Why a Back-to-School Math Task Might Matter More Than You Think

Instead of focusing solely on review, the first week of math instruction can set the tone for the entire year. It’s the perfect time to introduce the kind of thinking, collaboration, and perseverance you’ll expect from your students moving forward. That’s why I believe in starting the year with meaningful, fun math activities that go beyond rote computation.

Let me explain more about why your first math task should be more than just review—and how one powerful resource has helped ME launch math instruction with intention and engagement. By the way–if you aren’t ready to start thinking about back to school yet, just pin one of the images to revisit later!

Start Strong with Rich Math Tasks

A well-designed math task does more than practice skills. It encourages students to think critically, explore different strategies, and communicate their thinking clearly. Starting the year with a low-floor, high-ceiling challenge invites all students in—no matter their confidence level—and helps you observe how they reason, organize their work, and collaborate with peers.

And when those tasks are built around real-world problem solving? Even better. When that “real world” task is something that is meaningful to them?  Golden.  (No more “Johnny bought 24 watermelons…” problems because–no, indeed, Johnny did NOT!)

A Fun Back-to-School Math Task to Get Students Thinking

One of my favorite ways to kick off the math year is with the Open-Ended Teamwork Challenge: Back-to-School Shopping. This fun math project asks students to help “Mila” (named after a former student, I must admit!) shop for school clothes on a budget—choosing from different stores, weighing deals, and stretching her money as far as it will go.

Why do I love this math task so much? Because it…

• Combines addition, subtraction, and multi-step thinking in an authentic, MEANINGFUL context

• Encourages creativity, decision-making, and accountable math talk

• Is fully differentiated with multiple levels of challenge

• Allows for collaboration OR independent work (whole class, small group, partners, centers, you name it!)

• Includes extension tasks and discussion prompts that deepen thinking and takes all the prep concerns away for you

• Has a digital option, making it easy to assign to different groups

Students aren’t just solving math problems—they’re thinking like mathematicians. They analyze, justify, reflect, and adjust. This is the kind of math classroom culture I want to build from day one.  In fact, by starting the year with tasks that are differentiated, it helps build the culture for that as well!

More Than Math: Setting the Stage for a Growth Mindset

This activity also gives students permission to try, to revise, and to persist—without fear of making mistakes. That’s what makes it such a powerful tool for introducing growth mindset in math.

Some students will overspend. Others will forget an item. Some will go back and find better deals. And that’s exactly the kind of productive struggle we want to normalize. These aren’t just math lessons—they’re mindset lessons.  Is there a single right answer?  NO.  Is there more than one way to solve it?  YES!  What better way to start the year than to help students learn this!

Bring Math to Life Through Accountable Talk

If you’ve ever struggled to get students talking meaningfully about math, this is a great way to practice accountable math talk from the first days of school.  This isn’t something that should be a “unit” or minilesson.  It needs to become a way of “being” in your classroom. To help, this math task includes guiding prompts to encourage math discourse:

• How did you decide what to buy and where?

• What was tricky about this task?

• Was your solution the only possible one?

• What would you change next time?

These conversations not only build math understanding—they build classroom community.

Let’s Stop “Saving the Good Stuff”

Sometimes teachers wait to introduce rich problem-solving tasks until students have “learned the basics.” But here’s the thing: solving problems is how students learn the basics. It’s how they build number sense, logic, and confidence.

So this year, why not start with something meaningful?  To be honest, it may feel uncomfortable.  You may worry that you don’t know enough about your students as mathematicians yet.  I challenge you to think in a different way.  What could you LEARN about your students while doing a task like this?

Try It Yourself!

If you’re looking for a flexible, engaging, and standards-aligned math activity to launch your year, I highly recommend the Open-Ended Teamwork Challenge: Back-to-School Shopping. It’s more than just a math activity—it’s a way to build habits of mind that will serve your students all year long. Having a task like this is project based learning–especially when you get into the extension options I’ve included.

Let’s give our students a strong start—not just in content, but in mindset, collaboration, and a love for problem solving.  Don’t worry–there is PLENTY of time to work on the “basics”.  I promise.

Want to read more about growth mindset at the beginning of the year?

How about this post about some great back-to-school reading lessons?

Want Your First Week of Math Plans Done for You?

If you’re getting ready for back to school and want to make some changes in your math teaching but think, “Yes! But how do I pull all that together in time?”—I get it. That’s exactly why I created my new mini course, Launching a Week of Math. Having been a classroom teacher in the trenches–I know how CRAZY stressful the beginning of the school year is, and I thought about what I could do to help out my fellow teachers–and after tons of work, this is what I built!

This short, low-cost, on-demand minicourse is packed with the exact lessons, routines, and materials I used in my own classroom to start the year with confidence. It includes:

✅ Video guidance and real examples (it’s like PD on demand–but in short, meaningful bits)
✅ A full week of flexible, printable plans
✅ Downloadable tools and templates  (like everything you need–from games to printables and more!)
✅ Routines you’ll use all year long

I designed it to be practical, realistic, and classroom-tested—something you can implement right away without stress. So if you want your first week of math literally DONE FOR YOU, check it out!

The post Using a back-to-school math task along with your review? YES! appeared first on The Teacher Studio.

As an elementary teacher, setting a positive tone for the day can make all the difference in your students’ learning experience. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through a well-structured morning meeting. Morning meetings are more than just a routine—they are a powerful tool to foster a sense of community, enhance social-emotional skills, and prepare students for a successful day of learning.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of morning meetings, share practical tips on how to implement them in your classroom, and highlight some of our favorite activities and resources to get you started. Let’s dive in and discover how a few minutes each morning can transform your classroom environment and set your students up for a productive day!

Benefits of Morning Meetings

• Building Community

Morning meetings are a cornerstone in building a strong classroom community. They provide a consistent time each day for students to come together, share their thoughts, and listen to one another. This fosters a sense of belonging and mutual respect.

Include activities like greeting each other, sharing personal news, and trying group tasks. Through this, students learn to appreciate their peers’ perspectives and develop empathy. This daily ritual strengthens relationships among students. It also creates a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and ready to contribute.

