Helping students to think critically about the media, and general media literacy is an important part of our curriculum in third grade. Books, movies, TV shows… our students are bombarded with media everywhere! It’s so important that our students learn about media literacy from a young age, and critical thinking is a huge part of that!

Last year, in Third Grade,  we had a bad case of the “I Wants”.  My students wanted absolutely everything they saw on TV, or in a movie, or in the advertisements that pop up on YouTube. If they saw it, they had to have it.  I wanted my kids to know that they were being advertised to, plain and simple. Most of these ‘wants’ and ‘gimmes’ were the direct result of good advertising.  I wanted my students to have the tools to see this for what it was, a clever marketing campaign where they were the perfect targets.  I thoroughly believed that they were capable of looking at Media with a critical eye. Our unit on media literacy and critical thinking was a direct result of this situation, and it made a huge difference in our class.

Once we defined different types of media we got to work looking for them in our everyday lives. We started by cutting up and sorting our Scholastic book order to help students to see that all media has a purpose: to persuade, to inform, and to entertain.   It was fun to see them try and see which books fit into which categories. As a teacher, I loved that ‘lightbulb’ when my students realized that their book order was designed to make them want to purchase things.

“Mrs. P, I know why this is in bright colors!  So we will want everything on it!” BINGO!

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Using our class book order flyer helped students to make a real-life connection to the content.

Plan Out Media Literacy With One Click

It only takes a few minutes to plan your media literacy unit for upper elementary. In just a few clicks you can grab all of the pieces you need: lessons, hands-on activities, and a fun project. Click and print. Planning is really that easy.

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Media Literacy Unit for 2nd-4th Grade

Together, we looked at clips from popular movies and examined how characters always hold the latest gadgets, toys, and treats. Another way to convince us to buy, buy, BUY!  But my favorite lessons, by far, were the ones where we explored YouTube.   My students love YouTube, but the dreaded before-video-ads make me cringe.  This unit helped us to look at those ads critically, and use the advertisement time as teachable moments.  What are we being sold? Why is this ad here? How are we being persuaded?  

It was so rewarding to watch my students develop as critical thinkers.  I noticed a huge change in their attitudes towards “I Want” as the year progressed.  Sure, they still wanted new toys and treats, but they were ‘calling out’ persuasion tactics they saw in the media.  A student even came home from a superhero movie on the weekend and told me about all the products he had seen on the screen.  

“Do they think we will fall for that?” he asked.  

I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud.

My Media Literacy Unit is available on Teachers Pay Teachers.  It’s perfect for third, fourth, or fifth grade.

Quizzes and tests are inevitable when it comes to teaching. And as teachers, we need to help our students prep for tests and be ready to show what they know. It’s not enough to give study guides and do practice tests. But what can we do? Take a peek at some of my favorite quiz and test prep activities in my third-grade classroom, and let me know if you have some new ideas to add.

I think all of us have had that moment sitting in front of our computer, Google ope, trying to search out how to engage our students in lesson reviews before a test. I’ve been in that place multiple times. Over the years, I’ve discovered some fun and engaging ways to review for any test. Here are my favorites:

play ‘stump the panel’ as test prep review

This is a game where all students come up with a set of quiz questions. Several students are chosen to be on a panel and they sit in a row of chairs at the front of the class. The remaining students are in the audience and they are responsible for asking questions of the panel. If one of the panel students does not answer a question correctly, they will take a seat in the audience and be replaced by the student who asked the question.  Learn more here!  

review for a test with kahoot

This is a website based game. I love creating purposeful review activities and this website is a fantastic tool. On Kahoot, teachers are able to program in questions that they would like the students to answer. I have my students bring in their devices (or you can use school devices). Then I group my students together and give them the access information for the website. On their devices, they can pick their answers to the review questions and see a growing graph of what answers other students picked. This also provides a quick check for me, so I can see who might need some extra review.

Photo from getkahoot.com

preparing for a test with flashcards

This is an oldie, but a goodie. Students really do need to be taught to create flashcards or study notes. It’s an essential skill that they will use throughout all their education. However, flashcards do not need to be stagnant. I once had a parent tell me that she inserted “Gummy Worm” cards throughout the flashcard deck. As she quizzed her daughter on sight words, the “Gummy Worm” card would come up every once in awhile. She would then give her daughter a gummy worm. Her daughter LOVES doing sight word flashcards now.

take part in a ‘quiz takeover’ activity

Students often like to put on their teacher hats. Give students an opportunity to “think like a teacher” and predict the quiz questions. Then, have them write a few quiz questions for their peers and coach their peers through the answers.

