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Ten Freebies, Dollar Deals, and Two Dollar Treats for Back to School!

Yes, you read that right, that's a full ten back-to-school bargains!

These bargains are designed to make your teacher life easier for back to school!

Ten Bargains for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for 2nd grade.

These are some of the things that always help me through those first busy weeks of school! 
 

Ten Bargains for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for 2nd grade.

Here's a Dollar Deal to help organize your literacy centers, including what the children do when they're not with you!

These cards are part of this more inclusive resource: 

Guided Reading and Literacy Center Management and Organization Resources

 
Ten Bargains for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for 2nd grade.
 
We all know those children who struggle to learn sight words. This research-based $2 Treat will help!


For a more inclusive resource see:

Ten Bargains for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for 2nd grade.

 
Here's a great way to keep communication open with parents, and give them some information that will help their children be successful!


Ten Bargains for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for 2nd grade.

This system has helped many children master their basic math facts. This freebie is the first of 8 research-based, brain-friendly levels toward math fact fluency.


Ten Bargains for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for 2nd grade.

Have your students mastered addition and subtraction facts? Move them on to multiplication and division! As with the addition and subtraction facts above, these are research-based and brain-friendly. This freebie is the first of 8 levels toward multiplication and division fact fluency!
 


Ten Bargains for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for 2nd grade.

This Dollar Deal is a great way to start the year in Science and Social Studies.
 

For the full set of 9 enhanced activities see:


Ten Bargains for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for 2nd grade.

  
Looking for some fun ways to get the children comfortable with each other and learn to work together? These 6 Dollar Deal Team Building Games are very popular!

These 6 games are included in:

These 20 games are included in the bigger set... this one will last you the whole year!

Ten Bargains for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for 2nd grade.
  
I use these Dollar Deal tools as a "school office" with my students. These hands-on tools help children become independent learners!
 

These tools are included in the big bundle:


Ten Bargains for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for 2nd grade.
 
 
This Dollar Deal is a fun way to get the kiddos thinking about their learning and how they can take charge of their learning.

 

Ten Bargains for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for 2nd grade.

This one will help the kiddos get all those summertime wiggles out!

If you find these freebies and dollar deals useful, I'd love if you left some feedback!

I hope these bargains and ideas make your teaching life a bit easier!

Ten Bargains for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for 2nd grade.


Ten Freebies for Back to School - These include parent communication, brain breaks, Science, Social Studies, literacy, and math freebies for second grade.


 

 





My First Day of School Promise

Every year, I sit down with my brand new class and have a little chat about why we come to school. My second graders figure it out right away: we come to school to learn.

My First Day of School Promise: Ever since I can remember, I've made this promise to my students on the first day of school. It's a win-win!

That's when I make my yearly promise. 

I'm very dramatic when I make the promise. I include dramatic pauses, and I make the same gestures whenever I say it. 

I move my right hand outward as I say the first part, then I move my left hand outward as I say the second part. It goes like this:
My First Day of School Promise: Ever since I can remember, I've made this promise to my students on the first day of school. It's a win-win!

These phrases are used all year long, and I repeat the gestures each time. After a while, I don't even have to say the words, I just do the gestures, and the kiddos realize they need to put the effort into their learning.

Of course, I make a point to keep that promise!

My First Day of School Promise: Ever since I can remember, I've made this promise to my students on the first day of school. It's a win-win!



Science and Engineering Practices

After spending time studying the Next Generation Science Standards, I wanted to share the Science and Engineering Practices.
 
Science and Engineering Practices: These are part of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This post explains what they are and how we can interpret them in relation to STEM.
 
After several years with Common Core, I'm sure you'll remember the Standards of Mathematics Practices. If you recall, these practices apply to all grade levels, and all math learning. 

The Science and Engineering Practices are straight from the Next Generation Science Standards. The whole appendix dedicated to these practices can be found HERE. As with the math practices, these Science and Engineering Practices apply to all grade levels. Here they are:
Science and Engineering Practices from the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

HERE's a nice article I found that discusses each of these practices from the science and engineering point of view, for the different levels from Kindergarten to Grade Twelve. 

As I discussed these practices with my STEM Innovation Network, we came to the same conclusion: 

These aren't just Science and Engineering Skills, they are LIFE Skills!


These are the skills we should be teaching our students.

Even if it's not on the test!

These practices can be embedded in many activities across the curriculum, can't they? 

As a second grade teacher, our priorities are building the foundation: teaching the important skills of reading, writing and math. (As they say: K-2 Learn to Read, Grades 3 and up, Read to Learn!)

Science and Engineering aren't a priority in the classroom yet, but it's a strong area of interest for the kids! These practices are something we should be sharing regularly when we can fit them into our day.

How do you embed these Science and Engineering Practices into your school day?  

Science and Engineering Practices: These are part of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This post explains what they are and how we can interpret them in relation to STEM.

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain!

This is an awesome read for the first day of school!

 
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain! This is a great book for starting the school yea! Plus, there's a freebie to accompany the book and get to know your students at the start of the school year!

