Simplify Your First Week of School in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Grades

Make Your First Week of School Relaxing and Stress Free!

The first week of school can be a whirlwind for both new and veteran teachers. The excitement of meeting new students is often paired with the challenge of setting the tone for the year and ensuring everything runs smoothly from day one. 

Those can be some pretty big challenges.

I understand these challenges, and that's why I created a solution to help you start the school year with ease: theFirst Week of School Survival Kit.

This comprehensive First Week of School Survival Kit is designed for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-grade teachers. This differentiated unit includes everything you need to kick off the school year without the stress and hassle. 

Differentiated for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Grades

Each grade level has its unique needs and challenges. The survival kit is tailored to meet these needs, ensuring that every student is engaged and learning right from the start. Whether you're teaching 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade, you'll find materials that are just right for your classroom.

No Prep Required

Say goodbye to hours of preparation! This kit is designed to be print-and-go, saving you valuable time. With everything ready at your fingertips, you can focus on what truly matters – connecting with your students and creating a positive learning environment.

Comprehensive Lesson Plans

Detailed and easy-to-follow lesson plans will guide your teaching throughout the first week. These plans cover all academic subjects. With clear instructions, you can confidently navigate each day without feeling overwhelmed.

Engaging Activities

Captivate your students with fun and interactive activities included in the survival kit. These activities are designed to be both educational and enjoyable, helping you establish a positive classroom atmosphere from day one.

Valuable Tips

Benefit from expert advice that will help you manage your classroom effectively.The survival kit includes tips and tricks for a successful first week, ensuring you’re well-prepared for any situation that might arise.

All Subjects Included

This survival kit covers all academic areas, from math and reading to science and social studies. You can rest assured that you’re providing a well-rounded education to your students right from the start.

Grab a few tips and a no prep bulletin board for FREE.

A stress-free and relaxing first week of school can be yours for less than the cost of your favorite latte and will be, oh, SO worth it!

Helping you to be on top of your game before the school year even begins is just...

My Kind of Teaching!

Fall in Love with Math and Literacy Center Time

Do you struggle with center time? Using centers can be the most rewarding time of the day... but not when you have to spend precious hours each week prepping and getting ready for the centers. 

Planning and preparing for math or literacy stations can sometimes consume more time than the actual execution of the centers.

Choosing five centers and KEEPING those five centers all year long will be a huge time-saver. Using NO PREP and LOW PREP activities will save you even more time.

Read this blog post about how to keep literacy centers fun, simple, and easy with just five centers all year long.

This same idea can be used in math centers, no matter what skill or concept you teach.

Click here to read a blog post about math centers.

In the blog posts, I share how I found that five centers in math and five centers in language arts worked best for me. (Believe me; I tried several methods and strategies before I realized I was just making things too hard!)

In addition to using my no-prep centers, I tried to use things already in my classroom. This saved me both time and money.

Read this blog post about things you probably already have in your classroom to use in math and literacy centers.

You can find these forever freebies in my TpT store.

FREE Math Center Activity

FREE Literacy Center Activity

Use these FREE Center Labels to designate your centers in your classroom.

Click here to sign up for my emails and get a set of FREE no-prep math and literacy centers to try out in your classroom.

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My Kind of Teaching

First Day of School Activities

The first-day jitters are REAL!

You’re not able to sleep the night before even though you know that you are ready.

You have butterflies in your stomach.

There is the excitement yet nerves that assail.

It still happens whether you're a new teacher, on the brink of retirement, or somewhere in between.

Learn to embrace it.

Here are some tips to help the very first day go smoothly.

1) Use a notepad and write down Every. Single. Minute. of the day!

2) Since the schedule is new to you, write down times and what you plan to do.

3) Students are unusually quiet the first morning, as they are nervous also. Give them a fun activity such as a coloring sheet to complete with their new school supplies as you greet everyone and take care of the things you must do.

(For younger grades, I always had a laminated piece of construction paper and a small playdough container on each desk. This was a huge hit!)

