teachersbrain, Author at Teacher's Brain

Can Schools Open Safely in the Fall

July 13, 2020 teachersbrain education

Not My Regular Kind of Post

I’ve been waiting to hear from our government about the guidelines and plans for opening schools this fall so I could make an informed decision. My number one priority IS the safety of my children, family and community. I watched the Secretary of Education on an interview today. NO PLAN being their PLAN made my blood boil!

Lucky?

I’m lucky. I have the option to NOT send my kids back. Not everyone has that option. This will leave the working poor forced to send their kids back to school, putting their neighborhoods at a greater risk. It’s tantamount in my opinion to ethnic cleansing. Huge profits for private schools.

I WANT to OPEN Schools

We need to open in my opinion because…

Education is not the same online
Social skills are important
The economy will suffer and is important to mental health

BUT, if we can’t do this safely, don’t do it at all! In a matter of months the public went from “Teachers are underappreciated, we should pay them triple!” to “Get in the classroom to WATCH the children so we can get back to work, even if it kills you.” Children must receive vaccinations to enter most schools, yet we are allowing this???!!! All of this is falling on the individual schools and teachers with no help from the people who are in positions to make a real difference from the top down.

Scientific Data

The general public doesn’t believe the data available because HONESTLY, it is flawed. Teachers teach science. We know how important data collecting is and if it’s flawed, we need to fix the way we collect data. Scientist still observe the flawed data to make decisions of how to make corrections for future data to be more accurate. We don’t ignore the data.

Thoughts or Solutions?

I know that teachers have it hard when thinking about Back-To-School! Worrying about their own families and careers while having to solve this HUGE MEGA problem without help from officials who have access to information to make intelligent suggestions for real lifesaving solutions. Many know if they make a big stink about how they feel, they could be out of a job, so they are silent. Please feel free to leave comments or send me an email at cindy@teachersbrain.com so I can be your voice without using your name about your concerns or maybe some REAL solutions to how we can open safely.

Betsy has not plan

Tips For Your Back-To-School Open House

July 10, 2020 teachersbrain education

Back-to-school Open House night is very exciting for students and their parents because after a long summer, they finally get to go and see what the new school year will be like and meet their new teacher. For teachers on the other hand, it can be a little stressful, especially if talking in front of groups of adults makes you a little nervous! This is completely natural. These are people you are going to have a relationship with for the next school year and you want to make a great impression, while not showing how nervous or overwhelmed you might be.

Your goal for an Open House is to meet your students and their families, establish rules, explain how your classroom will run, and most importantly, make a great first impression! This is a huge day for everyone. The key to a smooth open house is to make sure you plan ahead so you are prepared and make sure there is plenty for the parents and students to do besides just talking to you.

Here are some tips to make your Open House night a success

Have a slide show ready for the parents to watch. Include in your presentation a little about yourself, what they can expect for classroom structure and routines, rules, and expectations. This is great because it not only saves you from having to do a lot of public speaking, but it also helps set the tone with the parents from the start so you are all on the same page.
Take family photos of each child with their family. This can be a fun way to help break the ice and get to know your students and their family. You can use these pictures in fun crafts with your students later in the year. You can even use them in some classroom decor to help your students feel more relaxed and comfortable when they start the school year and see a picture of themselves with their family.
Set up some fun crafts and activities for the students to do with their families. This will help build excitement for the actual school year and it may ease some of their nerves.
Have volunteer sign-up sheets set out for parents. Trust me, this list will come in handy later when you need help with classroom parties or activities. You’ll have a list of parents ready to go!

Don’t get too overwhelmed. I created some fun Open House activities to help make the whole night easier for you!

All About Me Mini Me People Activity

These printables will help personalize a little mini me for your students to make during Open House. You can also use them for measurement or All About Me Projects. Students can design their own shirt, use their own colors, cut, paste together, and add yarn or doll hair to help make their Mini Me special.

Open House Scavenger Hunt

This is an easy way to help your students show their families the important locations in the classroom! Use these print and go templates or personalize it with the editable PowerPoint!

All About Me Printables Back-To-School Quilt Squares

Quilt Squares are a great way to get to know your students! After children fill out the squares, you can hang them up to make a cute quilt type display in your room. Put a border around and some ribbon on all four corners to make it extra cute for Open House. There is a suggested plan and a blank one you can use for any topic.

