About Squarehead Teachers

Well, I’m a travel loving, cookie eating, bright color obsessed teacher who just can’t get enough of blogging or Photoshop. I’ve taught various grades from Kindergarten to Undergraduate courses in both in the United States and in China, teaching everything from dance and PE to English and math. I come from a family of educators, and believe that all teachers (public, private, charter and home school) are grossly under appreciated and deserve a little extra help. I started my Squarehead Teachers blog in August 2012 with the hope that I can be that extra little help that makes teachers feel a little more loved!

Spelling Doodles

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

This is a cool idea! I like the idea of having kids come up with their own ways of grouping the words. Great post, Room Mom!

TheRoomMom

Along with every other 4th grade student, I want to avoid “write the spelling words 3x each” spelling homework. I am actually not against that kind of homework (especially if the students are writing the words in cursive) since I think it builds a motor memory, but we all get bored with it. One new activity I am using is a Spelling Doodle. Students use every word on the weekly list to design a word doodle. The challenge is to think of various ways to group the spelling words. Students use a combination of phonics knowledge and word meanings to create word categories. Not only do students practice writing spelling words correctly, they are also activating their knowledge about the ways letters combine to create words, word usage, and definitions of the words.

Give the student a piece of white copy paper and some colored pencils or fun pens. Using all…

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Text Features Graphic Organizer

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

Check out the text features graphic organizer I made for We Are Teachers:

Text Feature preview Click here to go to the post on We Are Teachers and download the free printable.

Statements and Questions – Alligators on Scooters

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

Looking to help kids figure out the difference between statements and questions? Check out this page:

Alligators on Scooters STICKER

Students should read the words, determine if it’s a statement or a question and then write in the correct ending punctuation. After that, they can create their own statement and question, along with drawing a silly picture. Enjoy!

Click here for the free printable PDF: Statements And Questions – Alligators on Scooters

#WhatIWishMyTeacherKnew (Learning About Your Students)

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

I recently learned about a project launched by a Colorado teacher, Kyle Schwartz, called #WhatIWishMyTeacherKnew. The main ideas is that this third grade teacher didn’t feel like she knew them very well or how to support them. She asked her students to finish the sentence “I wish my teacher knew…”. The students’ responses were honest and highlight the struggles in their lives and the importance of truly connecting with our students. Here are some articles about the project:

How #IWishMyTeacherKnew can help teachers support students – Christian Science Monitor

Students Share What They Wish Their Teacher Knew – Huffington Post

Colorado Teacher Shares Heartbreaking Notes From Third Graders – ABC News

I Wish My Teacher Knew’: Social movement sparked after teacher shares heartbreaking notes from third graders – FOX News

I think this is a great idea! It’s important to know what your students are struggling with so you can find ways/resources to help them. If you do this exercise with your class, and are comfortable sharing the results, join other teachers on Twitter by using the hashtag #whatiwishmyteacherknew. i wish my teacher knew STICKER Use this printable to collect your answers if you’d like: I wish my teacher knew

Before, Between, After – Numbers Worksheet

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

Counting and number sequences can be tough for kids, but knowing numbers backwards and forwards is what allows them to do more complex number tasks. I saw this idea of “before, between and after” and thought it was valuable. So, here’s my take on that concept. This would be great for kindergarten or first grade, depending on your students.

Before between after - numbers STICKER

Kids must write in the numbers so that the sequence is complete. Click here for the free printable PDF: Before Between After – Numbers

Chain Reaction Graphic Organizer (Free!)

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

Chain Reaction Graphic Organizer preview Check out the graphic organizer I posted over at We Are Teachers! It’s perfect for describing a series of events in a story, history or a science experiment.

Click here to go to the post!

Looking for more free language arts graphic organizers? Click here.

Snapshot of Spring Break (Writing/Drawing Activity)

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

Spring Break Snapshot STICKER

Spring Break. Everyone needs the break, but it’s crazy town trying to get kids back on track afterwards. Everyone wants to tell everyone else how their break went, but there’s not really time! So try this approach: Have each kid fill out this page (writing or drawing, whichever you prefer), and then let kids go share their page with 2 or 3 other students. And move on with life! You can provide an opportunity for everyone to share while practicing some basic skills… all in 15-20 minutes!

Click here to view the free PDF: Snapshots of Spring Break

Self-Portrait Color Wheel (Collaborative Mural)

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

My friend, Rachel, recently helped coordinate this mind-blowing art project at her school:

I. LOVE. THIS. IDEA.

It incorporates so much good stuff into one project! Collaboration, color wheel discussion, self-portrait and drawing principles, and the list goes on. It’s especially cool to see the improvement kids make in drawing as they get older (there were drawings from all grades in the mural). Although it is a fair amount of work to put together, this art project is definitely something that all the kids (and community members) will love to look at. Finally, the kids who participated can feel a sense of accomplishment knowing that they contributed and that as part of a team, they accomplished something they could never do on their own. Great job, Rachel!

Here’s some information about how you can organize this project.