• Setting Expectations

Morning meetings help set the tone for the day by giving the class a consistent, structured start. They make expectations clear and help students feel comfortable and ready to learn. With regular activities like greetings, sharing, and group discussions, students get used to following routines and can transition smoothly into lessons. This daily practice keeps things orderly and shows how cooperation makes the classroom a better place for everyone.

In addition, morning meetings are a great time to talk about classroom and other school issues that the students are dealing with.  We all have issues at recess or problems with voice levels and other behaviors. Morning meetings are a great time to discuss them.  We can brainstorm solutions, talk about how these problems are affecting learning, and so on.

• Promoting Social-Emotional Learning

Morning meetings are great for building social-emotional skills. They give kids a chance to practice things like empathy, active listening, and expressing themselves. During these meetings, students share their thoughts and feelings, listen to each other, and do activities that encourage teamwork and understanding.

This daily interaction helps them become more emotionally aware and develop empathy. I’ve even seen students form better relationships and connections with classmates. These meetings create a classroom where everyone feels heard and respected.

At the beginning of the school year, this can really help your new class “gel”.  Students are coming together from different classrooms from the previous grade.  New students to the school benefit from this type of community building as they start to fit in with their new classmates.

Tips for Successful Implementation

• Be consistent.  Don’t just use morning meetings to solve problems.
• Involve the students.  Find ways to take their ideas and incorporate them.
• Celebrate together!  When your class has done something amazing–maybe made some huge academic gain or solved a problem or did a great job on a project, celebrate!
• Share about YOUR life.  Help students get to know you as you get to know them!
• Be flexible.  Our specials schedule makes it tricky to do a meeting first thing in the morning.  Instead, I often have our morning meetings after our recess as a great transition.
• Consider a sharing tool such as a stuffed animal to pass if you find students are interrupting.
• Explicitly teach students how to share, how to be active listeners, and how to make other students feel valued.

Easy Help for Morning Meetings

There are so many different types of conversations that you can have during these morning meetings, especially if you aren’t trying to solve a specific problem.  Check these out!

• Greetings: Start with a friendly greeting where students say hello to each other by name. This helps everyone feel acknowledged and sets a positive tone for the day. This is SO important for the first part of the school year!
• Sharing Time: Allow a few students to share something about themselves, like a fun experience, a favorite hobby, or something they’re looking forward to. This builds community and helps students practice speaking and listening skills.
• Morning Message: Share a short written message that outlines the day’s agenda or includes a positive thought or thought-provoking question. I love to use little quotations and growth mindset quotes all year long. At the beginning of the year, I love to use THIS SET of morning meetings questions to help my students learn to share ideas, piggyback off each other, and more! (Sometimes I print them as task cards to give to desk groups and other times I project them for the entire class.)

Just a few more!

• Mindfulness Activity: Incorporate a short mindfulness exercise, such as deep breathing, a guided meditation, or a few moments of silent reflection to help students center themselves. Because I often do my meetings after recess, this is a big one for me.
• Team-Building Games: Play a quick, cooperative game or participate in a group activity that fosters teamwork and problem-solving skills.  From “Silent Koosh Ball” to “Guess my Number” games, this can be a fun meeting activity as well.  Here are some more cooperative activities that are great for the beginning of the school year.

• Agenda Preview: Give a brief overview of the day’s schedule and highlight any special activities or announcements. This helps students mentally prepare for the day ahead.

Hope this inspires you!

Want to read more tips for back to school?  CLICK THIS POST!

Want to grab a back-to-school freebie?  Try this great math game!

Do you follow me on social media yet?  I’d love to connect there!

Facebook

TikTok

Instagram

Youtube

Or sign up for my email list RIGHT HERE for freebies, teaching tips, and more!

The post The Power of Morning Meetings in Elementary School appeared first on The Teacher Studio.

Whether it’s a back-to-school project or for routine daily assignments, knowing how to produce high-quality work can boost student confidence and motivation. In this post, I’ll share practical strategies to help students appreciate the “why” and “how” to do their own personal best work!

What does “Quality Work” even mean?

Quality work is, of course, a very subjective topic, isn’t it?  That being said, I think we can probably all come up with a generalized list of what we would like to see from our students as they complete their work.  We can also probably all agree that these are skills that are not Here are just a few examples!

• Legible  handwriting
• Organized work (maybe spaces between problems, using the blue lines on notebook paper, etc)
• Neat cutting, drawing, coloring, gluing
• Following all directions
• Taking the time to do the task carefully and completely
• Accurate and precise work
• Careful spelling, capitals, and punctuation
• Using labels or other important details
• Even little things like using erasers instead of scribbling out mistakes, keeping papers from being wrinkled, and so on
• Learning to use the page fully–to not put one math problem in the middle of a page or to draw teeny little diagrams that can’t be seen or read
• I could go on and on!

4 Benefits of Learning About Quality Work

So, if we want students to do “all the things”, they have to know what “all the things” are!  We have to tell them, show them, and teach them. Most importantly, we need students to see that it is a PROCESS.  We can’t learn a new skill in a day, but every time we work on something, we can strive to be just a little bit better.  I love to use sports examples in my room because I am a huge sports fan, so I use examples like:

“Do you think ____________ (fill in your favorite athlete here) was born being able to ________ or did they work hard all the time to get better and better?”

Or use authors…or artists…or anything.  Help students see that we get better through practice and self-awareness.

Why does it even matter?

• Promotes High Expectations

When students are given the skills and strategies to do THEIR personal best, expectations increase. I like to talk to my students about change.  If we are doing the same type of work and the same quality we did two years ago, then we aren’t growing.  This is true with spelling and playing the piano and football and friendships!  We should always be striving for growth.

• Enhances Self-Assessment Skills

When students “see” what quality work is, they can better self-assess and check against the standard.  I do this so many ways during the year–from doing samples of what quality cutting looks like (and how to do it) to what a fourth grade level essay looks like.  When students see a standard or an exemplar, they can better judge how they are doing in comparison.

• Builds Confidence

I particularly love that this type of reflection work allows students to see GROWTH.  They don’t need to be perfect or fully at a standard.  When they see that they work they are doing is better than the work they did before (the power of keeping work throughout the year to look at!), this builds confidence AND motivation.