This ‘Quiz Takeover’ game is available for FREE in my TPT store. It’s a great print-and-go way to review for any quiz or test, in almost any subject! It’s the perfect way to have your students think critically about the subject matter.

FREE Quiz Takeover Game

A quick test prep activity where the STUDENTS create potential questions for an upcoming quiz and challenge their peers to solve them!

download it here

use Charades or Drama to review

I like doing charades or dramas because it lets students interact with each other and move around. Another bonus is these movement games take virtually no preparation! To play charades, throw a bunch of the unit vocabulary words into a hat and have students act out the words without saying anything. Alternatively, you can have students create a short drama to enforce vocabulary terms. For example, if you were learning about the lifecycle of a plant, students could pretend they are a plant growing through the stages of seed, germination, seedling, young plant, and mature plant. While this might make some students uncomfortable, it will definitely give your kinesthetic learners a chance to shine.

I’m always looking to expand my repertoire of review games and activities. Have you discovered any that work well for you?
 

I have literally heard it all from parents. The great, the bad, and the tear-inducing. If you’re anything like me, you’re a perfectionist and some of these things are so hard to hear. You work so hard towards creating engaging lessons, building good student-teacher relationships and organizing your time well. But there always seems to be some parents who are hard to connect with. By all means, I am not an expert on building perfect parent-teacher relationships, but I have learned some tricks over the past few years that have greatly minimized misunderstandings and hurts.

“Let me know if I can help you with anything”
“You’re not meeting my child’s needs.”
“Thanks for being a great teacher!”
“You give too much homework.”
“You don’t give enough homework.”

Tip One: Meet Parents as Soon as Possible

This is key to starting a positive relationship. I like to have quick chats with each parent after school as they are picking their children up. Usually, I’m able to connect with each parent at some point in the first week or two after school. However, sometimes parents work long shifts, or daycare comes to pick up the children, so I don’t get a chance to talk with them in person. For those parents, I will call them on the phone. During these brief conversations, I’ll introduce myself, and get to know the parents a little bit. If the conversations lead to it, I’ll even ask them about their greatest hopes for the year.

Tip Two: Stay Positive

Say as many positive things as possible. This helps parents trust that you see their kid and recognize their child’s positive attributes. It also helps when you have to have those inevitable tougher conversations. When a tough conversation comes around, the parents know that you have seen the positive things about their child too.

Tip Three: Stay in Contact

Find out how parents want to be contacted and make sure that information is getting home. Information should be sent home in a few consistent ways.  Kids’ backpacks often become black abysses, where notices and information get crumpled up and lost. I’ve learned to never assume that information is getting home when I give it to a child. I will often follow up with an email or a reminder to make sure parents received the information. On the other hand, some families don’t have internet at home, so they might not be getting your super-informative emails. Thus, you might want to print off the emails to give those parents a hard copy. There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to parent-teacher communication. You’ll have to find the method that works best for you :)

Photo by William Iven on Unsplash

Tip Four: Send Information Home

How many times have you asked a child what they did during the day and they respond, “Nothing.” We all know that this isn’t true, but kids often forget what they did during the day. An easy solution to help parents out is to send home information about what you are doing during the day. This might be in emails, through an app, a notice, or whatever method works best for you. Did you do a great science experiment? Send home a picture or a quick message. Did you watch a youtube clip to introduce a new concept? Send the link home, so parents can watch it again with their child. By sending home these sneak peaks of the day to the parents, you give them a starting point for conversations with the students. These conversations make you, as the teacher, look really good.

Do you have any awesome ways to create and sustain strong parent-teacher relationships? I would love to hear your tips and tricks.

Devotions - spending time with the Lord for a focused period of time. Morning devotions with kids - spending time with the Lord for a focused period of time, and teaching kids the importance of following God. This is so important! But sometimes it’s hard to do because we lack ideas. If you’re anything like me, you like to establish routines in your classroom, and finding a devotion routine for school (or at home!) can be tricky.

