I recently saw this video and it blew my mind! Such a cool science video. It totally inspired me to see the world around me differently. I’m dying to share this with my class!
Click to view the Slow Motion Popping Bubbles & Balloons video
If you know me, you’ll probably know that I love to use games in my classroom! I think playing games is the best way to create a fun learning experience. I usually have some blank game boards (like these) handy in my classroom to use with one of my favorite review games. I decided to make some new ones for fall, since I didn’t have very many. So here’s my first one: I call it “Fall is fabulous!”
Click here for the printable PDF: Fall is Fabulous Game board
There are so many things to keep track of at the beginning of the school year. There’s so much information to make sure your students and their parents know! I recently made a sheet of teacher contact cards. To along with that same idea, here’s my class contact page. Print out the page, write in the information and then run copies for your class.
Click here to download the free printable:
Contact Information – back to school night
It’s really helpful, if not essential, to have open channels of communication with the parents of your students. That all starts with sharing contact information. Here’s a free editable file you can use to make your own teacher contact cards. Hand these out to parents at the beginning of the year or throughout the year as needed. Encourage parents to keep this in their wallet or somewhere they won’t lose it, so they can communicate to you conveniently and quickly if needed. Enjoy!
Click here to download the files (2 styles):
Teacher Contact Cards – Editable
Teacher Contact Cards – soft colors – Editable
A reader recently submitted this picture of a box of Cracker Jacks with a fun saying. Her principal gave one of these to each teacher and staff member in celebration of a successful first week of school. Too cute!
I recently learned about a cool free resource for teaching! It’s called Khan Academy. It provides tons of free educational content-based videos, with topics ranging from math and science to humanities and economics. With a log in, students (or anyone) can complete learn by watching videos and then complete tasks to earn badges. Teachers can track the data for their students and use the materials in lesson plans. You may also want to refer parents to this site if they’re looking for supplemental materials for helping their child. What’s not to love!?! I wish I had learned about this when I started teaching!
Turns out cursive is really good for your brain! Click here to view a quick video by Discovery News that shows some study results that show how good cursive is for your brain! Here are some highlights from the video:
I’ve been helping a friend plan for her first year teaching 6th grade. Here’s a letter we came up with to give to parents at the beginning of the year. We wanted to find a way to let parents/guardians help the class even if they can’t commit to a once a week in-class time. Here’s a draft of our letter. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Parent Volunteer Are Awesome!
Welcome to Miss ________’s 6th grade class! I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to work with you and your family to provide the best educational experience for your child. If you would be willing to help out our class this year, please indicate below. Thank you in advance for your help!
Miss ____
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Student Name ____________________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Name(s) __________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian phone number _______________________________________________
Parent/Guardian email ______________________________________________________
___ I’m willing to help in the classroom on a regular basis
Day(s)/Time(s) that work best: _________________________________________
___I’m willing to help from home. Miss ___ can send things home for e to help with (cutting out laminated items, assembling packets, etc)
___ I’m willing to come on class field trips if needed
___ I’m willing to help with/come to class parties and special activities
Squarehead Teachers 