Have you ever read through your state standards only to scratch your head and say, “Where do I even begin?” Okay, I’m about to share all my secrets. In fact, what I’m about to show you is exactly what I use to ensure my resources are standard aligned. You can use this method for any subject for any grade. So, let’s get started on how to decompose standards to select and create aligned ...
The Simply STEAM Blog
4 January STEM Activities That Bring The Joy Back Into Teaching!
It’s no secret that teaching in 2020 has been stressful. Many teachers are feeling burnt out. Sometimes, what you need is a fun lesson that brings back the joy in teaching. That’s why I put together these four January STEM activities. They’re perfect for weekly STEM! New Year's STEM Challenge BALL-oon Drop - This STEM activity challenges students to create a pulley system for a ...
States of Matter STEM Ideas
Okay teachers, it's time to stop wasting precious time on boring science lessons. Teach science with quick hands-on lessons! Science is fun! Shouldn't we teach it that way? Hurricane Florence kept me and my students out of school for 6 weeks. When we finally came back, I was dying to do some fun lessons. I promised myself that we would do something fun that first week. We all needed it! I ...
Virtual Holiday Party Ideas
Christmas is almost here! Are you ready? This would normally be the time when we be planning our classroom holiday parties and activities. This year, though, it is different for many teachers across the globe thanks to the pandemic and distance learning. If you are worried that your fun, festive, holiday plans for your students are ruined, I am here to tell you that you don’t need to call ...
How To Increase Math Fact Fluency
First let’s talk about what math fact fluency is and is not. Fluency is the ability to recall the answers to basic math facts automatically and without hesitation. This does not mean we start teaching memorization right from the beginning. There are building blocks that we must do before we get to memorization. Let’s consider the way a dancer learns a new dance. First, the dancer ...
10 Tips for Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences
This year, parent-teacher conferences look a little different. Normally we would get everything ready in our classroom, arrange times, and meet with parents face to face. This year though, most teachers likely aren’t seeing any parents in person and instead are doing a virtual conference. While this is planned to keep us all safe and healthy, it does add its own challenges. Conference ...