Jennifer Wagaman's Blog
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Teachers, looking for something to get your students this Christmas without spending a fortune? Parents, looking for a simple idea for your child's teacher that she will actually like?
Here are some great ideas to get you started.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Looking for a new lesson plan idea? Here is a small collection of ideas for use in the classroom.
Encouraging Students to Use Their Imagination
Silent Game to Improve Nonverbal Communication
Teaching Critical Thinking Skills
Teaching Persuasion Through Commercials
Teaching Students to Try New Things
Teaching With Geometric Shapes
Special Lessons for Special Events:
What to Teach the Day Before Break
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Report card time is a discouraging time for many parents. Teachers need to be prepared to help parents know what can be done to help raise student grades and explain why students received the grades on the report card.
Learn more: Tips for Managing Report Card Time
Related Information:
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Getting parents involved in their child's education is something that man teachers struggle with. While some parents are very involved, others simply do not care or do not think that it is important. Convincing parents to take the time to come to a school meeting or function is often a struggle. Here are some creative ways to get parents more involved.
How to get parents involved at school.
Home visits may get more parents involved.
Have parent volunteers? Not know what to do with them?
Learn how to utilize your parent volunteers.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
With more teachers trying to focus on current events, there is an increasing demand for lesson plan ideas relating to the President.
Here are lesson plan ideas for President's day.
Looking for something more specific? Check out lesson ideas for President Obama's inauguration.
Interested in the effect that President Obama has on the school system?
Check out: President Obama and the Public School System
Also: The Obama Effect
Interested in ideas for lessons relating to Obama's speech to students? Check out Lesson Plan for Obama's Speech to Students.
President Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Find lesson ideas for teaching students more about the Nobel Peace Prize.
Here are more blog posts about President Obama.
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Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Everyone knows that homework assignments are a big part of going to school. Students make a big deal about days that they do not have any homework and many parents will tell stories of homework battles. How to decide what to send home for homework and how to know how much to send is important for teachers to learn. Here are some articles that will provide some great tips for teachers.
Homework Assignment Guidelines
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Whether you are a new teacher or a veteran teacher, the class rules are a vital part of the first day of school. When deciding on the rules for a new school year, veteran teachers have the advantage because they have taught before and know what rules work and what rules are not important. They also know what things will drive them crazy so they can put that in the rules from the start instead of trying to change the rules later.
New teachers can successfully create a list of class rules, though, with a little bit of preparation. Here are some ideas to get them started:
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Music teachers have a unique challenge facing them, as they must teach the entire student body of the school. Here are a few articles that provide tips and strategies specifically for the new music teacher or for an experienced teacher looking for additional tricks.
Using Music to Teach Young Children
Lessons about Sound and Rhythm
Teaching Rhythm to Kindergarten Students
Piano teachers, may find these articles interesting as well:
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
When building a classroom library, it is important to have a good mix of books. Books that are really popular with that particular age group are good to have, but it is also a good idea to have a mix of books that children would not normally have chosen to read.
Additionally, it is a good idea to include some books that will help teach specific lessons regarding some sensitive issues that may come up in class. For example, in inclusion classrooms, dealing with disabilities is a topic that may need to be discussed and there are some excellent books that discuss these topics with great sensitivity. Find some great childrens' book recommendations.
Read more about creating a classroom library.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
While the summer is an excellent time for teachers to rest, regroup and have some fun, it is also a time to get ready for school. There are things to be done over the summer to improve their game, and some things to think about for that first day of school.
Learn two important lessons for getting ready for the first day of school.
Here are ten things to remember for the first day of school.
Here are tips for preparing for Back to school night!
It is important to have the classroom management plan ready to implement on day one, here are some tips to help even the new teacher be ready when the first student comes into class.
Need help creating new classroom rules? Check these ideas out!
Take time to relax this summer, but be sure to be prepared for the new school year come August!
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Teaching provides the excellent benefit of having the summer off. Even so, teachers need to spend this time preparing for the next school year. Here are a few things that teachers should be doing over the summer that will enable the new school year to go more smoothly and effectively.