• Encourages Growth Mindset

I think it’s pretty clear that a focus on quality work can help students work toward improvement which, in turn, can encourage a growth mindset.  It’s easy to want to quit or not even try when you don’t know what to do or what expectations are.  When the expectations are clear–and progress is praised, we begin to see students who are more engaged and are more willing to try challenging things.

Strategies for Teaching Quality Work

• Providing Exemplars and Work Samples

As stated above, we need to show what want.  I love using document cameras to show student work (or my work if the task is better shown this way), gallery walks, partner sharing, and more.  Having students “notice” things is a great way to help them tune in.

“What did you notice about Becca’s graph?”

“When I read Mateo’s sentence, what did you hear?”

“What did you see when you looked at the different posters that you could try next time?”

• Explicit Instruction

Sometimes “noticing” isn’t enough and we need to explicitly teach what we want.  If you want students to circle their answers in math class, show them what it looks like.  If you want them to use transition words in their essays, show them.  Hang a list of words up to help them!  If you want them to color in the lines, teach the strategies to help them do just that.

I start this process the first week of school with my pennant glyph project.  I model exactly what I expect. The students help each other.  We celebrate the beautiful results!

• Constructive Feedback

As students are working toward improvement on a skills, giving them encouraging, productive feedback is so important.  Research is clear–timely feedback is a HUGE part of the learning process.  This means that as students are working, we are circulating and coaching and modeling.  The “formative” feedback is so much more powerful than assigning a grade at the end of a task.

• Student Reflection

This is one of my favorite part.  When students are asked to reflect on their own work and to say what they did well (and maybe what they would do differently next time), it is SO powerful!  Not only that, but it’s a GREAT time to build relationships, give compliments, and encourage.

“I’m so proud of how hard you worked!”

“I agree–your introduction was so much better than the last one you wrote!”

“I love how you helped Kiara with the problem by showing her how you got started!”

Classroom Activities to Reinforce This Process

• Rubrics and Checklists: Rubrics, checklists, anchor charts, and samples can really help students know what to do and what the expectations are.
• Peer Reviews: Working in partnerships and small groups can help students tweak and refine their work.  Doing gallery walks and sharing sessions lets students “see” different ways to approach tasks and different strategies to improve their own work.
• Project-Based Learning: When students are “doing” work, it is a far better place for them to practice new skills, especially as they apply them to new situations.  We get better at writing when we write.  We get better at solving problems when we solve problems.
• Find Engaging Tasks for Practice: When students are engaged, they are FAR more willing to do their best work.  The pictures above are a perfect example of something I use in the first week of school to establish some of these. (although it could be done at any point in the year!) I also work to find math tasks that invite create solutions and organization rather than “fill in the blanks” so we can talk about how to do that type of work.

I hope this post gives you a little food for thought and some practical strategies to get your students more focused on their work quality–and for you to be able to help coach them to get there!

Here’s a link to that pennant project if you are interested!

Want to read a little more about growth mindset?  Check out THIS POST!

How about a great math freebie to help you practice quality work in math?

Do you follow me on social media yet?  I’d love to connect there!

The post Building Excellence: Helping Elementary Students Understand Quality Work appeared first on The Teacher Studio.

As the back-to-school season approaches, there’s a special kind of excitement that fills the hearts of teachers. Amid the planning and preparation, one particular joy stands out: our irrational love for office supplies. From vibrant markers to planners, these amazing back-to-school products not only help organize our classrooms but also spark creativity and enthusiasm for the year ahead.

As a teacher, finding the right tools and products can make all the difference in creating an effective and engaging learning environment. Over the years, I’ve come across some fantastic resources that have transformed my classroom and made teaching more enjoyable.

Check out these back-to-school products and favorite things!

In this blog post, I’m excited to share some of my favorite classroom gadgets and tools that have proven to be invaluable. Whether you’re looking for ways to enhance your teaching methods, organize your classroom, or engage your students, these recommendations are sure to inspire and support you in your teaching journey. (These are all available on Amazon and other stores.  Here’s the link to Amazon in case you want to streamline your shopping!)

My favorite markers

I know a lot of people love Mr. Sketch markers, and I do too–but for anchor chart making and other daily tasks in the classroom, I prefer these.  They DO NOT FADE (If you use Mr. Sketch, you know the pinks fade over time!) and the bullet point makes such nice even lines.  They don’t bleed through chart paper and are pretty much my favorite. For back-to-school prep, they are amazing.  I typically get the 8 packs because I adore the purple color.

My latest favorite things–these amazing folders!

So I use a lot of file folders in different ways, but I found these and I love them because of a cool little feature inside–a pocket!  Sometimes I keep materials for a center or a group in a file folder, but some of the papers (especially cards or half sheets) slip out.  These solve that problem and come in a ton of cool designs.  I’m obsessed.

How I store my zillions of task cards

You know I love my task cards, and you may also know that organization is a struggle for me.  When I found these storage tubs years ago meant for photo organization, I knew I had a solution.  Boom!  I can’t promise there is any rhyme or reason INSIDE the box, but my task cards all have a home so they don’t get lost. It’s certainly not in the category of back-to-school products, but it is one that I use all year long (and they start the school year nice and organized!)

How my students show their work

We use personal whiteboards ALL THE TIME and in lots of ways.  I end up replacing a few every year, but they are SO worth the money to me.  They live in a plastic crate on a cart with markers and mini erasers. Students can just grab them when needed.  I also keep a stack at my back table for use in small groups.  Here are just a few of the ways I use them!

• In small groups to model my work
• In large groups for student math warm ups
• For word work activities
• To put at centers with directions
• For students to use during math games to do their “figuring”
• and more!

Favorite things for math manipulatives

I am not going to lie–I have many shelves of math manipulatives and many bins…and some all over the place.  However, my most “student friendly” storage comes in with this little toolbox meant for nails and bolts and stuff.  It’s PERFECT for small math manipulatives, and students can take a little drawer right to their desk.

I have everything from dollar store mini erasers to two-sided counters to plastic gems to 1 centimeter cubes (pictured).  If I had to say one math manipulative that I use all year long–it’s those cubes.  They work as counters, they are the same size as base 10 blocks, and they are perfect for games.  We can build arrays with them and use them for measurement.  I even use them to pick groups sometimes where I get the number of groups I want based on colors and students picking a cube.  The list goes on–but they are so worth having.

