Gratitude Journal


Fifth Grade, Fourth Grade, Homework, Printables, Third Grade, TpT Store

Last fall, I did a Gratitude Journal with my students. Every day, for 42 days in a row, they had to write down 3 things they were grateful for, or write about how they were grateful that day. At the end, they did two short reflections. For students who are used to only having homework Monday through Thursday, there was a bit of a grumble at the beginning when they had to do work on the weekends. But by the end, many were sad to see the project end. Here are a few things my students said they were grateful […]

Brag Tags


Daily Life, Fifth Grade, Fourth Grade, Homework, Printables, Second Grade, Third Grade, TpT Store

We have a program at my school where students are encouraged to set weekly goals, and long term goals. I find that after a while, kids set the same goals week after week. “I want to pass my math fact test” or “I want to read x number of minutes.” I am also a teacher who likes to present extra optional challenges to my kids, and sometimes they are accepted, and other times ignored. We also do the MindUP program, which encourages qualities such as optimism, gratitude, perspective taking, happiness, etc. Some tricky concepts for some children! If only I

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Math Challenge – Presidential Math


Fifth Grade, Fourth Grade, Homework, Math, TpT Store

With every unit in math, I give out a math challenge that reviews some of the major concepts from the previous unit. I had a challenge for mean, median and mode, but it turned out to be far too complicated, which meant I had to create something new. I figured social studies and presidents would be a good tie-in. So here it is, the Presidential Math Challenge! You can view it on my TpT Store.

STAR Binders and Agendas


Fifth Grade, Fourth Grade, Homework, Printables, TpT Store

My students have a S.T.A.R. (Students Taking Active Responsibility) Binder where they keep all of their homework, goal setting sheets, reading logs, spelling assignments, notes to home, etc. We started the year with a simple agenda sheet where they would write down homework, and the agenda has evolved as they have come up with different ideas of what they would like to include to help them stay organized. Throughout the year, the students have given suggestions on how we could change the agenda to make it more useful. I have put together a file with all of the different iterations

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Spelling Headaches Finally Solved


Assessment, ELA, Fourth Grade, Homework, Technology

It’s always a challenge moving to a new grade level, and I’ve been feeling like I’m trying to dig my way out of a hole ever since the year started.  All of the wonderful plans I had put together in my head, and in some cases on paper, finally had their chance to be implemented, and while some of them worked out well, some of them didn’t go as well as I’d hoped. Spelling has been my biggest nemesis so far this year, but I think I have finally gained the upper hand! Last year I continued using Words Their

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Reader’s Response


Fourth Grade, Homework, Reading, Third Grade, TpT Store, Writing

I designed this packet to use as reader’s response homework for my students, which I assign once or twice a week. Included are a rubric, an example heading, directions for 15 different types of responses, and a recording sheet so that students can keep track of which responses they’ve completed and the number of points they earned for each. I have included the same set of materials both in cursive and print. Here is a list of the responses:Book RecommendationCharacter ComparisonCrossword PuzzleDiary EntryI Figured It OutI WonderInterviewLetter to the AuthorMake Me LaughNose for NewsPredicting the FutureThat Reminds MeTrading PlacesWrite Me

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Activity Bags


Homework, Kindergarten, TpT Store

Even though I’ve turned this into a 3rd grade blog, I have a bunch of Kindergarten resources that I want to put up on my TpT site.  Over the last 5 years or so, I’ve been using Activity Bags in my Kindergarten classroom, and they have been well-liked by both students and parents.  There are 20 themed bags, which include instructions, books, hands-on materials, and resources from the classroom.  Children would take each bag home for up to a week, the most popular bags being the stuffed animal bags (Mirabelle’s Bag and the Fuzzy Bear Bag).  The parents seemed to

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