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Book Review – Be Your Own Hero

Uncategorized March 1, 2020

I love using picture books in the classroom to teach social emotional skills and my class loved reading Be Your Own Hero by Lisa King! Thank you to @nationalcenterforyouthissues for sharing this book with me!

Be Your Own Hero is about a girl named Quinn who gets to dress up in class as her favorite hero past or present. Leading up to the dress up day her teacher introduces the class to different heroes like Rosa Parks and Albert Einstein and teaches them positive lessons about what heroes do. My favorite part is when he shared with his class “Inside every one of you is a hero waiting to happen.” Such a positive book with an inspiring message!

To grab a copy for your class, click HERE.

To check out more books check out NCYI’s site below…

National Center for Youth Institute

Classroom Reveal 2018

I headed back to first grade this year in a new town with a new classroom. This post features my class set-up and organizational/bulletin ideas. Click here to learn more about it >>> Classroom Reveal 2018.

The Quiet Game

This game is a class favorite year after year and it’s a teacher favorite too because it is easy and helps keep them quiet in the hallway. Click here to learn more about it >>> The Quiet Game.

Football Room Transformation

This was my very first official room transformation and it was so much fun for both myself and my students. What started off as just a football math review game quickly morphed into a football themed day. Click here to learn more about it >>> Football Room Transformation.

Teacher Tip – Wireless Doorbell

This invention has been a lifesaver and classroom management assistant! I highly recommend getting a wireless doorbell to use in your classroom. Click here to learn more about how I use it as a classroom management tool >>> Teacher Tip – Wireless Doorbell.

Classroom Management Tips

These five tips are tips I use every year to try to make classroom management a breeze! While the year is already underway it is always good to review expectations and go over things when we return to school after winter break. Click here to learn more about it >>> Classroom Management Tips.

So those are my top 5 posts this year! Thank you for stopping by to check them out! Lots of new content and ideas heading your way in 2019!

Differentiation in WW – Tip #1 – Writing Pre-Test

Uncategorized, Writing Workshop September 6, 2018

I am so excited to be sharing my first differentiation for Writing Workshop tip with you today. If you missed my intro to this new blog series click here >>> Introduction. So before you can actually differentiate for each child in your class, you need to know where they are as a writer. You need to know their strengths and things that they can work on. One way to quickly figure this out is by giving them a writing pre-test.

If you use Lucy Calkin’s Units of Study, she has pre-test ideas in the Writing Pathways book. She calls them On-Demand Performance Assessments. If you don’t have the Units of Study, you can still have your students complete a writing sample/pre-test. At the beginning of the year, I have my students write about themselves on the page below.

From this writing sample, I can learn a lot about each student. For example…

Do they use complete sentences?
Am I able to read their spelling and inventive spelling?
Are they able to stay on topic?
Do they use capitals and end marks correctly?
How is their handwriting?
Do they add details?

Those are just a few questions I can typically answer by looking at this writing piece. Now – this helps me differentiate for students because from this I am able to make individual goals for each student. Some students might need to work on adding details to their writing pieces while others might need to focus on conventions. To be able to differentiate it’s important to know where you students are. It’s also important to have a sample from the beginning of the year so you can see the growth and progress they make by the end of the year. Stay tuned….on Monday I will be sharing Tip #2. I will be talking about differentiating with mini-lessons.

FREE Writing Checklists

To make your life easier I have a FREE set of writing checklists for your students to use! These are geared towards the primary grades and include 8 different checklists – so you’ll be able to differentiate based on what you’re teaching and your students’ needs. Grab your writing checklists HERE.

BTS TPT Sale Starts TODAY!

Uncategorized August 1, 2018

Who is excited??? The big TPT BTS Sale starts TODAY!!!! My entire store – Team J’s Classroom Fun is on sale up to 25% off with the code BTSFRESH.

To help you shop….here are some resources you might want to check out based on your grade level…

Kindergarten –

I Have, Who Has – Short Vowel BUNDLE
My students love playing I Have, Who Has and this bundle is a great way for students to practice reading words with short vowels.

First Grade –

Back to School Writing Activities

I love using this resource with first and second grade students. It is a great way for the class to get to know each other and also gives you a chance to get some initial writing samples. It includes goal setting, student interview, and more.

Second Grade –

Themed Math Word Problems BUNDLE

This BUNDLE includes Themed Math Word Problems for Back to School, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Winter, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and Summer. Geared towards 2nd grade standards. Word problems are a huge part of math and this resource is great to use in a math station or for independent practice.

Third Grade –

Jake Drake – Book Study – BUNDLE

My students love reading Jake Drake books! These book studies go along with Andrew Clement’s four Jake Drake books. You can purchase all four book studies in this bundle or buy them separately in my store. I love using book studies during literacy station as a way to extend comprehension skills.

Those are just a few resources I wanted to share. Be sure to check out my store for even more!

Happy shopping!

New Blog Name – Well Sort of New…

Uncategorized July 30, 2018

Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Hi everyone! It has been a summer of change and my blog is no exception. As I have shared, my husband and I recently moved from Las Vegas, NV to Houston, TX. (And yes there is a difference between a dry heat and humidity). I am also moving grade levels going from 2nd grade back to 1st grade, which I taught a few years ago. Since it is a season of change I decided to revamp my blog and blog name a little bit too.

