Tools for the Wise Teacher
**Visit our Astute Hoot TPT store on August 20 for a bonus sale of 25% off using the code BTSBONUS19. 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 …
**Visit our Astute Hoot TPT store for more great deals! 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!
As veteran teachers, we know that the beginning of year often means countless meetings, endless hours of preparation and a great deal of stress. We are here to help! Our tried-and-true Back to School resources are guaranteed to help you work smarter, not harder. Plus, they’re all ON SALE! Visit our TeachersPayTeachers store and use code BTS2017 …
Back to School time is right around the corner and one of my favorite parts is picking out a few outfits for the first week of school. Here are 5 key pieces to start your year off with a bang: 1. Bold, Bright Color: Everyone looks better in color. Wearing the right color next to …
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 guaranteed to help you work smarter, not harder. Plus, everything’s ON SALE!!!! …
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 back to school sales. But once we get in the classroom, we realize there’s simply …
Summer is about enjoying the little pleasures of life…..sleeping in past 6, sipping coffee leisurely, eating lunch at a real restaurant (as compared to the teachers’ lounge), trading Common Core reading for romance novels. Summer is also the perfect time to conquer some of those pesky classroom projects that have been lingering on your to-do …
Read More “Maximize Summer Break, Minimize Back to School Stress”
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 building a positive culture with your parents. Avoid these 5 teacher behaviors to ensure a …
Read More “Start Back to School Right – Avoid These Top 5 Missteps”
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 School. As veteran teachers, we understand the tension that Back to School time brings and …
I can’t believe we’ve already been in school for 100 days! Where does time go? To celebrate this momentous occasion, my class participated in several 100 Day activities. Here are a few highlights from our special day: 1. If I Had $100 Writing Activity: I purchased this $100 bill pad from Really Good Stuff and …
Making learning fun brings me great joy. Some of my best teaching memories are when I saw things finally “click” for struggling students. Knowing how hard they work to sometimes make even the simplest connections makes these little successes even better! Working with students with special needs has been such a rewarding vocation and I am …
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 still love us if we make a mistake, get nervous or act silly (they especially …
You know that feeling of excitement you feel when you spot a cute new idea on Pinterest? Those all-too-familiar thoughts run through your mind. “It looks so easy, there aren’t that many materials, how hard could it be?” Yet despite your best intentions (and a few hours of your life you’ll never get back), you …
Read More “Fool-Proof Tips for Teaching Procedures & Routines”
Yesterday as part of my blog series, Set Up Your Best Classroom Yet, I gave you a sneak peek into my second grade classroom with a focus on my math area. I use the district prescribed curricula along with our reading, writing, and math strategy animals to help my students learn, apply, and transfer critical strategies …
The Morning Meeting should be the most meaningful 10 minutes of your day. Morning Meetings are at their best when they are the perfect blend of social, emotional, and academic activities. It is a time to reflect on yesterday’s success, set goals and focus for the day, and build classroom community all while practicing vital ELA skills. Despite …
By popular demand, we’ve bundled all of our strategy resources into 2 different Site License options to give you the best possible deal! The Astute Hoot Reading Site License contains over 20 complete decoding and comprehension units and the Astute Hoot Math Site License contains 12 complete problem-solving strategy units. Both options include THOUSANDS of pages the …
Flash FREEBIE Friday: Beginning of the School Year Ice Breakers and Community Building Activities 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 …
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 to consider how these situations make our students feel. Many students come to school on …
The holiday season is quickly coming upon us! To show our appreciation for your support we have marked every single product 50% off when you purchase directly from our website. Click here to check out our store! Hurry…sale lasts from October 12-18 only! While you are at our website view our newest video …
Read More “It’s Fall Y’all! 50% Off Sale on EVERYTHING on Website!!!”
Do you have difficulty getting your class to line up quickly and quietly? Does your line seem to go on forever? Like most teachers, I have experienced the frustrations of lining up and walking in line. Follow these five easy steps to put an end to the talkers, the stragglers and the wanders once and …
Read More “Walk the Line: 5 Tips to Teach Lining Up Procedures”
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 my head against the wall. I finally realized that I was making a costly oversight …
Read More “Does Anyone Hear Me? The Art of Active Listening”
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 Jumble: Students often feel nervous and anxious on the first day of school and it …
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 still love us if we make a mistake, get nervous or act silly (they especially …
Read More “Master Meet the Teacher & Conquer Curriculum Night”
We’ve all had that dreadful teacher moment–the time when a student vomits all over you or your behaviorally-challenged student forgets his meds during a full moon. It’s that moment that sends shivers down your spine, makes you question your career choice and urges you to head for the hills and never look back. However, those 25 …
We just wrapped up our first TeachersPayTeachers conference in Vegas and we had a blast! We learned so much, especially about Pinterest, data and marketing and we are so excited to apply it as soon as we get back. All of the presenters were so inspiring and informative. The best part was meeting other teachers …