Category: Teacher’s Pay Teachers

As we near the end of another school year, we have a new group of seniors getting ready to begin a new chapter of their lives. That being said, I have been thinking about how we can create memory books with our students. Memory books are a great way to help them capture and treasure their high school memories. If you’re looking for senior memory book ideas, you’re in the right place! 

I know what you’re thinking: Why memory books? Well, let me tell you why they’re such a great choice for our seniors:

1. Reflection and Celebration: Memory books give our students a chance to reflect on their high school years and celebrate their achievements and personal growth. It’s a beautiful way for them to acknowledge the challenges they’ve overcome and the successes they’ve experienced.
2. Keepsake for the Future: Graduation is a significant milestone, and having a memory book will allow our seniors to look back on their high school journey years down the road. It becomes a cherished keepsake that brings back memories of friends, teachers, and unforgettable moments.
3. Self-Expression and Creativity: Memory books encourage our students to express their individuality and creativity through designs, handwritten notes, and personal anecdotes. It’s a chance for them to showcase their unique personalities and leave their mark on the pages of their high school legacy.

Creating memory books will not only help our seniors celebrate their accomplishments but also provide them with a lasting keepsake they can treasure for years to come. So, let’s get creative and make their high school memories truly unforgettable!

If you’re looking for some perfect memory books or senior memory book template that is simple and digital so students can create them easily and keep them with them forever, I have you covered with my Digital Yearbook For Seniors resource! 

Students who are participating in the digital option will have easy-to-identify text boxes to edit with directions. They can insert images, text, and even videos if they want to save their memories digitally. They can add school colors, and senior pictures, write their feelings about the end of the year, anything they may have missed from being out of school, and so much more! Students can print them out as a keepsake or just keep them digitally.

What is included?

• 33 Google Slides (with text boxes and directions and 4 slides at the end to PERSONALIZE and EDIT for future YEARS) to push out easily to students to edit on their own. 4 pages are decorative but blank to easily personalize with editing. Each slide has directions on the right side and edit boxes to add text.
• 38 PDF (same images, but easy-to-print file)
• 4 Pages PDF, with directions, terms, and credits

Topics Included on the pages:

• Favorites
• Accomplishments
• Hobbies
• Friends
• Things They Miss
• Next Year’s Goals
• Next Year’s PLANS
• Vacation Wish List
• I am Grateful
• Quarantine Writing Pages
• Top 3 Senior Moments
• If I Could Change the World
• One Word from friends and family to Describe YOU 
• All About Me
• Homecoming
• Prom ( Pages have directions on the side. If they missed prom, they can write about how the plans were changed or delete the page.)
• I Feel Special
• Graduation (add pictures of how they celebrated this important moment)
• Autograph Page (digitally get Autographs from friends)

I love this resource because using Google Slides makes it so easy for students to create, no digging around for printed photos or keepsakes, everything can be added digitally. It also makes the perfect senior memory book project for the end of the year! 

Want to learn more about creating memory books in any grade? Check out my post here! 

Will you be making a memory book with seniors this year? Share your ideas in the comments!

It’s the end of the year, and you know your students have summer vacation on the brain, and it can be hard to get them to finish the year strong and reach their academic goals. My best advice? Don’t fight it, embrace it! Bring the beach to your classroom for some educational, sunny fun!

If you’re looking for a way to infuse some sun-soaked excitement into your elementary classroom, look no further! I have some tips for creating the ultimate beach day experience right inside your four walls. 

Get ready to create a vibrant, interactive, and beachy atmosphere that will have your students splashing with joy. Let’s make some waves and bring the beach to your classroom!

Create a Beach-Themed Reading Corner

Picture this—a cozy nook transformed into a beachside paradise. Set up beach towels, colorful beach umbrellas, and a collection of beach-themed books. Encourage your students to bring their favorite reads from home, or curate a selection of captivating books that whisk them away to sandy shores, coral reefs, and ocean adventures!

