Firstieland Podcast For Elementary Teachers: Education Teaching Tips And Ideas For Kindergarten And First Grade

Fun January Room Transformation With Snowmen At Work - Book Bite #3 In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares quick and easy ways to use Snowmen at Work to boost engagement during the long winter stretch. You’ll learn how to use this playful picture book to teach reading skills, spark creative writing, and bring joy back into your classroom w...

Teaching Animal Habitats in First Grade: Project-Based Science and Writing Unit In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares how to integrate science with writing with a project based learning unit about Animal Habitats. If you’ve ever wondered how you’re supposed to fit science and writing into an already packed day, this episode is for you. In...

Character Traits & Science With Snowflake Bentley – Book Bite Episode 2 In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab dives into the true story of Snowflake Bentley and shows you how to turn this beautiful winter biography into meaningful lessons across your day. You’ll learn simple ways to teach character traits, main idea, compare and contrast, an...

What To Do When Your Class Won't Stop Talking In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab tackles one of the most common classroom struggles - kids who just won’t stop talking. From constant whispers during work time to full-blown chatter during lessons, student talking can leave you feeling overwhelmed and out of control. But don’t worry. In this epi...

Teaching Reading & Writing With The Snow Globe Family – Book Bite Episode 1 In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab kicks off the Winter Read Aloud Challenge with one of her favorite seasonal picture books, The Snow Globe Family by Jane O’Connor. You’ll learn simple ways to turn this charming winter story into meaningful lessons for reading co...

What To Do Your First Week Back to School After Winter Break In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares simple, realistic things every K–2 teacher should focus on during the first week back to school after winter break. Instead of jumping straight back into academics and feeling overwhelmed, you’ll learn how to reset your classroom in a calm,...

Happy Holidays Message From Molly At Firstieland In this short and heartfelt episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers , your host Molly Schwab shares a special holiday message for teachers everywhere. We want to thank you for tuning in and hope you take a well-deserved break, enjoy the holiday season, no matter what you celebrate, and come back refreshed and ready for a brand-new...

11 Things Elementary Teachers Should Do Before Leaving For Winter Break In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers , your host Molly Schwab shares 11 simple and time saving things to do before leaving school for winter break. Instead of walking back into chaos and clutter in January, you’ll discover easy ways to set yourself up for a smooth and stress-free return to the cla...

How To Survive (And Enjoy) December In Your Elementary Classroom In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for elementary teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares practical and encouraging tips to help you survive (and even enjoy!) the busiest month of the school year. December can feel chaotic - with excited students, endless to-do lists, and classrooms bursting with energy - but it doesn’t have...

9 Fun Ideas For Your December Classroom Morning Meeting In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers , your host Molly Schwab shares nine festive and easy ideas to add some joy to your classroom morning meetings in December. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by holiday chaos, you’ll discover simple ways to bring cheer and connection to your classroom - all while keeping students...

Fun Holiday Activities In The First Grade Classroom In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers , your host Molly Schwab shares seven fun and easy classroom activities to help you stay calm, keep your students focused, and avoid December chaos. Instead of fighting the holiday excitement, you’ll learn how to embrace the season with meaningful, low-stress lessons that still hi...

How To Build A Year-Long Read Aloud Plan In First Grade In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares how to create a year long read-aloud plan that will save you time, reduce stress, and help you teach with more intention. You’ll discover how to choose books that align with your curriculum, support your monthly themes, and make learning more mea...

Best Picture Books And Read Alouds For Teaching Gratitude In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares her favorite picture books and classroom activities for teaching kids about gratitude. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to help students slow down, notice the good around them, and practice thankfulness in simple...

Creating Thanksgiving Magic With The Turkey Hands By Susan Fairchild In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab sits down with author Susan Fairchild to chat about her playful and imaginative picture book The Turkey Hands . This fun Thanksgiving story takes a creative twist on a classic classroom activity - those adorable turkey handprint crafts we a...

Thanksgiving Activities for Elementary Students Using Balloons Over Broadway In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares how to bring the magic of Balloons Over Broadway into your classroom. This inspiring picture book tells the story of Tony Sarg, the inventive puppeteer who created the giant balloons that float through the Macy’s Thanksgiving...

Teaching Elementary Writing In First Grade: Procedural Writing In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares simple and effective ways to introduce procedural writing (also called how-to writing) in your first grade classroom. Instead of struggling with reluctant writers or feeling lost without a writing curriculum, you’ll discover how to make wr...

Classroom Management Tips For Elementary Teachers In First Grade In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares practical classroom management strategies that actually work in a first grade classroom. Instead of feeling frustrated by constant chatter, off-task behavior, or testing of boundaries, you’ll discover ways to set expectations, build posi...

Elementary Classroom Halloween Party Fun And Games In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares how to make your classroom Halloween party fun and educational by setting up a Haunted House packed with learning. Instead of losing a full day of instruction to costumes and candy, you’ll discover how to keep students engaged with math and literacy g...

Teaching Elementary Reading, Writing & Math With Pumpkins In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares how to bring the magic of pumpkins into your classroom to teach reading, writing, math, grammar, and science. Using picture books and simple hands-on activities, you’ll see how pumpkins can help you fit in fun without sacrificing standards....

Teaching Grammar In The Elementary Classroom: Nouns In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares how to make teaching grammar, specifically nouns, fun and engaging for young learners. From interactive anchor charts to picture books and simple games, you’ll hear practical tips for introducing nouns in a way that actually sticks with your kinderga...

What To Do When Your Class Won't Stop Talking In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab tackles one of the most common classroom struggles - kids who just won’t stop talking. From constant whispers during work time to full-blown chatter during lessons, student talking can leave you feeling overwhelmed and out of control. But don’t worry. In this epi...

How To Teach Sentence Writing In An Elementary Classroom In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab breaks down how to teach one of the most essential skills in early writing - how to write a sentence. From the foundational skills kids need before they ever pick up a pencil, to practical, step-by-step strategies for guiding them through sentence writ...

The 4 Parts of Morning Meeting Every Elementary Teacher Should Know In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares how a simple morning meeting routine can completely transform your school day. From greeting ideas to calendar time and everything in between, Molly walks you through what a morning meeting looks like in a real Kindergarten or 1st gra...

In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares exactly how to kick off elementary writing instruction in Kindergarten and first grade with one simple, powerful skill: picture labeling. You’ll hear practical, step-by-step ideas for teaching kids how to stretch out sounds, connect words to their drawings, and build confidence as real writers right f...

In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares simple, practical ways to help young students learn how to be good friends. From easy ice breakers to picture books that spark important conversations, this episode is packed with ideas to encourage friendships and build a caring classroom community. You’ll learn: ✔️ Easy ice breakers to help kids con...