Are you looking for a new way to keep students engaged and motivated in the middle of the school year? Why not try project-based learning? What is Project-Based Learning? Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered teaching method that encourages learning through engaging curriculum-based problems or challenges. Students start with a ... Continue Reading
A Fun and Free Inauguration Day Resource
On Wednesday, January 20, 2021 Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the U.S. Inauguration Day, which only happens once every four years, is a special opportunity to teach students about history in real time. And this Inauguration Day Resource makes it easy to teach students about this special day. If you studied the ... Continue Reading
Starting Writing Fresh in the New Year
There’s a common expression that “September is the other January.” The return to a structured schedule is a natural time to set new goals and settle into new routines. This happens at the start of every school year. But in the classroom, the opposite is also true. January is the other September. In September you set goals and establish classroom ... Continue Reading
Improving the Quality of Student Work in Centers
I love centers. And so did my students. We did math and reading centers almost every day. Centers can be an incredibly valuable time in your classroom---or it can just be a time filler. If students are not producing quality independent work, then it is not a good use of time. Here are a few tips for improving the quality of student work in ... Continue Reading
60 Free Writing Prompts (and when to use them in your classroom)
Right now, some of my long-time followers are thinking that I have lost my mind. "Writing prompts? But, Jamie, you hate writing prompts!" It's true. I have spent several years teaching about the reasons that I don't use prompts in my writing workshop. I will keep spreading the word, but I also recognize that there is a time and a place for a ... Continue Reading
Grab these FREE 60 writing prompts for grades 2-5.