Back to School Ideas for Upper Elementary Teachers

Are you an upper elementary teacher planning for the first week of school?  This time of the year always stirs a wide variety of emotions for both students and teachers.  It is normal to feel a mixture of excitement and anxiety.  As teachers, we want to be well-prepared and ready to welcome our new group of learners.  That begins with careful creation of a welcoming and fun environment for your young scholars.  But creating a positive learning atmosphere goes much deeper than hanging up a bunch of cute banners, posters, and classroom decor.  More important than the way a room looks is how it

5 Tips and Tricks to Teach Counting Coins

Teaching kindergarteners and 1st graders money can be tricky!  In today’s world it seems like we mostly use digital forms of money and we rely less and less on cash in our everyday lives.  This makes teaching money more abstract than ever before!  Here are a few tricks to help ease the process of teaching money.

1.  Focus on Skip Counting before Teaching Money

Counting money is all about skip counting by 5's, 10's, and 25's.  Make sure your students have

It's Time to Stop Posting Classroom Progress Charts

As you plan and design your classroom environment for the next school year, please take a moment to reconsider posting classroom displays of student math progress.  In my opinion, these charts do more harm than good.  Students that need more time to master the concepts become humiliated and embarrassed when their names are not moving up the progress chart at the same rate as their classmates.  This can have a long-lasting negative impact on their learning.  I am not against progress charts, but I am against public displays of these records.

DIY Holiday Ornament Craft Combines Geometry and Art

I love craft projects that combine geometry and art.  That is why I created these unique DIY Holiday Ornaments.  This ornament project is a fun and exciting activity that includes options for school-aged children, teens, and adults. Crafting a unique 3-dimensional ornament allows opportunities for individual expression and creativity. The finished pieces will become cherished holiday keepsakes that are perfect for decorating a Christmas tree or hanging from the ceiling to create a festive holiday display.

Skip Counting Offers Valuable Multiplication Practice

Mastering the basic multiplication facts is a major component of elementary school mathematics education.  Trying to memorize so many facts can be challenging and frustrating for young learners.  It is important to provide early exposure and offer a wide variety of strategies and activities to promote familiarity with the basic multiplication facts.  Skip counting practice lays an early foundation for multiplication mastery.  Keep reading to get two FREE sets of skip counting puzzles!

Visual Decimal Models Assist in the Learning Process

Decimal grid models and number line models are important visual representations to include in your decimal instruction.  Working with a variety of models helps students truly understand the meaning of what a decimal represents.  It is important for learners to comprehend that decimals are specific fractions of a whole number.

Hands-on activities that incorporate shading of decimal grid models support the development of decimal concepts.  You will find a FREE decimal