Tag: curriculum

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Effective Lesson Planning

Lesson plans: the bane of many teachers’ careers. They can be tedious, time consuming, and honestly, a bit of a pain to prepare. A seasoned teacher may be able to go without a structured, written lesson plan, but for many not-so-seasoned teachers, this isn’t the case, and a written plan is very helpful. So, with that being said, what makes an effective lesson plan? There isn’t one right or wrong way to plan a lesson, but there are certain components that should remain fairly consistent from one lesson plan to the next: objective/goal, lesson materials, timeline, assessment, differentiation, and closure.

Objective or Goal

Every lesson should have some sort of end goal in mind. When we begin with the end in mind, it allows us to plan our activities, lessons, and assessments accordingly. When we know what goal we want to reach, we can more effectively plan how we are going to reach that goal. Most states have a set of core standards that teachers are to cover over the course of the school year. The objective or goal for the lesson is a great place to list the core concept(s) that will be covered in any given lesson, and to prepare lessons that will effectively meet the concept(s) being taught. 

Lesson Materials

It’s a great idea to list the materials you will need for a particular lesson. Some days, you will only need a textbook and copies of a worksheet. Others, you may need art supplies for students to use to complete their assignment. Whatever it is that you need, it’s very helpful to write down the things you need to gather. It serves as a great reminder, and even the act of writing it down can give your mind the reminder it needs. In the event that you have to unexpectedly leave your classroom, it will also help the substitute know what supplies they will need. 

TImeline

Creating a basic timeline of activities and information to be covered can help the lesson move smoothly. It’s a good idea to avoid jumping around from topic to topic; having an outline of events can greatly aid the continuity and overall smoothness of the lesson itself. Creating a timeline can also help you prioritize what you’d like to cover during the lesson. If it’s important to get a particular topic covered during the day, planning for that to be the first thing you teach can help ensure that happens. 

Assessment

Another very important part of lesson planning is to plan for assessments: how are you going to know that students “got it?” That may look like a formal assessment in the form of a test, quiz, or worksheet. It could also look like a question and answer time the end of the lesson, where you obtain verbal confirmation of knowledge from your students. It could be a quick walk through the room as they take notes or work on a project. The assessment portion of the lesson will vary from day to day, from lesson to lesson. It doesn’t need to be a big, grand assignment, but there should be some kind of way to make sure you know that your students got something out of the lesson. 

Differentiation

Not every student learns in the same way. What resonates with one student may not resonate with their classmate. It is also crucial to consider students who have IEPs, 504 plans, or other needs. Building this into the lesson plan will help remind teachers to take those students into consideration and to plan ahead for those needs that will arise. Everyone deserves a chance to learn, and some just need a little extra help and guidance… and that’s okay!

Closure

Every lesson has to come to an end, so there should be some form of closure. Having smooth transitions from one lesson to the next can help students better follow your instruction. Many times, the assessment is a good time to provide closure for the lesson. Having students fill out an “exit ticket” as they end the class is a great way to close the lesson and also get a quick idea of what they learned for the day. Doing a quick verbal review and a quick reminder of things to come is also a great way to close out a lesson. Smooth transitions and nice closure help students to move on to the next activity, assignment, lesson, or class.

While there really is not one set way to lesson plan, these few things are great elements that every plan ought to include. Planning out a lesson sets you up for a more successful lesson and helps to avoid potential chaos. Preparation is key, and can set a great example to your students!

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Review Games For Every Age and Subject

review games for every age and every subject

Points: This one is simple. It’s easy and can be done on a whim. Divide the class into groups or just in half. Start asking questions on the topic you want to review and give points to teams that answer correctly. It’s a bonus if you ask probing questions that require a discussion among the team! 

Kahoot!: I believe this game is well-known among most teachers, but if not, you can see their website here. It’s free! And a great way to study as a whole group or individually. 

Jeopardy: A classic! You can find free templates online to use from your computer, or go with the old-fashioned paper taped to the whiteboard way. This can be fun to switch it up from not using technology all of the time, and it’s an easy one to store and use again the next year. 

