Each year on Presidents' Day, we spend time teaching the children about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. And for good reason. They were both a big deal. But there were others who also left their mark on America's history in other ways. FDR helped the nation recover from the Great … [Read More...]
Who Was George Washington Carver?
Who was George Washington Carver and why is he still remembered today? If you're a serious gardener, you may already know quite a few details about his life's work. If you're a first or second … [Read More...]
Black History Month Books for Children
Black History Month is coming up soon... time to get our read-aloud basket stocked with the best books. If you're also working with first and second graders, you know finding books that aren't … [Read More...]
FEATURED POSTS
Activities for Landforms
Planning children's activities for landforms is a fun and creative process. I don't recall learning about landforms when I was a kid though. I grew up in Florida near the beach, occasionally paddled a … [Read More...]
Procedural Writing Templates That Grow with Your Students
I love to write, so I love to teach writing. But not every kid is as enamored with it as I am. "I don't know what to write," is a phrase I've come to expect from at least one child each year. For … [Read More...]
Taking the “Scary” Out of School Safety Drills
School safety drills are so important and, though they're probably not our favorite thing to talk about, we need to prepare children for the kinds of emergencies they could encounter during the school … [Read More...]
Teaching Basic Economics in First Grade
When I first learned I would be teaching basic economics to a room full of six-year-olds, I raised an eyebrow. These seemed like concepts only college kids studied before they embarked on careers in … [Read More...]
Summer Worksheets for First Graders
Breaks from school are so nice (and so necessary), but long ones can have a negative impact on a student's achievement. Year after year, we often have parents asking for summer worksheets, so I'm not … [Read More...]