4) After you have taken care of attendance, begin your morning with introductions. Tell them a little about yourself. Go over the schedule for the day. They will especially want to know about lunch and recess.

5) Tell them the procedures for bathroom breaks, as this is another big concern for students.

The biggest concern for the teacher on the first day is to make sure that every student has time to eat and that you send them home correctly. I had a principal who always told us that the only concern for the first day of school was to “feed them, keep them safe, and send them home correctly”.

In between, you will want fun things to do as you begin learning about your students. Some ideas are:

• break the ice/getting to know you activities (Click here to see some fun ones in my store along with some fun writing prompts.)

• first day of school read-aloud

• a little math

• a little reading

• a game

• teach them something

Complete some activities to get to know your students better. Getting them moving makes things even better. A favorite game I liked to use in my classroom was four corners. For the first day of school, I modified it to a simple yes or no game.

You can tell students that the left side of the room is yes and that the right side is no. (On the rug for "yes" or off an area rug for "no" works also.)

Use these FREE yes/no questions I have prepared for you. Add some of your own, as well.

Play bingo with your students for an easy game that everyone knows. I have a digital back-to-school bingo game in my store, or you can use an academic one you already own. Click here to see digital bingo games.

Another fun game is “Four in a Row”. You can find it included along with other NO-PREP back-to-school activities in my store to last your entire first week of school. Just print and go to make planning so easy for you.

Click here to see First Week of Week Survival Kit

I always liked to teach my whole class a math game I created. This was a game they BEGGED to play the entire year. Teach it first as a whole group, and then add it to your first week of math centers. Add it to your math shelf so that students can play it with partners as an early finisher activity throughout the year. Click here to see this game.

Most importantly, check with your students to make sure that they know how they are getting home and that you have the correct information. Begin checking with them early on the first day. Double-check and triple-check. You want to make sure that you and the students are confident in how they will leave school.

Plan your day in the most minute detail to ensure that you have the smoothest first day you’ve ever had.

Having the best FIRST day ever is just...

My Kind of Teaching

A New Take on Classroom Morning Work

Starting your day with a consistent routine is key to building a foundation of success for your students. Your students need to know what to expect from the moment they walk into your classroom each morning. When you implement meaningful activities and have a consistent routine, you are setting up your students for success. Classroom morning work is the perfect way to start each day. Morning work should be easy to manage and meaningful to your students.

Why Morning Work is So Valuable

The first few minutes of class are crucial. What your students do in those few minutes sets the tone for the rest of the day. When you implement a consistent routine, students learn what is expected and can jump in independently. This frees you up to take care of those daily administrative tasks like attendance and lunch choice.

Since students have a consistent routine they can develop independence skills. Before you know it, your students will be arriving, unpacking, and getting started on meaningful work activities. This structured time allows students to work on their own helping them build independence and show responsibility.

Not Your Typical Morning Work

If you have struggled to find morning work that keeps students learning and engaged, you are not alone! I have been there. I knew the importance of developing a consistent morning routine, but I could never find that perfect lesson to help me with providing a consistent learning routine for starting our day. Most morning work options I found focused solely on math and/or language arts skills. While this is great I wanted something more.

Because of those challenges, I created these paperless, no prep, science and social studies based morning work activities. While students will apply language arts and math skills they do so through the engagement of science and social studies topics. My students look forward to completing the different tasks each morning and are always excited to see what they will learn. 

The classroom morning work consists of a variety of activities for students to complete. Each day presents challenges along with fun and engaging mini-lessons. Some of these lessons have a video to help students dive deeper, as well as provide a visual for a better understanding.

This interactive resource is so easy to use. Simply project the calendar onto your screen, click on the day’s date, and let the fun begin! Your students will be eager to start their day.

Morning Work Activities Explained

Weird and Wacky Science Fact

Students will learn a science fact by viewing an image, reading text, and watching a video. It's a great way to add a little science fun to each and every day.

Today in History

In this section, students will read about something that happened on the same date in history. There are also likes to videos that give students more information. It's a great way for students to learn new things from history. With some serious and some silly - your students will eagerly anticipate what might have happened years before.

