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Creativity in the Modern Classroom

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Preparing Students for Standardized Testing During a Pandemic

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We are not happy about standardized testing taking place during a pandemic.

But we know we must prepare our students for the test. We have combined for over 50 years or teaching experience in grades 4-6 and want to share our tips, ideas, and resources to help you prepare for state testing.

The biggest thing this year is easing students’ fear of such a huge test in such a crazy and stressful year for not only students, but educators as well. We have some great ideas and tips below that will help you get ready for the test.

If you are looking for a way to have your students de-stress before the test, take a look at our FREE Stress Breaker Chain activity. This resource is intended to help your students share their concerns/fears before the common core test is administered. The best part is for the students to tear up the chain at the end of the testing!

If you want to put together a fun little test kit for your students, look no further than our FREE Test Taking Survival Kit! The kids love the contents of their test taking survival kits and I’m sure yours will too!

Who doesn’t like a little treat and some motivation during testing? We have our Student Gift Tags that are perfect for this! Your students will love these inspirational cards with treats attached. It is a sure way to help lower stress before the test!

Showing evidence is always a part of the standardized test. We have our ELA Test Prep Citing Text Evidence activity that is a perfect way to get your students ready. This high interest test prep resource includes: a 13-page kid friendly resource that will walk students through what citing evidence is, some examples to work through together, and then an assignment at the end to practice.

We all know test vocabulary is hard for students to understand. So we created a Test Prep Vocabulary bundle of resources. This bundle NOW contains five activities intended to help your students understand some of the key vocabulary that they may see on a standardized test.

If you are looking for the complete package, then take a look at our TEST PREP BUNDLE!!  This is a test prep bundle that features 14 different resources including: informational text, vocabulary, games, activities and more to get your students ready for standardized testing.

Take some of the stress away with our resources for your classroom today!

Teaching the Presidential Election Without Bias

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The 2020 Presidential election is fast approaching. This election has been one of the most controversial ones in recent memory. How do teachers tip-toe around student opinions and just teach the facts? We have created this blog post to help guide you on how to teach the presidential election without bias.


Do’s and Don’ts

Teachers must maintain professionalism in the classroom when teaching about the election. Favoritism toward one candidate cannot be displayed in any way. Even though the classroom teacher may have strong convictions, s/he cannot try to persuade the students to support one candidate over the other. Because of this, we have created some tips emphasizing the do’s and don’ts in the classroom that should be adhered to.
Do discuss the following: the major two political party system, how a presidential election operates, the requirements in order to be president, the candidates’ positions on the issues, the electoral college system, who is eligible to vote, the difference between the electoral college and popular vote, the importance of debates in the election.

Do not: show favoritism toward a candidate, get into arguments regarding statements by candidates, bring in prejudice or discrimination toward a candidate, only share one candidates’ view, bring in guest speakers from only one side, hold debates without the facts.

What Ifs…

There will probably be some questions and tense moments in the classroom. Here is a list of “What if’s” that may surface in the classroom and how to handle them.

A student shares his/her opinion of a candidate? We all have opinions, and that is okay, but we are not going to talk about our opinions. We are going to talk about the system and the process of becoming president.

A student disagrees with a statement another classmate made? We don’t have to agree. We have to respect everyone’s viewpoints and make informed decisions when you are an adult and have the right to vote.

A parent has an issue with talking about politics in the classroom? Make sure to send home the parent letter and assure parents that you are teaching about government, the political process, and how a person can become president in the United States.

Students want to change the opinions of their parents? Let your students know that their parents are adults and allowed the freedom to vote for whichever candidate they prefer. When the student turns 18 years of age, s/he will be able to vote for the candidate of his/her choice.

A student refuses to participate in the activities? Have a talk with the student and let him/her know that this is an assessment unit and there will be a grade associated with it. Also, discuss the importance of the freedoms we have in the United States and how elections are what has made our nation great. If the student continues to be uncooperative, then you may have to reach out to the parents.

