Our librarian handed me the book A is for Alliguitar by Nancy Raines Day and I got really excited when I started flipping through its pages! It takes animals and combines them with various instruments for every letter of the alphabet such as an alliguitar (alligator and guitar, banjaguar (banjo and jaguar) etc.…. until zebrass […]
If you have been reading my posts for awhile, then you know I love using great literature in my lessons! ..and you also know that I love creating a template and building on it so as to squeeze as much out of my time, as possible! Well, today’s post accomplishes both!! Brown Bear, Brown Bear, […]
by Audrey Wood (Author), Don Wood (Illustrator) I love this book!! One night my husband and I were putting our 4 year old to bed and I had an idea! As I read it, my husband and my daughter acted it out. My husband was the sleeping “grampy” (instead of granny), my daughter was the […]
Apple, apple red and fat, turn into a yummy pie, just like that! This is an extension of the Pumpkin Pumpkin lesson (where I explain how to insert TALA). It is simple to remember and more importantly, simple to use for meeting all kinds of standards! Here are just a few! Have kids: Strike a […]
Skin and Bones Here is a fun and simple activity to do with your early elementary! Let Raffi do all of the singing (give your voice a break!) and use the stretchy band to create a “dance”. Your kids will love saying “ooooh” in a spooky voice and throwing up the band when the old […]
My Kindergarten through fifth grade benchmarks are FINALLY finished!! (sorry about the wait!!) …..for now 🙂 I say this because I want to revisit them in January to re-evaluate and then again each year to update them as my students become more proficient. This was certainly a journey, as I wanted to be thoughtful in […]
When one moves schools, a lot goes through one’s brain: What space will I be working in? What materials and resources will I have available? How many kids in a class and how often will I see them? What special needs will arise? How is disciplined handled? …and then there is the major question of: […]
I have been living in my current house for 6 years, yet there was nothing on the walls, really, until about 3 weeks ago. My sister and a dear friend of mine were coming to visit from Rhode Island (where I am from), so I thought it was time I decorated…. at least the first […]
As promised, here’s a first look at my classroom! The floors were done last week, so everything was in a new place. This actually was quite helpful, as I was able to see the room arranged in a different way. It was by no means a set up that would work, but it offered another […]
In getting ready for next year, the first thing that comes to mind is how do I want to set up my classroom? I see a lot of photos on Pinterest and Facebook, but I haven’t been dazzled yet. A lot of teachers focus on the “cutesy” ~ a way to decorate so that it […]