Classroom Management
Improving classroom management should be on the top of every teacher's list. Reading books and articles on classroom management will help provide incite into specific situations and how to handle them. Every year will bring a different mix of kids and similarly a different mix of classroom management issues. Here are some classroom management resources for teachers to get started with.
Organization and Time Management
In addition to classroom management, teachers could benefit from spending some time over the summer working out a better organizational system and learning how to more effectively manage their time. Together these two factors make a huge difference in the every day life of the teacher and the students. Check out this resource for tips on managing organization and time management.
It is also important, though, for teachers to spend some time relaxing and resting in preparation for another hectic school year. Be sure to balance work and play as you prepare for the fall and the new school year.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
In Baltimore, city schools are expelling children permanently from schools after serious infractions including attacking teachers, arson and detonating explosives. While this seems extreme, the parents of these students have had opportunities to teach important lessons that could have prevented the expulsion in the first place. Convincing busy parents to become more involved in their children's lives should not be as complicated as it currently is, but doing so may help prevent many of the discipline problems teachers face in the classroom.
It is important that teachers work with parents to involve them in their children's lives, both the good and the bad parts. Doing so will not only aid dramatically in the education process but will allow the teacher a chance to teach instead of spending time disciplining.
Teachers wear many hats: disciplinarian is one of them and always will. But the role of parent needs to be played by those at home caring for the children.
Learn more about Baltimore schools permanent expulsions as well as some great ideas for classroom management.
For More Info: Teachers involving parents more in the lives of their children
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
With the Swine Flu spreading slowly through schools across the US, many teachers and parents are wondering how to prevent the spread of this and other illnesses. Here are some tips for teachers: How to Manage Teacher's Health in the Classroom
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
A recent headline I saw on a magazine was "Schools Save the Planet!" While it is easy to make jokes about how we are now saved because of these schools, it makes conservation no less important. Going green should be a standard of living both at home and at school. Learn ways to go green at school and teach your students about the importance of doing so as well.
Great tips on Going Green!
Teach students the importance of recycling by making recycled paper!
While Earth Day is celebrated only once a year, these lessons and concepts should be revisited frequently:
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Learning A-Z.com is celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4-8) by opening their web pages up for free to any teacher. This is their way of saying thank you to all the teachers and the hard work that goes into teaching and planning. This opportunity only comes along once a year during Teacher Appreciation Week and registration for the event is now open.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Thinking about back to school night should start early, as this all important night sets the tone for the school year. You will need to prepare the classroom itself for the students and parents to come in, a task that may have you scrambling to finish last minute details, but is well worth the effort. It is important that you think about how you want your classroom to reflect your teaching style.
For more information and other tips for back to school night, read Back to School Night.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
The layout of your classroom has an impact on your students. It is important to organize in such a way that all students can learn and discipline problems are kept to a minimum. Here are some ideas for you:
Preparing your Classroom for the Start of School
Inspiring Students with Classroom Layout
Classroom Organization for New Teachers
Through your daily lessons, you will need to adjust the layout of the classroom. While it may not seem like an organization issue, making proper decisions for student groupings effects the learning environment. Read more information about Student Grouping in the Classroom.
It is important to have everything organized in the classroom. The better organized you are, the more effectively you will be able to utilize your time. Create a system that will reduce the amount of time you spend doing paperwork, and increase the amount of time you spend teaching and relaxing with your family. Here are some ideas: Organizing the Teacher's Desk
When it comes to classroom organization, it is important to keep in mind that standardized testing days require a bit of a change. If you prepare for this change ahead of time, your students will be able to preform better on the tests. Read more in this article: Seating Arrangements for Standardized Tests
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Kindergarten is an important year in the life of every child. This helps set the tone for what school is, provides important building blocks for students to build knowledge on, and helps the long process parents go through as they learn to slowly let their children grow up.