Parent Communication

Communicating with parents will be important when teaching about the election. A letter should be written to parents that outlines what will be taught, how it will be taught, and how you, the teacher, will deal with issues as they arise.

As the teacher, your primary goal is to educate your students about government and the election process in a non-biased way. We would love to hear how you teach the presidential election in your classroom.

To help you teach about the presidential election in your classroom, check out our Presidential Election Day Activities on TPT.

Topics Covered in Election Detective Activity:
→K-“No W”-L chart
→Election Vocabulary
→Citizen Voting
→The President: Roles and Responsibilities
→Past Presidents
→Presidential Election Process
→Candidate Stances
→The Electoral College
→Election Night Results

Remember it is your job to teach about the election, the election process, and the presidency. Stay away from showing favoritism toward any side. You’ve got this!

How to Restore Teacher Morale During a Pandemic

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There is nothing like teacher tired.

I see it on the faces of my colleagues every day at the end of the school day in our hybrid face to face model. I see it on my wife’s face when I come home after she is still working on teaching virtually.

Being tired is one thing, but unless you are a teacher, you don’t know what teacher tired really is.

It is only the month of September and I can already see how much this school year is already draining out of educators. Is this pace sustainable? Is this realistic for teachers?

The problem is, we have already answered “yes” to both those questions because that is who we are. We would walk barefoot over hot coals for our students.

But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been easy for us. During these times of unprecedented workloads and fear for our overall safety, we need to band together even more to help each other through this difficult time.

The popular verse, “Lean on me when you’re not strong, and I’ll be your friend…” should be our rallying cry this year. We NEED each other.

Because of this, we wanted to share a few teacher tips on how to help teacher morale in your building.

Here are some fun blog posts to read that will help you out.
How to Deal With Back to School Anxiety During a Pandemic
Do You and Your Students Need a Vacation?
Why Inspirational Quotes For Educators Make a Difference
How to Improve Teacher Morale in Schools

And here are some great resources to use in your classroom or to use with colleagues.
Teacher Morale Inspirational Quotes and Sayings Growing Bundle


Would You Rather Teacher Edition Question Cards (this is perfect for staff lounges or meetings!)


Teacher Gift Tags (surprise a colleague with a nice affordable treat!)

Please share this email with your colleagues. They will thank you for it!

How to Deal with Back to School Anxiety during a Pandemic

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Do you have back to school anxiety about teaching during a pandemic? Here in our district we are doing a hybrid model which means we will be face to face with one cohort of students Monday and Tuesday and face to face with the other cohort Thursday and Friday.

It has us anxious for many reasons:
1. Will there be proper PPE for students?
2. Will there be proper PPE for staff?
3. How will rooms be cleaned and who will be responsible?
4. How will students move or will teachers rotate classrooms?
5. What will lunch look like?

And these are just a few of the many questions that we have yet to find the answers for. 

There is already enough anxiety as a teacher getting ready for the school year, and now we are faced going back to school during a pandemic.

So we have tried to come up with some tips, strategies and resources for you to help with your justified anxiety.

Tips and Strategies

1. Unplug from Social Media
I am sure you have already seen comments and posts by the general public and angry parents about those “lazy teachers.” You don’t need that. Put your phone, tablet, or laptop away. It will make a world of difference.

2. Do something for yourself
This could be binge watching your favorite show. You could have your favorite beverage or get your favorite carry out. It could be as simple as taking a walk too. You just need to schedule some time every day just for you. No, that is not being selfish. It is being realistic!

3. Connect with your colleagues
You are all going through the same thing right now. It will be so important to re-establish those teaching relationships heading into the school year. Human interaction is so important and we know we have missed being in touch with our teacher friends this summer.

4. Make sure to be on your custodian’s good side
This is a no brainer. But it is more important this year than any other year. Your custodian is probably stressed out trying to figure out how everything will work. Empathize with him/her. Show that you care. Heck, maybe even get a small gift card to show your appreciation. It will go a long way in these uncertain times. You might find an extra bottle of hand sanitizer or a willingness to help you out first. It is worth a shot.