Beach Ball Toss: Write or tape review questions onto a beach ball and toss it around the room. Whoever catches the beach ball, answer the question that their left thumb lands on. 

Hedbanz: If you own this popular game, you can easily change out the cards to reflect the information you are reviewing. 

Whiteboards: Need a review game but haven’t planned ahead? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Have your students grab their personal whiteboards and write or draw answers to questions. If you want to promote collaboration, break into groups and have each group answer on one whiteboard. 

Be The Teacher: This role reversal can be so fun for students! It can be done as a bigger project that lasts a few weeks with plenty of preparation, or just on a whim if you feel like you have students that can easily get up and teach specific subject matter. 

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It’s Summer, Take A Break Teachers!

substitute teacher quandry

Whew. 

Who is ready for a good, long summer break after that school year? Is anyone else filled with worries about your students after such a rough spring? Maybe miss them because you weren’t able to say your goodbye’s before you left? Scenarios of next year play out in your head about your past students and how they will do advancing to the next grade, as well as your future students and how you will handle the lapse in the curriculum. 

*deep breath* 

I know it’s worrisome, but we did it. We all made it through. Now, it’s time to relax. I know, it can be hard, but here’s some ideas of how you can (somewhat) take your mind off of school for a time and enjoy your summer break. 

Read a book! No, not your math curriculum book. A book of your choosing that is fun. If you want an easy, fast read with some juicy drama, try The Selection Series by Kiera Cass. It’ll give you a few days of distraction because you’ll be so sucked in it’ll be all you can think about! 

Visit the beach, the lake, the pool, and get in the water! Swim with your kids, your nieces, and nephews, your grandkids, whomever it may be! 

Go hiking, or go for walks around your neighborhood. 

Check-in on other teacher friends. Laugh about the fun times you had with your students, both in the classroom and on Zoom! 

Pick up some new (or old) hobbies like sewing, crafting, biking, sailing, or building. 

Start or work on your Twitter or Instagram, or any other social media! 

Read teacher memes to keep you laughing. 

Take a stroll on a local scooter or bike share, but bring the Clorox wipes!! 

Summer can make or break teachers. We can think and plan, never giving ourselves a break, hoping to make next year less stressful, but it can also do the opposite by not giving us the time we need to check out. This summer especially, given the current circumstances. 

Take a breather. Take some time. Enjoy your summer! Stay safe and wash your hands! 

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My Review On Playing Preschool

A few months back I purchased Busy Toddler’s Playing Preschool book to do preschool with my daughter and a little neighbor friend. I wrote a little about the experience here. After a few months of working through the book, I want to write a review to help you decide if it’s the right decision for you. Before I begin, read more about what Playing Preschool entails here.

Pros: 

Lessons are easy to read and organized. Whether you’re an educator or not, there is plenty of information and resources to give you the most success possible. 

We had to take a few weeks off while I worked from home, but it was easy to pick back up again and get started. The lessons are evergreen and can be done at any time of the year. 

Most of the materials were found at home, but mostly because we’ve been doing toddler based activities for a year now. Even if you don’t have all of the materials at home, it’s a worthwhile investment because they are cheap and useful! I don’t know about you, but we go through a pack of construction paper really fast over here! 

Some weeks required more materials such as the cooking unit because we needed a lot of food, but again, nothing crazy expensive and worth the money for the outcome. I went through the supply list of every unit before we got started and made an Amazon Wishlist and shared it with our family members that often like to buy my kid’s gifts so that they would know the books and tools that would be extra useful to us right now! 

The activities do not take a lot of time to set up. I don’t think I ever spent more than two minutes gathering supplies and setting up an activity for the lessons. They are quick and practical! 

The lessons truly are playing. There are no worksheets to print out! It’s all activities to set up for your preschool to explore numbers and letters. There’s a lot of paint and a lot of play! A method I can get behind! 