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak, Ph.D is appropriate for kids K-3.


If you've ever read my blog before, you'll know that I am absolutely fascinated by the brain and how it works. This book explains how the brain works in kid-friendly language! 

It tells the specific parts of the brain and the specific jobs they have, and how each brain is different, which makes us all uniquely different. 

I particularly love the part that discusses things that kids have learned, such as playing soccer, that were hard at first, but with practice, got easier! They might have even made mistakes, but the mistakes helped them learn!

If that's all it was about, this book could be used any time of year. The reason this makes a great beginning-of-the-year book is because it tells the reader they can stretch their own brain! 

Who wouldn't want to stretch their brain? 

Isn't that our job as teachers? To stretch their brains?
(I refuse to believe that our job is to have the kiddos score well on tests!)

I feel it's our job as teachers to teach the children to be better learners,  and to stretch their brains as much as they can!  

That leads me to this fun resource, based on this awesome book.
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain! This is a great book for starting the school yea! Plus, there's a freebie to accompany the book and get to know your students at the start of the school year!

It has some activities to let the children tell what's already in their brain, a chance to challenge their brains a bit more, and a few coloring pages to give them a chance to think about their brains! See the image or see HERE for the link to this fun resource! Enjoy! I Can Stretch My Brain!

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain! This is a great book for starting the school yea! Plus, there's a freebie to accompany the book and get to know your students at the start of the school year!

How to Squeeze in Social Studies and Science

Teaching is harder than ever these days!

How to Squeeze in Science and Social Studies: Suggestions for primary grades to fit these important (and fun) subjects into the day with an overscheduled classroom.

I'm about to start my 39th year teaching. Honestly, it's a lot harder now than it was back in the 70s when I started! Luckily, experience has taught me a whole lot, and I have a repertoire of tricks up my sleeve.

Nowadays we have to individualize everything! We have to keep evidence folders, and post learning targets based on Common Core or College and Career Ready standards.  We have to pre-test, post-test, follow a prescribed program, teach specific subjects at specific times, and somehow get these kids to learn! We need to make sure we are on the same page (literally!) as the others who teach our grade, and now somehow,we are evaluated based on the tests, no matter what kids we get or what subjects we teach! Many of us lack support from administration, parents, and the government! Phys. Ed, Music, and recess are being taken out of the day, and more kids than ever have learning problems and behavioral challenges.

Yet, believe it or not, there are many of us who still choose to teach.

I find Social Studies and Science are the toughest areas to find time to teach. Finding time to squeeze it in is difficult, and finding time to prepare materials is close to impossible. 

I'm here to make your job a tiny bit easier!
 
If you follow my blog, you know that I've studied brain research, and l have become very focused on how the brain learns. 

Here are some fun ways to "sneak in" those subjects that the children love, but hardly get to participate in because of the demands of the beginning of the year:


1. Morning Meeting! Squeeze in a social studies topic into Morning Meeting. "On your turn, name something you'd see in an urban community." or "Name one of the planets."

2. Lining Up! Line them up with a fact. "Before you get into line for lunch, stop and tell a friend the 4 stages in the life cycle of a honeybee." or "Tell a friend the name of one of the oceans."

3. Brain Breaks! Take a brain break with a purpose. "You are a Coast guardsman guarding our border along the Atlantic Ocean and need to check out an incoming boat. Speed your ship over and greet the visitors." or "Imagine you are a honeybee in the pupa stage, trying to get out of your cell."

4. Connect to Something Bigger! When developing the rules for your classroom: "The Constitution of the United States is a set of rules developed by citizens of the country. You are citizens of this classroom. What rules should we have for our citizens?" (Of course, when you decide on rules, you can make a copy for the class and have them sign it with a fancy pen!) or "I wonder if farmers measure their plant growth like we do."

5. Calendar Time! Mention upcoming Social Studies or Science days during calendar time. "How many days until the Autumnal Equinox?" or "On what day of the week is Constitution Day?"

6. Read Aloud! Read books about your Science and Social Studies topics (fiction and non-fiction), then stop and chat about them! "Do all spiders have an egg sack like Charlotte did?" or "In what sort of community does Noel live? What were your clues?"

7. Keep maps and globes handy! Whenever any place is mentioned in a book, video, or just in passing, I'll grab the map or globe and find it! "Your dad is on business in Singapore? Let's find it on the globe. Wow, that's on the other side of the earth! They must be sleeping now!" As the year progresses, whenever a place is mentioned, the kids will call out, "Get the globe!" (It's also a good idea to leave maps and globes available for the kids to browse. I've heard some awesome conversations about places around the world while kids are waiting for the bus at the end of the day!)

I've got a little $1 Deal for you here, to make science and social studies a bit easier for you at the beginning of the school year! Just see the image or see HERE!
How to Squeeze in Science and Social Studies: Suggestions for primary grades to fit these important (and fun) subjects into the day with an overscheduled classroom.