Back To School Toolkit

This back to school toolkit has everything you could need for your open house and the rest of the school year! It has student information sheets, open house sign in sheets, student passes, parent sign up forms, class rules posters, name tags and so much more.

Do you have any tips for your back to school open house? Let me know in the comments!

For some first day of school activities, check out my post here!

Social Studies Activities for Kindergarten or First Grade

July 3, 2020 teachersbrain education, Teacher's Pay Teachers

Planning a fun and engaging social studies lesson for kindergarten or first grade doesn’t have to be hard or stressful. Finding the right resources that are fun for your students, low prep, and easy for teachers can be a game changer.

That is why I created this year long social studies curriculum bundle to help make your life a little easier. It can be used in school or at home for distance learning. It is made up of four nine week long units to engage and excite your students to learn more about social studies.

Here are the subjects included in the social studies curriculum bundle

American History: In this unit, you can set up the lesson plan activities as an American History Journal or hand them out individually. This unit covers past, present, holidays, presidents, American symbols, and more.

Geography: This unit includes a fun Geography Journal. Some of the lessons included cover positional words, personal information, landforms, bodies of water, and cardinal directions. An interactive notebook is included along with a write the room activity where students can label the classroom using cardinal directions.

Civics and Government: This 9 week lesson plan includes a Civics and Government Journal and interactive notebook pages for each day of the week. Topics cover primary source, chronology, citizenship, rules, laws, conflict, and fair decisions.

Community Helpers: This unit includes detailed plans for nine weeks. You’ll get a Community Helpers Journal, interactive notebook pages, 12 posters, songs, crafts, and more. Activities to keep your students interested include cut and label poems, hat or headband crafts, and handprint gifts. It even includes an invitation for parents to be guest speakers in class!

Bonus Content

Along with a full year of social studies curriculum for kindergarten and first grade, you also get some bonus content too. These bonuses are designed to supplement your lessons and increase student success.

Money: One week plan for teaching students all about money. Includes a Money Journal, lesson plans, posters, and a rubric.

Needs & Wants: A one week plan to teach your students about the difference between needs and wants. Included are posters, interactive notebook pages, and a Needs and Wants Journal.

This year’s long social studies bundle was designed to take the stress out of lesson planning for you. Check it out here!

What are your favorite ways for engaging students during their social studies lessons? Let me know in the comments below!

Check out some first day of school icebreaker ideas here!

First Day Of School Icebreakers

June 26, 2020 teachersbrain education

The first day of school is one of the biggest days of the whole year. It is a day for meeting new people and first impressions. It is also the day you set the tone for what students can expect in your classroom. All of this newness can bring up a lot of emotions for your students. This is a day that they have been eagerly anticipating all summer. They probably stayed up late the night before, thinking about what is to come the next day. With all of the excitement and anticipation, there is sure to be a lot of nervousness too!

Starting a new school year, with a new teacher, in a new classroom is enough to make anyone anxious. For this reason, the key is to spend the first day back helping our students feel important and comfortable in our classroom.

A great way to do that is by having some FUN. Like the old saying goes, people will remember how you made them feel. Your students will remember how they felt in your class. Getting your students engaged in a fun activity can be a huge help in relieving stress and anxiety and help them feel comfortable and relaxed.

One of my absolute favorite ways to do that is with Escape Rooms!

These fun interactive activities are all the rage right now. Students love them. You will easily be the most memorable teacher of your students’ life.

That’s why I created this back to school escape room! You can use these step by step instructions to guarantee student engagement while they learn about each other and work as a team and solve a mystery and escape the classroom! With a little prep, your students will work as a team to break into a box, which breaks them out of the classroom as they beat the clock! This is a great way for ANY class to learn about their peers.

Included is a PDF file with step-by-step instructions, a link to incorporate a YouTube Video to HOOK your students into accepting a mission to break free from the Ice Queen. The mystery can only be solved by working through Icebreaker Challenges and using teamwork. Opening the box, (no locks needed) leads them to enjoy recess or a library break outside of the classroom. There are 3 tasks for the students to solve before they can break free.

Check out the YouTube introduction here!