Cons: 

I loved that each unit had a great book list that really worked hand in hand with each day, but we started Playing Preschool the same time quarantine began, meaning our library was closed! Without the resource of the library, it was so hard to find the specific books she recommended. I did my best to find substitutes (although her suggestions truly are the best books to use). I also tried the free trial of Vooks, but not a single book on the list was found there! You can read my Vooks review here. 

Another solution I found was to buy a few books on thirftbooks.com, they had great prices and free shipping after a certain amount spent! I couldn’t pass up an opportunity at buying new books! We also searched Kindle on Amazon for any free or cheap purchases. Those books obviously aren’t the same as holding a real book, but it did the job! 

The rest I put on my Amazon wishlist for our family members and we received many that way. I also called upon good friends and neighbors to borrow their books. With all efforts combined, I was able to get together all of our books! With access to a public library, this process would not be as difficult as it was for me, but I wanted to share my ideas for others who also may not have access to a library as well. 

The final downside is more on me than on the curriculum itself. I would feel like the entire unit was a failure if we skipped a day or even a single activity. I wanted to get everything in to make sure she understood the concepts being taught. In the introduction of Playing Preschool, Susie the creator of the curriculum explicitly says you do not have to do every activity and it does not have to all be done in one sitting. She suggestions spreading it out throughout the day or splitting it up into two sections if accomplishing everything in one sitting is too much for your preschooler. My type-A personality shone through a lot when I saw each activity as a checklist feeling like I needed to mark everything off. You do not need to do this to have success in the program. 

Overall, I truly have loved Playing Preschool and use it often with my daughter. Even if we are on a break from doing preschool, I can still pull it out and find one or two activities for her to do while I cook dinner or clean the house. It’s great exposure to letters and numbers. My 2.5-year-old has very little interest in her letters and even after a few weeks of playing preschool she can’t name a single letter or letter sound, but she’s still gaining that exposure and teaching her to have a love for learning and reading. Playing Preschool for the win! 

A few of our Playing Preschool experiences!

Have you done the Playing Preschool curriculum? Leave your pros and cons in the comments for others to see! 

Cover photo from busytoddler.com

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COVID-19 Time Capsule For Kids

A mom somewhere out there with kids at home during this global pandemic recognized an opportunity for keeping a record of the history that is being made right now as we speak. She created a FREE printable of a time capsule for kids to fill out. It’s all information that someday they can look back on and serve as a memory for this time in our lives.

Here’s what the time capsule looks like, and how I’m doing it with my 2.5 year old daughter.

This is only four of the 11 included pages full of great information for your child to fill out. And it’s doable with tiny kids that can’t write too! Our time capsule looks a lot of scribbling and random marks with me filling in information that my daughter reiterates to me. I ask her all of the questions and try to fill in exactly what she says.

I pulled out the crayons for her to add some color, but having a pen to use was much more exciting to her, so we went with it! I love that this time capsule is so her right now and that years down the road we can look back and remember her obsession with pens and Doc McStuffins. It’s also easy to do one page, then come back when you’re ready to continue with the rest of the pages. No rush in getting it done fast- the pandemic seems to be taking its sweet time!

The mom who made this has taken over the internet quickly with how popular it became, if you Google “kids COVID time capsule” you can see news article after news article about her and how generous she was in sharing this with the world!

Go ahead and share this fun activity with your kids, your friends, neighbors, and students! They are going to love it just as much as we are. You can find the link to download the time capsule printable here.

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Feature Friday: Mary Kate Morley

Today’s Feature Friday is spotlighting a past colleague and great friend of mine. Mary Kate Morley was a 5th-grade teacher in Utah for three years before she became a stay-at-home mom. She and I both attended school at Utah State University in Logan, Utah where she received her degree in Elementary Education. One of her favorite parts of teaching 5th grade is the American History curriculum. She said, “I love seeing the students catch the patriotic spirit as they learn the history of their country.”

What made you want to go into teaching? 

“I wanted to work in an area where I could make the highest impact in the world.  My teachers have always been big game changers in my life. Children are with their teachers for such a large portion of each day making teachers huge influencers. I love education and schools. I love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils. Walking in schools just makes me happy…what could make more sense than to work in one!” 

