Tools for the Wise Teacher
Wow! This summer is flying by so fast. My boys attend a school with a modified year-round school schedule so that means that their first day of school is right around the corner on July 21st! Although I worked managing Teacher Development Coaches at a summer Pre-Service Training for new teachers throughout the entire …
Use these tried and true active engagement strategies to strengthen motivation, increase achievement and infuse fun into any classroom: 1. Think-Pair-Share: Students partner up and take 1-2 minutes to think silently about an answer to a specific question. At the teacher’s signal, each student faces his/her partner and discuss questions together. At the signal, students …
Children love superheroes so what better way to engage them in writing than with a Friendly Letter Superhero? In this customizable unit, Letterman comes to visit each day, bringing a letter that teaches a specific friendly letter skill. He leaves colorful L’s on the classroom door to signal his visits. Children truly believe in him …
You know the horrible feeling when you walk into a room and you don’t recognize a single soul? Even worse, everyone else already knows each other, happily mingling together. Most adults shudder at the thought, yet as teachers, we fail to consider how these situations make our students feel. Many students come to school on …
With the implementation of Common Core standards and performance-based pay, teachers are under more pressure to perform than ever. Every minute must be devoted to instruction, causing teachers to cut any activity not directly aligned to standards. This intense pressure starts at the beginning of the year, a vital time to set expectations and establish …
What is the difference between the common cueing strategy animals (e.g., Lips the Fish, Skippy the Frog and Eagle Eyes) and Astute Hoot’s Reading Animal Helpers? There is a tremendous difference!
“Hi, I’m Leroy the Letter Lynx.I’ll help you name letters quick as a wink!Alphabet letters are all around.My job is to teach you their names, shapes and sounds.I’ll teach you capital letters and lowercase too.I can’t wait to get started with you!”
Like many other educators, I’ve been missing my students greatly and have been trying to wrap my head around providing quality specialized intervention instruction during distance learning and remote instruction. Most of my students have goals in the area of reading fluency. During the school year we used a variety of strategies to increase …
Read More “How to Boost Reading Fluency during Remote Learning”
FREE TEXT DEPENDENT QUESTIONING UNIT! “Hey, I’m Quinn the Questioning Quail; use me when you read. Questions are the way to get the information you need. Good readers ask questions to help them understand; They read the text to find the answers—that’s a smart plan.”
Our school recently kicked off the holiday season with a Winter Wonderland celebration this past week. In Arizona, that means delivering 12 tons of snow to school grounds! The kids are super excited for all of the wonders of this magical season. It can be difficult to fall into the trap of filling December up …
Is Christmas craziness taking over your classroom? As a veteran teacher, I’ve tried every behavior management trick and technique to calm holiday chaos that predictably arrives every year around December 1 and found limited success. These three weeks should be full of fun and learning, but for years they left me exasperated and exhausted. I …
Is Christmas craziness taking over your classroom? As a veteran teacher, I’ve tried every behavior management trick and technique to calm holiday chaos that predictably arrives every year around December 1 and have found limited success. These three weeks should be full of fun and learning, but for years they left me exasperated and exhausted. …
Read More “Move Over Elf on the Shelf–The Reindeer is in the Room”
I’m so excited to be back in the classroom this year! After 14 years as a special education resource teacher, I changed gears to work in the capacity of an Instructional Coach and Special Education Coordinator in high needs schools. Although this work over the past 4 years has been rewarding, I’ve missed the direct, …
Let’s face it, at this time of year, we all feel like the owl on the right. Keeping students engaged at the end of the year is like running a three-ring circus, leaving teachers tired and exasperated. Use these 8 …
“I’m Chloe the Connecting Coyote, and I make connections. Connections help you understand your reading selections. Link the story to your life or what you’ve read in a book. These text connections are guaranteed to get you hooked.” Chloe the Connecting Coyote is one our comprehension strategy animals in Hazel’s Reading Roost. Chloe encourages students …
“I’m Vern the Visualizing Vulture; use me like a TV. Events, characters, and settings are what I help you see. If you picture these in your mind like your favorite movie, Then understanding what you read will be so groovy!” Vern the Visualizing Vulture is one our comprehension strategy animals in Hazel’s Reading Roost. Vern supports …
Read More “Teaching Visualization to Increase Comprehension”
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! To honor all of our fellow educators, we are having a 25% off sale off all of our digital downloads with coupon code 123teach. Get $10 off of a $50 purchase at Really Good Stuff, plus a summer coupon for back-to-school shopping with coupon code RW15T. Check out these other fantastic deals to add …
For most, glitter evokes the holiday season, but for elementary teachers, just the thought makes their toes curl and sends shivers down their spines. Glitter is messy, time-consuming and ever-lasting (hence those few pesky sprinkles lingering around at the end of the year). The messiness discourages many teachers from incorporating glitter into art projects, but …
Read More “Glitter 101: How to Survive Glitter in the Classroom”
As a former special education teacher, I always thought that homework time would be a breeze when my boys Alec and Jake got to school. I knew all of the most effective strategies and consulted many parents during conferences and IEP meetings about homework tips. I even helped create this Free Homework Reward Chart. …
It’s our Flash Friday Freebie! Download the free Golden Keys to Success Classroom Management Plan and purchase the accompanying Golden Keys to Success Lesson Plans to start your year off on a golden note. Do you every feel as if you are a glorified manager, simply trying to control the herd and maintain peace? Your classroom management plan is …
Clearly I love owls and my students do too! Here is a peek into my second grade classroom, my home away from home. Each year, I refine my classroom with special finds from Target and Hobby Lobby (my favorite!) to make it comfortable and inviting. My goal is to make the room a safe, creative …
We just finished filming our newest video that shares the story of how Astute Hoot came to be! Our goal was for our mission statement, “Creating innovative learning tools to awaken the joy of learning and spark enthusiasm in all students” to come to life in this video. Even though the finished product is only …
Do you ever feel like Miss Nelson, calmly asking the class to settle down while they choose to squirm, giggle and whisper instead? As spring fever hits, patience and persistence decreases and our inner Viola Swamp starts to emerge. Can you relate? Our Miss Nelson Is Missing! Unit is the perfect way to engage …
Read More “Settle Spring Fever with “Miss Nelson Is Missing!””
“SSSSSSSalutations! I’m Sally the Sounding Out Snake, Stretch each sound out and a new word you will make Put them back together in a blend And your reading will be on the mend.” It is so exciting when beginning readers start to blend individual sounds together to form words. I remember how thrilling it was …
These 5 easy tips are guaranteed to recharge your classroom and start your new year off on the right instructional foot. Get organized: Purchase inexpensive book boxes to store center games, house student work portfolios and hold daily work. Target has several cute prints and patterns in a wide variety of colors. Print labels for …