At the moment the first-grade journal period is filled with stories of train “drivers,” swinging with friends, playing doll, fishing, and kayaking. Today one student was putting out a fire. Another one was playing with his dog...

During the summer the 25-mph speed limit sign was moved up the hill a few hundred yards. This morning on my way to school I realized that, once again, I cruised through it at a higher speed, only slowing down as I approached the...

Photo by William Iven on Unsplash Dear Second-Year Teacher, Welcome back for another year in the classroom! It’s good to see that you stuck around, that you were brave enough to try it again. It would be a shame to let all the...

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay Today was our first day of kindergarten. In a normal school year, we hold a two-week kindergarten in April. This year in April, the twelve children who were eagerly counting days until they...

Photo by David Fintz on Unsplash Every teacher has seen the sentiment that the best months of the school year are June, July, and August. Every teacher knows the inaccuracy of the witticism but there are ways that we can use...

Image by Sharon McCutcheon via Pexels School is out. The students have closed their books and taken the last tests. The books have all been sent back to the school house. It’s time to forget math and language and reading for a...

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash School prepares our students for life in the adult world. So why bother with oral reading beyond first or second grade? Most students can read faster silently than orally. Some students find oral...

Photo by Tanya Gorelova from Pexels “Ok, class, open your reading books to ‘Candy Pills for the Stomach.’ Kay, you may start reading. Each of you read one paragraph when it is your turn.” “Mumble, mumble, stumble, pause, wait to...

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord nullifies the counsel of...

First grade is off to a good start. Now it is time to push on the finish line and end well. This talk focuses on the last half of first grade. We will discuss ideas and hints that will help keep the spark in learning and will...

First grade started well gives students a good foundation for the rest of their school days. In this talk, we will focus on a good beginning. We will discuss what a first grader is, what a first grader should be learning, and...

In this lesson, students recognize and produce lines: straight, curved, looped, jagged, wavy, diagonal, horizontal, and vertical. After drawing each of these lines, they color the spaces to create a collage of colors. An...

This is a lesson plan for an elementary art lesson in which students combine two primary colors to create a three-colored, symmetrical butterfly.

This is a lesson plan for an elementary art lesson in which students draw and use construction paper to create a fall landscape. In the first lesson, students draw the background. In the second lesson they cut and tear...

Four lesson plans to teach students about the universe. Topics covered in these lesson plans are the solar system, the moon, the stars, and how the earth rotates to make day and night. Carolyn includes fun projects to help...