Try Out Some Sand Sensory Play

What’s a beach day without sand? Create a sensory play area with kinetic sand or a sand table. Provide small shovels, buckets, and molds to let your students’ imaginations run wild. They can build towering sandcastles fit for royalty or even create intricate sand art. For an extra touch of excitement, hide small objects in the sand for a thrilling treasure hunt.

Break Out Some Beach Ball Math

Let’s combine fun and learning with a game of beach ball math! Take a ball and write numbers or math problems on different sections. Have your students toss the ball to each other, calling out the number or solving the problem their hand lands on. It’s a fantastic way to reinforce math skills while enjoying some friendly competition.

Set Up a Seashell Sorting Station

Bring the wonders of the seashore into your classroom with seashell sorting. Gather seashells of various shapes, sizes, and colors. Provide sorting trays or bins and ask your students to categorize the seashells based on different attributes. Sorting by size, color, or pattern helps develop critical thinking and classification skills.

Create Some Ocean-Inspired Crafts

Unleash your students’ creativity with beach-themed art and craft activities. From paper plate sunshine to fish or sea creature collages using colored paper and other materials, the possibilities are endless. Let their imaginations take them on an undersea adventure as they paint and decorate seashells. Display their creations around the classroom to transform it into a beach wonderland!

Bust Out Some Beach-Themed Resources

I have you covered! This Virtual Field Trip To The Beach resource is the perfect way to end the school year with a bang. 

Virtual Field trips are a great way to engage students in learning.  Use these interactive, editable Google Slides to easily have students copy and paste movable parts, learn about beach safety, ocean life, what to bring and so much more!

What is in this download?

18 Google slides with titles, edit text boxes, directions, and movable parts 

Great for virtual or in-person teaching!

• KWL Chart
• Packing A Suitcase
• 1 Minute Take OFF Flight Video
• 7-minute Beach Field Trip Video ( Safety Tips, Car Ride, Animals, People Swimming, and Interview Questions about what people like or don’t like about the beach)
• Sequencing Events, 2 Writing Prompts, Counting Objects (under 10), Labeling Parts, Beach Song, and Comprehension Questions
• One extra slide for you to add anything you would like to the lesson. (videos or an assignment)
  

Want more beach fun? Try out my Beach Party Escape Room! 

Students will practice addition, writing, and reading skills to solve a classroom mystery and SAVE the stolen sea turtle eggs. 

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 Escape Room involves a missing turtle egg mystery that leads your students to a BEACH PARTY! 

NEW – Just added extra forms for upper elementary for you to easily exchange for the primary. There is one blank page for you to create your own math problems if needed.

What’s inside this download?

There is a PDF file with step-by-step instructions, and a link to incorporate a YouTube Video to HOOK your students into the missing sea turtle egg mystery leading them to a BEACH PARTY! The pre-made team names turtle egg mystery can only be solved by using reading skills, math skills, and teamwork. The end destination of a beach party can be as simple as a few beach towels outside and popsicles or much more elaborate. Ideas are included.

After you finish these activities, take your students outside with beach towels and beach balls for some beachy fun!

Looking for more beachy fun for the classroom? Check out my post here on how to decorate your classroom with a beach theme! 

As we approach the end of the school year, I’ve been thinking about how we can celebrate our student’s accomplishments in a fun and meaningful way. With everything going on, virtual end-of-the-year award ceremonies have become quite popular, and if you’re considering hosting one yourself, you’re in the right place.

I know it might sound a bit daunting, but it’s actually much easier than you might think! I’d love to share what I’ve found with you and help you plan your own virtual ceremony! Let’s start with the basics. 

What are the best awards for students? 

For elementary students, it is so fun to think of cute and exciting award ideas that will make your students smile from ear to ear. Here are some ideas. 

