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Image of sticker stories. Text: Fun and easy way to improve creative writing skills: Sticker Stories!

The Fun and Easy Way to Improve Creative Writing Skills: Sticker Stories!

Creative writing skills are powerful tools that allow students to explore their imagination, improve their communication skills, and develop a love for storytelling. Read on to discover ways that using Sticker Stories in your classroom can help your student to improve their creative writing skills! This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links to some super fun stickers you could use in your classroom. If you purchase anything through these links, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you! Many students struggle to find inspiration or structure their ideas effectively. “Sticker Stories” are a fun and engaging way

Blog Post Cover: Shows children dressed up for halloween. Text: Writing Center Refresh October!

Inspire Creativity: Refresh Your Classroom Writing Centers This October

Keeping your classroom writing centers fresh is a great way to keep your students engaged in writing! This post has some great writing centers for October! This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. If you purchase anything through these links I will receive a small commission at no cost to you! Thanks! You can find my September Writing Centers Refresh Post HERE! Writing Center or Writing Centers Whether you have a permanent classroom writing center, or you switch out your writing centers periodically the ideas in this post can keep your writing center(s) refreshed, up-to-date, and creative! I loved having a

Image of a shark. Text: Shark Week Ideas for Your Classroom.

How to Celebrate Shark Week in Your Elementary Classroom!

Shark Week! Every year I have a student or two who is obsessed with sharks. Why not capitalize on this interest with some fun Shark Week activities? Let’s dive right in and explore these Jawsome ways to celebrate Shark Week in your classroom! Sharks and Ocean Animals also make a “fintastic” Summer School theme! This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. If you purchase through these links I will receive a small commission at no cost to you! What is Shark Week? Every year the Discover Channel has a week where they feature shark-based programming! It has become a popular time

Image of a teacher and student being silly. Text: Writing Center Refresh: Silly September!

Easy Classroom Writing Center Refresh for a Silly September!

A million years ago when I was a brand new baby larva teacher, I wanted to do all the things! I set up a writing center in my classroom. Then, the students used the heck out of it for 2 weeks, then never looked at it again. I had put everything that I had for writing in that center, and my students lost interest. Wah, wah! I learned that refreshing my writing center every so often piqued my students’ interest again! So, I started doing a monthly writing center refresh! In this first post of my new blog series, I

Why Every K-2 Classroom Needs a Writing Station (And How to Make It Awesome)

Okay, friends. Picture this. You’ve got 20 minutes of center time, and half your class is wandering around like they’ve never seen a classroom before. Sound familiar? In my 23 years of teaching primary grades, one thing stayed constant no matter what else I changed: my writing station. It was the one center I kept up all year long. And honestly? It was usually the most popular spot in the room. So let’s talk about why every K-2 classroom needs a writing center—and what to put in it. Hey, just a heads up! This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. That

Image of boy writing with narrative writing graphic organizers in the background. Text: How to Teach Narrative Writing with Fun Writing Graphic Organizers.

How to Teach Narrative Writing with 3 Fun Writing Graphic Organizers

Narrative writing was always my favorite type of writing to teach. The stories that my students came up with were AMAZING! The problem was, they always lacked organization, they would leave important parts out! They would have a great lead, but there was no problem in the story. Or, they had a problem, but no solution. Fortunately, I created something that helped us tremendously! Graphic Organizers! In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of using graphic organizers in the classroom and show you how to leverage them to improve your students’ narrative writing abilities. From types of organizers to

Image of a student dressed like a super hero with Speech Bubble saying :"YES!" Text: Teaching with Decodable Passages Just Got more fun with Phonics Comics!

Read and Write Phonics Comics: Teaching with Decodable Passages Just Got More Fun!

What in the world are Phonics Comics? Phonics comics are comics that are written for students to be decodable so that they can practice their reading skills! Once upon a time, when I was in college (a LONG time ago) whole language was the thing. Phonics was a dirty word. The main argument at that time was that decodable readers were contrived and boring. Think back to Dick and Jane. With the Science of Reading at the forefront of reading instruction today, decodables are back, but they can be so much more fun! So, get ready to rock your reading

Image of a group of students giving a thumbs up. Text: Classroom Management Strategies. Fun and Cheap Classroom Rewards and Incentives.

7 Classroom Management Strategies: Fun and Cheap Rewards and Incentives

Classroom Management can be hard. Rewards and incentives can motivate students to behave positively and help create a positive classroom environment. While I was still in the classroom, it seems that my classroom management changed all the time. What worked with one student today, doesn’t work tomorrow. Each class was different and unique. That being said, the teacher can not do it all. Sometimes it will take parental involvement and administration involvement. Sometimes it will even take the help of another teacher. Here are some fun and cheap classroom rewards and incentives to help keep your students on track. None

Cover Image of hands folding a piece of paper into a mini-book. Text: How to Make Fun and Easy Mini-books for Your Classroom Writing Center.

How to Make Mini-Books for Your Classroom Writing Center! Fun and Easy!

How to make mini-books is a question I get quite often! What is it about a mini-book that makes it so appealing? Students see one and want to fill it with pictures and writing! So a win-win situation: You get your students to write more, and your students get a mini-book! So, read on to find some fun ways to make mini-books with or without a mini-book template! How to Fold One-Page Mini-Books There are several different ways you can fold 1 piece of paper into a mini-book that doesn’t require any staples! You can use blank copier paper or

Image of a copy box with a sign saying "Writing Center" taped to the side. Text: How to Set Up and Awesome Classroom Writing Center!

How to Set up an Awesome Classroom Writing Center. Simple and Fun!

When I was a little one, I loved anything to do with paper. Cutting, gluing, folding. My poor mom always had tons of paper creations. Somehow they always magically disappeared, unless they could be hung on the refrigerator, then they generally became part of the fridge museum. There are probably a few still there now! That being said, my favorite (and the students’ favorite) part of my classroom was always the classroom writing center! It doesn’t have to be anything big or elaborate! Here are some simple classroom writing center setups that are simple and effective, and will be a

Image of Water Slides with title: Tips for Preventing "Summer Slide". Preventing summer learning loss.

How to Prevent Summer Learning Loss: 5+ Tips for Beating Summer Slide

Summer is the best. Except for the dreaded “Summer Slide” or Summer Learning Loss. Read on for some tips to prevent summer learning loss! (This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you! Thanks so much!) Rather watch this post? Check out the YouTube Video: Prevent Summer Learning Loss Tip 1: Read! Encourage your child (or students) to read over the summer! Many libraries host summer reading programs, and children can earn prizes for their efforts. Our local library also has an amazing app that lets

Why Teach Prewriting to Elementary Students? 5 Prewriting Strategies to Improve Student Writing

I love teaching writing! One thing that I don’t love about teaching writing is when my students would say “But, I don’t know what to write about!” and then they would spend their independent writing time…. well… not writing. One thing that I have taught my students that really helped with eliminating the dreaded phrase was Pre-Writing! Prewriting is an essential part of the writing process, and teaching it to elementary students can have a significant impact on their writing skills. I would like to share with you 5 prewriting strategies to improve student writing. Prewriting Strategies #1: Talk About

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