Favorite things for managing class time

I have seen how much my students struggle with focus, so I have always used a variety of timers to help them judge how much time is left in a work session.  For students who really struggle, I even have some mini timers I keep at their desks to help them break work into smaller chunks so they feel successful.  I often use visual timers on my smart board, but there are times when I don’t want the distraction of the countdown visible, and I use my visual timer that I have on my white board (not pictured).

If you like the idea of these, be careful when shopping.  Some make a “ticking” sound.  If you don’t mind that, great!  I do!  The one I use (and I have linked in my Amazon store) is silent.

How we manage distractions

To piggyback off the timer discussion, I have found that I have needed to add some other tools to my classroom to help students when they lose focus.  Two of the best investments EVER are my class set of cardboard desk cubbies (not pictured) and my noise cancelling headphones.

Sometimes (like during assessments), I might require students to get out a cubby so they have the best chance of reducing distractions.  At other times, students can grab them when they are feeling that they are losing focus.

The same is true for the noise-cancelling headphones I keep in a tub.  I have 6-8 sets available for students to use. My best estimate is that I would say 75% of my students choose, at some times, to use them.  Some like them during independent reading time to help them stay focused on their books.  Others use them if they are feeling like students around them are being louder than they like.  I love that we have created a culture where students can just use the tools they need to be successful!

I hope these back-to-school products give YOU some idea on how to keep your classroom running smoothly all year long!

Want to check out a few more back to school posts? Here’s a great one about growth mindset, and here is another one about getting your year of reading instruction started off smoothly!

How about grabbing a back-to-school math game freebie?

The post Some of My Favorite Things: Back-to-School Products I Love! appeared first on The Teacher Studio.

Benefits of Student Interest Surveys

1.  Personalized Learning:

One of the great things about using surveys at the beginning of the year is that you can start to get to know your students’ likes, dislikes, hobbies, strengths, and more. In addition to merely helping you get to know them as humans, you can use this information for the rest of the school year!

• Write math problems using their names and interests
• Choose read alouds that will pique the interest of students, especially reluctant ones
• Use the information you learn when modeling writing or picking topics
• You get the picture!

2. Building Relationships:

What this does is so powerful.  Students realize you care.  They realize you were listening.  Their engagement in the learning community skyrockets.  How can you continue to build on this all year long?

• Greet students in the morning by commenting on something you know about them.  “How did your tournament go?” or “Did you get to go fishing this weekend?” really show that you care.
• When you notice things in the news that relate to your students’ interests–comment!  “Hey–I saw the Brewers won their fifth in a row!”
• When you see something (like a book, an article, etc), you can let students know. “I saw this new book in the library and it looked like just the type of mystery you like!”
• Know your students’ families. Being able to ask about their new puppy, or how their brother with the broken arm is doing shows you care.
• You get the point!

3.  Classroom Management:

I’ll keep this simple.  When students feel cared about and feel a part of a community, they are better behaved.  If students are given engaging lessons and activities that meet their needs and likes, they are better behaved.  End of story. I’m not saying that getting to know your students will eliminate behavior issues.  I’ve been in the classroom for more than 30 years.  I’m not a fool.

That being said, I will tell you with 100% certainty that students who trust you, who believe you care, whose basic needs are being met, and who feel a part of the classroom community will be more successful in your classroom.

Using Interest Surveys to Collect Data

Finally, it’s clear that I think we need to be getting to know our students, and some of it can be done super informally.  However, I also think it’s great to do some up-front work in the first weeks of school to get the ball rolling.

I use surveys for that!  I have a number of different surveys that I sprinkle in…all while helping students see that I truly want them to be HONEST with their responses.  If they don’t like math–I want to know.  If reading is a challenge, I want to know.  That culture of being open and honest gets established on the first day of school.

However, GIVING the survey is only part of the process.  As with all classroom “assessment” work, if we collect data and don’t use it, we have wasted our time.  If you choose to do some surveys to start YOUR year, make sure you consider how you will make the most of it.

• Organize Data: Use spreadsheets, lists, or charts to manage responses.
• Identify Trends: Look for common interests to group students effectively.
• Apply Insights: Integrate survey findings into lesson planning with engaging projects and activities.
• Revisit Findings:  If you learn something noteworthy but need more information, collect it!  If you see something you want to address later, find a way to track it so that information doesn’t disappear.

Here are a few interest surveys that I use!

To begin, I use these digital slide surveys as a part of my “introduction to technology” in the first week of school.  I use this time to talk about our Google Drive, how we access files, how to add text, how to drag items, how to use the shortcuts like “copy paste” or “undo”.

I never use ALL the slides in this resource, and I use them a few at a time to collect information and really process on it.  For example, I might use this slide one day:

The next day, I might get into more specifics about academics with a survey like this!

I also like to mix in paper and pencil surveys as well, and the next two examples are some of my favorites.  Not only do I get some of the BEST information, it’s a chance for me to get a first look at their writing skills in a super low-stress way.

I also REALLY love the second one where students ask me questions because it’s such a safe way for them to get worries off their chest.

So, if you haven’t considered trying something like this, I hope I’ve convinced you to do just that!  Write your own–or, if you want some that are already done, this set of back to school surveys is ready to roll!

Want more “back to school” inspiration?  Check out this post about great read alouds for back-to-school or this one about building classroom community!

Implementing student interest surveys can significantly impact your classroom dynamics and community. Start the school year by understanding your students better and watch your classroom thrive!

Do you follow me on social media yet?  I’d love to connect there!

The post Start the School Year with Student Interest Surveys appeared first on The Teacher Studio.

I know many teachers stress out about the noise, the supply management, the storage, and so on.  There is no doubt that you need to teach students HOW and WHY we play math games explicitly.  Once you establish the culture and climate, you can reap the rewards!

5 Benefits of Math Games

1. Increased motivation.

Games can be a fun and engaging way to learn math, which can help to increase student motivation. Studies have shown that students who play math games are more likely to be engaged in the learning process and persist in facing challenges.  If you set the stage, game time is certainly motivating for students!