5. Be there for your students
If you are like us, you miss seeing your students. This is what is keeping us going right now knowing that our students cannot wait to see their teachers and friends. That human social interaction is so important. Focus on the positives and the relationships you will form with them. Be a light in the darkness for them.

Resources

We also would like to share some resources that may help put a bounce back in your step this school year.

1. Teacher Morale Quotes Growing Bundle
We have included three sets of 30 inspirational quotes that will help keep you motivated these first three months of school. These are great to print off and look at daily on your teacher desk, or even to display in the classroom or online for students to see. We have them deeply discounted when you buy the bundle. 

2. Would You Rather Teacher Edition Cards
If you want to boost morale either in the building or online, try out these funny “Would You Rather” Teacher edition cards. These fun predicaments will have your colleagues laughing or showing signs of disgust, but more importantly, will provide your group with that much needed time to be together without data to look at or articles to read. find them here. 

3. Teacher Gift Tags
Who couldn’t use a back to school gift from a colleague? We have some teacher gift tags that would be perfect for any employee at school. Your colleagues will love these inspirational cards with treats attached. It is a sure way to boost morale in your building!

Thank you for all that you do for your students. You are appreciated!!

Why Social Emotional Learning is Needed for Back to School

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Social Emotional Learning is going to be so important this school year. With schools being shut down across the country last March, many students have not been able to see their peers and friends for close to six months!

That is why how you start the school year will be so important for your students. Yes, there is a lot of talk of how students will be behind in their learning. Guess what? So is the rest of the nation and world!

As educators, we need to make sure we check on our students either the moment they step into our classroom or login to that first zoom meeting. These kids have been through a lot and are seeking that attention from us and their classmates.

So, how do we do this in these crazy, uncertain times? Well, we start off by just being there.

1. When your students see you for the first time, smile. Smile because you also have not had that connection with students in so long. Smile because they need it. Your students are longing for attention and for recognition. Smile because you want to show your students that you are there for them and are happy to see them.

2. Do not ask about the last six months. For some it has been very difficult and even traumatic. We cannot change the past and cannot fix things that happened. By all means, though, if students do want to talk about that, either set up a one on one conference or ask them to talk with the guidance counselor. We are not saying ignore their feelings, but in a large group setting you set the tone for the school year. You want that tone to be positive from the start.

3. Use engaging activities to start the year. You want students excited to be back at school. We have created some amazing resources that will be a hit with your students! Click on the links below to learn more about each activity.
Distance Learning Trivia Bundle
Back to School Social Emotional Ranking Activity
Online Scavenger Hunt
Would You Rather School Edition Questions
Back To School Getting to Know You Google Form

4. Make sure to do a daily greeting every day. It is important to recognize students each day. This can be a simple “good morning”, but make sure you acknowledge each and every student. It will make a difference to them.

5. Let parents know that you are there. Within the first month of back to school, reach out to families to let them know that you are here for their child. Whether it be a phone call, email, or text, make sure to connect with a guardian. This will make a huge difference to them to know that their child is cared for and is valued. They will thank you for it too!

We know many of you are headed back to school soon. So we have decided to put our TPT store on sale at 20% off all of our digital resources from July 27-30th. All of our online resources and student engagement activities are included. Start filling those shopping carts now.

Finally, we also want to share an online conference that starts July 27th and ends July 31st. This is perfect for getting you ready for this school year. There are over 60 sessions, live panels and interviews, resource giveaways and so much more. Some of the topics included are: social emotional learning, distance learning, how to engage students, STEM, and so much more. Registration is open this whole week and is good for one year! Click here to sign up!

In these unprecedented times, be there for your students. Put on your teacher face and show them that you care!

    Why You Need this Distance Learning Bundle Now!

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    As teachers have moved to distance learning, the demand for online resources has increased dramatically. Being in the classroom, this has been challenging times for all of us. We have been working early in the morning and late at night to convert and create our print resources into digital.

    We now have a distance learning bundle that will make it easier for you as your students learn away from school. All activities are compatible with your Google Drive, Google Slides and Google Forms. We even threw in some PDF versions of our popular miss you posters and inspirational backgrounds. There are a variety of activities for you to choose from.

