Time Management
Do you often feel that there is never enough time to get things done?
This is often a big challenge for teachers, causing stress which can lead to negative consequences. If this is you, know that you are not alone! The good news is that there are ways to increase efficiency and productivity in the way you plan and execute your day-to-day work. Using adequate time management can allow you to have a balanced professional, personal and social life.
Before you start your day, create a To Do List:
Make a list of all the tasks you need to complete and the amount of time you spend on each.
Put them in order of importance with things that must be done at the top. If you have large tasks to do, you can break them up – you don’t have to do them all at once.
Look at your day and see where you can schedule these tasks throughout the day.
Commit to the schedule – find a place to work away from distractions or have 3 set times of the day to check your phone.
You can’t add more time to the day but with some tips and tricks, you can make good use of your time.
We are beginning an economics unit this week. The students are learning about needs and wants. They earn play money for coming to school which is their job. I tell them that this would be their paycheck in the real world. They take the money that they earn and use it to rent their desks and chairs. They are fined for not raising their hands or not doing their homework. This has been a great way to teach my students about the real world. What activities do you teach in your classrooms that relate to teaching students about economics?
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I will be having a student teacher join my classroom in August. What do you wish you knew from your mentor teacher when you student taught?
What are some analogies you have used to make connections with the students? For example:
I am the Costco sampler person. I give you a little taste (the content limit of standards) and hopefully you will buy more (looking deeper into the subject)
I am an academic mechanic, I have to diagnose the issues and solve that problem.
🌱 "Story Roots" Project
What it is: Families trace a favorite story or folktale from their cultural or linguistic background.
How to use: Students share the origin, language, or meaning behind the story and retell it (via video, audio, drawing, or writing).
Bonus: Builds home-school connections and honors multilingualism.
This is one of the projects our upper elementary students are using with their families.
What unique projects are families in your area doing?
What assessments do you use to help determine what students need for reading intervention? I use 95% group at my school district.
I came across this a few years ago, and started implementing in my classroom! My students loved it and I saw immediate engagement. When I had a homeroom, I would also put a positive attribute that students exhibited throughout the week (or weeks) on their name tag on the desk. This also engaged students! How do you build a strong community with your students through the year?
I will be absent next week and need to write plans for teaching point of view (first and third person) to fourth graders. Anyone have activities to share?
Which social media account do you find the most useful for networking with other educators?
I was introduced to Magic School over the summer. Have you used it with your students? How have you used it? I learned how to app smash it with Book Creator, but I am looking for some other suggestions.
What are your favorite summertime professional development reads?
I’m finally able to sit down and read The Anxious Generation and it is so good!
What other books would you recommend?
How do you teach 2nd graders place value?
I wanted to share all of the UFLI aligned resources I have created for FREE! If you teacher early elementary reading and are using this in your classroom I have created T2 and T3 interventions as well as centers - word sorts, fluency pyramids etc. Check it out at: https://www.ginapepin.com/blank-9
A quality assessment tool is one that accurately measures what it is intended to measure, provides consistent results, and is fair to all students regardless of their background. The key elements that contribute to the quality of an assessment tool are validity, reliability, and the minimization of bias. How do you ensure the tools you are using to assess your students meets all of these requirements?
Family Engagement
How do you modify your teaching when you have a significant number of students out with illness? For example, today half my Kindergarten students are out sick today, and I am reviewing some ideas with the students who are here while introducing a few new things that I can review as students slowly return. How do you handle situations like this when one or more students are absent?
Digital literacy tools can play a significant role in supporting literacy development across grade levels by providing personalized and engaging experiences for students.
In what ways do you think this is beneficial?