2. Improved understanding.

Games can help students to develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts by providing them with opportunities to practice and apply what they are learning in a fun and interactive way. Games can also help students to develop problem-solving skills and to learn to think strategically.  We push students to do SO much with pencil and paper.  Games are a completely different way to get fluency work and practice.

3. Enhanced collaboration.

Games can help to promote collaboration among students by requiring them to work together to achieve a common goal. This can help students to develop communication and teamwork skills, as well as to learn to appreciate the perspectives of others. Sportsmanship and fair play are super valuable life skills as well. I know in my classroom, some students struggle with this more unstructured time and need coaching, but it is SO important for them to learn to work together.

4. Differentiated instruction.

Games can be a great way to differentiate instruction for students of all levels. For example, you can provide students with different levels of challenge or allow them to choose the games that they want to play. This can help to ensure that all students are engaged and learning at their own level. Games are also amazing to use during math intervention time.

5. Fun!

Games are simply fun! When students are having fun, they are more likely to be engaged in the learning process and to retain what they are learning. So, don’t be afraid to incorporate games into your math lessons!

Math Games for Back to School

Block Out Addition Game

This game is PERFECT for refining basic addition facts (two versions are included, facts through 10 and facts through 20).  Students need to make different combinations and it gets them thinking in so many ways.  Even my top students love this game! I introduce it for back-to-school, but my students revisit it all year.

Back to School “Times” (It’s even a FREEBIE!)

Perfect for building multiplication fact fluency–and great back-to-school theme!  Super easy to teach and just needs dice and counters.  Did I mention that it’s free?

Double Trouble Game

Do you have students who still need work on doubling and halving? This is SUCH a critical skill, so the beginning of the school year is a great time to tackle it!

Fall Into Factors Game

More work with multiplication facts in a way that encourages students to look for patterns and common factors.  It comes in two versions for differentiation!

All of these games can be found in my math game bundle at a huge discount!

Thanks for stopping by!  Check out even more math game posts here and here.

Want Your First Week of Math Plans Done for You?

If you’re getting ready for back to school and want to make some changes in your math teaching but think, “Yes! But how do I pull all that together in time?”—I get it. That’s exactly why I created my new mini course, Launching a Week of Math. Having been a classroom teacher in the trenches–I know how CRAZY stressful the beginning of the school year is, and I thought about what I could do to help out my fellow teachers–and after tons of work, this is what I built!

This short, low-cost, on-demand minicourse is packed with the exact lessons, routines, and materials I used in my own classroom to start the year with confidence. It includes:

✅ Video guidance and real examples (it’s like PD on demand–but in short, meaningful bits)
✅ A full week of flexible, printable plans
✅ Downloadable tools and templates  (like everything you need–from games to printables and more!)
✅ Routines you’ll use all year long

I designed it to be practical, realistic, and classroom-tested—something you can implement right away without stress. So if you want your first week of math literally DONE FOR YOU, check it out!

The post 5 Effective Math Games for Back to School appeared first on The Teacher Studio.

• It helps students adjust to the new school year. Reading aloud is a great way to help students relax and get into a story-time mindset. It can also help them to bond with their classmates and teacher.
• It exposes students to new vocabulary and concepts. When we read aloud to students, we are exposing them to new words and ideas that they may not have encountered before. This can help to expand their vocabulary and knowledge base.
• It helps students develop a love of reading. When students are exposed to good books on a regular basis, they are more likely to develop a love of reading. This is a valuable skill that will benefit them throughout their lives.
• It helps students improve their listening comprehension skills. When students listen to stories being read aloud, they are practicing their listening comprehension skills. This is an important skill for students to develop, as it will help them to succeed in school and in life.
• It provides a break from the routine. Reading aloud can be a great way to provide a break from the routine of the school day. It can also be a fun and relaxing activity for students to enjoy.

What else?

Creating a habit or routine for reading from the very beginning has even more benefits!

• Set the tone for the year. Reading aloud to students sends the message that reading is important and enjoyable. It can also help to create a positive and supportive learning environment.  It’s a way to show that you value reading and want your students to as well.
• Build community. When students listen to stories together, they are able to share in a common experience. This can help to build community and a sense of belonging.  Not only this, but the choices you make can really help you share about yourself, help to get to know your students, and bring up important issues that you will be tackling all year–from friendship, to growth mindset, to overcoming challenges, and more.
• Promote diversity. There are many books available that feature characters from different cultures and backgrounds. Reading these books to students can help to promote diversity and understanding.  I can’t stress enough that students need to “meet” characters that they can relate to–and who can stretch their understanding of the world.  Being conscious of gender, race, interests, and more can help students feel seen and connected.

Overall, there are many reasons why we should read books to students in the first weeks of school. It is a great way to help students adjust to the new school year, learn new things, and develop a love of reading.

Here are a few of my favorite books for back to school!

Fish in a Tree:  I talk about this book a lot (Here’s a great blog post about it!).  It is my “go to” read aloud to start the year.  We literally refer to it all year long, and I do SO much teaching–both social emotional learning work AND curriculum work– with it!  Check out my novel study if you want help getting the most out of this book!  If you do nothing else–use this book to help you track characters and how they change over time.  AMAZING DISCUSSIONS!

Save Me a Seat:  Similarly, this book is a great text to kick things off because it really hits hard at how students are often judged before others get to know them–and that we are all unique and have things to offer.  That whole “popular kid” discussion is SO powerful.  The students LOVE that it’s told from two characters’ points of view so it’s a great teaching tool!  I can help you teach this novel as well if you are interested.  Just click here.

The Picture Books

I can’t even begin to list ALL the picture books I use at the beginning of the year–and each has a purpose (or purposes!) I thought I’d share a few of them with you in case they are new to you!

Let’s start with Peter Reynolds books.  Just WOW.  His books are so simple but have such important messages. 

Click HERE to read a blog post about how I use his book “The Dot” with my students every single year…usually on day 1 or 2.  His other books–“The Word Collector” (a GREAT kickoff to vocabulary work), “Say Something” (a book to encourage students to use their voices to stand up for others), “Ish” (A great introduction to creativity)…and so many more. You can’t go wrong.  (I’ve listed some of them at the bottom of this post–these are affliate links, to be fully transparent.).

