Leigh Langton

Although I can see why some assessments  are placed in the same category as four letter words (Ah-Ham- Looking at you PARCC and FSA) there are some definite myths about assessments and their purpose that NEED to be debunked ASAP! … although recording assessments in your grade book is a good idea to track your students’ mastery of skills throughout the quarter, not EVERY assessment has to be for a grade. These small assessments are less formal, quick, and don’t require a worksheet or a grade in your grade book. The truth is, if you teach second grade or above, following that rule to a “t” won’t help your students build testing stamina, which is needed to successfully complete the all important “State Test”.

If you’re looking for a fun and easy Valentine’s Day classroom craft to complete with your kiddos this upcoming week, I’ve got you covered! One of my favorite parts of this easy Valentine’s Day craft is the sweet surprise revealed when you open up the hidden heart, especially since it’s a different color. I found it was easiest to just print off some templates on different types of paper, then have students make the double-sided paper using a template sheet and a blank sheet. Office Depot and OfficeMax have a great assortment of Valentine’s Day gift ideas right here!

Bring Me to Your School Does the word “I-Ready” send chills down your spine? Well… it does… or at least DID for me… that was until I figured out how to find peace with the program and satisfy the wolves who came knocking on my door when my times weren’t up to par. I know I CAN’T possibly be the only teacher who felt this way… so I thought I’d share how to turned my time and scores around in a simple and easy to manage way

If a new year isn’t the time to pull out some fun new activities, I don’t when is! Today, I wanted to share one of the most flexible and well loved teaching strategies I’ve used in my classroom: The Gallery Walk! After introducing our spelling or phonics focus for the week, I’d set out a few posters around the room with the target sound or spelling pattern. After learning about the different steps of the scientific process, I set up posters around the room labeled with a step from the scientific process.