For a more complete set, see: Science and Social Studies Activities for August and September
 
How to Squeeze in Science and Social Studies: Suggestions for primary grades to fit these important (and fun) subjects into the day with an overscheduled classroom.

What are your ideas to find time for these valuable subjects?





Getting Parents to Read Your Notes

I'm sure we've all been there: a note gets sent home, and it's never seen!
 
Getting Parents to Read Your Notes: Here are some hints on how to get your parents to actually READ the notes you send home about their child.
 


Parents are incredibly busy. It's a tough job. But somehow we've got to get them to read those notes!

Here are a few tricks:


Getting Parents to Read Your Notes: Here are some hints on how to get your parents to actually READ the notes you send home about their child.

I send home a newsletter once a week in my classroom. I always write a personal note to each parent on each newsletter. It goes home on Friday, and I ask them to sign them and return them on Monday.

Sound crazy? They are quick notes, and it's a definite investment in time: it pays off... it establishes a line of communication!  

How do I entice them to get in the habit of reading those weekly notes?

Getting Parents to Read Your Notes: Here are some hints on how to get your parents to actually READ the notes you send home about their child.

How to get the kids involved? 

I make sure I write a positive note about that child, and make sure the child knows about it! They'll go home and beg their parents to read it!

Here are a few examples:
Getting Parents to Read Your Notes: Here are some hints on how to get your parents to actually READ the notes you send home about their child.
Once you get the parents in the habit of checking the newsletter each week, they'll look forward to the notes. 

Of course, the notes are ALMOST always positive, but if something comes up during the week, you can be reasonably sure that note will be noticed, because you established the routine right away!

Getting Parents to Read Your Notes: Here are some hints on how to get your parents to actually READ the notes you send home about their child.

Active Students? Try Scoot!

Today I'm sharing a game that helped me through those last hectic weeks of school where the kiddos just couldn't concentrate on much of anything...Scoot!

 
Active Students? Try Scoot! The game, Scoot, can be played a number of ways for a variety of reasons. Here are the basics of the game, a few suggestions, and a freebie!

All you need to play scoot is a set of task cards (I know we all have plenty of those!) an answer sheet, and some desks or tables.

In the picture above, we put the desks into a big square, which is perfect for scoot, but rows, tables, or sets of desks in any arrangement can work. You just need to set a pattern for movement.

The basis of the game:
  • There is a numbered task card on each desk. 
  • Students do the task card at their desk, and write their answer on the answer sheet.
  • When the teacher calls "Scoot", the children all move to the next desk in the sequence, and do that task card.
  • Children continue to "scoot" from desk to desk until all cards have been completed.
 
After completion, I usually let the children self-correct while we go over the cards. (Self correcting with highlighters makes it more fun!)
Active Students? Try Scoot! The game, Scoot, can be played a number of ways for a variety of reasons. Here are the basics of the game, a few suggestions, and a freebie!

For added fun for squirmy kids, replace one (or more) of the task cards with a brain break. My kids LOVE brain breaks, and look forward to that part of scoot!
 
Active Students? Try Scoot! The game, Scoot, can be played a number of ways for a variety of reasons. Here are the basics of the game, a few suggestions, and a freebie!

 
If you're interested in task cards that work well with scoot, see HERE.
 
These Reading Comprehension for Active Learners sets are designed with Scoot in mind!

Try it out with this dollar deal! Social Studies Review Task Cards

How do you keep your active students learning?

Active Students? Try Scoot! The game, Scoot, can be played a number of ways for a variety of reasons. Here are the basics of the game, a few suggestions, and a freebie! 

Doing the Tango! (Learning about Argentina!)


We had one of our Enrichment Days today! Our theme was Around the World in One Day, and it was fabulous!

All the teachers sponsored workshops about different countries, the children got tickets to different workshops, and everyone had a blast!

My country was Argentina!
The first thing I did was show where Argentina was on the map, and discussed what we knew about it from the map:
  1. Most of Argentina is the temperate zone, so it gets all 4 seasons. 
  2. Since Argentina is in the southern hemisphere, they are coming into their winter, like we are coming into our summer.
  3. There is a good deal of coastline. Argentinians probably enjoy their beaches as well as fishing.
  4. There are mountains along the border to Chili. They probably enjoy skiing and hiking.
Then we watched this video and found out we were right!


They loved the video, and all want to visit Argentina!

Then I showed this video of the Argentinian Tango from So You Think You Can Dance.

Then I showed this "How to Tango" video for kids. It was a little dorky, but they got it!

Of course, not everyone wanted to Tango, but they had THESE adorable little Argentina booklets to color, so everyone was happy. 
Sorry I didn't get a better picture of the booklets!
But many kids wanted to Tango. So I played this You Tube video with plenty of Tango music:

Of course, I had to give them roses to carry in their teeth while they danced! (Look closely, they've got them!)


Everyone had a great time! I ended with a quick "Triva Time" to see if they remembered what they learned about Argentina, and they did! I think they'll remember the Tango most of all!

Stop by Doodle Bugs Teaching for more Five for Friday!




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