Classroom Transformation: Mock Trial

Last week, our weekly story was The Trial of Cardigan Jones. If you are a third grade Texas teacher, you are very familiar with this story. I wanted my students to make a deeper connection to the story, so I decided that a classroom transformation was the way to go! I turned my classroom into a courtroom, and we had a mock trial. When my students entered class, this is what they saw: ...and...

Throw Kindness Like Confetti & FREEBIE!

Every year I try to find a new way to build a classroom community that is safe, inviting, and friendly! My first year teaching, I had A LOT of behavior issues. I think that I wrote 10 office referrals that year. That is a lot of office referrals to me, especially since the past 3 years I've had 3 office referrals. One of the biggest issues that I had that year was kids being mean to other kids in...

One Word New Year's Resolution

Happy New Year, everyone! The beginning of the year means that it's time for new goals, right? Every year, I try to create a list of New Year's resolutions that I plan to follow. I'm really good about following through with them for the first month few months. I write these resolutions with good intentions, as I'm sure you do as well. But writing them down and actually doing them are two very different...