Whether you've been teaching for years, or haven't landed your first full time gig yet, tutoring can pose some unique challenges which are much different than being in a classroom setting. I've taught third grade, first grade, worked as a teaching assistant and substitute, and still I sometimes get a little nervous before tutoring. [...]

Write the room activities (and write and solve the room activities) are among my favorite center activities for my students. In my classroom, write the room activities consist of task cards hung around the room with pictures on them. Students go on sort of a scavenger hunt around the room to find the cards that [...]

I am always looking for fun thematic ways to have students engaged in academics, especially during holidays, when they are extra excitable! I have found ultimately I have two choices: a. Try to fight the distraction of a holiday and proceed as usual OR b. Roll with it. Harness the excitement and use it as [...]

If your students are crazy about penguins as mine have always been, it's the right time of year to take out those penguin books and activities to keep them engaged and learning! It's amazing the things you can teach through a theme, like penguins! From narrative, to informational books, these penguin stories are my favorites! [...]

Boo! Did I scare you? Ok , Ok I'm not scary, but do you know what is? Halloween time in the classroom! I am always looking for quick and easy things to do with my kiddos at Halloween time to keep them engaged and learning, while giving into a little bit of fun! I've also [...]

My students L-O-V-E sticky notes! I have introduced them to how to use sticky notes to capture important things that we are worried won't "stick" around in our minds. They can help us to make lists, move ideas, and more (I'll write more about this later!) I have been teaching reading comprehension with sticky notes [...]

I have been tinkering and tweaking ...and I've finally decided to just go for it! On October 15 I'll send out my very first PrintablePrompts monthly newsletter! I'll include a line or two about new blog posts, updates about new resources and of course a FREEBIE or Two! Make sure you subscribe (its FREE!)  

  Is your word wall going underutilized, or maybe even unutilized all together? I had this problem for a long time in my classroom. I struggled through solutions, ultimately deciding on student created a thematic/ content area word wall (more about this later) displayed in the classroom, and changed monthly. However, something was missing. I [...]

Does your heart sink when the principal walks through your door, even when your students are busy doing amazing things? Do you suddenly start to question all things happening in your classroom? Are my bulletin boards up to date? Are my objectives posted? Is my class too noisy? Is Bobby going to wipe a booger [...]

  I invite my principal into my classroom early and often... and you guessed it... I'm going to share the hows and whys of this approach with you today! Why Do I want my principal in my classroom? 1.Get to know your principal and his/her perspective.   You can get to know a lot about [...]