Despite all the excuses that I come up with - my biggest one being “I don’t have time today”, I have discovered that devotions help to ground my day. When my students come in, they do morning work. Let’s be practical, we need those few minutes to talk to parents, organize backpacks, etc, etc. But right after that, we all sit together at the carpet for devotions. I find that doing devotions in the morning is a way to invite Jesus into the day. It sets the tone for the day: we are first focused on Christ, then our endeavors of the day. It reminds the students (and me!) about the importance of obeying and trusting God in everything we do.

Devotions are important for every age, so here are some suggestions for devotional books that can help you establish a routine in your classroom (or at home), no matter which age group you teach.

Pre-K and Kindergarten: Read and Share Bedtime Bible and Devotional, by Gwen Ellis

Although titled “Bedtime Bible”, it does not have to be read at bedtime. This book is full of short Bible stories written in kid-friendly language, with colorful illustrations. Each story is only about 50 words long, and at the end there is a discussion question. Since the stories are short, more than one story could be read and discussed.

Kindergarten and 1st Grade: Betty Luken’s Flannelgraph, by Betty Luken

Both the Kindergarten teacher and 1st Grade teachers at my school use flannelgraph when teaching Bible stories. Betty Luken’s book is written in the form of a narrative story, with flannel pieces to accompany it. The K and 1 teachers will do one story in the morning, then chat about the story and pray. Later in the day, during play centers, the students can use the flannelgraph pieces to retell the story. The kids love doing this!

2nd and 3rd Grade: The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Llyod-Jones

In my room, we use the “Storybook Bible”, which has beautifully written stories that focus on God’s plan for the world and our need for a Saviour. We gather on the carpet to read one story a day. This way, all students are super familiar with the “Big Picture” of the Bible. After reading, we talk briefly about the story and then take time to pray.

2nd, 3rd or 4th Grade: The One Year Book of Devotions for Kids

If you’re looking for something that goes beyond Bible stories and delves into specific Bible passages, this is the book for you. Each day, there is a short Scripture to read, followed by a short narrative story about modern-day kids who have to practice the virtue or principle outlined in the Scripture passage. At the end, are discussion questions and suggestions for a Bible Memory Verses.

4th Grade: Jesus Calling - 365 Devotions for Kids, by Sarah Young adapted by Tama Fortner

This book is written as if Jesus is speaking to the children. Each page starts with a Bible verse. Then there’s a short passage, written from Jesus’  point of view, telling the students about how wonderful His plans are and how He wants them to live their lives. This book does require students to have a background knowledge of the Bible, so that’s why it’s better for older children who have some foundational knowledge.

These are only a handful of the resources that my teacher-friends and I have used for our morning devotions with our students. There are so many wonderful books and routines out there. What are some of your suggestions and tried-and-true routines?

- Rachel

Think back on your schooling, which teachers do you remember with fondness? My favorite elementary teachers were the ones who encouraged me along the way. The ones who took time to get to know me and what kind of positive encouragement needed. The teachers who really knew how to “fill my bucket”, with activities and words that meant a lot to me.

Practical ways to encourage elementary students - ideas for the classroom.

A little bit of encouragement can go a long way in the classroom. As teachers, we have a unique job because we have the privilege of setting an example for our students. I don’t know about you, but I want to set an example as an encourager and someone who takes the time to intentionally build a positive community. Here are some simple ideas for how to encourage different personality types in our classrooms.

Encourage Students with One-on-One Tea Time

This Tea Time anchor chart is where students sign-up for some one-on-one time with me. We chat about their day, or play a quick board game. This could also work virtually over Zoom during distance learning!

This is for those kiddos who feel love through ‘quality time’. I set aside time a day or two a week (during Lunch, Recess or Centers) to have some one-on-one time with a student. I brew a cup of herbal tea for each of us and we chat. In the past, I’ve had a chart on the back wall where students can sign-up to spend tea-time with me.

The kids really look forward to someone on one time with Mrs. P. Some kids thrive on starting conversations and carrying them on, so chatting with them is easy. Other students need some prompting. For those kids, I use questions from Question a Day for Kids to help the conversation to flow more naturally.