I also love using:

Enemy Pie (Great for discussions about making new friends and not making judgments about others)

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes (I love to use this to talk about the power of making mistakes and being ok with it!  Perfect for incorporating with Jo Boaler’s work about mistakes!)

The Most Magnificent Thing (Perfect for talking about perseverance!)

Because I find these books to be SO powerful, I have created guides to use right with students–from comprehension questions for before, during, and after reading to vocabulary and writing prompts–I’ve created these no prep resources to help you better use these amazing books.  Just click the titles above to see more.

Using Your Read Alouds to Teach Reading Lessons

I could list dozens more…from “Only One You” to “Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big” to “Quiet Please, Owen McPhee” to “The Recess Queen”–and countless others.  My challenge to you is to continue to work to find books that you can use to build community in your classroom along with starting the important work of reading instruction…with these books you can:

• Practice retelling
• Discuss characters and character change
• Identify character traits
• List problems and solutions
• Identify settings
• Look for examples of how dialogue is important
• Find interesting vocabulary words
• And more!

I hope you find some amazing books to read with YOUR students this year!

Here is the link to my Amazon list if you want to get more details about the books themselves. 

Do you follow me on social media yet?  I’d love to connect there!

The post Great books for back to school! appeared first on The Teacher Studio.

The first weeks of school are a critical time for setting the tone for the rest of the year. This is the time when students are forming their impressions of their teachers, their classmates, and their school. It is also the time when they are starting to develop their mindsets about learning.

Just to clarify, a growth mindset is the belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through hard work and effort. A fixed mindset, on the other hand, is the belief that intelligence and abilities are fixed and cannot be changed. With young children, we need to help them understand that they have the power to make a difference in their own learning!

Why is this important?

There are many reasons why it is important to teach growth mindset. First, students with a growth mindset are more likely to be motivated to learn. They believe that they can improve their abilities, so they are more likely to put in the effort to succeed. Second, students with a growth mindset are more likely to succeed academically. Studies have shown that students with a growth mindset have higher grades and test scores than students with a fixed mindset.

Additionally, students with a growth mindset are less likely to experience stress. They believe that they can learn from their mistakes, so they are not afraid to take risks. Students with a growth mindset are more resilient. They bounce back from setbacks and challenges more easily. Finally, students with a growth mindset are more creative. They believe that they can come up with new ideas and solutions, so they are more likely to take risks and try new things.

Students with a growth mindset are more likely to:

• • Persevere in the face of challenges. They don’t give up easily when they encounter difficulty. Instead, they see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.
  • Take risks. They are not afraid to try new things, even if they are afraid of failing. They know that failure is a natural part of learning.
  • Be resilient. They bounce back from setbacks and disappointments. They don’t let failure define them. This refers to academics and other life events.
  • Be motivated to learn. They are excited to learn new things and they are always looking for ways to improve themselves.
  • Be creative thinkers and problem solvers.  Because they are willing to take risks and even “fail”, students with a growth mindset are more likely to think outside the box, try different strategies, and even experiment with different ideas and techniques.

What happens if we fail to help students develop a growth mindset?

A young child with a fixed mindset believes that their intelligence and abilities are set in stone. This can lead to a number of school-related problems that are hard to unlearn. This is another reason why investing time at the beginning of the school year is so important.  Of course–as with everything–it isn’t enough to work with this in the first weeks of school.  We, as teachers, need to continually follow up, reteach, model, and more.  So what happens if we don’t?

• • • Avoiding challenges: Children with a fixed mindset may avoid challenges because they are afraid of failing. They may believe that if they don’t do well, it means they are not smart or capable.
    • Giving up easily: When children with a fixed mindset do encounter challenges, they may give up easily. They may believe that they are not smart enough to succeed, so there is no point in trying.
    • Being overly critical of themselves: Children with a fixed mindset may be overly critical of themselves. They may focus on their weaknesses and mistakes, and they may not give themselves credit for their strengths.
    • Not enjoying learning: Children with a fixed mindset may not enjoy learning. They may see it as a chore or a punishment, rather than an opportunity to grow and develop.

Here are some tips for incorporating growth mindset activities early in the school year:

• Use language that emphasizes effort and improvement, rather than intelligence or talent. For example, instead of saying “You’re so smart,” say “You worked really hard on that.” Students quickly learn that effort is rewarded–no matter what background knowledge and skills they bring into your class.
• Create a classroom environment where students feel safe to take risks and make mistakes. I cannot stress this enough.  Hang up signs about it.  Talk about it. Model your own mistakes.  Celebrate mistakes and show how mistakes are great opportunities to refine thinking.
• Provide students with opportunities to learn from their mistakes. For example, after a student makes a mistake, ask them what they could do differently next time.  Provide feedback that is specific, actionable, and positive. I love to showcase different mistakes that are made.  Ask the question, “Who ELSE made that mistake?” and celebrate it.  Reminding students that recognizing mistakes grows connections in the brain is so important.
• Use language that emphasizes effort and improvement. Be mindful of stressing “correctness” and completion.
• Provide students with challenges that are just right.  This means helping students find books to read that are a good fit.  It involves making sure all students have access to math and other work that pushes their thinking and stretches them.
• Encourage students to set goals and work towards them.  Make sure these are MEANINGFUL goals!  Talk about the purpose of goal setting and the language of goal setting.

Check out this blog post I wrote about setting reading goals! This is one of my favorite projects early in the year!

Three more things…

1.  There ARE some things to keep in mind when addressing mindset in the classroom.  I have a separate blog post all about misconceptions when teaching growth mindset and I’d love for you to check it out.

2.  If you want help incorporating growth mindset activities into your classroom, I have just what you need.  CLICK HERE or the image below to learn more.

3.  I even have a freebie to get you started if this is all new to you!  CHECK IT OUT!

Do you follow me on social media yet?  I’d love to connect there!

The post Growth Mindset Activities: Back to School and Beyond appeared first on The Teacher Studio.

Check out this blog post with 6 strategies to consider when planning your back-to-school reading!

1. The Power of “Status of the Class”

To begin, one of the most powerful routines for back to school reading planning involves creating a system where you ALWAYS know what your students are reading–and how well those books “fit”.  I have taken “status of the class” for 30 years, and I honestly feel it is possibly the most powerful thing I do to help reach all readers.  Why?

