Blog – Page 5

Building a Classroom Community with High Expectations in Upper Elementary from Day 1

I believe classroom community is one of the most important parts of any classroom! Do you agree? Part of building that classroom community with strong relationships is having high expectations. I learned this the hard way my 1st year teaching. I focused so much on curriculum and getting my students to like me. Yes, there is a lot of research behind the importance of students liking their ... Read More about Building a Classroom Community with High Expectations in Upper Elementary from Day 1

Building a Collaborative Classroom Community in Your Upper Elementary Classroom

Do you want a classroom of students that collaborate with one another on a daily basis? I would guess that you are saying "yes" right now! We all want our students to collaborate with one another daily, but too often we just assume they will know what collaboration looks like. It is important that we teach, model and give our students time to collaborate with one another. It doesn't matter if ... Read More about Building a Collaborative Classroom Community in Your Upper Elementary Classroom

Math Rotations Series: Collecting and Using Data

If you are a teacher you either love or hate the word data! I actually love data and love talking about how it has helped me successfully use Guided Math in my upper elementary classroom. So, whether you are a lover or hater of data, this post is for you. I will share some of my favorite ways to collect data, and use data that you already have from rotations or the small group data you have ... Read More about Math Rotations Series: Collecting and Using Data

Using Binders for Math Organization

Do you have a filing cabinet or drawers full of math copies? I have had many of those in the past! When I moved rooms, the filing cabinet would move rooms with me and when I needed copies I... Wait, I did not go to these cabinets most of the time when I needed copies. I had the best intentions with keeping my filing cabinet organized! I even put in labeled folders and, most of the time, would ... Read More about Using Binders for Math Organization

Math Rotations Series: Choosing Rotation Activities

Fact or Myth? You need a new math activity for each rotation every day! That is a MYTH and could not be farther from the truth! When I use to do math centers in my classroom, I thought every center and every day needed to be different. This was a big reason why I stayed away from using math rotations for a couple years. Once I started looking into math rotations more, I realized that this was ... Read More about Math Rotations Series: Choosing Rotation Activities

Math Rotations Series: Managing Rotations

When I tell you that I LOVE to talk about management when it comes to Guided Math, that is an understatement! As you probably already know, how you manage your rotations in Guided Math is a huge part of successfully using Guided Math in your classroom. So, our topic today is going to actually be seen throughout this series, but today I am going to focus on setting up expectations with your ... Read More about Math Rotations Series: Managing Rotations