    Below, we will outline all that you will get in our growing distance learning bundle.

    Genius Hour

    Your students will be engaged in an exciting journey to become an expert on a topic they are passionate about. Genius Hour is intended to engage even your most difficult students because it allows them a choice in their learning. Genius Hour is designed to engage all to become passionate learners.

    Distance Learning Plan

    The purpose of this activity is to encourage your students to organize their day as they are away from school. This resource will provide your students some ideas about their day. Then they will create their day by dragging activity boxes and entering times of the day. This can be changed to fit their schedule for different days throughout the week.

    Bored BINGO

    The purpose of this activity is to engage your students while they are away from school. This BINGO activity provides 25 activities that your students can do either inside or outside. Students choose which activities they want to participate in to try to get a BINGO (or BORED). Along with the Bored BINGO Board, there are two detailed pages that describe each activity.

    Reading Journal

    The purpose of this activity is to engage your students in their daily reading through journaling. Students will respond to their daily reading by writing a summary and a reflection. Students also record the date and the number of pages/chapters that they read.

    Writing Journal

    The purpose of this activity is to engage your students in their daily writing through responding to 25 creative and unique prompts. Students will write a detailed response to each prompt. Students also record the date for each writing response.

    Social Studies Journal

    The purpose of this activity is to engage your students by having them respond and reflect on eight prompts that relate to the themes of social studies (Current Events, Geography, History, Culture, Government, Economics, Science & Technology, and Citizenship).

    Memory Reflections

    The purpose of this activity is for your students to reflect on their school year as they learn away from school. This is a 10-page interactive resource that covers several topics such as school memories, teachers, friends, favorites, ratings, writing a quick letter, creating “apps”, and more!

    Back to School Get to Know You Form

    The purpose of this activity is for you to do a back to school get to know you inventory with your students using a Google Form. This is a simple and easy way where you can gather data on your class and find out quickly some of your students’ favorites. This will be very valuable information to collect.

    Back to School Subject Reflections Form

    The purpose of this activity is for you to do a back to school subject reflections inventory with your students using a Google Form. This is a simple and easy way where you can gather data on your class and find out quickly how your students perceive various subjects. This will be very valuable information to collect.

    Brain Break Activity

    The purpose of this activity is to engage your students in a brain break activity that is will challenge them and test their brain. Students are to decode the phone numbers provided to spell out words. Students use the phone provided, which contains the letters for each number on the phone. This is a resource that is not geared toward any subject other than a challenge- and maybe a break from the typical learning.

    Daily Check in Form

    The purpose of this activity is for you to do a check in with your students using a Google Form. This is a simple and easy way where you can gather data on your class and find out quickly who is doing well and who needs assistance. This is perfect to stay connected with your students.

    Inspirational Backgrounds

    The purpose of this activity is to provide you with inspirational background images that you could print out and display when you are teaching online. You can also share the quotes with your students using Google.
    This will help increase student engagement and to show your students that you care. You post these in your background to students over 30 school days that will provide for motivation during their online learning. We included a “Happy Birthday” one at the end to help you celebrate students’ birthdays too.

    Miss You Posters

    The purpose of this activity is to provide you with “miss you” statements that you could print out and display when you are teaching online. This will help increase student engagement and to show your students that you care. You post these in your background to students over 30 school days that will provide for motivation during their online learning, or you could hold up as you teach online.

    End of Year Reflections

    The purpose of this activity is for you to do an end of year reflection with your students using a Google Form. This is a simple and easy way where you can gather data on your class and find out quickly how distance learning went for each student.

    Why use this distance learning bundle resource?

    • These resource are paperless.
    • These resources are easily accessible using Google Drive™.
    • Your students will work directly on the digital documents.
    • It’s a way to integrate technology into instruction.
    • Students will be engaged in their work.

    We have made it easy and simple to use these resources by providing a directions page resource. This will help you implement the Google Docs, Slides, and Forms with your students.