Write Your Students Positive Notes

This is for those kids who feel love through ‘words of affirmation’. Students love to receive little notes of encouragement and hear positive things about themselves. When these notes go home, parents also love to read the positive things about their child. I try to have a stack of notes ready to go in my desk drawer.  (You can find the notes that I use here.  I also have a Bible-based version for Christian classrooms) In the package, there are many pre-made notes that you just need to print out and give the students. These are great to slip into report cards, journals, or leave on the kids’ desks in the morning.

Ready-to-print positive notes are a great (and easy!) way to show students that you see their positive character traits and care about them in the classroom.

Start Encouraging Students TODAY

Grab everything you need to start leaving encouragement notes for your students today! In just a few clicks you can grab 37 different positive notes that will work for almost any student. Click and print. Building a positive classroom community is really that easy.

grab the notes

Leave Some Encouragement with Whiteboard Markers

Another great idea for leaving encouraging words is writing on their desks with a whiteboard marker. (Yes, it really works, and erases quite easily!) I like to do this the night before, so the kids see the notes when they come in for the morning. It’s also fun to hear the shock in their voices when they see you have written on their desk. It’s so worth it.

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Give Small Gifts or Trinkets

Some students feel the most loved when they receive a small gift. I’m not saying that you need to break the bank on getting 20+ students a massive gift. It could be something as small as a new fun pencil or eraser for each student. I once surprised my class with a cheap pair of dollar store sunglasses (bought in a 4-pack for $1) and you would have thought it was Christmas morning! Or maybe you could bake cookies for your kids, just because! There doesn’t need to be a reason. If everything is a reward, it can lose meaning. Sometimes a surprise gift will bring the biggest smiles to your students’ faces.

In the past, I’ve used small gifts like bubbles, pencils, drinks or food treats to help build our classroom community. I made cute gift tags to go with the gifts. You can grab all of the tags below. They work for so many different occasions.

Gift Tags for Any Occasion

I have a FREE set of gift tags - there’s a printable tag for almost any occasion in an elementary classroom - Back to School, Winter Holidays, Mothers/Father’s Day, and random gifts of encouragement. They’re a free download in my TPT store.

Download them here

These are only a few ideas that I’ve used over the years, and I’m always on the search for more ways to show my kids some extra love. What are your favorite ways to encourage your students?

- Rachel

Building community in the classroom starts with the teacher! These are my four tried-and-true ways to encourage and show kindness to elementary students in grades two, three, and four.

This year, my teaching career looks very different from the past few.  After university, I was super lucky to land a third-grade teaching contract, and I stayed there until this past June.  After moving to a new city over the summer,  I am trying something different.  While we get settled somewhere into our new house and community,  I am taking the year to be a substitute teacher in our local public district (or, as we call it up here in BC, a TTOC, Teacher Teaching On Call). 

It's been fun to pop into many different grade levels for the day and see how different teachers and schools choose to run their classrooms.  Most often, teachers leave me wonderful day plans with exactly what I need to teach each day.  (However, I have been very thankful for emergency plans on days that there has been nothing left!)  

In looking through many, many different 'sub plans' I've noticed that most are missing a few key pieces of information that would make my day, as a substitute teacher, so much easier.  Here are the things I wish all sub plans would include:

Your Usual Attention-Getter

How do you usually get the attention of the students in your room? Are you a clapper?  Do you do a call-and-answer?  Do you ring a bell?  Does someone turn the lights off?  As a sub, it can be almost impossible to establish a new attention-grabbing routine in a day or two, and kids respond best to what they are familiar with.  When a teacher leaves this key piece of information in his/her plans, it helps to set me up for success! 

Extra Class Lists

So often, substitute teachers are only given one class list for attendance, and then it is required to go back to the office first thing in the morning.  The rest of the day, I am without a complete class list.  I love when the teacher has left a few easy-to-find copies of the class list somewhere readily accessible.  

Important Routines

I have found that students thrive on routines, so when a substitute teacher arrives, they can be very thrown off by familiar routines that are not 'done right'.  If you have an important routine in your classroom - morning meeting, end-of-day dismissal, birthday songs, line up, how centers are chosen, etc.  write down the procedure to help different substitute teachers maintain the routines while you are away.  

Off Limits Items

Regardless of how 'on' I am as a teacher, there will always be one or two students who try to get away with things that the classroom teacher would not normally allow.  If there are things in your classroom that the students can't use, touch, or do - jot them down in your sub notes.  

