Kindergarten Handwriting Practice

When I started teaching Kindergarten, I knew I wanted to  have my student's track their growth like my 5th graders did in their data binders.

This was very easy to do in math with our monthly 100's chart book. Each month they complete a new 100's chart to track how far they are able to record their numbers that month. Tracking handwriting was a bit harder for me and to be honest, not a huge focus of mine in the beginning.

This year, improving handwriting is one of my goals. I decided the easiest way to do this would be with daily practice!

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Controlling the Volume in the Classroom

I am not a silent person, pretty much ever. I have always been a bit of a chatterbox, and that is probably the reason why I do not mind a chatty classroom. I could not make it through the day without talking to the people in my life, and I certainly do not expect them to be silent throughout the majority of the day.

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Kindergarten Morning Routine

Our mornings, like most classrooms, is a bit hectic! Our kids arrive between 8:15-8:45, depending on how they are dropped off in the morning. I like to change up our morning routine each day, just to keep it interesting for everyone - including myself!

One staple in our routine is the Would You Rather questions.

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No Work Weekends Planning Schedule

It took about a year to figure my system out, but I now have a planning schedule that allows me to take each weekend off from school completely.

While I adore teaching and my class, the amount of time I used to work everyday was overwhelming. After my first full year of teaching I already felt burnt out. I knew something needed to change, but I did not want to sacrifice what was best for my class. I had to try out a lot of different methods, but I finally made a schedule for myself.

When I stick to it, I am done working by 8 pm each school night and I never work on weekends!

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Using a TV in the Classroom - ELA and Math

Having a TV in your classroom can seem overwhelming at first, but it really is an amazing way to increase learning. Click here to read about how I incorporate it into our morning meeting.

While I love how it enhances our morning meeting, I think what it does for my teaching in ELA and Math is what causes me to love it the most!

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Building Number Sense in Kindergarten

Number sense and mastering the 100's chart are such important skills. When I taught 5th grade, I was amazed by how many of my students were unable to jump ahead 10 or 20 without using a 100's chart. I knew I wanted to make understanding the patterns of the 100's chart a focus as a Kindergarten teacher.

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Teaching Sight Words in Kindergarten

Our Kindergarten students are required to learn 50 sight words. I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted to incorporate them in my routine. I knew I wanted a sight word of the day. However, my first year I went overboard!

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An Unconventional Kindergarten Word Wall

When I found out 3 years ago that I was headed to Kindergarten I had an idea. I knew that I wanted my students to have access to all the words that would help them to decode and write with ease.

I also wanted these signs to be in one central area where they could gather during reading and writing times. I didn't want them to have to wander the room in order to find the sign that they needed.

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Using Contact Paper in the Classroom

I love my classroom, but my tables are horrible. I have 3 white circular tables that are so old, any pencil, crayon or marker stains it. Stains it so much that even Magic Eraser can't remove it!

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Time Saving Tips - Organizing Copies and Originals

Any teacher knows that copy time is precious. My first year I was a disaster, I never had what I needed when I got to the copier, which by the way is quite aways from my room! I've gotten a bit more organized over the years and it really paid off last year.

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