• It holds students accountable for picking books and sticking with them.

• I have a handle on what books students pick and how long it takes to read them.

• It provides me countless conference opportunities.  For example, we chat about book selection, home reading, reading speed, as well as more comprehension-based topics.

• My status of the class records help me with goal setting, parent-teacher conferences, and assessment.

• It helps me “connect” with every reader every single day.

• Taking status daily builds routine and consistency.

• Hearing about books other students are reading is highly engaging and motivating.
• Status builds a “culture” for talking about our reading.

Want to learn more about how I keep MY status of the class?  Check out THIS BLOG POST for more or CLICK HERE to see the tool I use to track it all!

2. Getting students to read “just right books”

This is SUCH an important job that we, as teachers, have.  We all have those students who pick Harry Potter when they should be picking A to Z Mysteries.  We all have those students who start a book and abandon it almost immediately.  Learning how to pick a “just right” book is a valuable skill that needs to be explicitly taught to many students.

We absolutely MUST give students time to read independently chosen or “self-selected” books to read every single day.  30 minutes should be the minimum for grades 3-5.  We can use that time to confer with students and do other things–but students must be reading books they choose every day.  That means we have to teach them how to pick the right books!

Start the year by brainstorming with your students on how to pick a good-fit book.  Model how to preview a book–and create an anchor chart with them to display.  Stuck?  Here are a few ideas to help!

When I “preview” a book I will . . .

• Read the “blurb” on the back
• Look at chapter titles
• Read a few pages
• Consider the recommendations of others
• Consider the reading level
• Look at the text size, length of chapters, and number of pages
• Think about how interesting the topic is to me

Looking for more help with helping your students find those “just right” books?  THIS RESOURCE might give you some ideas!

3.  Book Talks

Another powerful back-to-school reading activity is doing short but frequent book talks.  There are so many benefits to “advertising” books to students.  We want students to be able to find those “just right” books, and sometimes a little boost is just what they need!

Consider the following!

• Pick a day of the week to share 5-10 books with the class.  Read the “blurb” on the back or share some of the chapter titles.  Get them excited!

• Do a book “browse”.  Put bins of books on different desk groups and let students browse and write down titles of books that look appealing to them.  (Want a recording sheet for that?  CLICK HERE for that and other great forms!)

• In addition to your book talks, have STUDENTS do book talks!  Either have them meet in small groups to share about what they are reading, use an app like FlipGrid to record little videos, or even have them create a short slideshow or other “ad” for their book.

• Showcase different series books by reading the first and then highlighting the other books in the series.  Sometimes reading all the titles or placing a bin of them in a special place builds excitement.

• When you get new books (like from a Scholastic order, garage sale, etc), ask students to check them out for you and report back.  I love saying things like, “Justin–I know you are a hockey fan, and I was wondering if you could help me out by reading this and telling me if it’s a good fit for our library” or something to that effect.  This is a GREAT way to motivate reluctant readers.  Then you can even say, “This book is highly recommended by Justin….Justin who do you think the ideal audience for this book is?” which gives all sorts of feels to that child.

• Place book holder easels up around the room to showcase books students might like.  I have the rule that if they take a showcased book, they have to find a REALLY good replacement to put in the stand.  Kids LOVE to have that job!

• Visit your school library and find ways to get students to learn your collection.  Try a scavenger hunt where they have to look for different authors, have them find books that hide on the bottom shelves and aren’t often seen, or have them bring their “Books I Want to Read” list down and add new titles.

• There are so many other ways to get students pumped about reading the books in your room.

4.  Back-to-School Reading Anchor charts

Part of getting students ready for back-to-school reading is making sure they have access to the information they need to be successful.  This is where anchor charts come in!

There are a number of anchor charts I have up all year–and some that I just have up at the beginning as we get started.  Check out a few that I use!

• How do I preview a book?
• What will stamina look like in our class?
• When is it ok to abandon a book?
• What do I do if I don’t know a word?
• And so many more!  (These headers are a part of my independent reading resource if you want to see more.)

5. Working on Stamina

One of the charts you see is all about stamina.  Like with many things, some students are able to read with stamina from the beginning.  They almost seem “born” to read!  I was lucky to be one of them–and perhaps you were as well.  Unfortunately, this is not the case for all students, and we need to find ways to help them build that stamina as we plan our back-to-school reading lessons and activities.

One of the most important things we can do is explain to students how important stamina is–and help scaffold that for them.  Learning how to minimize distractions, pick “just right” and engaging books, and learning how to regroup when focus or meaning is lost is key.

At the beginning of the year, we need to make expectations clear and help students recognize and minimize distractions.  Read for shorter amounts of time to start, and then celebrate as you extend the time!

6.  Creating a Culture of Reading

One of the best things we can do for our students is to help them understand how important reading is.  First of all, we want them to understand that reading is necessary–but also entertaining!

When we take all of the ideas above and add more–we build a culture where reading is valued and that culture is established.

So let me give you a few more back-to-school reading hints!

• Model your own reading!

• Get excited when you get a new book or find new reads.

• Have books everywhere–at all levels!

• Similarly, find books with engaging characters where all your students are represented

• Make sure students know that you are there to coach them when they need it.

• Find ways to celebrate books!  Design advertisements or do other fun projects where students can showcase their favorites!  CLICK HERE for one example of that!

• In addition, celebrate when students finish books–and when you finish books as a class.  I keep a running list of all the books we read together.  After a chapter book, we often celebrate with a treat or activity that fits the book.

• Help students feel good about the books they choose by helping those who struggle to find books.  I love hanging out in my reading area with students and helping them build their lists.  It’s great 1:1 time and gets them off on the right foot.

• Use your status time to build positive energy about reading.  Things like “Wow!  Annika!  You read so much yesterday, can you tell us about why that book has you so hooked?” or “Miguel–you are almost done with that entire series.  WOW!”

• Get. A. Lot. Of. Books.  Seriously!  Try garage sales.  eBay. Thrift stores.  Donations.

• Gift students books if you can.
• Make personalized bookmarks with inspirational reading quotations.
• Help students see that reading is complicated–but that we can break it into different learning targets to work on.  We all have strengths and all have areas to grow! (CLICK HERE to see my ready-to-use reading learning targets)
• Provide TONS of time for independent, self-selected reading.  Yes, I already said it.  I’m saying it again.