Student Notes

As a classroom teacher, you have days (and weeks, and months) to try and 'figure out' some of the tougher students.  Substitute teachers have only minutes.  If you have a student with special needs, or a student who may need some behavior help, write down some of the strategies that have been successful.  As a sub, we want to help your students be successful, but the best way to do this is to partner alongside the work that you are already doing daily in the classroom.  

Have I missed anything?  Is there anything that you include in your sub plans that is a lifesaver for your students?  Let me know in the comments below!

- Rachel

I know I’ve said it before, but I love hands-on events in a classroom. I love creating learning moments that students will talk about for months (or years) to come.  Last year, while learning how to make an inference in our reading curriculum my teaching partner and I decided to turn our classroom into an interactive crime scene to really dial up the excitement.  We had such a fun day and the kids were buzzing about this inferencing activity it until they went home for summer break.

We decided to set the classroom up as a crime scene to help explore how making inferences is a lot like being a ‘detective’ when you read.  When you read, you must use observations to draw a conclusion and read-between-the-lines of a story.   At a crime scene, detectives have to use clues to figure out what happened, there is no obvious sign explaining everything. 

Don’t forget to teach inferencing explicitly

Before we dove into the crime scenes themselves, both third-grade classrooms set the stage with a few explicit inferencing lessons. These lessons were KEY to make sure that students understood WHAT an inference is and HOW to make one. We used physical observations (of clothing, of each other, of pictures) and read wordless picture books to help students build a solid foundation and understand how to make an inference on their own. You can grab one of these (scripted) lessons below and try it out for yourself!

But, undoubtedly, the real highlight of our inferencing unit was our Crime Scene Classroom.  Here are my top 4 tips for planning your own Crime Scene Day. 

Tip 1:  Make a list, check it twice

Be prepared.  However you choose to set up the scenes in your classroom, have everything ready to go ahead of time.  I would suggest preparing materials for each scene in a large Ziplock bag or ice-cream pail so that it is quick and easy to set up.  If possible, choose Crime Scene scenarios that require very few additional supplies.  Try brainstorming ‘crimes’ that can be committed with things you already have in your classroom.  Are there any rules that you have in your classroom?  What if the criminal broke one or two of them?  I have also planned out 4 easy-to-assemble crime scenes in this packet.    Store your supplies away so that they can be quickly accessed during a prep or recess break.  I've laid out the supplies that I used in a convenient checklist in my Crime Scene Classroom packet. 

Organization is key!  The Crime Scene Class pack has detailed set-up instructions to make planning/set up so much easier. 

Tip 2:  Set up the scene in secret

I set up the crime scene during my prep time and made sure that none of my students knew about the activity before the walked through the door to begin solving crimes.  The surprise on their faces when they came into our classroom was so worth it!

Setting up the class while students were at recess allowed them to be really surprised when they walked in! Do we look sneaky?

Tip 3:  Set the stage for learning

Instead of handing students a workbook and telling them to go solve each crime, I would suggest getting into character and really setting the scene.  This helps students to get excited about the event.

  “Grade Three! Something terrible has happened in our classroom.  Someone or many people have broken into our room and committed crimes.  The police need your help to solve them.  Will you be Junior Detectives for the day and help me to figure out what happened to our beloved classroom?”   

The more engaged you are, the more engaged they will be in return.

Tip 4:  Start the activity together

After I invited students to become Jr. Detectives for the day, we all entered the Crime Scene Classroom together, as one group.  Then, we proceeded to the first scene together.  Here, made observations and inferences as a group so that all students understood how to participate in the activity. By modeling this, students had a good understanding of how to visit each crime scene and make observations without rushing.  (Well, most of them at least!)

Tip 5:  Be prepared for early finishers

While most of my students moved carefully through each crime scene, one or two finished with lightning-speed.  And the worst part… their work was well done!  I quickly came up with a few tie-in activities to extend their learning. 

• Write a timeline of the crime

• Draw a map of how each crime was committed

• Write a first-person story about one of the crimes

We had so much fun completing our Crime Scene Day, and it was a great way to help students understand what it means to make an inference. 

The plans for the complete Crime Scene Class (along with 2 scripted inferencing lessons, printable decor, planning pages and student workbooks) can be found here! 

Have you tried a day like this?  I’d love to hear your best tip in the comments below.