Deciding whether or not a child is ready for kindergarten is a difficult task for many parents. While schools, teachers and pediatricians can provide much needed advice and counsel towards whether or not a child is ready, the parent has to make the decision. Here are some excellent tips to help parents and teachers make the decision of whether or not a child is ready for Kindergarten: Kindergarten Readiness Tips
Throughout the Kindergarten year, children learn how to read and write, basic math skills and more. It is exciting to see a child soak up knowledge each day and become more and more excited about learning. Find out what happens during the Kindergarten year and what a child is expected to know by the time Kindergarten graduation comes along: Kindergarten Graduation
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Many times teachers need to make the suggestion to a parent that a child needs tutoring. It is important to provide these teachers with the information and support necessary to find the right tutor for the specific child and the specific situation. Here are some resources that may help:
How to Find the Right Tutor for Your Child
While many teachers wish to tutor their own students, it is important for them to realize that any individual child may need additional support from another person, teacher or commercial learning center.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Many families are choosing to pull their children out of the public school system and teach them at home. Homeschooling has a lot of benefits, yet at the same time, it is not an option for many families. When thinking about the options for schooling your children, it is important to do your research. Here is an article that gives some specific facts about homeschooling.
You may also be interested in information on making the decision to homeschool.
Learn how 10 homeschool students found success! Homeschool Children Go Down in History
Choosing a curriculum is one of the more complicated issues facing homeschooling parents. There are several options for parents to choose from, and while one curriculum works for reading, another might work best for math. The benefit of homeschooling is that parents can choose the best curriculum for each subject.
Here is information on various math curriculums.
Unschooling has given teachers a new concept to ponder as they educate students. Read more: Unschooling America's Children
Check out this new homeschool resouces website: MyHomeschoolGuide.com
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
If you have a student with a writing disability, you will need to keep that in mind as you plan your lessons. Here are some tips for working with students with disabilities and improving their writing skills along the way:
How to Teach Students with a Writing Disability
How to Teach a Student with Autism to Write
Learn about Dysgraphia, a specific learning disability in the area of writing:
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Having students keep a daily journal is effective in helping students improve their writing ability. Find out more information on improving writing skills.
Additional resources for use in your classroom:
Encouraging Students to Write with Prompts
Teaching Writing with a Story Map
Developing Characters in a Story
Proofreading Tool for Students
Helping Students Overcome Writer's Block
Teaching First Graders to Write
Teach Students How to Write a Letter
Persuasive Writing Skills for Children
Consider implementing exercises for improving student handwriting as well.
Here are some additional ideas for teaching elementary students how to write.
Learn about inventive spelling.
It is also important to teach young writers how to properly position their hand and angle the paper. This will set them up to be successful in writing as they move through school. Here is some helpful information on How to Write with the Left Hand.
Learn how to implement a Writer's Workshop in your classroom, and how to work with special education students on writing.
You may also be interested in some great resources for teachers.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Here are some sample reading lessons for use in the classroom.
Here are more reading activities for use in the classroom.
Learn more tips on teaching reading, as well as how to teach comprehension and fluency.
You may also be interested in an eBook resource that provides elementary school teachers the tools they need to teach students how to read.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Starting in fourth grade, comprehension begins to be an issue. This is when students start reading to learn, and it is important to teach specific strategies to students to help improve their reading comprehension. In addition, teaching comprehension strategies will go a long way towards improving student's grades across the board. Here are some tips:
Highlighting Skills to Improve Reading Comprehension
Making Reading Comprehension Fun
Fluency is the ability to read with ease, and many students need to improve this skill. A student who is still very focused on decoding words will read with choppy language and often use a finger to keep their place on the page. Here are some tips to help improve student's reading fluency.
Improve Reading Fluency through Expression
Strategies for Improving Reading Fluency
Learn more tips for teaching reading, including reading lessons and reading activities for use in the classroom.
