This year I had a student who was new to our school. She was super sweet, took her notes, and whenever it was time for independent practice, she would raise her hand to ask to use the restroom, go get a tissue, or sharpen her pencil. I would give her permission, and I would watch as she spent WAY TOO LONG completing these tasks. As the year progressed, these behaviors escalated to total ...
5 Strategies for Building Number Sense
Last week, I shared my love for the book Developing Numerical Fluency and broke down the idea of number sense. This week, I wanted to share five strategies for building number sense in the middle school classroom. Upon preparing for this blog post, I did quite a bit of research and was disappointed to see that the vast majority of books on numerical fluency are geared towards K-5 ...
Number Sense in Middle School
If you have downloaded my Starter Guide to Math Intervention, then you know that I ask teachers what is the biggest struggle they face with math intervention. I receive many responses from apathetic students to a lack of resources (scroll to the end for more details), but the most popular question surrounds the topic of number sense and numerical fluency. Looking for more ideas for ...
Tips for Planning a Field Trip
My very first year teaching, I was put in charge of planning a field trip for students who had earned Honor Roll. I was told to do it as cheaply as possible. When I asked what my budget was, the response was $0. Ok... I’ll do my best. Hopefully, this won’t be your experience! Since then, I have planned or co-planned several field trips ranging from free trips to overnight, out-of-town ...
Advocate for Yourself
Teachers all over the United States have been advocating for themselves. In Arizona and Oklahoma, teachers have taken to the street to advocate for better pay. It has been a long time coming, and I am so proud of those teachers for taking action. It motivated me to advocate for myself this year. You see, since becoming a mother, my priorities have changed, and while I love my job, I ...
The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
You may already be familiar with the gradual release of responsibility model for teaching and learning: “I do, we do, you do it together, you do it alone.” You may be incorporating it on your campus, in your classroom, or with your small group. Today, I want to share a little bit about what the gradual release of responsibility model is, different activities that support it, how to ...
Classroom Supplies I Am Buying My 7th Year
It’s official: Back-to-school shopping is a go! Target has already put out their teacher goodies; therefore, it’s time to start thinking about my classroom. You can see my past classroom here. This is my 7th classroom set up, and I have most of the supplies I need. Sure, I will need to restock dry erase markers and pencils, but for the most part, there are only a few more classroom ...
Math TEKS Resources for Middle School Teachers
Over the past two years, we have developed a math curriculum that is engaging, student-centered, easy to implement for teachers, and aligned to the TEKS! Hooray! As a Texas teacher, it can be difficult to find resources that truly meet the rigor and depth of our Texas Math Standards. One of the things that I am passionate about is the alignment to the standards and alignment between ...
Must-Have Classroom Supplies from Ikea
Noelle and I recently took a trip to Ikea to scout for items for my classroom. We did it with a nine-week-old and almost-two-year-old. Are we crazy? The answer is yes! Crazy for classroom supplies! We did have a great time walking around, snapping pictures, and letting our creativity run wild. Without further delay, let’s take a look at the goodies we found. Sidenote: We know that ...
Rookie Teacher Mistake: Talking Over Students
Rick Smith said, “Teaching is like trying to fly a plane while building it.” You learn as you go, and unfortunately, you mostly learn what doesn’t work before you learn what does work. Cue our new series -- Rookie Teacher Mistakes. Rookie Mistakes are a series of common pitfalls that we make as teachers and tips to rectify and/or prevent them from happening. No judgment here; the ...