In Your Own Words

This is a great writing activity for getting your students thinking in the morning. Each day students will be asked to do a little writing. It might be reviewing what they learned from the daily science topic, or reviewing a previously taught language arts skill. By giving students an explicit writing activity, they won't be wasting time wondering what to write about.

Make a List

In this section, students will be making a list of items that meet the daily topic. It's a great way to work on vocabulary development and categorization.

Surprise Section!

This final section changes and is a great way to keep kids on their feet. This section will include activities like handwriting practice, drawing or riddles, figures of speech, and more!

Not Your Typical Morning Work

While this science and social studies based morning work is not your typical math or language arts spiral review - it is filled with so many skills that your students need.  Here are just a few of the important skills your students will work on with this Daily Science and Social Studies Morning Work: 

daily science facts through photos, text, and videos

daily social studies and historical facts through photos, text, and videos

grammar practice

writing skills

critical thinking activities

fine motor skills

cursive writing practice

The list could go on and on!  What really sets this apart is the engaging factor that the science and social studies sections add.  We may get moans and groans when assigning reading, writing, and math practice, but through this morning work, the same skills are woven through topics that students love!

This resource is easy to implement, engaging, and educational!  And . . . if you've never used morning work before it will transform your morning routine.

Try Science & Social Studies Morning Work for Free!

I love this resource so much because it made a huge difference in my classroom.  Not only were students engaged and working, but they were learning lots of new science and social studies topics, developing a larger vocabulary, and reviewing key skills without even realizing it!

I'd love for you to try this in your classroom so I created a free monthly sampler pack.  In this free resource you can see and try a daily morning work activity from every month.  

Pin it!

Be sure to save these fun and engaging classroom morning work ideas to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you can come back anytime during the year for no-prep morning work your students will love!

Helping you teach fun and meaningful lessons is just...

My Kind of Teaching!

Focusing on Fractions

Teaching fractions is a big milestone in elementary grades, but I don't know very many teachers who actually look forward to the task. It can be difficult to teach and difficult for students to understand, especially once you move past the introduction. The good news is that it doesn't have to be. The key is figuring out how to break it down in a meaningful and engaging way so that your students really understand the concept. Today, we are focusing on fractions.

Fractions Are Important

While there are many math concepts (especially higher-level ones) that make us think, "Can't we just skip this part? Why do we need to learn this anyway? We are never going to use it." This is NOT the case for fractions.

We use fractions daily without even realizing it. Dividing up a project among different people, cooking a meal, and cutting up that delicious pie all force us to apply our previously learned fraction skills.  

Learning fractions is a foundational math skill that students need to be successful in everyday life. Let's look at a few other areas where focusing on fractions is important:

• Architects need precise measurements to plan structures
• Doctors need specific calculations for treatments and surgeries
• Contractors deal with fractions daily when building houses and businesses
• Moms cut up pizzas to serve their families
• And who can forget those 1/2 off sales

Fractions are the foundation of so many things. As teachers, we need to take the time to make sure our students really understand the concept. Getting them interested and excited about the topic by making it relatable can be a real game-changer.

How to Teach Fractions Effectively to Your Students

It's no secret teaching fractions can be tricky. This is because of their complex nature and a general lack of interest from students. Through lots of trial and error over the years, I've learned a few strategies that seem to work the best when focusing on fractions. 

1. Hands-on Learning - Making fractions visual to our students is a huge part of the learning process. Breaking out manipulatives and blocks allow students to build their own fractions. They can see and touch a fraction in a way that just looking at a picture doesn't quite meet.  They can also gain a solid understanding of part, part, whole during this process. 
2. Visual Representation - It is important to see a fraction in several different ways. Having them create fractions on paper allows you to achieve this easily. You can use a grid to do this. Circle and pie graphs also work well for this activity.
3. Technology - It's always good to mix it up a little and add some technology to our lessons. This makes the skill interactive and gives our students hands-on practice in a different way. 
4. Flexibility - Get ready to be flexible with your plans. It may take a little bit longer for your students to pick up on the concept than you'd hoped. That's okay. Take the time to go back and pull out the manipulatives again, or do what you need to reinforce the skill.