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Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
When teaching reading in the classroom, it is important to use a variety of activities to keep things interesting and fun for the students. Creating a reading center can be very useful so that you have the ability to work with small groups of students while the rest of the class remains working quietly on various reading activities. Here are some tips for activities to include in a reading center:
Activities for Reading Centers
You may also find use in the following articles as you attempt to come up with enjoyable learning experiences for your class:
Worksheets for reading enrichment
Readers Theater in the Classroom
Find other useful information on how to teach reading, as well as comprehension and fluency tips, and additional reading lessons.
You may also be interested in an eBook resource that provides elementary school teachers the tools they need to teach students how to read.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Experienced teachers have seen a little bit of everything, it seems, and have developed methods for dealing with the various issues that come up. New teachers do not have that experience, and these tips can help them learn to navigate the wild world of teacher issues will little damage.
Learn how to utilize parent volunteers
Understand the best way to handle an angry parent
Read tips for home communication
Learn how to manage different learning styles in the classroom
Understand how to best choose students to answer questions
Tips for managing an open space classroom
Read about more teacher tips in order to have a successful first few years in the classroom, as well as teaching tips for new teachers.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
New teachers have a lot on their plate the first year and beyond, and will come across many issues on a daily basis. While many of these issues are resolved through classroom management and trial and error, there are some specific ways to handle many of the problems that come up in order to prevent them from happening again, and improve your teaching in the classroom. Here are some tips:
Teach Students to Take More Responsibility
Prevent Students from Cheating
What to Do About Unfinished Student Work
How to Be Prepared for Student Absences
In addition, learning how to teach to different learning styles will greatly improve your teaching skills.
Find more tips for teachers that may be helpful, as well as help for common teacher issues.
Also check out www.321learn.net, where teachers will find tips and suggestions for every issue they will face.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Knowing basic facts will help students be able to solve more complicated math problems with less effort. Many students struggle to learn their basic facts and teachers and parents often become frustrated in the attempt to impress these facts upon their children. Drill and practice, flash cards and tears are common place in the effort to memorize the multiplication tables in particular.
Teachers feel that it is necessary for students to have these facts memorized. Instead, teachers and parents alike should relax a little, and attempt to make learning math more enjoyable for the students. Use games and incentives to make learning fun and success so much sweeter.
Here are more ideas for teaching multiplication.
You may also be interested in tips for teaching division.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Thanks to the No Child Left Behind Act, every state has their own state assessment that students must take. These tests are standardized, which means that every student in a single grade takes the same test, and they are graded exactly the same. The purpose of this standardized testing is to measure each individual student by the same measuring stick, so to speak. If, for example, each teacher made up their own test, and administered it, the resulting grades would be subjective to the information the teacher chose to put on the test.
The main portion of each state assessment is reading and math. Some states may also test in other subjects, such as Maryland, which tests Science as well. As part of each tested subject, students are also required to answer questions in written form, in order to show proficiency in writing as well. Students in grades three through eight are required to take the standardized test, and their results are reported to the state in order to show how well each school is doing in regards to the children’s education.
Information has been gathered to show how various factors play into the success of each individual student on the tests, and you can find more information about some of these factors as well as tips for teachers to maximize on this information in these articles:
Raising Elementary Reading Test Scores
Raising Elementary Math Scores
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Teaching math can be fun and yet many teachers find it difficult to keep up with the pace that most math curriculum's set for students. Here are some great lesson ideas to help make math lessons fun and exciting for students, while reinforcing and introducing skills at the same time. Find out How to Create Motivating Math Activities for use in your classroom as well.
Lessons using temperature and thermometers.
Teach students the value of Pi.
Use cooking to teach hand-on math lessons.
Lessons on budgeting that parents can teach at home.
You may also be interested in learning more about the importance of teaching students basic facts.
Learn about dysgraphia and how to teach students who have a math disability.
Learn ideas to learn How to Make Math Class Fun!
Here are some math lessons to spice up the Christmas season!
You can also use these great Valentine's Day math lessons to keep things interesting.
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Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Question: My son is in fourth grade, and has horrible handwriting. What can I do to help him write neater so that I can read his work?
