Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies

Take a look at your classroom instruction. If small groups aren’t part of your instruction, now’s the perfect time to implement them! Sara Marye, host of Stellar Teacher Podcast, is an expert in all things literacy. She joins us on the podcast today and is sharing 6 secrets to literacy small group success. For all the resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.seconds...

It’s most kids’ favorite (and some teacher’s too!) part of the school day: recess! Recess provides an opportunity for kids to release some energy and push the reset button before getting back to learning.  However, the freedom and release of energy changes when the weather is too cold and recess has to be moved inside. To help combat this reality that most of us are facing this time of year,...

You took some time off to rest and relax over winter break, and now you’re refreshed and ready for the second half of the school year! But let’s be honest, it can be hard to get back into the swing of things. That's why we’ve come up with ways to jumpstart the rest of the year. So in today’s episode, we’re sharing 4 tips for a January jumpstart in your classroom! Check out our Resource of the Week...

We’ve always said that the beginning of the school year in September has the same feeling as New Year’s in January, which makes it fitting that we’ve chosen this episode as our encore episode at the start of 2023. We believe that the best way to enhance the potential of a fresh start is to be intentional. One way to do that is by having a one word theme for the year. So in this episode, we’re expl...

We hope you’re loving your break from school, and that it includes lots of relaxing and rejuvenation. However, you know that returning to school is soon approaching, and going back has its challenges. To help you overcome those challenges, we’re sharing this encore episode with tips for teaching after winter break.  For all the resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: http...

We want to help provide you with as much knowledge, strategies, and activities that will benefit your students as much as possible. So, we have another fun podcast swap, this time, with our friend Cassie Tabrizi from After the Bell Podcast .  This is unique because on this episode, Cassie has a guest, Maria Walther, who is the author of Shake up Shared Reading . During the episode, they explo...

We’re always looking for ways to help teachers be more efficient and maximize their time, and sometimes, we can’t do that alone. We have a unique opportunity where we’re airing an episode from another podcast! Megan Polk from The Literacy Dive Podcast , has a passion for supporting teachers with their curriculum, particularly in the area of literacy. In the episode she’s sharing with us today, you...

In the weeks before a big break, especially winter break, teachers are in survival mode. You’re managing behaviors, planning lessons, and balancing expectations and fun festive activities. There’s probably a countdown to winter break on your desk, but before bolting out the door, we think there are a few last minute things to cross off your to-do list. In today’s episode, we’re sharing 2 easy thin...

As you all know, we’re big fans of books, whether we’re reading them for ourselves or to our students. Reading Christmas books during this time of year is something we especially love! There’s something magical about seeing the story come to life through your students’ eyes, their faces when looking at the illustrations, and meaningful discussions we can have afterwards.  With so many Christm...

As the holiday season approaches, it’s important to be aware how hectic and unpredictable this time can be for teachers, but also how fun and memorable it is for students. Having a nice mix of the two is the perfect balance for surviving and teaching in December, but how can you do that successfully? We’re sharing our 3 creative teaching tips on how to find the calmer moments while teaching i...

We’ve talked before about reward systems on the podcast and how we’re not their biggest fans. However, there’s always an exception to the rule, and that’s when a big break, like in December, is about to happen. We know that external rewards do provide short term benefits with immediate results, which is exactly what we need to take control of the holiday behavior management. In today’s episode, we...

During the first few weeks of school, a teacher’s focus is establishing routine, routine, routine! We know that’s the basis for a successfully run classroom. However, once our students are finally well-versed in our classroom’s established routine, then comes shorter weeks with all the holiday breaks. So what do you do with your routines now? Don’t panic, we’ve got you covered! In today’s episode,...

The recipe for a successful classroom includes a mixture of procedures, lesson plans, activities, and relationships. But the top secret ingredient? Student engagement. In order to accomplish this in your classroom, it requires a balance between novelty and routine. We’ve talked a lot about routine and procedures in the classroom in past episodes, so today we’re sharing how novelty plays a role to...

Have you ever had an idea for a party, but struggled on how to efficiently execute your plan? We’re raising our hands because we’ve definitely been there, especially when it comes to class party planning. Last week, we did an episode on a class party planning checklist , which outlined 7 steps to a successful class party, so be sure to take a listen if you missed that episode. So in today’s episod...

Class party. Those two words can either bring excitement and joy to your face, or it can stir up stress and anxiety as a teacher. While having a class party, especially in elementary school, is inevitable, you don’t have to dread every holiday that approaches throughout the year. To help ease your mind, in today’s episode, we’re sharing our best class party ideas with our 7 step class party planni...

You may have hit the end of your honeymoon phase with your class, and the procedures you put in place at the beginning of the year may be fading in their effectiveness with your students. However, it’s too early in the year to throw in the towel and there’s still time to gain back control and have procedures and routines run as you’d want. To help get you back on track, in today’s episode, we’re s...

At the beginning of each year, we determine our classroom procedures and our policies around certain items. One of those policies that is up for debate each year is the homework policy. However, before determining your policy around homework, are you even going to assign homework? If you do, we’ve determined some ways to make homework a bit easier in your classroom. So in today’s episode, we’re sh...

Having parent teacher conferences can be stressful, a little uncomfortable, and uneasy, depending on the conversations you’re going to have with parents. But have you ever thought about what it’s like on the parent side? We can guarantee that parents are feeling the exact same emotions as you are. In fact, their emotions may even be elevated since they’re in an unfamiliar environment. So what can...

It has been said that parents are your biggest allies as a teacher, which is so true. Having parents on your side during the school year helps make your year run smoothly when it comes to behavior issues, volunteer opportunities, and so much more. So we want to make sure that we're a  parent-friendly teacher, but what does that even mean and what does that look like? In today’s episode, we’re goin...

It’s no secret that we love and value the importance of procedures and routines, and one of our favorite routines is our classroom morning meeting. We find it a vital part to our morning and love that it helps foster community within the classroom. After getting into the groove of the first few weeks of school, you’re probably ready to establish your morning meeting routine, if you haven’t already...

In many ways, the beginning of a new school year resembles what all of us celebrate at the start of a new calendar year in January...New Years. It’s a time for growth, new opportunities, goals, and essentially a fresh start. While we believe in all of the new possibilities, we’re not on board with traditional resolutions, but instead just one word. In today’s episode, we’re explaining how you can...

As teachers, we tend to spend a lot of our own money on things for our classrooms. It can range from art supplies, flexible seating, extra school materials, to more classroom decor than we can count. All of that adds up and most don’t aid in any instructional or behavioral benefits.  So what if we told you we knew what you could get that would greatly benefit your classroom that didn’t cost you a...

It’s no surprise that the month of August can bring teachers a lot of emotions and stress. After all, preparing for back to school is a big task to tackle! We like to think back to school is like running a marathon. There’s so much you need to get done and prepare for, but with so little time. In order to help us cope with back to school, we think of it as just a season that will soon pass. So in...

Each year, we anticipate the first day of school and spend all of our energy planning to make it run smoothly and perfect for our classroom of new students. But what about the next day or even the rest of the week? We often push those ideas to the side because we’re so focused on the first day. But not this year! In today’s episode, we’re sharing how to achieve your first week wins through goals a...

With school just around the corner for many of you, that back to school feeling is getting closer and closer. We all strive to be the best teacher versions of ourselves when school begins and start off on the right foot. In order to do that, we thought we’d seek advice from experts in the classroom: YOU! In today’s episode, we’re sharing the best back to school tips from you, our listeners! Connec...