Most importantly, don't forget your patience! It will go a long way when teaching this skill.

Focusing on Fractions Activities

After the initial fraction introduction, it's time to break things down even further. I like to do that by focusing on three main categories and following a very strategic plan of action. 

Simplifying Fractions

We all know that we must reduce a fraction to its simplest form. So, this is the next thing I introduce to my students after they have general knowledge of a fraction and its parts. 

I do this by using a PowerPoint lesson and a companion worksheet. This strategy works well for me in all areas of teaching fractions. It's very methodical. My kids know exactly what to expect and enjoy the step-by-step process.

We begin with the PowerPoint lesson discussing what it means for a fraction to be in the simplest form. Then, we move into different ways to simplify fractions. 

The step-by-step process forces students to ask themselves questions to determine if the fraction is already in simplest form or if it needs to be reduced. 

Then it guides them through the process of doing just that. At the end of the presentation, there is an opportunity for some guided practice. I love this part of the lesson because I can see who "gets it" and who needs more practice. 

The companion worksheet is a great addition to the PowerPoint presentation. I use them together. The beauty of it is that it allows for guided practice with amazing discussion opportunities, partner work, and finally independent practice. 

As we work through the PowerPoint slides, we fill out the companion worksheet together. Be sure to take your time and work slowly through the powerPoint. This will give your students time to really think about their answers and allow them to gain a more in-depth understanding of the topic. My students always have a huge success rate with this process.

Improper Fractions

Now it's time to blow their minds! The very sight of an improper fraction or a mixed number will get your student's heads spinning. This concept does not look like the "normal" fraction you just spent so much time introducing. No worries! With a little time and a few steps, your students will be masters of improper fractions.

How should you teach this? You guessed it! The same method we just discussed works wonders with this skill as well. 

It's time to break out that PowerPoint lesson and companion worksheet. The slides discuss numerators, denominators, whole numbers, and how they relate to each other. 

Most importantly, I reinforce the fact that improper fractions are NOT BAD just because they are different. 

Remember to take your time when moving through the PowerPoint so your students can effectively complete the companion worksheet.  

I love it because the multiple pages and activities provide a chance for guided practice before throwing in the deep end on their own. 

We complete the first page together as a group. It is an awesome sheet that's pretty much an interactive reference sheet. It reinforces the process and serves as a great guide for an independent practice where students will practice changing improper fractions to mixed numbers. Then they will simply the fractions if needed.

Students love how the process is broken down for them, and the tech aspect of it makes it fun! The PowerPoint is also great for reinforcing skills in small group instruction and intervention groups. 

Decomposing Fractions

This lesson teaches students how to break apart fractions and see them in different ways. I like to demonstrate this with fraction models. I'm always game for a good old-fashioned hands-on lesson.  If you have a class set, it's a great idea to allow students the opportunity to decompose fractions with their own blocks. 

I use my tried and true PowerPoint lesson and companion worksheet here, too. 

The slides take them through decomposing a fraction and a mixed number. Then it gives them the chance to work with a partner while decomposing numbers using pictures. 

The students get so excited to share their work with the class! 

Of course, the companion worksheet is broken down to follow the PowerPoint exactly so your students will be able to follow along while staying actively engaged in the lesson.

Focusing on Fractions Just Got Easier

You can grab all of these lessons and practice activities in my Fractions Bundle. It provides a step by step process for teaching your students about:

• Simplifying Fractions
• Converting Improper Fractions to Mixed Numbers
• Decomposing Fractions

The PowerPoint presentation walks them through the process while teaching them all of the rules along the way.  They'll get hands-on practice of their own while completing the companion worksheet that goes with the activity.  Grab this fractions bundle in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Save It For Later

Be sure to save all of this info for focusing on fractions to your favorite math board.

Helping you to make fractions easier for you and your students.  That's just...

My Kind of Teaching!