What is one of your favorite ways to utilize technology in the classroom? 

“Research for informational writing. I was always surprised at the excitement my students felt in researching topics that they got to choose (with a little guidance). Some of my student’s efforts really peaked during projects like this. Other than this, the obvious answer is KAHOOT to review!!” 

If you could recommend one children’s book, what would it be and why? 

“The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater. I love to use this book on the first day of school to teach that “people aren’t weird, people are different, and different is good.”  The artwork is great and this fun story teaches a great lesson!” 

What is a big challenge you face often in teaching, and how do you overcome it? 

“Handling difficult student behavior is probably the greatest challenge of teaching. It can feel like one misbehaved and disrespectful student can ruin your perfectly planned lesson for you and all the other students! My experience with misbehaved students like these is that if you are truly and honestly ON THEIR TEAM they will be good for you. It sounds simple but it will work. Be their friend. Care about them. Teach them how large of an influence they have on other students. Go to their sporting or music events. Praise them for every good thing they do. Call their parents to praise them.  If they are acting out instead of getting mad pull them aside and ask if anything is wrong because they aren’t acting like their normal selves. You want your tough students on your side. Never let it become you vs. them. That is a lose-lose situation.”

What do you wish someone would have told you in your first year teaching? 

“You don’t have to do it all! You don’t have to grade every paper. Just enjoy the kids and do your best. There is a lot of “fake it till you make it” that happens. The students won’t remember a perfect bulletin board you spend so much time making. They will remember your relationship and how you made them feel.” 

Who influenced you most to choose a career education? 

“My fifth-grade teacher was a rock star. She made me feel like I could do anything. I knew we had a real relationship and that she cared about me. She let us battle out the revolutionary war battle with paper balls. She made me want to be a teacher, and that fact that I ended up getting to teach the very grade she did is a bonus.” 

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Teacher Resources During COVID-19 School Shutdowns

Dear teachers, 

I know you’re stressed, we’re all walking in uncharted territory right now. Schools shutting down left and right, or if your school is still open, very few students showing up each day. How do we help our kids? How do we help them not regress during this stressful time? How do we calm their nerves as well as our own? 

It’s hard to be in the situation we are all in. It’s hard not to see your student’s faces every day, and have to worry about if they have enough food or if their behavior will regress (again) once they are back. So many variables for so many different situations. 

Luckily, we’re all going through this together and there are resources out there for us! Our community is banding together and helping where we can. Here is a quick list of the fun things you can send home to your parents for your students to do during their time away from school. 

Mo Willems is doing lunch doodles every day with kids. His first episode was 22 minutes long, his most recent episode was 27 minutes long. They are at 1 pm Eastern Time every day on YouTube, or they can watch them whenever they like later. 

On Instagram, @macbarnett is doing a live read-aloud of his books every day at noon PST. 

Cincinnati Zoo is doing a live video on their Facebook page each weekday at 3 pm Eastern Time. They will be highlighting their favorite animals and sending kids off to do an activity from home. 

At nps.gov kids can download special interest books. 

Our local library here in Utah is live-streaming their storytime on Instagram live every weekday at 11 am MST and a boredom buster for kids at 4 pm. You can follow them at @provolibrary 

Utah’s Hogle Zoo is doing a Facebook and Instagram live every day at 11:30 am MST featuring their fun animals and educating them on each one. 

Search around on every social media platform and you are certain to find a variety of posts and live videos geared towards educating kids because everyone can see the need right now. Also, a simple post to help parents make it through as well.

Other resources you most likely know as a teacher, but maybe haven’t mentioned to parents yet: 

GoNoodle, Khan Academy, Newsela, National Geographic Kids, PBS kids, Starfall ABC app and Starfall.com, VOOKS, Virtual Field Trips,  and Lucid Charts. Also, remind students they can still collaborate with peers via Google Drive. 

Guys, we can do this. It’s going to be hard and uncomfortable for most, but we can band together amidst the chaos and confusion. 

What other tips and resources do you have for parents and teachers? Let’s start a list together, we can go further with collaboration!