Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies

We believe your greatest classroom management tool is something that you do in your classroom, but don’t necessarily think of it as managing your classroom, and that is your classroom seating arrangements. The way you arrange your seats, whether you have desks, tables, or something else, and where you place students makes all the difference. To help you out, in today’s episode, we’re sharing our 3...

With holidays on the horizon, as teachers we know that one thing is about to appear in our classrooms: class parties. And although kids love party days, teachers may think differently about it. But what’s the feeling when you’re the parent planning it all? Our very own Emily is the organizer of her child’s 2nd grade Halloween party, but this time as a parent. Even with her teaching experience, the...

The bell finally rings and your students are walking down the hallway excited to enter your classroom for the day. Once your students arrive, is it complete chaos or a structured routine? In order to have a successful day, it all starts with the tone you set for your students with the implementation of a classroom morning routine. With this routine being the last of your three morning routines, we...

As you step into your classroom, are you calmly setting things up for the day or are you frantically running around doing last minute tasks before the kids arrive? We all hope that we’re perfectly calm, but the reality is, the majority of us are rushing around with no form of intent. If that’s you, don’t panic! We’re here to help! We’re sharing the simple steps to take toward an intentional and pu...

As a teacher, did you know you actually have 3 different morning routines? While two of them occur when you arrive at school, the first routine is what happens when you get out of bed until you get yourself out the door. And since everyone is different, a standard one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. Instead, we’re sharing our teacher morning routine tips to help make the most and maximize your...

Every Thursday, we bring you a weekly bonus episode highlighting new and favorite teacher-approved tips you can apply in your classroom as soon as today.  This week's tips are: [00:53]: Tip #1 - Teach your students games to play at recess. [5:44]: Tip #2 - Guest Tip from Michelle of Stepping into Special Education - Eliminate what is not essential in your teacher life. To hear more about thes...

You all know we love routines and procedures, but one thing we might love more, which helps solidify your morning routine, is incorporating morning work. If you’ve followed us for a long time, you know that our morning work is something we’re known for and have spent a lot of years perfecting and feel proud of. So whether you’re new to the idea of morning work or have been using it for years, we’r...

Every Thursday, we bring you a weekly bonus episode highlighting new and favorite teacher-approved tips you can apply in your classroom as soon as today.  This week's tips are: [00:53]: Tip #1 - Turn walking in the hallway into a game. [5:20]: Tip #2 - Guest Tip from Teresa of Teach with Teresa - How to use classroom Escape Rooms. To hear more about these tips, head to the show notes: https:/...

When thinking about teaching procedures and routines, you often just think about the ones associated within your classroom. However, one of the most important routines to teach your students is your expectations walking through the hallway. Although walking from your classroom to your destination may seem simple, there’s a lot that goes into it. In today’s episode, we’re sharing how establishing g...

Every Thursday, we bring you a weekly bonus episode highlighting new and favorite teacher-approved tips you can apply in your classroom as soon as today.  This week's tips are: [00:52]: Tip #1 - Create a secret handshake for your class. [3:19]: Tip #2 - Guest Tip from Megan of The Literacy Dive - Incorporate opportunities for daily writing time during the school day. To hear more about these...

At the beginning of the year, it’s tempting to want to jump right into academics with math centers and literacy groups. And while we find academics important, we believe building relationships with your students takes precedence. In fact, having that community is what keeps students engaged in your lessons and improves student academics. We’re sharing our 4 back to school classroom community tips...

Every Thursday, we bring you a weekly bonus episode highlighting new and favorite teacher-approved tips you can apply in your classroom as soon as today.  This week's tip is: [00:52]: Tip #1 - Choose a one-word theme. To hear more about these tips, head to the show notes: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/teacher-one-word-theme Resources: Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow ....

Imagine this. You just finished your teaching degree, landed your first teaching job, and stepped into your classroom for the first time. You’re so excited to start this new journey, but then hit with a wave of emotions and stress realizing you have so much to do. This is the mindset of a new teacher.  Being a new teacher, there’s so many things you want to do and try, but what is actual...

