It goes without saying that teaching a new math concept will almost always benefit from a hands-on component. Fractions definitely fall into this category. My students were pretty bright this year and

Hi friends!  I know some of you have some extra classroom funds to clear away (I hear that smirking from some of you - I feel ya) and were asking for new and novel ideas.  Well, I found this very c

Hi Everyone! I know that many of you are now beginning your summer break. Probably the last thing on your mind is the 2012-2013 school year. I feel the same way. But in a month or so I know thoughts o

Here is part of an article I wrote for a local publication, called Macaroni Kids.  I changed it up a bit for the OC Fans!  I figured many of you are home with the kiddos this summer and of course you

I am all about saving time, and with Edmodo and Animoto, you can share memories of your school year in just a matter of minutes.   This past school year, I was introduced to Edmodo, and I absolutely

  Check out my newest idea:  Block Learning!  It's pretty simple really, just grab some blocks of wood and some stickers - that's it!  Now, I have to tell you I went to the craft store to grab my b

Today I was honored to be able to review Shape Sorting Presents from Learning Resources and this was so much fun!  The set is a simple concept:  it comes with 6 different boxes and a set of 90 super

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?  I started this blog and Facebook fan page back in the beginning of February of last year, and a a year and a half later - look how far we have come!  I literally remember beggin

This is just a quick tip for my fellow bloggers/social media friends, so if you are not interested in this - stop by the Teaching Tips Category right here in the category search function of the blog

Morning and happy Sunday teaching friends!  I have some super exciting news and I couldn't wait to share it!  I did a "little" shopping yesterday (ok let's be honest, I was online for more than 8 ho

So, as I was creating the Common Core skill ring card pouch for the Common Core Student Data Binder post I did the other day, I realized that you could use the pouches for lots of different supplies

I know data binders are really in right now, and I have always found them to be a great student motivator.  Since they are personalized for the child, you can really sit with each student to discuss

Hi friends!  I know the year is winding down for some, but for others (especially my teaching friends on the other side of the world), school is in full session.  So today I thought I would post a f

Hi all!  Well, you may or may not know this about me, but I LOVE coats and bags.  I am sort of addicted.  Not so much shoes (my flip flops work for most of the year, even in winter).  But show me a

In an ever changing society where high stakes testing is so important we begin to leave vital information on the back burner because we can’t afford to purchase, spend time on, or even teach adequ

  Hey Friends! Denise here from Sunny Days in Second Grade. It hardly seems possible, but this is my last guest post for the school year! Next month at this time I will be well rested, well-read a

Hi all and welcome to Blogging Tip Thursday Saturday.  What can I say?  It has been a jam-packed week with the newsletter going out, almost finishing up work on the super mega-awesome Black and White

This was originally posted on June 10, 2011 on my old blog, but I thought it would be fun to see if the lists have changed or are the same from last year.  What will you be reading this summer?   Ye

What could YOU do with $400?  Would you by something for your classroom?  Maybe host a killer end of the year party.  Or buy a carload of new books at garage sales thins summer?   Perhaps you just

Management in the classroom is a big deal.  It can literally make or break your entire school year, so any helpful tip is always a welcome one.  Today, I had the opportunity to review a pretty cool

Hi Everyone! I'm a little late with my post but you know how things can get so crazy towards the end of the school year. Seems to have started a little early for me. :-) Well onto my post! Today

O, my stars... Is it May? Do most of us only have a few weeks left of school? I believe that is right. The End of The Year is in clear sight. I hope you had a wonderful school year and

Small battery-operated buzzers are super fun for lots of classroom activities.  I had the opportunity to review Barnyard Buzzers from Learning Resources this week and they are so cute!  Basically, t

As the year winds down to an end, spring fever sets it, and I find I need to step my game up with interesting activities that will keep students learning and on task. One way I have done that this yea

        Hey everyone and Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!  I noticed that a few fans on The Organized Classroom Blog's Facebook fan page were looking for end of the year award certificates for t