Gingerbread Day is December 12, and we are ready to explore some Gingerbread fun for the upper elementary classroom! We are huge advocates of using as many different methods of engaging students as possible in the upper elementary classroom, especially if you are most of the way through the first

Using animated shorts to teach ELA skills can be a fun way to engage students and practice skills in a way that allows students to see how another medium uses the same tools to tell a story. There is just something super magical about the way animated short films can

It is the start of a new school year, and you may be looking for more ways to make your classroom feel relaxed and inviting this year. Choosing some songs to play in the classroom may be a great way to accomplish this goal. If you have not traditionally played

We are getting full swing into the holiday season with these November holiday activities and ideas! November is a busy month in the United States. Coming off of Halloween on the 31st (which you may have celebrated the first week of November) and then going into your first longer break

When your students need encouragement and motivation, consider implementing some of these low-cost/no-cost reward ideas for upper elementary students! Although we wish that learning new things and growing in knowledge and understanding was enough to motivate our students all year long, deep down, we know that most people need some

Check out this large list of quiet early finisher ideas for after an assessment. You gotta love them… unless they’re bored, and then they can just be pure menaces. You know what I’m talking about… early finishers. Yep! Those kiddos just get it, and they are moving at a pace

These six games will allow your students to try their hand at practicing the different types of sentences in many different ways, including both identifying and creating different types of sentences. As students begin to develop their understanding of ELA concepts and writing, they have to take on practicing different

Take the time to celebrate the fall with these many, many, many October holiday activities and ideas! October is a month of cool weather, spooky costumes, corn (both the vegetable and the candy variety), and many other fun and delicious traditions.  It is a delightful month to celebrate for a

Let’s explore eight ways to cover classroom procedures students won’t hate even if you have to do them over and over again! Taking time to cover classroom procedures is a part of back-to-school time that has to happen. Anyone who has been in the classroom for any length of time

By incorporating Holiday of the Day Writing Prompts into the classroom, you create traditions and rituals your students will learn to expect and look forward to. We absolutely love the Holiday of the Day Writing Prompts because they allow every day to be a reason for celebration. Whether we’re celebrating