Every Thursday, we bring you a weekly bonus episode highlighting new and favorite teacher-approved tips you can apply in your classroom as soon as today.  This week's tips are: [00:54]: Tip #1 - Turn student desks backwards. [4:01]: Tip #2 - Guest Tip from Emily of Teach Like a Pangolin - Incorporate daily SEL routines without losing instructional time. To hear more about these tips, head to...

As novice teachers, we thought setting up our classroom was just making it look cute with our newest theme and filled with brand new organization trays and student supplies. However, we quickly learned how we set up our classroom was so much more than that. Instead, we realized classroom management is directly correlated with the layout of the room. Before you start the year, we’re sharing questio...

Every Thursday, we bring you a weekly bonus episode highlighting new and favorite teacher-approved tips you can apply in your classroom as soon as today.  This week's tips are: [00:53]: Tip #1 - Prepare new student kits in advance. [4:45]: Tip #2 - Guest Tip from Lauren of Blue Sky Designs by Mrs. T - Use number pattern puzzles to review math concepts. To hear more about these tips, head to t...

Whether you’re a first year teacher, veteran teacher, or somewhere in between, back to school can still be overwhelming and difficult to jump back in after being on summer break. So to help you get back in the groove of school, we’re sharing some back to school tips. However, the best part is these tips come from teachers and listeners just like you! Join our new membership, The Teacher Approved C...

Every Thursday, we bring you a weekly bonus episode highlighting new and favorite teacher-approved tips you can apply in your classroom as soon as today.  This week's tips are: [00:52]: Tip #1 - 3 first day truths when you plan your first day of school. [4:48]: Tip #2 - Guest Tip from Lauren of Teach Outdoors - Get outdoors to find connections in mathematics in nature. To hear more about thes...

As a teacher, it’s no surprise that we constantly make decisions throughout the day. But have you ever been too overwhelmed that you can’t make one more decision? That’s called decision fatigue, which can be at its highest during back-to-school season. To help teachers with decision fatigue, we’re sharing 4 strategies to use during back to school. Join our new membership, The Teacher Approved Club...

Every Thursday, we bring you a weekly bonus episode highlighting new and favorite teacher-approved tips you can apply in your classroom as soon as today.  This week's tips are: [00:55]: Tip #1 - Use pattern blocks for your first day of school arrival activity. [7:50]: Tip #2 - Guest Tip from Susan of Shared Teaching - Use pre-writing assessments before launching your writing units. To hear mo...

We know there’s a lot of build up to the first day of school and both teachers and students are excited to begin a new school year. But we also know that the first day of school is more like an event with a lot of tasks and instructions you need to convey to your students.  With so much going on that day, it can be hard to remember it all, which is why we think you should create a first day o...

Every Thursday, we bring you a weekly bonus episode highlighting new and favorite teacher-approved tips you can apply in your classroom as soon as today.  This week's tips are: [00:53]: Tip #1 - Schedule a dedicated time for spiral review. [6:50]: Tip #2 - Guest Tip from Sam of Engineer Does Education - Use classroom SOPs to improve productivity and efficiency. To hear more about these tips,...

All summer we’re doing episodes that will help get you prepared for the upcoming school year. And while these topics might not be flashy or your favorite things to think about, they are important for having a successful school year. That’s why we’re sharing how essential procedures and expectations are, along with how they need to be taught to your students. Download our Free Guided Discovery of P...

Every Thursday, we bring you a weekly bonus episode highlighting new and favorite teacher-approved tips you can apply in your classroom as soon as today.  This week's tips are: [00:54]: Tip #1 - Connect with your students before school starts with a recorded story. [6:04]: Tip #2 - Guest Tip from Kristen of Easy Teaching Tools - Easy ways to declutter your classroom. To hear more about these...

After planning all summer getting things ready, when the first day of school finally arrives, you’re eager to get started teaching the curriculum. And while it’s great to review concepts from last year, that’s not the most important aspect at the beginning of school. You’ve heard us use the acronym ATTA BOY to describe your back to school goals, but in today’s episode, we’re sharing why affirming...