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Teaching Strategies

How to Add Some Drama to Your Classroom

by BrainNinjasWP

Add some drama to your classroom to bring your lessons to life. Check out these practical ways to spice up lessons with dramatic flair for your students. Add some drama to your upper elementary classroom with these activities and lessons.

A strange thing happened this year. Our students were so dramatic-and by that we mean we started using drama in the classroom as a way to help teach, review and reinforce our learning in every subject area. The kids loved it-even the shy and quiet ones.

[Read more…] about How to Add Some Drama to Your Classroom

Filed Under: Engaging Lessons, Teaching Strategies Tagged With: Drama, Drama Circles, Lesson Plans, Poetry and Drama, Teachers Pay Teachers

How to Connect Social Studies and Art

by BrainNinjasWP

One of the ways to teach social studies is to look at the artwork created by different cultures. Geography also lends itself well to art lessons. Come learn about some of the ways we connect social studies and art in our upper elementary classroom.

In Canada, elementary teachers teach all the subject areas in most schools-except specialties like French or music. This means generalist teachers like us are expected to teach art, even when we aren’t trained artists. Our students have been known to question some of our drawings over the years, so we’ve had to be creative in finding projects we can teach our students that help them learn, but don’t stress us out. We want to share ways to connect social studies and art with all of you.

[Read more…] about How to Connect Social Studies and Art

Filed Under: Engaging Lessons, Teaching Strategies Tagged With: Alberta, Art, Art Lessons, artists of canada, Canada, Canadian History, Cities, Indigenous Artists, Indigenous Cultures, Landforms, Landmarks, Landscapes, Social Studies, Teachers Pay Teachers

How to Differentiate Using Choices

by BrainNinjasWP

Sometimes all students need to feel successful is the chance to make a choice so they feel like they have some control. Come learn how to leverage choices and boost your students' engagement.

How would you feel if you knew you were a wonderful writer but the only way you could express yourself was through modern dance? What would you do if you had to recite your report card comments by memory to each and every parent? How would you feel if you were given the choice to write your report cards any way YOU want? (Ours would be invisible!)

Imagine how different your life would be if you were given the choice to do or say certain things.

[Read more…] about How to Differentiate Using Choices

Filed Under: Teaching Strategies Tagged With: Classroom Management, Differentiated Instruction, Differentiation, Multiple Means of Engagement, Teachers Pay Teachers, TpT Products, UDL, Universal Design for Learning

How to Work Through the Design Process

by BrainNinjasWP

The design process is useful for working through a problem. We use it in science and in our makerspace. Come learn about the process and get some design thinking posters for your classroom.

Here’s a quick lesson you can do with your students to learn how to use your Makerspace while teaching students to enjoy the process of solving problems. Problem-solving is a skill that needs to be taught, learned, and practiced. The design process uses simple steps to help alleviate frustration between creating, testing and refining. When all of your students have a common language, it can help facilitate conversations between them. Come learn how we use the design process in our classroom.

[Read more…] about How to Work Through the Design Process

Filed Under: Engaging Lessons, Teaching Strategies Tagged With: Bulletin Boards, Design Process, Makerspace, Project Based Learning, TpT Products

How to Create an Inviting Makerspace

by BrainNinjasWP

Are you thinking about starting a makerspace in your school or classroom? Not sure? Check out this post full of makerspace ideas to help you decide if it is right for you or your school.

Do you want to create a makerspace for your students but you aren’t quite sure where to start? Do you need makerspace ideas? Are you worried about the mess or where to get the supplies? Do you have zero dollars in your budget?

Those are the questions we asked ourselves before creating a makerspace in our classroom, but it truly was a transformation that we love. Here’s a quick quiz for you to decide if you can and should have a makerspace in your classroom. Hint: it’s not for everyone, but it might be right for you. Come read our makerspace ideas.

[Read more…] about How to Create an Inviting Makerspace

Filed Under: Teaching Strategies Tagged With: Critical Thinking, Makers, Makerspace, science, steam, stem

How to Use Google Meet to Run a Book Club

by BrainNinjasWP

If you like to run Book Clubs in your upper elementary classroom, then you should try using Google Meet to run them. Come read through our post to see how we put these in place and get yourself some useful tools to make it all go easier.

Are you looking for a twist on a Book Club to help spice up your reading instruction? Using Google Meet can be just the twist you need to get students reading, writing and talking about books. If you’re teaching reading, you need to give this a shot!

The point of book clubs is to have students (or people) read the same book together and then discuss the book. It is not about reading a book and then doing comprehension questions. No one wants to do that (or mark that). It’s about fostering a love of reading for life.

[Read more…] about How to Use Google Meet to Run a Book Club

Filed Under: Teaching Strategies Tagged With: Book Clubs, Classroom Set Up, Educational Technology, ELA, Google Classroom, Google Education, Language Arts, Literature Circles, Reading, Technology Integration

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Most Recent

  • Create these adorable watercolour love trees for Valentine's Day, World Kindness Day, Earth Day or Pink Shirt Day. They make a great bulletin board and our post features step by step instructions for your elementary classroom. Come read the whole post.
    How to Make Valentine's Day Love Trees
    Do you need a Valentine's Day...
  • Do your students need a fun way to share what they are reading in class? This is a great twist on literature circles and book clubs that your students will enjoy. Come read the whole post and get some ideas for your upper elementary or middle school language arts lessons.
    Give Your Reading Instruction an Easy Twist
    For years we've done Literature Circles...
  • If you are looking for some free classroom rewards that you can use for extrinsic motiviation, this is the list for you. Come check out these classroom rewards that you can use without it costing any money.
    30 Free Ways to Reward Students
    While not all students are motivated...

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