Category Archives: Back to School
Welcome to the first post in our Special Education 101 blog series. I’ll be sharing my top tips, tools and resources I’ve gathered from over 15 years as a special educator. The classroom environment is a critical component to academic […]
Does anyone hear me? Am I speaking English? Why aren’t my students listening to me? Do these questions run through your mind frequently? I found I was repeating myself over and over like a broken record and ready to bang […]
It’s our Flash Friday Freebie! Download the free Golden Keys to Success Classroom Management Plan and purchase the accompanying Golden Keys to Success Lesson Plans to start your year off on a golden note. Do you every feel as if you are a glorified […]
The first week of school is a time to focus on establishing procedures, explaining expectations and building classroom community. Infuse some fun into these lessons with our FLASH FRIDAY FREEBIE! Back to School Character Education Classroom Cooking Unit. First Day Jitter […]
As veteran teachers, we know that the beginning of year often means countless meetings, endless hours of preparation and a great deal of stress. Let us alleviate some of your stress with our tried and true back to school resources […]
Clearly I love owls and my students do too! Here is a peek into my second grade classroom, my home away from home. Each year, I refine my classroom with special finds from Target and Hobby Lobby (my favorite!) to […]
We just finished filming our newest video that shares the story of how Astute Hoot came to be! Our goal was for our mission statement, “Creating innovative learning tools to awaken the joy of learning and spark enthusiasm in all […]
Just the mention of Meet the Teacher or Curriculum Night makes most teachers break out into a cold sweat. Why is this? We speak in front of people all day, every day, but the difference is their age. Children will […]
Does the sight of this classroom make you shudder? Unfortunately for many teachers, this is reality during back to school season. As soon as we sign our contract, we become immediate hoarders, stock piling supplies purchased during those great […]
As veteran teachers, we know that Back to School often means countless meetings, endless hours of preparation and a great deal of stress. Combat the chaos of the classroom with these quick, easy, low cost tips! Stylish Storage Solution– The […]
Wow! This summer is flying by so fast. My boys attend a school with a modified year-round school schedule so that means that their first day of school is right around the corner on July 21st! Although I worked […]
Like most teachers, I love to decorate my classroom for the holidays, a costly endeavor until I found the Target Dollar Section. Clearly geared towards teachers, the Target Dollar Section provides a wide variety of holiday-based classroom materials. On my […]
I am an organized person, yet when I became a teacher, I instantly became a hoarder. I signed my contract and suddenly I was collecting everything from baby food jars to milk carton lids for a variety of classroom needs. […]
Looking for a quick, easy way to create cute window treatments? Table skirts are your answer! Sold at Party City for $8 each, these plastic table skirts come in a variety of shades to compliment a wide range of classroom […]
Children love superheroes so what better way to engage them in writing than with a Friendly Letter Superhero? In this customizable unit, Letterman comes to visit each day, bringing a letter that teaches a specific friendly letter skill. He leaves […]
Does the thought of reading groups make you shudder? Unfortunately for many teachers, the answer is yes. Teachers simply don’t have the necessary resources needed to meet the diverse academic needs of students. Available resources are usually old, outdated basal […]
Do your students’ desks look like a bomb went off inside? If so, book covers are your answer! Purchase jumbo stretchable book covers from Target (in school supply section), simply turn one pocket inside out and slide on the back […]
You know the horrible feeling when you walk into a room and you don’t recognize a single soul? Even worse, everyone else already knows each other, happily mingling together. Most adults shudder at the thought, yet as teachers, we fail […]
Planning back to school lessons is similar to cooking a gourmet meal—you need several elaborate ingredients, thorough instructions, specific materials and a great deal of time. Despite my best intentions, my back to school lessons, much like my gourmet meals, […]
Do you have the Behavior Blues? You know, the horrible knot you get in the pit of your stomach when you think about the “naughty” students in your class, the cold sweat when Johnny challenges you in front of the […]
With the implementation of Common Core standards and performance-based pay, teachers are under more pressure to perform than ever. Every minute must be devoted to instruction, causing teachers to cut any activity not directly aligned to standards. This intense pressure […]
Back to School Night can seem so scary, even for veteran teachers. Possible scenarios might be running through your mind…parent heckles you, no one shows up, toddler screams during presentation, etc. Make Back to School Night your first step in […]
The new school year means endless meetings, countless hours of preparation and the dreaded Curriculum Night…all resulting in major stress! Let Astute Hoot: Tools for the Wise Teacher alleviate your pressure with our FREE Top 10 Tools for Back to […]
“OWL” teachers must create an inviting, engaging environment where learners feel comfortable and safe. Branch out from the typical teacher-store bulletin boards with our customized owl templates and bulletin board quotes. Template size can be modified in order to use […]
Do you have preschoolers getting reading for kindergarten? Did you know that children not only need to know how to name their letters, but also name the sounds, blend sounds together to form words, segment the individual sounds in words, […]