I used to be Team J’s 2nd Grade Fun and will now be Team J’s Classroom Fun. I will be continuing to share tons of ideas, resources, activities, tips, and more for primary teachers! I’m so excited to be settled and back to blogging and sharing with you all!

A big thank you to Mollie Monroe for the blog and brand face-lift! She did a great job and I highly recommend her for any of your logo needs – you can find her on Instagram….here…

July Social Media Theme Schedule

Uncategorized July 1, 2018

Happy July! Summer is flying by and it’s hard to believe it’s already July 1. I promise I’ll be back with some new blog posts soon. We are crazy busy this next week with the final stages of the move to Houston, but I will be back with new blog content as soon as I can!

In the meantime, check out my July Schedule for my Social Media Theme Weeks. You can follow along on Instagram and Facebook. I will have photos, videos, Insta Stories, blog posts, articles, and more on the topics!

June Social Media Theme Schedule

Uncategorized June 11, 2018

This summer I have decided to do special theme weeks on my social media pages. Each week my social media (Instagram and Facebook) will focus on a different teaching topic! I’m excited to share my June schedule with you below! Make sure you’re following me on Instagram and Facebook for lots of tips, activities, ideas, pictures, videos, resources, and more!

Big News!

Uncategorized May 30, 2018

Big News! The Johnson’s are moving to Houston, Texas this summer. My husband got an amazing new basketball coaching job at a private high school in the Houston area near Katy, Texas. I was also lucky enough to get a job at the same school. And…I get to move back to first grade!

I love second grade and have taught it the last 5 years, but first grade has always had my heart. I’ve been wanting to make the move back for awhile and this opportunity fell into our laps!

So this summer will be quite busy. We move in about three weeks (which freaks me out as I type this). I have a school year to finish up, a classroom to pack, a house to sell, and a house to pack. And then we have a long road trip to Houston! I will be blogging from time to time and have some great blog post ideas that will for sure be coming to you in July once we get settled. So…be patient! My June blogging might be very intermittent, but I have some great ideas to share with you in July.

Any other first grade teachers out there? Any other Houston, Texas teachers? Let me know! Would love to connect!

The Quiet Game

Uncategorized May 1, 2018

Now I’m aware this might be a teacher trick you already know…but if you don’t – you’re going to love it! Way back when I was a brand new baby teacher one of my colleagues had her class playing the quiet game while they were waiting in the hall for PE to start. I asked her what this game was about – and it was so easy – it was amazing!

So, I use the quiet game when we are waiting in line typically for a special. To play the quiet game, the students need to be quiet, facing forward, and have their hands to themselves. I then walk up and down the line and find the student who is being the best example of a student standing in line. I tap them on the shoulder and then they get to pick the next student who is standing perfectly in line. This continues on and on until the special’s teacher is ready for them.

Now, I know you’re thinking…that’s it?? It is. And they love it! Every group – first, second, and third grade has loved it. They actually ask me to play it. I sometimes think to myself they’ll get sick of it because there is really no prize or set winner, but they don’t!

And the best part of all is it helps with transitions to other classes and hallway behavior.

Have you played it before?? Let me know in the comments below!

5 Tips for Standardized Testing

Uncategorized April 9, 2018

Oh testing time, oh testing time. What a magical time of year…NOT. Testing time is a stressful time of year for students and teachers alike. Today I’m sharing 5 tips to help make standardized testing a little easier.

Prepare your room early so the kids have time to adjust – Most of the time we have to cover up anchor charts, move desks so students are far apart, etc. Do this ahead of time. Any time you make changes in your room, the kids notice and it can cause a commotion. If you do this a few days before testing, they will be used to it by the time testing begins.
Decorate the room with positive messages – Since all of your beautiful anchor charts and posters are covered up, the room can look a little sad. Put posters up with motivational positive messages. It’s a way to decorate while also reminding the kids that they can do this!
Make sure the kids have a healthy snack – At past schools, PTA has provided snacks for testing. I highly recommend asking your PTA if they provide snacks or seeing if your school can do that. Some kids come to school with no breakfast and no food. Students can’t perform well on a test if they are hungry. I used to also provide granola bars or fresh fruit as a snack before testing or on testing breaks.
Provide movement opportunities before and after testing – These tests tend to be long and it’s a lot of sitting. Prior to testing, have students do a brain break and get up and moving. They will do better if they are alert. Use GoNoodle and do a brain break to pump them up. If you are testing after lunch/recess and they are crazy, use GoNoodle yoga or one of the mindfulness brain breaks to help calm them down for resting.
Provide motivational messages on either a special treat or pencils – There are so many ideas out there for little motivational treats for students. I’ve seen many food treats that are a little gift before or after testing. My personal favorite is the motivational message written on the child’s testing pencil.

If you missed my blog post about test prep review ideas, click here….

Be sure to sign up for my email list below! This Tuesday (April 10) I will be sending out a FREEBIE to all of my email subscribers with some cute testing signs you can use during testing season!

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