It's STILL March - grab a book to relieve stress!

 

It’s STILL March.   Our clocks have sprung ahead and allegedly, the seasons have switched from Winter to Spring.   Yet so many of us feel the days dragging on and feel what many have termed to be “Teacher Burnout”.   Oh it’s real alright.   The stress of Testing, the pressure of the year counting down and so much material still to cover, and quite frankly, simply the monotony of the daily routines can be enough to make March feel like the month that never ends.   But what if we could change all of that and help your students too?

Why not try?

Sometimes Reading can feel more like an accumulation of skills to be assessed (fluency, accuracy, word speed, comprehension, reading level) than the Gift that you are passing along and refining for the next generation.   We, as Teachers, have to step back from time to time and remind ourselves that Kids Who Read Regularly Become Better Readers.   So how do our students do with the love of Reading?   Elementary Teachers are tasked with igniting a Love of Reading that needs to be blazing because it frequently dies out as kids reach 8th grade and beyond.    In all honestly, most kids these days read very little because they are on screens.   Pages in a book are supposed to compete with social media, video games, short texts and posts exchanged between friends, and the increasingly popular graphic novels.   Consequently, attention spans are becoming shorter and books are losing their intrigue with this generation.

We need to work to change this while we can!

So what does Reading have to do with alleviating Teacher Burnout?   It’s simple.   Great Novels can transport us to new places and introduce us and our students to new people and sweep us off onto wonderful adventures!   

I will never forget the first time that I read Because of Winn Dixie.   It was over a decade ago and I had not yet seen the movie.   I had wanted to preview the book to see if my students would enjoy it.   It didn’t take me long to get caught up in the book and I literally read it cover to cover in one sitting!   What a fabulous story!   Even if your students have seen the move already, I guarantee that the book will still delight them!     I love this book so much that I have all kinds of great resources on my TpT store just ready for you to jump right in!  

Maybe you teach older kids, who like you, are bothered by the ever changing weather from snow to rain and often gray and chilly, then you might appreciate being transported to a society that has figured out how to make everything just perfect.   It feels so ideal… so predictable… so problem free.   But things aren’t always what they seem.    Readers will soon discover that there is a peculiar old man who can unlock a whole new perspective for all of us.   He is known as The Giver.   Lois Lowry is a master at storytelling in this classic and unforgettable novel.   Dive right into a great Novel Study with my The Giver Novel Study Resources available on my TpT store!  

Another great way to expose your students to great books is through a class Read Aloud.   If you’re not sure what books to read out loud to your class, I highly recommend the book entitled The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.   It’s a game changer for Educators and Parents.   (Note:  the book has gone through significant changes in recent years as Jim was no longer able to oversee it.    Despite newer editions being available, the older 6th edition is still my favorite!)  

I hope that diving into some timeless classics will help alleviate some burnout for you.    Books can be very therapeutic for teachers as well as students!   Novel studies can be amazingly refreshing for everyone!   Open a book and enjoy the adventure!

Let’s Get Reading!

Martha

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The Tests are Coming! The Tests are Coming! 

It just doesn’t seem fair, right? At this time of the school year, we’ve already passed the 100 days hurdle and so many of us are feeling the struggle to hang in there. There used to be a donut commercial which featured an employee who would roll out of bed early every morning and utter, “It’s time to make the donuts.” Sometimes we can feel that way at this time of the year. “It’s time to go teach.” And then just when we’re battling to stay focused and passionate about teaching, that tiny season called Testing emerges between Winter and Spring and forces us to rethink our strategies. 

Yes. The Tests are Coming. But let’s get ready NOW. 

We’re going to explore some practical strategies that you can put in place to help your students feel prepared for testing. Some of these are just common sense, but we all need simple reminders! 

1. Your Students are Special, Unique Individuals with Intrinsic Worth that is not tied to test results or even grades. REMIND THEM OFTEN. Many kids suffer from test anxiety every year and so many of them have inferred that since there is so much hype about Testing, then surely their test results must be a reflection of their worth. They need trusted adults to help them think rightly about the tests. These tests are just tools that help educators determine how teachers and curriculum are working towards our shared goals of educating. 

2. Introduce your Students to the Common Test Vocabulary. Make sure that your students regularly see and more importantly, UNDERSTAND the common test vocabulary. Deliberately define and explain words like: Choose, Define, Compare, Contrast, Summarize, Describe, Explain, Conclude/Conclusion, Infer, and even Most Likely and give them lots of practice answering questions with them. 

3. Provide lots of opportunities for Test Practice! Everyone does better with practice. Practicing different types of questions will allow your students to feel more at ease when they sit down to take their tests. (If you’re looking for an easy way to practice, check out my Test Prep Task Cards over at my TpT store!) 

4. Equip your Students with Practical Tactics for Tackling Multiple Choice Problems! These simple steps help students feel equipped to tackle each problem! 

    * Reread the question. Make sure that you know what it is asking. 

    *Try to silently answer the question on your own before you look through the choices provided. 