    SAVE $$$ This would cost you $38 if bought without the distance learning bundle. You are getting a $14 discount!!

    Do not pass up on this great deal for online learning in your classroom. You can purchase the distance learning bundle here.

    Distance Learning Resources to Help Intermediate Teachers

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    This has not been easy. Learning new ways to reach our students has been difficult. Online learning is not the same as being in the classroom, plain and simple. But, as educators we are always willing to step up our game.

    We have been hard at work creating Google compatible resources for our students over the past month. But we just didn’t want to make them plain and boring. We wanted them to be engaging.

    So, over this past month we have been hard at work creating a editable daily schedule for students, a bingo activity for bored students at home, reflection journals for reading, writing and social studies, and en end of the year memory book.

    We know teachers are struggling right now not only with teaching, but finances as well. That is why we are making our Distance Learning Bundle over 35% off its total price if you bought all resources separately.

    Here is what you will get in the bundle:

    • Genius Hour (28-pages)
    • Daily Distance Learning Plan (3-pages)
    • Bored BINGO (11-pages)
    • Reading Journal (9-pages)
    • Writing Journal (14-pages)
    • Social Studies Journal (15-pages)
    • Memory Reflections (12-pages)

    Now is the time to step it up for our students. You can do this now with this amazing online bundle of resources.

    We are still taking suggestions of resources we have in our Wise Guys store that you would like to see become digital. Please email us at: wiseguystpt@gmail.com for any requests.

    Do you and your students need a vacation?

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    I bet that question has you thinking, right?

    With the safer at home orders stretching across the United States, teachers and students would give anything to be able to be back at school, or to be able to go anywhere. But that is not reality.

    So, we got to thinking. Wouldn’t it be great for our students to plan “A Vacation of a Lifetime” from their homes. To be able to dream about a destination that they would love to go to during this time of isolation?

    That is why we have created our Google Drive compatible “A Vacation of a Lifetime” resource. This project will allow your students to use a pretend budget of $10,000 to travel anywhere in the world!

    Sounds fun, right? Well, it will be! Students will get to research transportation, lodging, destinations and so much more. They will be using their math, reading, writing, researching, and technology skills to plan out their dream vacation. Take a look at our opening scenario below!

    vacation of a lifetime

    This is perfect for distance learning, and best yet, everything has been created for you. We have detailed teacher tips, student online handouts, certificates and even a rubric to use. This project could take a week or two for them to complete, so is great for an end of the year project too. Take a look at some student pages that are included in the resource below.

    vacation plan
    vacation resource

    We have included a vacation helper document that will guide your students through the process too!

    vacation activity

    There is also an easy to use teacher rubric to assess your students!

    vacation rubric

    Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to let you and your students dream about “A Vacation of a Lifetime.”

    Make sure to share this blog post with your colleagues to make their jobs easier too!

    Why Book Club Needs to Happen in Your Classroom

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    If you are not implementing Book Club in your upper elementary or middle school classroom, you need to do so now!

    Traditional reading class in elementary and middle school has usually consisted of teachers self-selecting books for students to read. Whether it be a whole class novel or leveled books for guided reading, the choice has always been with the teacher. Yes, finding books at students’ reading levels is important, but by taking away choice, you are taking away student interest and engagement. Book Club is a time when students self-select books to read and discuss in small groups. And this should be happening in your classroom now!

    How to Start Book Club

    Before starting Book Club in our classroom, we select about 6-7 books that we feel are good titles for the students to choose from and that have a wide variety of reading levels. We can use our school and district libraries to find multiple copies, besides our own classroom library. Once we have the titles, we like to read the book jacket aloud to the students so they know what the book is about. Often, other students will chime in if they have read the book too.

    Next, we have students sign up for Book Clubs. See our Editable Book Club Group Template handout that is included in our Book Club unit for  helpful organization of groups. We like to have at least three students per book. If there are only two, and one student is sick, that Book Club group would not be able to operate. Before starting Book Club, we also send a letter home to families so they know what Book Club is all about.

