As someone frequently overwhelmed by decision fatigue, the end of the school year often made me feel like I was drowning. So much to think about, so little time. But that was until I became a Lazy Genius. (Have you heard of the Lazy Genius, Kendra Adachi? I don’t know her personally but also think she might…
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Easy End of Year Review with Easter Eggs
End-of-year test reviewing can be overwhelming. How can you help the students remember everything you’ve learned in class all year without drilling and killing? Heidi gave me this tip my first year teaching: Make it a fun activity! All you need for this activity is: Empty plastic easter eggs Small candy or treats (see alternative…
3 Ways to Save Money on Teachers Pay Teachers
If you’re anything like me, you love knowing you are getting the most bang for your buck when you go shopping. I can use a coupon on top of a store sale? Yes please! Do I want to earn store credit points with my purchases? Sign me up! So if you’re wondering the best way…
A Christmas Fluency Gift For You!
Fluency practice doesn’t feel like work when you mix it with Santa, reindeer, gingerbread, and Christmas lights! And we have a free fluency goodie waiting for you in this post, so read on! Fluency in a Flash is a brief, targeted routine for practicing reading fluency daily. Each day of the week focuses on a…
3 Ways to Stop the Summer Slide
Do you know about the “Summer Slide”? It’s the phenomenon of students losing some of their newly acquired knowledge and skills over summer break. And elementary students are most at risk for experiencing this! So what can we do to help? 3 Ways to Stop the Summer Slide Luckily, there are a lot of simple…
Build Your Fluency With Us!
Want to practice fluency with us? We recorded a screen video of us doing a week of 2nd Grade Fluency in a Flash together with the help of my two oldest kids. Watch the video to practice fluency with us! If you’re going to do this video day-by-day here are the time stamps you need…
10 Ways to Make Conferences Parent-Friendly
We all know that Parent-Teacher conferences can be a really nerve-wracking time for teachers. But don’t forget that it can feel just as nerve-wracking for parents! They may have concerns about their students that are making them feel uneasy. They may feel awkward because they don’t know what to expect. They may feel a little…
15 Lovely Valentine’s Day Early Chapter Books
Is it just me or are seasonal books just more fun? I love reading something that puts me in the spirit of whatever season I’m in! I know my students will enjoy some seasonally appropriate Valentine books as well. And don’t worry, they’re not all mushy gushy! We’ve talked before about how we love reading…
Top 24 Christmas Books
As avid book lovers (and collectors), narrowing our favorite Christmas books down to a mere TWENTY FOUR seems like a gargantuan task. There are just so many wonderful Christmas books and more coming out each year. With careful consideration, we’ve whittled our favorites down to 24 of our very favorite Christmas books that we absolutely…
Christmas Fluency Mini Lessons
Fluency practice mixed with Santa, gingerbread, Christmas lights, and reindeer is a recipe for a very good time! Our Christmas Fluency in a Flash digital mini lessons are about to become your students most favorite December activities! What is Fluency in a Flash? Fluency in a Flash is a brief, targeted routine for practicing reading…