Have you ever heard of Love Languages? I use them all of the time in my marriage and I try to show care and kindness to my friends in ways that speak to their love languages as well.  But have you ever thought about using them in the classroom to help your students interact with each other and show care in a more meaningful way? 

If you have never heard of love languages, the basic premise is that there are five basic ways that we all receive and give love: gifts, quality time, acts of service, physical touch, and words of affirmation. Through the love languages quiz, you can find out the primary and secondary way that you like to receive love. 

I wanted to try this out in my classroom because I had a group of kids who both loved to give physical touch and did not like to receive it.  It was a really weird contrast.  They were a very ‘touchy’ group without any sense that no one else wanted to be hugged/touched in return.  I thought that exploring Love Languages might give them other tools to show their care and concern in a way that could be better received. 

So we did the quiz individually, as a teacher-led activity.  You can find a paper-based version of the quiz in the book “5 Love Languages of Children” or, if you have access to computers or tablets, there is a free version of the quiz available online from the official Love Languages book website.  Using the paper-based version, I walked my students through each question and we tallied up their primary and secondary love languages. Each student was given a post-it note and they charted their top two Love Languages.  

It was so interesting to see how my students like to receive love – it was definitely different than I would have expected.

Then we met on the carpet to talk about it.  Of course, we all loved parts of all of the Love Languages, but after talking, most agreed that these were their favorite ways to receive love. Together, we brainstormed ways that we could show love to our friends that would match up with their Love Languages.  

• Play a board game with someone who is quality time

• Give a high-five to someone who is physical touch

• Write a note to someone who is words of affirmation

• Tidy a friend’s cubby if they are acts of service

• Make a craft for someone who is gifts

It was so fun to brainstorm ways to show love to our friends in a way that they like to receive it.  We hung up our Love Languages chart in a clear spot in the classroom for the next couple of months so that the students could easily see it. As a teacher, I enjoyed watching my kids head back to that chart frequently to find a name on it to see a way they could ‘bless’ someone else.  It really helped to build character and empathy in my students and encouraged them to put the needs of their peers far above their own needs.

Have you ever used Love Languages in your classroom?  I’m already starting to plan ways to go ‘bigger’ with this in the future. I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below!

- Rachel

As a teacher, one of my favourite things to do is teach students how to read.  I use mentor texts to teach reading lessons because they can hook students into a lesson in such a genuine way.  Head on over to

The Clever Classroom to see 7 Reading Lessons Using Mentor Texts.

While you're there, take a look at her other early literacy ideas.  I love her lessons and ideas that combine digital content with literacy goals.  Technology is another great way to keep students engaged in reading and writing!

Reading and Writing often go hand-in-hand. So what better way to teach a Writing lesson than by reading a book? Books offer a window into other people's writing styles. And having an example of how to write, makes it easier when it comes time for our students to put pencil to paper. Here are some awesome books for Writing lessons that will hopefully help to inspire your future authors, journalists, novelists, etc:

Lesson One: Finding an Idea for a Story

Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon

Ralph is a boy who just cannot find anything to write about. Boy, have I been there! There always seems to be someone in my classroom who is absolutely stumped during writing time. In the story, Ralph slowly discovers that stories are all around him! (He could write about the class goldfish or the inchworm he found in his backyard, or even the markers in his desk!) My reluctant writers get such a kick out of this book because it is both hilarious and gives actual solutions to their ‘writers block’.

I like to begin my ‘Ralph Tells a Story’ lesson by asking students the question, “Where do you find your Writing ideas?” Then, we write this on chart paper. As we read the story we pause to gather more ideas and add to our chart. I end the lesson by demonstrating that ideas can be found anywhere by writing a quick story as a group using something that has happened during our day. For example, “The Sweltering Classroom”, or “Mrs. Poetker’s Lost Keys”.

Then we are ready to write our own stories!  I already blogged about how we do narrative writing in third grade, check it out here!

Lesson Two: Writing With Juicy Details

Mole’s Sunrise by Jeanne Willis

This is a super descriptive story about two animals who embark on a journey to see the sunrise. One friend (Vole) describes the sunrise to the other (Mole) using vivid imagery. At the end of the book, we discover that Mole is blind, but because of his friend’s descriptions, he feels like he has seen a sunrise too.

