Using Digital Games in the Classroom for Effective Practice




Using digital games in the classroom will help boost students’ understanding and mastery of a subject.  The use of digital games is a win-win for both teachers and students.  


Using digital games in the classroom to reach mastery



A benefit to teachers is that there is very little prep required.  Just assign them to your students via whichever platform you use, and watch the magic happen.

It helps to reinforce skills and concepts and is a powerful motivator for students to learn.

Ipad or kindle with game called What is my Habitat


The benefits of playing learning-based games for students are numerous!

•        They are engaging.

•        Games are fun and exciting practice (rather than a boring worksheet).

•        Fit students' learning styles with hands-on digital games.

•        Students can complete these games at their own pace.

These activities can be used for:

•        small groups

•        early finishers

•        extensions for lessons

•        remediation

•        enrichment

•        practice

•        assessment

•        centers


Integrating technology with digital games is so beneficial in the classroom.  It allows all students to be successful, as video games are one of the most familiar activities for students.

Digital game called "Whats the secret number?"

Today’s students spend much of their days looking at screens.  Using digital games to practice concepts and skills of an academic subject is one of the best ways a teacher can meet students on their terms.

Using educational video games in the classroom is a good way to keep students interested in the subject matter.  Not only are students practicing the concept and skill, but they are also working on memory, problem-solving, and other cognitive aspects.

Implementing digital games in the classroom can transform a boring subject into an exciting lesson.

Digital Activities can transform a classroom.


When choosing digital games for your classroom, they should:

•        engage students

•        motivate students

•        increase academic skills, thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and even social skills (if working with partners or groups)

•        be directly aligned to the standards

•        be both educational and fun

Critical thinking game




Try digital activities and games in your own classroom, and see how excited and engaged your students become!

Interactive game

Do you enjoy using digital games in your classroom?  Comment below and tell me!

Keeping the learning real, fun, exciting, and engaging, that's just...

MY KIND OF TEACHING

October Morning Tubs




It's October.

Things have settled in.  

Routines are exactly where they need to be.

Everything is moving like a well-oiled machine.

The best news is that...



They are practicing skills and concepts through hands-on activities with excitement, and they are engaged.   YES!  What a win!

Morning tubs are perfect for independent work, partners, or small-team work.


Here's a closer look at everything included in the October morning tubs for 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade.


Math morning tubs for second, third, and fourth grade

Math for second grade is addition and subtraction. For third and fourth grade division/mulitplication

Math skip counting pattern tubs

Counting money tubs

Math word problems

ELA facts & opinions, antonyms & synonyms

ELA alphabetical order and variety of skills

ELA nouns & verbs, sight words

ELA narrative writing and classifications

ELA sequencing

Fine motor skills, images of worksheets

Critical Thinking

Information sheet gives teachers important information.

Student directions are included

Morning tubs for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades

Enjoying what you do and finding ways to make learning fun for students, that's just...

My Kind of Teaching




P. S.  Comment below and tell me what you think about morning tubs!  Do you use them in your classroom?

Fun Activities for the Month of October

It's time to get ready for another month of lesson plans with units and activities for the month of October.  Planning for the entire month is a time management tip that can help you get things done and get out the door in a timely manner each day.





Taking the time one or two days at the end of the month to plan out your entire upcoming month is a great way to stay organized.  While it might mean that you have to stay late at school for a couple of afternoons now, you will be so glad you did as the month rolls on and you find that you can actually get out the door on time most afternoons.  

Keep reading for a roundup of all things October and how to plan for maximum learning and engagement.

First, ask yourself these questions:

1)  What standards and concepts are listed on the curriculum map for October?
2)  What holidays, special days, and school events are taking place during the month?
3)  What activities have I included in past years that were successful that I want to repeat?


Keep all of the answers to these three questions in mind as you plan out your month.

Center Activities:

Centers are such a very important time of day!  Students are engaged and learning, and you have much needed time to work with needs-based groups to meet all of those individual needs.  The use of centers is a great strategy to make sure that you have the time to work with ALL students and meet ALL of their different needs in your classroom.  Keep your centers easy, simple, and fun!

Planning centers for the entire month using activities to both practice and review concepts will take care of a lot of your lesson plans.

Concepts and Standards for All Subjects:

After planning your center activities, plan out your core academic subjects.  If your district uses a curriculum map, this should be fairly easy to fill in the days for the month of what subjects, skills, concepts, and standards you will be using.  Keeping a fall theme can help keep things fun and interesting for your students.

Don't forget to add activities for math fluency in your classroom.  Helping your students become fluent with addition/subtraction or multiplication/division facts just makes teaching all other math concepts so much easier!

All of the "EXTRA" Parts of the Day:

Keep activities ready for students to use immediately upon arrival.  Students will be engaged and excited to come to your classroom each and every morning.  It's a great way to start your day and sets the tone for success for your students.


Add a little extra science and social studies to your day with a different kind of morning work.

Having some easy activities at your fingertips for your early finishers will help keep your classroom moving smoothly during the entire month.  Click here to grab some FREE activities for October.

If you have other items for the month of October, collect them together and plug those in.  Make your copies, and organize them in a way that works best for you.  

If you are in need of items to fill your monthly lessons, click on the pictures below to see if any of my products will be a good fit for your classroom.  The important thing is to finish your planning and enjoy time outside of the classroom.

No Prep Literacy centers for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. Just print and go!

No Prep Math Centers for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. Print and go!

Interactive activities for math and literacy. Use for centers or whole group activities.

Spooktacular centers for math and literacy perfect for a Halloween theme for 2nd grade

Cursive writing with fall words, fall sentences, and halloween words

Fall math games for addition/subtraction or multiplication/division

Instant word games 4 in 1

Critical thinking worksheet- following directions

Constructed response 2nd grade

Morning Tubs. 24 hands-on activities available for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades

Number puzzles- skip counting. Digital option coming soon

Digital Activities- fact and opinion, math task cards, interactive games




Early finishers

sign up for emails and get centers




Fun activities for the month of October





Keeping things real, keeping your personal life a priority, and helping you whenever I can, that's just...




Math Minis - An Easy Way to Incorporate Math into Your Activities

What are math minis?

Math minis are a new idea I have for giving your students short activities to help incorporate math into your activities each and every day.

These math minis can be used for practice and assessment as you teach the same concept in your classroom.  They can also be assigned to students who need remediation or just to review a concept.  They are quick and easy for you to add to your lesson plans, assign on Google Classroom (or a compatible program), and go.

Here's a closer look at everything that is included!

Students will have one or two slides with information about the subject, a video to watch, and then practice slides.

Lessons with information slides

Lessons with information slides

Students will feed the correct food to the scarecrow.

Students will drag and drop the puzzle pieces to the correct place to complete the picture.

Students will take a quiz in Google Forms

What do you think?  Will these work well for you?  I have more coming soon!

I would love to hear what you think and what you need.  Trying to help meet your needs and make teaching easier for you is just...

My Kind of Teaching