elementary teacher

It's no secret that upper elementary students are the focus of all the test prep because the stakes are higher for them.  But if we work on getting our younger students to have a strong foundation of test taking strategies, the struggle won't be so difficult for our upper elementary teaching friends.

Today we are discussing easy test taking strategies that are perfect for first, second, and third graders to learn. 

In today's episode we'll talk about:

• Prioritizing questions
• Skipping and returning
• Familiarizing with test formats
• Practice reading instructions
• Finding text evidence
• Process of elimination
• Checking answers
• Rest and relaxtion

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/test-taking-strategies-for-elementary-students/

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Teaching and Tapas Reading Passages from TpT

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Writing is embedded throughout our daily lives. Because of this, writing shouldn’t always be taught in isolation. It’s important to teach writing across content areas as well that reinforces the type of writing specific to that discipline.

In today's episode we cover:

• How to utilize content vocabulary in writing
• Examples of how to write like a historian
• Examples of how to write like a mathematician
• Examples of how to write like a scientist

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/writing-across-content-areas/

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If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

I feel like building writing stamina is something that is not talked about often. Writing stamina is an important part of our students’ writing foundation that we need to build. Here are some effective strategies for nurturing writing stamina for our younger students.

In today's episode we'll discuss:

• Embracing the writing process
• Establishing a writing routine
• Setting realistic goals
• Providing writing choice
• Creating a comfortable writing environment
• Implementing peer collaboration
• Using technology

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK: https://sharedteaching.com/building-writing-stamina/

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If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

When teaching sight words for second graders, there are some differences to notice. Sight words are important to teach but they are not just for memorization. Today we’ll cover some strategies to use instead.

In this episode we'll talk about:

• What are sight words
• How to introduce sight words
• Irregular spelled or heart words
• Play dough sight word mats
• Sight word letter boxes
• Sight word interactive notebooks
• Additional sight word activities

BLOG POST / SHOW NOTES LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/sight-words-for-second-graders/

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Episode 29:  How to Introduce Sight Words in 5 Powerful Ways
• Episode 80:  Science of Reading and Sight Words: Making Your Centers Work
• Sight Word Interactive Notebook
• Sight Words Ideas for Parents
• Sight Word Letter Boxes
• Sight Word Play Dough Mats for Older Students

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If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

If you're students are still struggling with putting words or sentences onto paper, this episode is for you!

Shared writing is the perfect tool in your writing toolkit to support your emergent writers. Get your students interacting and helping you write with shared writing. I'll walk you through how to get started - it's as easy as picking up your pen!

In this episode you'll learn:

• What shared writing is
• An example lesson 
• Why you should try shared writing
• How to pace and plan out your lessons

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/shared-writing/

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• FREE K-3 Writing Skills Progression Chart

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If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

Teaching shortages often mean missing out on your planning period. The rare times you do have a prep, it’s important to maximize your time. Today I’ll show you some time saving techniques to make the most of your time.

In today's episode we will tackle 3 ways to schedule out your prep period to be more efficient. We're also discussing ways to avoid distractions. 

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/planning-period/

Sign up for my FREE K-3 writing skills checklist by clicking here!

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If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

Happy New Year!

In honor of the New Year I am counting down my 5 resolutions for teachers. I love the feeling of all the possibilities that can occur in a new year. The idea of fresh starts and big dreams fills me with excitement every January. Here are 5 New Year’s resolutions for teachers that will reinvigorate you as well!

BLOG POST / SHOW NOTES LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/new-years-resolutions-for-teachers/

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Episode 87, Classroom Organization Tips for Creating Systems
• Episode 74, Organizing Your Classroom: Creating Working Systems
• Episode 103, Setting Up Student Organization Systems
• Better Teacher Organization, free email mini-course

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

Looking for some advice for your first year as a teacher? In the third episode in this series, I’m sharing my best tips for what you should know for teaching during the winter time.

Check out these episodes for the rest of the New Teacher Advice Series:

• New Teacher Advice: Summer Edition, episode 77
• New Teacher Advice: Fall Edition, episode 95

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/first-year-teacher-advice/

Resources You May Enjoy:

• CLASSroom Management Adventure (a course on building a classroom management plan)
• Parent Guides for Kindergarten, First, Second, or Third Grade

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

Are you about to head into winter break but need a few more ideas to fill your time? These ideas are admin-approved (aligned to standards) and will have your students excited to work!

In today's episode I'll share ideas for:

• Help Wanted Ads
• Shared Writing
• Gingerbread Real Estate
• Author Studies

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/winter-break/

Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode:

• 2nd Grade Opinion Writing Unit

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

Are your students struggling to write in complete sentences? Maybe you're seeing a lot of run-on sentences with no punctuation in sight. Maybe you are seeing fragments that make no sense. Where do you go from here?

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK: https://sharedteaching.com/how-to-teach-sentence-writing/

In today's episode I will show you what has worked well for me in my own first and second grade classrooms over the years.

• How to Count It Out
• Using Sentence Partners
• Color Coding Sentences
• Space Sticks
• Small Group Instruction
• Whole Group Grammar

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Writing Units

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

We are heading into the end of the year which is a great time to evaluate and reset our classrooms. As a teacher, having clear systems for organization can save you lots of time in your day. I’m sharing a few of my favorite ideas for managing all the paper that comes our way.

