In the hustle and bustle of the upper elementary classroom, where every moment is precious and every standard is vital, it can be difficult to give every last educational concept the attention it deserves. This is especially true when a concept only has one or two standards addressing it. If it only has one standard in all of upper elementary, then it must not be too important, right? … Or, maybe, the concept is just SO important that it only needs to be covered once to make a lasting impact on your kiddos! That’s what I’m choosing to believe, anyway, when it comes to symmetry. Maybe it’s my a ..read more

There’s no way around it: testing season is HERE. However, alongside testing time, another season has arrived: springtime! Springtime is wonderful, of course, but it does have a drawback; namely, spring fever is out in full force in upper elementary classrooms. Now, my degree is in science, but even I can do the math: spring fever + testing season = distracted, restless students! So on top of your normal teaching duties, you’ve now got a spring-fever-infested classroom to wrangle while also making sure you’re providing a supportive, positive environment for your kiddos to do their testing… An ..read more

That’s right, folks: the monthly barrage of instructional strategies isn’t over yet! There are dozens more strategies that I’ve been working on sharing with you all, just like with my last two posts in the series. If you’re interested, you can check out the first and the second round-up, then come on back so you don’t miss out on this set! Spoiler alert: there’s a freebie in one of those posts… (It’s the first one.) Now that you’re all caught up (you did catch up, right? ), let’s not waste any time jumping right into this month’s relevant, refreshing instructional strategies! Instructional St ..read more

Ecosystems are all around us… Literally. Okay, sorry. That was kind of cheesy. Regardless, I’m being honest: ecosystems are what make the world go ’round, and it’s vital that your upper elementary science students develop a thorough understanding of ecosystems as a whole. As with anything, however, to create a whole you must first fit the individual pieces together. For students who are just starting out with ecosystems, it may seem like a tall order to tackle all the unique biomes and structures at once; that’s why it’s time to break it down! … No, not like, breakdancing. I mean break ecosyst ..read more

Instructional strategies are truly the backbone of classrooms. If you don’t have an array of solid strategies at your disposal, your lesson plans will be like icing with no cake. They may be super sweet and yummy, but there’s no real dessert-eating going on! Okay, my metaphors aren’t great and I may have spent a bit too much time baking for my twins’ birthday party, but you get the point. Simply put, you need strong instructional strategies to truly make your lessons engaging and impactful. You want your upper elementary students to have their cake and eat it too, right? However, with the plet ..read more

We’re already almost halfway through March. You know what that means… Testing season is coming up. Oh, and Spring Break, also, I guess, if that’s something you’re looking forward to. While every season of testing is unique from year to year, there are plenty of reliable subjects that are always covered regardless of the manner in which the questions are posed, such as types of energy or decimals, to name a couple. There are a plethora of posts scattered across my blog on nearly every testing subject under the sun, include testing itself… Except for conversion in mathematics! Gasp! Naturally ..read more

As I type this, I’m still reeling from the whiplash that is Michigan’s weather. Last Tuesday, we had a high of 74 degrees; the very next day, we couldn’t climb past 30 degrees and snow fell from the sky. In short, our seasons are CHANGING! Okay, okay, I know it’s not just Michigan. Seasons are changing everywhere! Our rapidly changing seasons are likely here to stay, but even if they weren’t, your upper elementary students should still take the time to learn about season changes in order to satisfy NGSS as well as simply help them to explore the universe they live in. Beyond simply understandi ..read more

Teaching in the modern age is EXHAUSTING. It seems like students’ attention spans are getting shorter by the year, and there’s overwhelming pressure to keep up with the latest and greatest instructional strategies. How are you supposed to plan your lessons, grade papers, teach kids, AND brush up on the latest research while still managing to go to bed on time?! Well, here’s one idea: let my pals and I do the research for you. In fact, you don’t even have to say anything–we’ve already taken that liberty! In an effort to keep your upper elementary classroom running smoothly and save you lots of ..read more

Animal structures: how do they work? What’s the 411 on both internal and external structures of animals? Beyond that, what are all those functions?! There’s plenty to learn and explore when it comes to this tricky science concept; in fact, thanks to the mystery of animal structures, you’re reading my blog post! Okay, so maybe animal structures aren’t nearly as mysterious and unknown as I’m making them out to be. However, to your upper elementary science students, they may as well be! It’s important that kiddos develop a strong, thorough understanding of animal structures and their functions, t ..read more

Climate change has been trending upward, yet as I type this, my backyard (and driveway…) are covered in 18 inches of snow. I don’t know about you, but after Michigan’s recent snowfall, my Facebook feed has been nothing but a plethora of “Where is global warming now?” jokes. It’s clear to me that we need to do a better job highlighting the distinct differences of climate vs weather. And thus, a blog post was born. Of course, these strategies are aimed at upper elementary science students, but that’s okay; the next generation will have a better grasp on climate vs. weather! Climate and weather a ..read more