Next steps

In conclusion, there is SO much we can do to get our back-to-school reading in order!  So I’ll stop there–and hopefully, you found some food for thought!  Getting our year of reading lessons off to a great start is SO important.  Let’s go share our love of reading with our next group of students!

The post 6 Amazing Back-to-School Reading Lessons and Activities appeared first on The Teacher Studio.

Work in partners first/partner expectations

It is so important for students to feel “safe” at the beginning of the year.  This starts by building relationships one person at a time.  There are tons of great cooperative activities that can be done to do this (CLICK HERE for some fun ones!), but often we forget to start small–with partnerships.

Consider creating an anchor chart with your class where you work together to better understand WHY we work in partners and HOW we work with partners.  As always, I recommend creating your anchor charts WITH your students in rough draft format and then organizing and wordsmithing to make a final copy to display and refer to.

Provide as MANY opportunities to work in partners as possible–whether it be a quick little task, reading an article, solving a puzzle, or just doing a “get to know” you activity.

Take a survey

Getting to know our students is so important–it helps them feel like they are valued members of our class and that they matter.  There are millions of ways to collect this information about students.  Play a game like “That’s Me!” where you present a prompt (“Who likes pizza?”) and all students who match just up and shout “That’s me!”.

Have students vote on things like their favorite snacks…or their favorite recess games…or even what book to read next.  Students love to have their voices heard, and the better we know our students, the more we can serve their needs.

I want to know as MUCH about my students as possible, so I work in small surveys throughout the first weeks to help me.  I have written a series of surveys that I have used if you are interested–they are both printable and digital.  Just CLICK HERE to check them out.

Opportunities for fun

This isn’t rocket science, is it?  Students have just come off a summer of no schedules and few expectations.  Break them in gently with fun!  Whether you teach them math games as you teach them how to work in partners, tell jokes, read funny books, take extra recesses, give choice time, or share funny cartoons–budget time for fun.  STEM activities, games…you know the drill.  Want a great one for back-to-school?  Check out my “Help Harry” lesson–and it’s free!

Yes, we have a lot to cover.  Yes, we need to learn.  That being said, happy students will learn more.  Period.

Change activities and “learning styles” often

You know how it is at the beginning of the year.  We have SO many rules and expectations to go through.  It sometimes feels like all we do is lecture!  Our throats even hurt by the end of the day!

Be mindful of the fact that MANY students have different learning styles.  I try to always have a slide with pictures to go with my beginning of the year information.  I try to alternate that kind of work with the “fun” stuff–and art projects and body movements and outside activities and science/STEM labs.  Although we build our stamina throughout the year, I switch activities often at the beginning, and I really try to mix up those learning styles so everyone feels they got to do something that really interested them each and every day.

Help students learn each other’s names

This seems obvious.  I know WE focus on it, but some students really have a hard time learning other students’ names.  Consider wearing name tags for a few days to help.  Repeat student names as often as possible.  Do activities in desk groups/work times to have students REALLY get to know those several students.  Ask students to use people’s names before asking them a question.

Possibly the MOST important piece of this is to learn how to pronounce each child’s name correctly–first and last.  A name is a key part of an identity. Don’t overlook the importance of this.  There are a number of cute books about names, but this is one more way that we can make every child feel like they are wanted and valued in our classrooms.

Establish norms and classroom culture

Students do better when they know what the expectations are…for academics AND behavior.

Although there may be some things that we need to put in place as non-negotiables (especially with respect to safety or school rules), I generally feel it’s best to work as a class to establish these norms.

Work together to create a web about what our “ideal class” would look like and feel like.  EXPERIENCED TEACHER HINT:  Be very clear that this does NOT mean free ice cream, 9 recesses, and a llama as a class pet!  Instead, what kinds of behaviors and “norms” will make everyone feel safe and valued.

When the brainstorming is finished, work to combine ideas and group them.  Create a final anchor chart and have all your students sign it.  This is my version of a classroom “constitution” and we refer back to it often as the document we all agreed on to make our classroom as ideal as possible.

Celebrate the “class” as a family

This is big for me.  I refer to us as a “Family” from the beginning.  I remind them that we won’t always get along (like a family), but that if we can work together protect each other, and enjoy our time together–we will have a much better year.

As the year unfolds, we have to have class meetings to talk about some of our ongoing issues, but we work through them together.  When members of our family are hurting, we work together to find solutions.  Try to find ways to make sure your students have them safe, nurturing place to spend a huge chunk of their day.  Many of them need it desperately.

Weave the procedures into the fun

Earlier I mentioned “fun”, and then also talked about establishing procedures.  Sometimes the two can be woven together!  One example is to design a project that lets you “teach” your expectations about something.  For example, I do a back-to-school “glyph” project that has two main goals:

• To help the students get to know each other
• To establish my expectations for neatness and work quality

I build those discussions right into the directions!  We generate an anchor chart of what quality work is, and then as we work, we practice and self-assess.  It takes a little longer, but the results are great–and the students have tremendous pride in this!

Practice accountable talk/etc

One final way that we can truly work to build our back-to-school culture is to make sure students have the words needed to be an active participant in class.  Using accountable talk stems like:

• I agree with ___ because…

• Could you explain that a different way?

• I would like to add on to what ___ said.

• I respectfully disagree with that because….

• And so many more!

By displaying these sentence starters, we give students the tools to engage and participate.  They need to be explicitly taught and practiced, so I give my students lots of low-stress opportunities in the first weeks to do that.  In order to disagree with someone, there needs to be an element of trust that it will be ok to do so.

We practice with fun topics like favorite ice cream flavors and the best pet options before we dig into more meaty things related to academics.  A few things that may help you if you are interested…

•  A set of free accountable talk stems!
• My “accountable talk” resource with topic starters and more!

I hope these 9 ideas get you motivated to invest some quality time in building culture in your classroom.  It will pay off a thousand times over!  Thanks for stopping by!

Interested in a great collection of back to school activities?  Try this!

Do you follow me on social media yet?  I’d love to connect there!

The post 9 Ways to Build Classroom Culture appeared first on The Teacher Studio.