With this book, I teach a lesson on using juicy details in writing. When I teach the lesson, I give students picture books (including this one) and strips of paper. They have to pick their favorite descriptive sentences for inspiration and write them down. We collect all these sentences on a flip chart. Then, I challenge my students to write their own descriptive sentences. And, as I’m sure you know, prompts are awesome ways to get students thinking about an idea. Try the prompt “My Imaginary Place” or “My Favorite Season”. You’ll be surprised at what your students come up with!

Later, this leads into a great sharing activity, where students share their sentences and give feedback to each other.

Lesson Three: Writing a Letter

Dear Teacher by Amy Husband

Letter writing is an art form that seems to be lost, but I think it’s still so important for students to learn how to write a proper letter. Dear Teacher naturally leads into a fun-filled lesson on how to write a letter.

This book is a collection of imaginative letters written by a student, named Michael, who does not want to go back to school. Michael comes up with the most elaborate and hilarious excuses, which he writes in letter form to his teacher.

After reading this story, my students write a letter to me in the same style as Michael. They must explain why they cannot return to school for the remainder of the year. This also serves as an awesome first day of school activity. Lots of giggles and smiles will happen during this lesson.

Lesson Four: Fractured Fairytales

The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf by Mark Teague

I love a good fairy tale! Who doesn’t? And my all time favorite fairytale is “The Three Little Pigs”. My students are also obsessed with the story of the Three Little Pigs. This book, as you might be able to tell from the title, is a twist on the classic story. It’s also a book for kicking off lessons on fractured fairy tales.

After reading the original version of the Three Little Pigs, my students and I will read this version together. Then we compare the two stories and discuss what makes The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf special. Through discussion, they will discover that a fractured fairytale takes the original story and changes an element or two. We then brainstorm how we could change other stories.

Later, I have them write their own fractured fairy tales. They love the challenge!

Lesson Five: Writing Stories With a ‘Hook’

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin

Doreen Cronin certainly has a way with words. I love her stories! She uses repetition, not only to make her stories hilarious but also give them character. In this story, the cows are airing their grievances with Farmer Brown by writing him letters on a typewriter. The key repetitive phrase is “Click, Clack, Moo!”

Click, Clack, Moo is great for teaching students the concept of story writing with repetitive phrases. These are the phrases that the reader can latch onto when reading. Try brainstorming some of your own phrases that would sound silly when repeated and try writing a group story using them as the ‘hook’!

As you can see, I have a lot of fun teaching my students how to write. I enjoy reading the things they come up with. And I love seeing how they develop as writers. Do you have a subject that you’re super passionate about teaching? Share what it is in the comments below!

Four Strategies to Help Students Cope

I want my students to understand the importance of keeping their whole bodies healthy. That makes sense, right? Healthy eating, getting enough sleep (PLEASE!), exercise…. But what often gets forgotten is mental health. To help students cope with anxiety at school it is important for them to understand what they are feeling, why they are feeling it, and how to deal with it. Teaching about this can start at any age, and here are some practical ideas strategies.

Strategy One: Pre-Teach Feelings

The brain is a fascinating thing, and students LOVE to learn about how the brain works. Plus, the kids enjoy being able to throw big words around the classroom (and impress their parents at the dinner table). The Kindergarten teacher at school started the year by teaching her kids about how the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala work together. In simple terms, the prefrontal cortex is the decision maker, and when we are angry, frustrated, upset, etc., the amygdala is the switch that turns off the prefrontal cortex.  Thus, the brain is unable to make good decisions. When kids understand why they are feeling upset, they can begin to problem solve. (Some more kid-friendly explanations can be found here.)

Strategy Two: Create a Calming Tool Box

Teaching students strategies for how to deal with their emotions can be simple and effective. Some kids just need to hug a stuffed animal. Some kids need to read a book for a while, to help distract themselves. Some kids need something visual to watch. For example, this brain jar:

Students shake the jar and watch the sparkles swirl around, and then sink to the bottom. This is such a simple tool to make. You just need a mason jar, water and some pretty sparkles. Some websites say to use gel or glue mixed in with the sparkles, but I found that just using water was easiest. It’s amazing how this helps to calm students.

I have all of these 'tools' in my classroom Calming Tool Box. This is just a white tupperware bin.  My class knows that that they can go to this bin to get a “tool” when they need to calm their brain down. 