    How to Engage Students

    After we have gotten the students excited about their books and are ready to begin, we show them the Book Club Introduction Slideshow. It talks about the purpose, expectations, tools that will help them, and how to experience success. This is a perfect lead in to the Book Club contract that we want them all to sign.

    We then hand them out the bookmarks. The students get into groups and decide on the number of pages to be read each day. We try to have all book clubs finish around the same time (about 12 days). This allows for differentiation and flexibility with all groups. As teachers we tend to help out students with a lower reading level decide on pages to read. You will want to use the Editable Book Club Schedule to record the pages the groups select so you can track what groups are reading daily. Below is an example of the bookmark your students could use.

    What to do for Daily Work

    We have included some different options for daily work that you can pick and choose from. The daily assignment and daily assignment reflection allow students to reflect on their reading. You will want students to have the Author’s Craft and Reflection Guide handout to help them. We also have a Main Character Study activity to help students dive deeper into the main characters in the book.

    How to Assess Students

    We have included multiple forms of assessment for you to choose from. We have a daily grading rubric, a discussion rubric, a group self-assessment rubric, and an end of book club reflection. It is important to hold the students accountable for their work. Below is an example of our daily grading rubric.

    How to Work with Struggling Students

    Book Club should provide motivation for your students, but like any activity, there will still be some students who have a hard time getting started and working each day. These students will need your guidance. Here are some tips on how to connect with your struggling students:

    • It will be important that you are as excited as you can when helping these students on their daily tasks. Showing them that you care about the book they are reading will hopefully help burn a fire within them!
    • Check-in with your struggling students daily. They may need guidance on where to begin and how to work each day.
    • Allow your struggling students to do partner reading and work with a classmate to do the daily requirements.
    • Be there for them through the entire process. Your struggling students will notice the interest that you have in their learning!

    We highly suggest your start implementing Book Club in your classroom. Our Book Club resource will get you on the path to higher student engagement and success with your class!

    How Genius Hour Social Studies Will Transform Your Classroom

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    If you are not implementing Genius Hour Social Studies into your social studies classroom, you need to do this right away!

    Every student has a passion, and it is no different in social studies. Each grade level has a different focus when teaching social studies. Most curriculum are focused on a time period such as: Early America up to the Civil War, or just Geography. Students in these classes, for the most part, like social studies because it is not reading or writing. (Sorry that is not a knock on you ELA teachers, just a truth we have found over time). However, each student’s interests can be very different and staying focused on only one aspect of social studies can become boring for students.

    This is where Genius Hour Social Studies comes into play. Students get to choose a passion that they have in a social studies category. It can be history, culture, economics, government, geography or any other social studies topic. You just need to carve out time during the week for students to work on their projects. It could be 5-10 minutes at the end of each class period. Or it could be once a week during class. That choice is up to you.

    We have five reasons why you should implement Genius Hour Social Studies below.

    It promotes choice.

    Choice is key in school. When students are provided a choice, they “buy in” to what they are working on. There are so many options available and the students are the ones that get to pick their project. It is a “win” for both the student and the teacher.

    It helps develop critical thinking skills.

    When students dive into their projects, they will need to use critical thinking skills to answer the tough questions they have developed about their topic. There will be roadblocks, but the students are more motivated to tackle them because they have an interest in the topic!

    It engages the learner.

    Since the topic was chosen by them, there is an intrinsic motivation to find answers to their questions. The students are engaged and can’t wait for time to work on their projects. Because of this increased excitement, you will probably see interest in your general social studies class soar as well!

    It is differentiated.

    As educators it is often difficult to meet all students’ needs in the classroom. But this project is totally designed by the student. Now you may need to help with guidance for some students, but each individual student is creating their project based on their interests. You will be surprised at even what your lower level students can accomplish when they are given a choice!

    It is fun!

    Plain and simple, Genius Hour Social Studies is fun! Your students will be begging you for more time to work on their passion projects. You will notice a positive change in student behaviors as they are now excited to come to class because they know that they will have a choice of what to work on.

    Genius Hour Social Studies has been a game changer in our classrooms. We hope that you can implement this soon!