The Happy Learning Den

Saturday, June 18, 2022

Favorite Things About Summer

Hi friends!

I'm back! I missed sharing ideas and connecting with everyone, but I needed to take a break from the computer during my nonteaching time these last two years. It was my way of giving myself "grace."

Here are a few of my favorite things about summer:

#5 No alarms! My alarm is set for 5:00 am during the school year, and my internal clock often wakes me before that. It's awful. During the summer if I wake up before the sun rises, then I can just go back to sleep.

#4 I can finally catch up on reading for ME! Like many teachers, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to read. But usually I am picking out books for school. During the summer I devour at least one book every few days. There is nothing like getting lost in a good book. Plus, reading keeps our minds sharp..... so no summer slide for this teacher!

#3 Indulge in self-care. Self-care was the buzz word last year, but did you have time to really take care of yourself? I know this teacher did not! But now is the time I take for myself, and it's not just about pedicures and massages. I reflect on the boundaries that I set, and the ones that I allowed people to push past during the school year. I take this time to develop stronger boundaries and work on possible responses when I receive push back.

#2 I allow myself to daydream.

#1 Time! What teacher couldn't use a few extra hours during the day? During the school year I keep a running list of all the extra resources I want to create. Then during the summer, it's a whirlwind of creating content! If the mood strikes me, I can even work on a project at 3am, then sleep longer when I'm done. Having few time constraints in the summer is definitely a big win for me!

What about you? What are your favorite things about summer?

See you soon,

~Sandra @The Happy Learning Den

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Simple Book Report Ideas That Kids Will Love

Hi friends,

Does the mere mention of the phrase “book report” bring groans of dread from your students?

Visions of endless writing and tedious presentations feel overwhelming to some students. But reading an awesome book and telling others all about it can be one of the great pleasures in life! Book reports don’t need to be dull. Actually, they can be a ton of fun, and with the right project, students will love the entire process of creating and sharing meaningful book projects.

Here are 4 easy to assign and complete book report ideas that will be sure to get your students excited about their next assignment.

CHARACTER DAY

Have students dress up as the main character of their book. Then, have each student take a turn standing in front of the class and telling their character’s story in first person point of view.

REPORT POSTER

Give students a large piece of poster paper or chart paper. Posters must identify main characters, setting, title, problem, and solution. Display finished posters on classroom or hallway walls.

BOOK JACKET

Show your students several examples of book jackets. Point out the front with the title and illustration, the spine and its information, and the back with the book summary. Also show the 2 inside flaps with information about the author and a smaller summary. Provide them each with a larger piece of paper and have them design a jacket for the book they have just read.

DIARY ENTRIES

Have students create a diary with at least 10 entries, writing from the main character’s point of view. I like to assign this project at the beginning of the book, and have students write a diary entry for the events of each chapter of the book.

As long as you keep it fun and engaging, your students will be excited to invest their time in their projects! Be sure to clearly outline the expectations before your students begin. I like to write their questions on chart paper in one color, and my answers in another color. This way students can refer back to the poster when they "forget" expectations.

I would love to expand my go to book reports. Please comment below with your tried and true book reports.

See you next week,

~Sandra @The Happy Learning Den

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Student Motivation

Dear teacher friends,

Here we go again! Another season of state assessments is upon us. Every year, the weight of the assessments creates pressure for administrators, teachers, parents, and unfortunately the students. I’m sure you are feeling anxious, but you do not want your students to feel the same way.

“Test Prep” are the two 4-letter words that cause fear and loathing in the heart’s of teachers everywhere. I have heard teachers complain about how test prep takes away from teaching time, and causes extra stress to students. It doesn’t have to be that way!

Keep your test prep fun, sweet, and simple! Whether you have a few days, a week or a little more time to dedicate to reviewing skills taught all year make it a time filled with games, practice, and prizes in your classroom. For instance, dig out the task cards that you have used all year. Place them around the room for a game of review Scoot. One way that I have done this in the past for a math review: Cards 1-5 Order of Operations, Cards 6-10 Adding and Subtracting Fractions, Cards 11-15 Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying, Dividing Decimals, Cards 16-20… You get the idea. You want to have enough cards around the room so that each student starts with one. You can have more if you have time, but make sure that you review the answers with your students when the game is over. If you don’t have time to review during the same class period, try to review the answers the following day.

(If you have never played Scoot before, you don’t

know what you are missing! My 5th graders beg to

play at least once a week. I wrote about how to play

in a previous blog post. Check it out here to learn more.)

Keep in mind that realistically, you will not be able to review all of the skills. It is imperative that you choose standards that your students still struggle with, standards taught at the beginning of the year, and standards that you know your students can excel at if they are just reminded of the skill. Good luck!

Once testing day(s) arrives, it is important for your students to know that you aren’t worried. And if you are nervous? Fake it until you make it! Remember, the test-taking attitudes your students form now may impact their test-taking behaviors for the rest of their education. After all, standardized tests don’t go away as you go up through the grades. If anything, you are creating the foundation for your students to take the SAT in high school. Keep in mind that a lot of your students’ attitudes will be shaped by the feelings you project.

This is the time for you to emphasize that testing is a chance for your students to show off and show what they know. Each morning students are testing, I give testing treats. This is just a little something I give to ease the stress.

🍭Dum Dum lollipops: Because they are not dumb-dumbs!
👓Nerds: So they can be a nerd and read every word!

😋Blow Pops: So they can blow the test away!

Providing your students with motivation before and during testing is the best way to keep your students engaged during the entire testing process. If you have any additional motivational ideas for keeping students focused, engaged, and prepared to do their very best leave them in the comments section.

Keep calm and stress-free testing,

Sandra

@The Happy Learning Den