10 Teacher Clarity Ideas for the First Week of School
Tales from a Very Busy Teacher
by Marine
8M ago
As the doors of a new school year swing open, the first week sets the tone for the months ahead. Within the excitement and anticipation, the role of teacher clarity becomes important. Clear communication and well-defined expectations, also known as teacher clarity, lay the foundation for a productive classroom environment. Read below to find out the importance of teacher clarity during the first week of school, and learn about practical strategies that will ensure a smooth start. Why Teacher Clarity Matters from Day One The first week of school is a pivotal time when students form their initia ..read more
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16 Picture Books for the Beginning of the School Year
Tales from a Very Busy Teacher
by Marine
8M ago
No matter which grade level I taught, I always found time to read aloud to my students. From 2nd graders up to 8th graders, my students loved listening to stories. I would read a wide array of books to my students, but I always made sure to end the day with an engaging picture book. I have a whole list dedicated to 180 days of picture books, but I’ve dedicated this blog post to special books that will help you start your school year off right. Here are 16 of my favorite beginning-of-the-school-year picture books that your students will really enjoy. Find each book in my Amazon Store Front by c ..read more
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A End-of-the-Year Student Gift Idea for Elementary School
Tales from a Very Busy Teacher
by Marine
1y ago
I always liked to end the school year by giving my students a small gift so they could remember all of the memorable moments of our school year together. There are so many gift ideas, but I always strive to find ones that are simple to create and that students will hold onto throughout the years. Here are some ideas that you can tailor to fit your classroom and student needs and something that students can hold on to for a long time! Key Chains Choose your favorite quote or image and print it out. Insert them in a key chain for your students. Letter Write your students a letter outlining what ..read more
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A Unicorn Day Writing Activity for Elementary Students
Tales from a Very Busy Teacher
by Marine
1y ago
When I was in the classroom I always liked celebrating fun and random national days with my students. I always made sure to keep the activities standards-aligned, while also being creative and unique so my students could have fun while learning. Here’s an example of how I did that with a lesson I taught on National Unicorn Day. I started the lesson by reading the book, Thelma the Unicorn, aloud to my students. There are so many books about unicorns, but this is one of my favorites. After reading the book aloud once through, I told my students the learning goal, and success criteria, and made ..read more
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10 Anchor Charts for the Elementary Classroom
Tales from a Very Busy Teacher
by Marine
1y ago
Using anchor charts is a great way to get students engaged in their learning and keep essential skills anchored in the classroom throughout the year. Some anchor charts are best made together with students and other anchor charts can be made ahead of time and used as success criteria for students to refer to throughout the lessons. Here are ten of my favorite anchor charts I used in my classroom: Math Talk Keep this Math Talk anchor chart up all year round and refer to it while students are engaging in math talk. They can use the sentence starters to support their thinking while talking to the ..read more
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How to use Reciprocal Teaching in Your Classroom
Tales from a Very Busy Teacher
by Marine
1y ago
Getting students to take a part in their learning is teacher clarity. One way to increase teacher clarity and empower your students to become more independent readers and thinkers is through reciprocal teaching. What is Reciprocal Teaching? Reciprocal Teaching was developed in 1986 by Palinscar and Brown. It’s a reading comprehension strategy and involves student-directed groups of four working together with a piece of informational text that’s been separated into small, digestible chunks.  Reciprocal Teaching has an effect size of .74. That’s almost two years of growth in one year’s time ..read more
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What are logical consequences for elementary school?
Tales from a Very Busy Teacher
by Marine
1y ago
Managing classroom behaviors is probably one of the toughest parts of being a teacher. I have tried almost every strategy in my classroom and what I have found that works best is being consistent, logical, and understanding with my students by using clear behavior expectations and logical consequences. What really helped me shape my thinking when it came to managing behaviors and my classroom was thinking about problem behaviors as learning errors. This quote from Tom Herner says it perfectly. Sometimes, when it comes to problem behaviors, we select interventions that produce immediate relief ..read more
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5 Things to Do With Your Students After Holiday Breaks
Tales from a Very Busy Teacher
by Marine
1y ago
Coming back to school after holiday breaks always creates a time to review simple routines and expectations. It’s also an opportunity for a fresh start. Here are five of my favorite things to do when returning from breaks! Talk about problem-solving skills. Review problem-solving skills with your students to empower them to problem-solve on their own. When I taught 5th grade, I had a few 5th-grade students use a problem-solving wheel as “Peace Patrol” officers while they helped primary students problem-solve on the playground. It’s also a great display to have up in your classroom so you can ..read more
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Three Classroom Activities to Ring in the New Year
Tales from a Very Busy Teacher
by Marine
1y ago
Plan out your first week of 2023 before 2022 comes to an end. These three activities will get your students engaged and excited to be back in school in January. Goals for 2023 Complete this writing lesson and craft the first day you come back from winter break. Students can set goals and have fun creating a self-portrait. You’ll get a variety of templates to choose from, plus writing templates and graphic organizers. Find it here. One Word Agamograph This is a powerful lesson you can use to teach your students about the importance of words. After reading Martin’s Big Words, have students choo ..read more
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5 Tips for Creating Positive Behavior Expectations
Tales from a Very Busy Teacher
by Marine
1y ago
Classroom management and strong teaching go hand in hand. In order to have an effective lesson go off without a hitch, you need to make sure your classroom management is intact.  I learned that the hard way when I started teaching.  The behavior expectations I set for my students were not specific or measurable. They were open to interpretation, which caused a lot of drama!  I had three classroom rules: Have fun. Listen while others talk. Raise your hand to share. These rules didn’t allow me to explicitly teach students how to behave while participating in certain tasks in our ..read more
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