidays they observe. Students share their customs and traditions with us. We celebrated Lunar New Year, Ukrainian Christmas, World Hijab Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and now we’re getting ready for Ramadan and Eid.

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The End of the School Year is Coming!

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The end of the school year is a very busy time. It can be stressful for your students who love the structure and routine. Come check off some things you can get get done at the end of the year to help wrap it up successfully.

You are in the home stretch! It’s nearly the end of the school year! Maybe you’ve had the most difficult year of your career, or maybe it’s been a highlight. Either way, you’ve made a difference in the lives of the children who’ve come through your classroom this year and so it’s time to clean up, pack up and celebrate.

The end of the school year is not always a happy time for your students. For some children, school is a sense of stability they don’t have at home. You know your students.

Celebrating the end of the school year might need to be more focused on celebrating the time you’ve spent together. Be aware of the different feelings of all your students and be sure to talk about how the end of the year is always a mix of emotions. Read on to find out how we finish the year.

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How to Host a Maker Walk

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Create an opportunity for your makers to show off their creative sides by hosting a Maker Walk. We' veput together a planning guide to get you started. Come check it out-so easy and fun!

Are your students using your makerspace and now you want to show off their hard work? Host a Maker Walk. Picture a science fair, but so much cooler because it’s filled with the creations your students made in your makerspace!

This can be done with the school’s makerspace or you can just use the creations your students have created from your classroom’s makerspace (like us),

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23 Ways to Clean the Clutter From Your Classroom Hoard

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It's time to up your classroom organization game and get rid of the clutter that is drowning you in your own classroom. Come read our huge list of ways to cut back so you can streamline your classroom organization and get rid of the clutter hoard.

Is your classroom organization struggling like mine? Mr. Ninja once had to bring a giant rock on a 1400 km trip because there was a possibility it might come in handy for a science lesson. It’s lived in our garden for twelve years. Why do we do this to ourselves?

Let’s be honest. Teaching lands somewhere between collecting and hoarding. But don’t you fret! It’s time for some spring cleaning-classroom style. Classroom organization starts by cleaning out your space. Let’s clean the clutter. I promise it is hard work, but it will leave you and your students feeling refreshed!

Why did we start this classroom organization process?

Well, a big part of it is money. If teachers can get something for free, we’ll take it. We all know our classrooms are underfunded and so when interesting items come along (whether we actually need them or not) we tend to take them. What is wrong with us?

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How to Prank Your Students

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Are you looking for a fun but harmless prank for April Fool's Day? Pranks are great any time of year and they are a great way to bond with your students. Check out these free and easy to use pranks for your upper elementary classroom.

Do you like a lighthearted and fun prank? Do you have students that enjoy a good laugh? Are you looking for a way to celebrate April Fools’ Day? We were always struggling with ways to prank our students in a fun and caring way, and we’ve come up with a few great ones over the past few years.

If you have the kind of relationship with your students where everyone can enjoy a lighthearted, silly prank, then you’re doing something right. We are very clear with our students about what does or does not make for a good prank.

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Use Pink Shirt Day to Make a Difference in the World

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Are you looking for ways to teach your students how to stand up against bullying? Here is a list of activities you can try including activities for Pink Shirt Day, International Day of Pink or World Kindness Day.

Pink Shirt Day is coming again. Depending on where you live in Canada, you might observe this anti-bullying awareness day in February or September (or even April or May). Regardless of when you wear your pink shirt, the movement to bring awareness to bullying has begun to spread worldwide. Do you need an activity to do in your upper elementary classroom?

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