Answer: Many parents have dealt with this same issue time and time again. Many of these students are simply in a rush and need to slow down. Although it may be painful, sit down with your child during homework time, and remind them to slow down. Consider setting a timer, and tell your child that he cannot finish before the time is up. You can also have your son re-write his written responses until you can read them.
Watch your child write, and identify problem letters. Teach the proper way to write each letter, for example, the r should not look like a v and the f should not look like a t. Often, an easy solution to many problem letters, is to have the child begin writing the letter from the top down instead of from the bottom up.
Sometimes students who have a disability such as disgraphia or ADHD will have poor handwriting as a result. In this case, you will need to have greater patience and understanding for the child. In this case, the handwriting may not be completely within the control of the student. Spend extra time helping the child work through the disability in order to be successful in all areas.
Left-handed writers often have poor handwriting because they have not been taught how to properly position their hand and hold the paper. For more information on how to write with the left hand, read: How to Write with the Left Hand
For more tips on improving a student's handwriting, read the article: How to Improve Student Handwriting.
You can also check out startwrite, a program designed to provide handwriting tools for parents and teachers.
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Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
The number of teachers who leave the profession after only a few short years is amazing. Although teachers site many different reasons for quitting, including low pay and workload, teacher mentorship has been shown to increase teacher retention.
To find out more information on why teacher mentorship is so important, read:
Learning the reasons why teachers quit can also help school learn ways to directly support teachers in those areas and consequently retain more quality teachers.
Here are more articles providing information on how to help new teachers. New teachers can do more than survive their first year of teaching - they can thrive!
Getting Help During the First Year Teaching
Tips and Tricks for New Teachers
Surviving the First Year of Teaching
Learning to be a student as well as a teacher is also a helpful lesson for all teachers to learn. Students have as much to teach us each day as we have to teach them.
Allow Students to Be the Teacher
You may also be interested in an eBook with tips for teachers: Teacher Survival 101
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Decorating the classroom can be a time consuming task for any teacher. Those who are lucky enough to have parent volunteers to help create their bulletin boards may have it easier, but this is not always the case. Here are some ideas to help cut down the time it takes to come up with creative and educational displays.
The Importance of Creative Bulletin Boards
Student of the Week Bulletin Board
Bulletin Boards that Welcome Spring
Here are some ideas for holiday specific displays:
Valentine Bulletin Board Displays
Saint Patrick's Day Bulletin Board Ideas
Bulletin Board for Black History Month
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Many teachers leave the field after only a few years. This teacher burn out is attributed to a number of different things, including administration, pay, discipline and more. Providing support for these new teachers will help to retain more good teachers.
Administration should make it a priority to assign a willing veteran teacher mentor to each new teacher. Encourage them to plan together, observe one another and support one another. Mentors should be provided training on how to provide appropriate feedback.
New teachers should also be willing to ask for help when necessary. Teaching is not a solo sport, even though each teacher works in separate classrooms. Teaming up and learning from other teachers will make a huge difference during that first most difficult year.
Learn more information about supporting new teachers.
Getting Help During First Year Teaching
Here are some more great resources for new teachers.
You may also be interested in an eBook with tips for teachers: Teacher Survival 101
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
The first step in becoming a teacher is to get your professional teacher certification. Confused about the process? Here is a guide to help you: Teacher Certification Basics
Although there are many schools who are desperate for good teachers, the best school districts and more sought after schools are difficult to get jobs at. Here are some tips for landing a teaching position.
