Let’s be honest: No matter how much you plan, the day never goes exactly as scheduled. Assemblies end early, specials get canceled, the fire alarm goes off, or testing throws the whole routine off track…and suddenly, you’ve got 15 minutes (or 40!) to fill. That’s when having a set of filler activities ready to go […]
7 No-Prep and Low-Prep Filler Activities for Grades K-8 Read More »
One of the biggest struggles new teachers face is learning how to quiet a noisy class. This challenge affects classrooms of all ages, from kindergarten through 8th, and every grade in between. If you’ve ever gotten a class quiet once only to have the noise creep right back minutes later…this isn’t a willpower problem or
5 Steps to Quiet a Noisy Class (by tomorrow) Read More »
Stop me if this sounds familiar: Your plan period has just started, and your room is blissfully quiet. You have a stack of detention notices to your left, and your room phone to your right. You know you have to contact parents. But every time you think about reaching for the phone, you just…freeze. You’re
How to Contact Parents as a New Teacher (without the stress) Read More »
I’ve written before about my favorite quiet signals. I’ve used them for years, and they consistently get my class quiet every time with minimal effort on my part. But there is one quiet signal I will never use: the call-and-response quiet signal. What is Call-and-Response in Teaching? The call-and-response quiet signal is a popular way
Why I Will Never Use Call-and-Response as a Quiet Signal Read More »
Remember the other day when your students kept talking over you? They were yelling across the room, and the noise level just kept rising. You didn’t want to yell, but you needed their attention, and you needed it 3 minutes ago. Here’s the thing: Most teachers try quick fixes – fun signals, hand claps, or
The K-8 Teacher’s Guide to the Best Quiet Signals for Noisy Classes Read More »
