
Motivating Students...DOJO Style!
This year was the first year I decided to take a swing at this whole Class Dojo thing. In year's past, I've done team points on the board, individual incentives, and the list truly goes on. I started using Class Dojo at the end of the first quarter. I used it religiously for a while, and then just like many other little classroom things, it more or less got thrown to the wayside. Coming into the fourth quarter of this school year, I found myself really struggling to find ways

Engaging Students in State Test Preparation
At my school our state testing (MAP) is coming up in a week or so and this year I decided to do something different to prepare my kids for their test! In years past, I've typically created review packet on review packet in order to drill concepts in hopes my students would retain enough to be successful on the test. This year, I took a different approach and decided to create daily activities to help review concepts we learned from earlier in the year. I first decided to bre

Donors Choose...And They Chose ME!
I can't think of a better way to start my blog than with some exciting things happening in my classroom! Last week was our spring break and I decided to go out on a whim and write a Donors Choose project in attempts to get a cozy little lounge area for my classroom. And much to my surprise my project was funded. IN. FIVE. DAYS. My first package (a super adorable IKEA lamp ) was actually delivered to my school today! I can't wait to see the looks on my students' faces when th