• MANNERS
• ARTIST
• ATHLETE
• HAIRSTYLIST
• CEO
• BOOKWORM
• MOST UNIQUES
• MOST CARING
• BRAVE HEART
• DEPENDABLE
• DANCER
• SINGER
• FRIENDLIEST
• ENERGETIC
• BEST LAUGH
• SWEETHEART
• HELPER 
• FUNNY

Whether you’re looking for virtual awards or in-person awards, I have a resource that covers them both! 

My Virtual End of the Year Awards Ceremony Resource makes it easy for you to print out physical copies or virtually send awards to your students. 

This resource includes Google Slides™, directions, a planning sheet, and a tutorial video. Just add students’ pictures and use the edit boxes that are ready for you to insert names and dates.

Students will love meeting online or in person for an end-of-the-year award ceremony! 

Here’s what’s included: 

48 Slides 

37 are pre-made awards

3 are blank awards

1 pdf with directions and a planning sheet

Music is set and ready to loop

You can add images, videos, names, dates, and your signature. Simply delete the slides you don’t want in the show. 

You can practice first by pushing present and when you are ready for your virtual award ceremony invite students and families. 

This resource includes all of the award ideas listed above and more! Check out the demo video here. 

Are you doing a virtual or in-person end-of-the-year award ceremony this year? Let me know in the comments! 
For more end-of-the-year activities, check out my post here.

You know how hard it can be to keep your classroom organized, right? Well, lucky for us, technology has made it a lot easier. Thanks to recent world events, we all got a crash course in relying more on technology in the classroom, and as challenging as it was at first, it has some benefits! You may be wondering:

What is the best way to organize your classroom?

How do you organize digital teaching materials?

Here are some tips that can help digitally organize your classroom!

First things first, get yourself a digital calendar for your classroom organization

You can use tools like Google Calendar to keep track of everything from holidays to exams. Plus, you can easily access it from any device, so you’ll never forget an important event. If you’re a pen and paper kind of teacher, that’s fine! This can be a great supplement to your current system. 

Another thing to try is creating a digital gradebook. 

This can be a lifesaver when it comes to managing grades, tracking student progress, and sharing grades with parents. You can use tools like Google Sheets or specialized gradebook software to make it super easy.

Have you heard of digital classroom management systems? 

These systems can help you manage your classroom digitally, from attendance to lesson plans to student communication. Some popular options include Canvas and Schoology. They can really streamline your classroom processes and make things run more smoothly.

Digital note-taking is another cool option to consider. 

You can use tools like Evernote or Google Keep to keep your notes organized, collaborate with other teachers, and share information with students.

Finally, don’t forget about organizing your digital files! 

Use a file management system like Google Drive or Dropbox to keep everything in one place. You can even create folders for each subject or topic, which makes finding what you need a breeze.

If you’re looking for some digital classroom resources that can be used for online learning or in the classroom to keep everything organized and low-prep, I have you covered. 

These Google Slides Templates make it easy to teach digitally or in person. 

They make it easy to personalize your classroom too! Decide the slides you want to use with your class, delete what you don’t want, add clickable links, forms, images, a quiz, or videos of you to personalize your classroom.

What is in this download?

15 Google Slide Templates for Home Room, Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, PE, Centers and a Brain Break. They have home buttons of the slides so students can use presentation mode and easily find their schedule on the Home Room slide.

18 Google Slides with links for a DEMO. There are extra slides from my own digital resources for you to use as a demo or in your own presentation or if you are K-2, you can use the demo for an emergency sub plan if needed. 

3 Page PDF with Directions

Slides are 11 x 8.5 so you can add other slides that can be printed out by the students at home if needed.

Easily share Google Forms to collect information, images, videos, audio, online games and more! Share during a virtual meeting or in-person to keep your schedule on track!

Check out the video tutorial!

There are so many great digital tools out there to help us stay organized in our classrooms. It might take a bit of effort to get started, but trust me, it’s worth it! 

What are your digital classroom organization tips? Share them in the comments!