    * Read through ALL of the answers given and (if allowed to mark on the test), cross out the answers that you know aren’t right. 

    *(If you’re allowed to mark on the test booklet), underline the part in the text that seems to support your choice of answer. If you can't mark on the test booklet, or your students take their tests digitally, make sure to teach them how to use the highlighting tools and other functions of your testing site.

    *Watch out for similar-sounding answers! Read them through and select the one that is the best answer. 

    *Choose “All of the Above” if it’s an option and you feel that 2 or 3 answers are correct. 

I hope that these strategies have you excited to start some test prep NOW! We’re going to continue to provide more strategies for test prep and for rallying our best so that we can finish the year strong in the coming weeks! Don’t miss out! Don’t forget that St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner! You don’t need the luck of the Irish to grab my FREE St. Patrick’s Day Mystery Picture resource! While you’re there, check out my other super St. Patrick’s Day downloads! 

Take A Deep Breath! We’re in this Together! 

Let’s Chat Again Soon, 

Martha

3 Simple Easy Ways to Minimize Math Phobia

 

3 Super Easy Ways to Minimize Math Phobia! So last time we established that Yes! Math Phobia (the fear of Math) is a real thing. Contrary to popular belief, students can suffer from it too.. It’s NOT JUST THE TEACHERS! In my last post, we explored some reasons why our students might have Math Phobia as well as some practical teaching strategies with how to help them. (Did you miss it? Click here to catch up!) 

Today, we’re going to get into 3 super easy (very practical) ways to minimize Math Phobia for your students! AND don’t miss out on the Math Freebie!! Here we go! 

 So I want you to understand that your students with Math Phobia literally have locked doors on their brains from anxiety. This means that they have shut down and basically prevented themselves from learning before you have even started teaching. It’s not their fault and most of them couldn’t even tell you that… all they know is that they feel defeated before the lesson begins. So what do you do if you come across a locked door? Well, you have to find another way in. Stop trying to go through a door if it’s locked (unless you can “unlock” it with the strategies from my last post!) So this brings us to Math Phobia Teaching Tip #1 

1. FUN and GAMES!! I just can’t begin to describe the POWER of calling something a “Game” (even when it’s not really one!) As soon as you mention that Math is going to be “Fun” today and then you kick your Math lesson off with an unconventional method like a Game… you have immediately found a way back into engaging with your students’ minds. It’s super easy and it’s super effective! It really only takes a few minutes to tweak your lesson plans to allow for a Fun way to shake things up. Games can be integrated as part of teaching a new concept or as a fun review! However they are used, they will lessen anxiety and maybe, just maybe motivate your students to look forward to Math everyday (gasp!)! But if your brain doesn’t naturally think “fun” and if need some help getting there, don’t worry! I have taken the time and done the work for you! Hop on over to The Owl Spot at TpT to find all kinds of Math Games including: Math Puzzle Races, Math Boggle, Emoji Multiplication Mystery Pictures, a Decimal Game Pack and SO MUCH MORE! Remember structure and routine are so important for learning but it can also be those times when things are out of the routine that you have piqued curiosity and generated some enthusiastic attention from your students. Use Fun and Games to your advantage and you will minimize Math Phobia for sure! Here’s a super fun Math FREEBIE on Division Practice to get you started! 

2. Use Food Whenever Possible. Yes. I’m absolutely serious. (Just remind them that there is no eating until the end of the lesson!) Are you teaching a lesson that requires manipulatives? Bring out the goldfish crackers and just watch your kids become the most motivated math students ever! M&M’s work great for sorting, for teaching fractions in relation to parts of a set as well as all the operations! (Just remember to have them do their addition and multiplication before the subtraction because subtraction means EATING!) If you’re worried about food allergies, use mini marshmallows or even the time old classic Cheerios! (Don’t want to use food? Try substituting your boring paper manipulatives for Legos, or Hot Wheels cars, mini erasers, or other mini toys. It’s out of the ordinary so it will grab your students’ attention FAST!) 

3. Create Personalized Word Problems. So even your students that don’t feel Math Phobia for regular math lessons, may begin to feel their hearts race when those word problems surface! There is something about applying math that makes it especially overwhelming! Remembering this about your students can further motivate you to find ways to get them to relax (maybe even laugh a little!) so that they can strategically think through how to solve a problem. Take some time and write out your own word problems with silly storylines or with names of people that you know (including yourself or maybe have the principal buying donuts for a staff meeting!), or with fads or trends that the kids are all talking about anyway! Some kids love to see their own names used in word problems! (Just be sensitive about what the problem is about and remember that some kids wouldn’t like their name included!) 

I hope that these 3 super easy teaching tricks can help you to minimize Math Phobia for your students! Teaching math so that all of your students understand can be a challenge. I once read a reminder that if your students are willing and eager to learn, then it is up to us as teachers to FIND A WAY to help them understand and learn. That’s a pretty powerful perspective. I hope that these strategies will help you help your students! 

Join Me Next Time for More Teaching Tips! 

Martha