A Spoonful of Teaching

What a crazy time we are living in right now! Today on A Spoonful of Teaching, I'll be talking about how I’m connecting with students and hopefully give you some tips to stay calm while remote teaching! Let’s jump right in! My Google Classroom page The #1 way I am connecting with my students from home is through Google Classroom. Google Classroom is something we used when we were in session, but not often. It’s also great because we can communicate even though we aren’t together! If you didn’t set up a Google Classroom while school was in session, no worries- you still can! It’s very easy to set up. All your students will do is type in a code to enter your “classroom.” It’s that simple! The simplicity of Google Classroom is one of the many reasons why I love it so much. Another reason I love it is because you can schedule your posts. It’s a lifesaver! Every day, my posts are live at 8:00 a.m. Each post has the same layout-- I call it our “to-do list.” It starts with answering...

Hello everyone and welcome back to A Spoonful of Teaching! I hope everyone is staying healthy and for my teachers out there, keep disinfecting your rooms of course (like that's any different from every other day of the year 😂)! Today we are talking about test prep tips. Most state testing for upper elementary is quickly approaching-- let's set ourselves and students up for success! Tip #1 - prepare yourself Educate yourself on the standardized test you are giving. While this is not the most fun or exciting way to prepare, it's probably the most beneficial. I mean, they provide a "handbook" for a reason! Knowing the protocol of what you, as well as your students, can and can't do will ease some anxiety about giving the test. Be sure to read the script, too! I always think it's so silly that teachers must read a ridiculously bland and monotonous script. But if you read the script beforehand, it might not be as awkward when you read it the fir...

This Thursday on A Spoonful of Teaching, we are talking about Walt Disney World!! While my blog is mostly a teaching blog, I love to talk about all things Disney. I’m a big advocate for Disney vacations. Not only is it the most magical place on Earth, but it’s also an overall amazing vacation spot. Now you might be thinking, “I’m a grown adult. There’s no way I’m going to Disney World,” but hear me out. You’ll want to book a Disney vacation after reading this post. High-class relaxation If you are looking into booking a Disney vacation, staying on property is a must. Resorts are broken up into tiers: value, moderate, deluxe, and deluxe villas. In my personal opinion, I think the higher the resort tier, the less children.This is not always the case, however, most families with young children prefer to stay at the budget resorts as they are more “kid-friendly” with their themes. While I’ve only had personal experience at moderate and budget hotel pools, pools at any Disney resort are...

Welcome back to A Spoonful of Teaching! Today I'm talking about Classroom Community! Building a strong classroom community is so important. My students are like my closest friends-- I mean, I see them 5 days a week for about 8 hours a day. Building a great connection is important because it allows students to feel safe. When students feel safe, they tend to open up more and they feel comfortable. And when they feel comfortable, that's when the most effective learning can happen. Taylor, my co-teacher, and I have a strong belief in creating a well built connection with students. Here are my 5 favorite ways to build classroom community: 1) Whiteboard Message This is one of my absolute favorite  ways to connect with students! I set the expectations for whiteboard messages on the second day of school. My students are like little robots in the morning because they have a routine they've followed since the second day of school. After they store their book bags in the hallway ...

Thanks for coming back to A Spoonful of Teaching! I appreciate the love and support from all of you! Today I’m going to give you the low-down on Student Led Conferences. Last year was the first year I had ever heard of one, let alone organized one for my students! It was extremely intimidating. A student-led conference is different from the traditional parent-teacher conference. If you’re a current teacher or studying to be a teacher, this post is for you whether you’ve never heard of one or are a seasoned pro at organizing a SLC. Let’s get started. What is a student led conference?  A student led conference is exactly what it sounds like-- a student leading a conference. This is a step above a parent-teacher conference. In a parent-teacher conference, the student is usually not present. Therefore, the teacher does all of the talking with the parent! For a student led conference, we prepare our students to present their goals, grades, testing data, and artifacts (projects, tests...

Happy Thursday! Thanks for visiting A Spoonful of Teaching. Last week, I mentioned talking about a few of my favorite lessons. Guess what, I’m doing it! I would love to share some of my most memorable lessons every once and awhile! So, here it goes... Lesson One: “Yet” This is a lesson I love to do at the beginning of the year. It’s the perfect introductory lesson for something I value in my classroom-- growth mindset! Promoting growth mindset is SO important in a classroom. A growth mindset is having the belief you are in control of your ability, and can learn and improve. The first thing we do to kick off our growth mindset lesson is listen to Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae. This has always been one of my favorite books-- even as a kid! This YouTube video is a beautiful animation movie of the story: https://youtu.be/vZjsLK5vwNU . If you’re not familiar with it, take the time to watch the video! After watching the animation movie of Giraffes Can’t Dance , we brainstorm ...