Stories by Storie

Everyone has a story to tell. What is yours?

Put on Your Listening Ears

 The beginning of the year is a time best spent on teaching expectations and procedures to set the tone for the rest of the year. One of the expectations we work on is listening skills. Two books that I use to help are Listen Buddy by Helen Lester and Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen by Howard Binkow. Here are some activities you can pair with these two stories. About the Books Listen Buddy by Helen Lester A hilarious romp about a bunny who just can't seem to listen. He is constantly confusing instructions. For example, ... read more

A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue

When students do not know the difference between tattling and reporting, it can eat up instructional time and frustrate even the most experienced teacher. I like to spend a good chunk of time at the beginning of the year teaching and using examples to illustrate the difference.  Today I want to share some ideas for using the book, A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue in the classroom to address tattling and reporting. Julia Cook makes my job a little easier with her picture books.  If you aren't familiar with A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue, ... read more

Stuart Little Resources & Activities

  Even though Stuart Little was originally published many decades ago, this story of friendship, family, and adventure still captures the hearts of readers today! This story is a great read aloud for a second grade classroom, but third and fourth graders can tackle this book during reading groups. Today I'm here to share some Stuart Little activities you can use with your own class in either a large group or small group setting. STUART LITTLE ACTIVITIES If you aren't familiar, this story features a very small mouse on a very big adventure! ... read more

Enemy Pie Activities

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson is one of my favorite read alouds to start the school year! Not only does this book provide teachable moments about friendship, but students relate to it and love the surprise ending. Here are some of my favorite activities and resources to pair with this book. About Enemy Pie It was the perfect summer. That is, until Jeremy Ross moved into the house down the street and became neighborhood enemy number one. Luckily, Dad had a surefire way to get rid of enemies: Enemy Pie. But part of the secret recipe was ... read more

Classroom Rewards That Won’t Break the Bank

I think most teachers would prefer a world where all students were intrinsically motivated, but it just isn’t an every day reality. Many of us dig deep into our pockets and find extrinsic rewards to help change certain student behaviors. Guilty! Once I started adding up those little rewards, I knew there had to be a better way. I started brainstorming ways to reward my students without the need to dig deep into my pockets! GETTING STARTED WITH CLASSROOM REWARDS Before determining which coupons to use in my classroom, I took ... read more

Monster Portraits & Monster Paths

After receiving a request, two more measurement activities have been added to the Monster Measurement Madness pack. First up is a set of Monster Portraits.  There are twelve monster cards.  Each monster's portrait gives a length and a width (obviously not drawn to size).  Students must calculate the perimeter, or distance around the entire portrait and record the measurement.  Here's an up-close look at monster portrait #6: Also added to the pack are a set of Monster Paths: There are 6 cards included, with 2 monster paths on each ... read more

Scholastic Book Order Activities

Stop! Don’t toss those Scholastic Book Orders into the recycling bin just yet!  Here are several Scholastic book order activities that will keep your students engaged in learning at the same time! Ways to Use Scholastic Book Order Flyers in the Classroom Book Sorts In my second grade classroom, we spend a good chunk of our time on identifying the differences between fiction and nonfiction.  A great way to use those flyers is to have your kids sort the titles on a piece of paper. Students can also sort by Author’s ... read more

Math Mazes (Addition and Subtraction)

Math fact fluency has been something my second graders have always needed to practice, but I was tired of them practicing in the same, boring ways.  I was looking for a way to keep things fresh and exciting, but still provide a way for meaningful practice.  I decided to combine their love for mazes with math fact practice.  That's when I created a set of math mazes! ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION MATH MAZES There are 10 addition and 10 subtraction mazes for students to use.  You can choose the set of facts you want your students to practice.  No ... read more

Fraction Foldable Freebie

Are you teaching fractions?  With our math curriculum, fractions are just lightly touched upon.  This puts a lot of burden on our third grade teachers.  Here's a little fraction foldable I created for a teacher friend.  She wanted her students to have a handy reference tool for fractions.  I thought I would share it here because you might be able to use it, too: Click here to get the fraction foldable. Happy Teaching!   ... read more

Creative Ways to Say Thank You {Pinterest Style}

  Not only is Teacher Appreciation Week quickly approaching, but so is the end of the school year.  That can mean only one thing.....time to thank those who have worked with your child all year long. This includes teachers, school staff, volunteers, and more!   As a teacher, I have always appreciated a hand-written thank you note the most.  My daughter and I will both be writing notes to her teachers this year, but we also want to give a small gift of appreciation for all they have done this year.  I've been scouring Pinterest ... read more

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