When I first started teaching we often went on field trips that did not connect to the content my students were learning. I found myself asking, “Why are we here? How does this deepen the learning of my students?” The field trips were always fun, but did little for furthering…
As we prepare for Thanksgiving, this is a great book to incorporate into your classroom. In this sweet story, Grace writes thank you notes for all her birthday gifts. But then she continues to write thank you notes to people in her community. Your students will learn the power of…
Do your students wiggle and fidget in their seats? Are they in need of movement breaks? I know that now, more than ever, we need to be incorporating movement into our lessons. Incorporating movement into learning doesn’t just have to come in the form of “brain breaks”, but you can…
October and May are two months that the Catholic Church devotes to Mary, the mother of Jesus. One of the things I love doing with my students during each of these months is praying the rosary. We gather to pray the rosary with the entire school, which is great, but…
I Am One: A Book of Action by Susan Verde I have always been a big fan of Susan Verde and Peter Reynolds, so it was natural for me to pre-order their newest book. I was NOT disappointed! This book is inspired by a quote from the Dalai Lama, “Just…
I LOVE teaching with the national parks. It is something that has brought me great joy, and I love when school families plan their vacations around the parks we learned about. Incorporating the National Park Service into my classroom is pretty seamless, as I teach about the regions of the…
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires If you are doing growth mindset with your students, The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires, is a must-have book for your classroom library. In this book a little girl wants to make the most magnificent thing, however, things don’t go quite as…
Welcome back to my tips for first-year teachers blog series. This week we are going to talk about getting to know your teammates. We spend so much of our day at school; that’s just the nature of our job. I arrive at school usually between 6:45 and 7AM everyday and…
One of the best things about teaching, besides the actual teaching, is the community that comes with any school. As you begin your journey as a first-year teacher I suggest getting involved in that wonderful community. When I first started teaching I was nervous to interact with parents and students…
Welcome to Adventures of a 4th Grade Classroom! Im a 4th grade teacher who loves motivating my students through a love of the great outdoors. I enjoy creating resources for teachers to use their classrooms. I also had the opportunity to be the 2017 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail and travel to rural Alaska by bush plane!
Annie
