Teacher Tips for Struggling Creative Writers

It's no secret that I love creative writing. Like, LOVE love it. Always have, always will. Luckily for my students I love teaching it, too. In fact, I could go as far as saying that it's my favourite unit to teach. Of course I understand that not everyone shares my love of writing, so I always have a couple tricks up my sleeve those kiddos who struggle.  

Hands down one of my favorite tools to help a struggling student with creative creating are these Story Cubes! No, this isn't a sponsored post - I'm just sharing with you what works the best with my group! 

I find these dice are such a game changer for my reluctant, uninterested or otherwise struggling kiddos when it comes to creative writing. These story cubes are such a hit that they get pulled out during indoor recesses and free choice! Now that says a lot :) 

Not only do Story Cubes act as a jumping off point in creative writing, but they also help my kiddos along the way, from brainstorming all the way to the ending. These dice have made a massive difference in the writing process. Coupled with my "Bump it up" chart, (descriptive writing words) my kiddos are proud budding writers now! And well, that makes my teacher heart happy :) 

Do you have struggling writers in your class? What are some tools and tricks you find useful? Share below! 

Happy teaching!❤
@jen_rece

Teaching Canadian Coins!

I really love teaching all about money! It's such a life skill to be able to not only recognize and correctly label all the different coins, but it's also important to be able to add and subtract within them!  This post goes out to my Canadian teacher friends :) 

I have a few favorite resources that I like to use while teaching about Canadian coins, so I'm going to take a moment and a link a few of them below! Just clink the link that interests you to be taken to its individual download page :) 

Find the links below:

• Canadian Coins Kindergarten Interactive Booklet
• Canadian Coins Student Activity Booklet for Grades 1 and 2
• Money Math - I Have, Who Has? Canadian Coins Group Card Game
• Canadian Coins Anchor Charts / Poem Posters Pack
• Money Math - Canadian Coins Clip Cards
• Canadian Coins Worksheet Pack
• Canadian Coins Roll and Graph
• Canadian Coins Cut and Paste Flip Flap Emergent Reader
• Canadian Coins Flip Book and Coins Posters

Happy teaching!❤
@jen_rece

Amazing Technology Giveaway!

You know how much I love tech in the classroom, so it won't come as a surprise to hear I’ve teamed up with some amazing teacher friends to bring one lucky winner this amazing tech prize pack: 

Here's a breakdown of what one lucky winner will win:

• TWO sets of Ozobots
• Ozobot pens
• Ozobot case

Pretty amazing, right?! Be sure to head over to my Instagram post for the details! Entry in this contest is SUPER quick, but the giveaway ends April 24th so make sure to enter right away! Good luck! :) 

End of Year Student Gift Tags

I just love sending kids off to summer break with a small toy or activity in their hands! The looks of appreciation and excitement in their eyes always warms my heart :) Maybe it's just me, but I find that it's a really nice, positive way to wrap up the year. 

I normally give each kiddo a fun ball and super cute gift tag during the last week of school. The gift tag reads, "Have a BALL this summer!" (get it? a BALL...!) ;) I'll usually buy light-up bouncy balls or inflatable beach balls and they've always been such a hit! 

If the balls I find aren't in some sort of packaging  (hello dollar store!), I'll put them inside a plastic treat bag, tie it with ribbon, hole punch my gift tags and thread them through. If the balls already come with a cardboard tag or bag, I'll just staple the gift tag directly to that. Easy-peasy! 

Here are my favorite gift tags for my end of year student gifts. I either print the colored ink version on white paper or print the blackline version directly onto colored paper for a BIG pop of color - hello, Astrobrights! Aren't they CUTE?! 

These end of year gift tags are ready to download from my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Enjoy!

Happy teaching!❤
@jen_rece

$300 S.T.E.M. Giveaway!

I’ve partnered up with some amazing teacher friends to bring one lucky winner a huge haul of STEM supplies worth more than $300! 

Here's a breakdown of what the winner will get: 

• Two Evo Ozobots 
• 336 Crayola Oil Pastels
• 110 Piece STEM Sticks 
• 105 Piece Marble Run Set 
• 1,400 Piece STEM Flakes 
• Lewo Wooden Building Block Game 
• 64 piece Magnetic Blocks

Amazing, right?! Be sure to head over to my Instagram post for the details! Entry in this contest is SUPER quick, but the giveaway ends April 24th so make sure to enter right away! Good luck!