Strategy Three: Create a Safe Space for Feelings

Who enjoys being sad, upset or angry in front of other people? I know that I do not. Creating a safe place for emotions is an awesome idea for the classroom so that students have a place to go when they are feeling upset. This is a place where students can calm themselves down and then come back when they are ready. For some classrooms, you may have a corner for students to do this, or a more private cloakroom area. In other classrooms, like mine, the most practical location might be in the hallway, just outside the door. This is an area where you can put a stool or a chair, and a Calming Tool Box. 

Strategy Four: Teach Students About Whole Body Health

Sometimes students need to be explicitly taught what to do when they are feeling anxious and upset. Purposeful lessons on mental health, including how to ‘calm down’ when you are feeling overwhelmed can go a long way towards helping your students cope independently. In my classroom we have been learning how our physical and mental health work together to make our whole bodies healthy! 

We brainstormed situations that made us anxious and different ways we could calm down.  (Points for the student who wanted to use a Hot Tub!)  

We researched healthy eating ideas and ways that we could help our bodies feel calm in stressful situations. 

Combining physical and mental health into one uni helped my students to see that it is important to take care of their bodies and their minds. 

Students made these fun lapbooks that showcased their learning! 

Our Whole Body Health lapbook tied together all we had learned! (Check it out here !) 

The whole unit can be found in my Teachers Pay Teachers store, or by clicking HERE.

Now I want to know about you! We are heading into testing season in Canada and the US, (and abroad?) which can be an anxious time for many students. What are your best strategies for helping to calm anxious students, and for giving them the tools to calm on their own?

I teach in a Christian School.  I believe in Bible-based education that not only teaches about the Bible, but also trains children up the ways of Jesus.  I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Bible resources verses, websites, and curriculums that I use regularly in my classroom

Blogs: Faith in the Classroom

Preparing for Easter in the Christian Classroom

Easter is one of the most important times in the faith community. Take a peek at how we prepare our hearts and minds for this important holiday with what we read and the lessons we take part in.

Christian Education Resources

Scripture Memory : I love Bible Memory because I think that hiding God's word in your heart is such an important and lifelong tool!  Starting from a young age, children can begin to memorize age-appropriate verses of the Bible that will carry through to the rest of their lives.  In K and 1 we use Bible Memory ABC's for Preschool and Kindergarten and in second to fourth-grade students move on to Bible Memory - 21 Essential Verses for First-Sixth Grades.  I also wrote a Bible Memory for teachers.  I firmly believe that we, as teachers, should be modeling what it looks like to live Christ-centred lives.  For me, that looks like actively memorizing the Bible in front of my students.  (Bible Memory for Teachers available here, completely free) 

Teaching Students to Pray - A Visual Guide

At the beginning of the year I always spent a portion of time teaching my students how to pray.   I want them to move beyond seeing God as an almighty-wish-granter.  I want them to have a back-and-forth relationship with their Creator.  The poster below is just part of how I do this. (Grab it for free.)

Whole Hand Prayer - three free posters and a blank journaling page -grab these free prayer printable worksheets in my free resource library.

Teaching children to pray can be a daunting task.  We want each child to know that they can have open and honest communication with their heavenly Father, without thinking of him a a 'genie' who grants their every wish.  Check out this Prayer Journal unit for a step-by-step  guides on prayer based on the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6, and grab the free poster set by clicking the link above. 

Bible Story Units - Great for School & Sunday School

We use these units in Sunday School and in our lower grades (Pre-K and Kindergarten).  They teach Bible-based vocabulary, storytelling elements, and are just a lot of fun! 

• Jonah and the Whale

• Noah's Ark

• The Easter Story

• The Creation Story

If your students are older, check out my Dig Deeper series that asks students to dig into God's Word to discover Biblical Truths and promises.  These resources meet both Common-Core and Canadian standards, and allow students the opportunity to discover their creator on a deeper level. 

Promises from God Learn the fundamental promises God has made to us throughout scripture.  Students will discover that their foundation can be built on the unbreakable promises of their Creator.

What Does the Bible Say About...

Teach students to turn to God's word in every situation as they explore Bible through individual written projects.

My Identity in Jesus...

A project to help students explore their God-given identities!  Students will create "I am" statements based on Bible truths using writing, matching games, and art projects.