In today's episode we're talking about:

• Figuring out our paper categories
• Create an organization flow for each category
• Decide on your organization style

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/teacher-organization/

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Crafty Teacher Lady's colored file system for paper grades

More episodes about organization:

• Episode 103: Setting Up Student Organization Systems
• Episode 87:  Classroom Organization Tips for Creating Working Systems
• Episode 74:  Organizing Your Classroom: Creating Working Systems
• Free Mini Email Course with videos - Better Teacher Organization

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

Messy desks and lost papers? Get your students organized by putting a system in place to help stop these problems in their tracks.  It's never too late to start a new system.

In today's episode we're talking about:

• What is a student organization system
• Organizing student desks
• Organizing student materials
• Creating a student paper system

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/student-organization-systems/

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• ADDitude's article: The Messy Student's Guide to Order
• Editable Student Notebook Tabs from my TpT store, Shared Teaching

More episodes about organization:

• Episode 87:  Classroom Organization Tips for Creating Working Systems
• Episode 74:  Organizing Your Classroom: Creating Working Systems

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

With so many things we can teach in the genre of narrative writing where do we even begin?  In this episode I'm covering what I feel are the most important lessons. We'll talk about components of narrative writing, story plots, small moments, story illustrations, and question words.

BLOG POST / SHOW NOTES LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/teaching-narrative-writing/

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Episode 96:  My Favorite Narrative Writing Mentor Texts
• Follow my TpT store to be notified of new products
• Episode 52: 3 Steps to Planning Your Writing Mini Lessons
• Episode 40:  5 Writing Workshop Mini Lessons You Must Not Skip
• Get the Writing Skills Checklist by clicking here

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

Ready to give student led conferences a try? By shifting the responsibility of explaining grades and progress to the learners, student led conferences can be more enjoyable than traditional conferences.

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/student-led-conferences/

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Jane Fong - student centers for conferences
• Episode 35: Setting Student Learning Goals
• Shared Teaching Blog Post: Easy Parent-Teacher Conference Sign Ups

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

Teaching writing can be complicated but I think the idea of student writing conferences is even more so. Guest Whitney from Learning with Crayons will show us just how we can take away the overwhelm and get started.

Whitney holds two master's degrees and has a lifelong love of learning. She is also currently still in the classroom starting her eleventh year of teaching and has a 1/2 combo class.

In today's episode we talk about:

• Whitney's writing system
• Why starting with reading rough drafts is important
• Are goals necessary in writing conferences
• Having writing partners
• Fitting in writing conferences
• Helping struggling writers who don't know what they wrote
• Should you keep a conference log

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:   https://sharedteaching.com/student-writing-conferences/

Connect with our guest Whitney Ramirez, Learning with Crayons:

• Whitney's instagram - @learningwithcrayons
• Whitney's blog -  Learning with Crayons

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

Before starting your narrative writing unit, listen to this episode first! Choosing a good mentor text will provide your students with a model piece of writing to emulate during the unit.

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/narrative-writing-mentor-texts/

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:  

• Episode 17:  Choosing a Mentor Text
• Episode 62:  My Favorite Opinion Writing Mentor Texts
• Bookshop.org Affiliate Link

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

If you are a new teacher looking for support this fall, you've come to the right episode. Today I'm sharing my advice for new teachers for the busy back to school season. We'll discuss:

• How to focus on building student relationships
• Creating family and staff relationships
• Learning who your students are academically
• Finding a school friend or mentor for support

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/advice-for-new-teachers/

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Episode 77: Best Advice for New Teachers - Summer Edition
• Episode 41: Classroom Management Quick Wins

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

Are you ready to set up your classroom for back to school. It can fill any teacher with overwhelm when trying to unpack your classroom and get reading for a new school year. In this podcast, you'll learn how to arrange and organize your classroom to minimize chaos and disruptions and maximize time spent learning. This real teacher talk episode will prepare you for a smooth start to a new school year. 

To download your FREE checklist The Great 88: Rules, Routines, and Expectations to Go Over and Over, click here and feel confident establishing your classroom management in the new school year.

For more resources on classroom management, time management, and preserving your mental well-being so you can avoid teacher burn out, visit www.erinsponaugle.com.

You can find more classroom resources for your upper elementary classroom by visit Next Chapter Press on Teachers Pay Teachers.

To follow Erin on Instagram, visit https://www.instagram.com/nextchapterforteachers/

Prefer Facebook? Check out Next Chapter Press at https://www.facebook.com/erinsponauglewv/

Rather just stick to Pinterest? Head on over to https://www.pinterest.com/erin_sponaugle/

It's almost that time - end of the summer and the start of a new school year. I go back in 3 days so I guess it's time to start thinking about what I'm doing for the beginning of the year.

In today's episode I'm sharing my must haves:

• Daily Schedule Cards 
• Classroom Management Plan
• Classroom Team Jobs
• Parent Communication Plan

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Daily Schedule Cards
• Classroom Team Jobs
• Episode 26: Organizing with Classroom Jobs
• Parent Communication
• CLASSroom Management Adventure Course  - build your classroom management plan

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.

A writing pre-assessment is the most important first step in your writing plans. Just like other subjects, the writing pre-assessment will inform your direction for lessons.

In today's episode we're talking about:

• Why you should use a pre-assessment for writing
• What to use as your pre-assessment
• Choosing a paper format 
• Grading the pre-assessment

SHOW NOTES / BLOG POST LINK:  https://sharedteaching.com/writing-preassessment/

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Free Writing Skills Progression or bit.ly/writing-skills-progression

Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to help more people find this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Ratings allow me to help more primary teachers build literacy systems for writing and centers so they can leave school on time. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five starts, and select "Write a review." Don't forget to let me know your favorite part of the episode!

Not yet a follower of the podcast? If you are not a subscriber, you might miss out on future episodes. Follow here on Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast player.