Prepare for your interviews, and take as many interviews as you can get. Practice answering interview questions with someone and have them critique your responses. Be sure to not use "um" and "like" as you answer questions. It is OK to take a moment to think before responding, a moment of silence is not a bad thing. Read more information on interview questions:
Interview Questions for Teachers
Dress for your interview and put together a professional portfolio. Make sure you show up early. Match your professional dress with a professional attitude. Walk confidently, stand tall, and be quick to shake hands. Read on for more tips:
Developing a Professional Portfolio
Learn about the various options for getting a job as a teacher. Although the most popular way to get a job as a teacher is through a traditional teacher education program, there are other options out there for those who qualify. Find more information in these articles:
How to Become a Teacher
Receiving an Online Teaching Degree
Staying organized as you search for your new job is vital. The process can be overwhelming and the amount of information and paperwork that you need to keep track of can make you go crazy if you do not have a system to keep it all organized. Here is more information and some great tips on how to get organized as you search for a job.
You may also find this article interesting: Making the Decision to Become a Teacher
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
When holidays come around, students are often distracted and teachers find it difficult to accomplish much. By focusing lessons on the holiday, you may have a better chance at keeping your students focused. A professor of mine in college explained this idea by telling us that if it started snowing, to take the time to draw the students attention to the snow, then bring them back to the lesson. By focusing your lessons around the theme of the holiday, you will have a better time keeping them focused.
Here are some lesson ideas for Valentine's Day:
Valentine's Day Writing Lessons
Valentines Bulletin Board Displays
Free Valentines Day Activities for Kids
In the thought of Valentine's Day, here are some simple gift ideas that teachers can give to their students.
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Many teachers struggle with how to help their students write better. Students need to be taught specific lessons on how to write, edit and revise, yet many teachers end up teaching haphazard lessons that may or may not be effective. Implementing a Writer's Workshop in your classroom is a great way to ensure that each student receives effective and appropriate instruction in writing.
Writer's Workshop is a method of teaching writing that splits the class time up in several different chunks of learning time. Learn each of the components of Writer's Workshop: Teaching Writing with Writers Workshop.
Teaching writing in this style will help you be able to effectively reach out to gifted students as well as those who may have disabilities without a lot of extra effort. This is because Writer's Workshop is a very individualized program. Find more information about this aspect of writers workshop: Benefits of Individualized Writing Instruction.
Two important lessons students learn through this type of writing program, is how to write for different viewpoints, and the purpose of revision in the writing process. These lessons are helpful in that they will naturally help your students improve their writing instruction over time. Find out more about these lessons and how Writer's Workshop works in the classroom: Lessons Taught through Writers Workshop.
Learn about more writing activities that you can do with your students in the classroom, as well as how to work with students who have writing disabilities.
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Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
History is a very common subject for students to dislike. Unless you teach this subject in a way that is creative and asks students to learn new and exciting things, your students will dread history class as much as you dread teaching it.
Save your Newspapers and bring them to school to help bring fresh lesson ideas into the classroom. Here are some activities that you can do with newspapers in the classroom.
Take advantage of what happens in the news to teach students. Draw your students in with open discussion and allow them to have some say in the direction the lesson goes.
Lesson Ideas for President's Day
Teach students about the history of the African American people, and the early days of Slavery in America with these lessons:
Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Teaching reading at the elementary level is an important and yet often difficult task. Having an effective and comprehensive language arts program in your classroom will help to not only educate your students, but to prepare your students for life. Find out more about the importance of a language arts program.
It may also be helpful to understand the importance of teaching reading strategies.
Tips on teaching reading include:
Teach Children How to Sound out Words
Enhance Student Reading Skills
Here is a great reading program that can be used effectively in a variety of settings: Early Reading Program Teaches Phonics
Learn how to teach students with a reading disabilities as well as tips on motivating students to read.
You may also be interested in learning
Learn more tips on teaching comprehension and fluency. You may also be interested in various reading lessons, and other reading activities for use in the classroom.
Also, learn how the classroom organization effects teaching reading.
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Posted by Jennifer Wagaman
Tips on Keeping the Classroom Organized
How to Praise Children for a Job Well Done
Read about teaching tips for new teachers that may be helpful in improving your teaching and and classroom management.
You may also be interested in tips for handling the various issues that come up in a teacher's classroom.
Learn How to Get Parents Involved at School
Finally, new teachers need to have a good handle on lesson planning and classroom management.