Are you always looking for ways to improve how the day to day operations go in your classroom? Having effective routines and expectations in place makes a HUGE difference in your overall classroom management. These things also save you so much time throughout the day which allows you to maximize student learning time.   If you’re feeling like your classroom could use some help in areas such as morning routines and transitions, there are small and simple changes you can make today. I’m sharing tips on how you can quickly get systems going in your classroom that will give students a sense of ownership and benefit everyone.   In this episode you'll learn: -3 areas to systematize for effective classroom management -How to set clear morning expectations -Examples of using games to improve transitions -Getting your students involved in setting expectations   Join the waitlist for Classroom Management Academy at teachcreatemotivate.com/coursewaitlist!   Resources mentioned: -Classroom Management Bingo -Class Slides with Timers -Editable Class Slides with Timers Bundle    For more resources and show notes, head to teachcreatemotivate.com/20. Follow me on Instagram @teachcreatemotivate. 

How do I get all of my students excited about writing? How do I even get myself excited to teach writing?! If you are one of the many teachers who dread writing time, you are not alone. Luckily, I have some incredible inspiration for you to take back to your classroom! Today I’m joined by my dear friend, Jamie Sears. Jamie is offering her guidance and wisdom on how to spice up your writing block and make it a time that everyone looks forward to.   Jamie Sears is the face behind Not So Wimpy Teacher. She is a fun-loving mom of five, (soon to be six) wife, business woman, and forever a teacher at heart. After many years of teaching in the classroom, her passion to make learning fun for students and teachers alike inspired her to start the Not So Wimpy Teacher. Now she has the honor of serving hundreds of thousands of teachers around the world by providing easy-to-use hands-on resources.   In this episode we discuss: -The components of a successful writing block -Breaking big ideas down into small topics -Engaging strategies to get reluctant students excited to write -Incorporating choice into your writing block to increase student buy-in -How it’s possible to be an effective writing teacher if you don’t feel like you are good at it yet   >>Join the waitlist for Classroom Management Academy at teachcreatemotivate.com/coursewaitlist!   Resources mentioned: -Jamie's FREE Training: 3 Little-Known Secrets to Easily Transform Your Students Into Thriving and Excited Writers -notsowimpyteacher.com -IG: @notsowimpyteacher   For more resources and show notes, head to teachcreatemotivate.com/19. Follow me on Instagram @teachcreatemotivate. 

Building a strong classroom community is such an essential part of your classroom management. When your kiddos feel valued and recognized, they will shine in your classroom and during other parts of the school day such as specials, lunch, and recess.     Today I’m sharing two of my favorite easy to implement classroom management strategies that will give your students buy-in and independence. Student shoutouts and class compliments are quick and effective things that your class will LOVE!  Using these two types of compliments will help to strengthen your classroom community each and every day.   In this episode you'll learn: -How to use student-led student shoutouts inside the classroom -Using class compliments to hold students accountable no matter where they are in the school -The importance of explaining the “why” and “how” behind compliments -Why these strategies are so beneficial and meaningful for your students   >>Join the waitlist for Classroom Management Academy at teachcreatemotivate.com/coursewaitlist!   Resources mentioned: -FREEBIE Digital Student Shoutouts -Using Student Shoutouts to Build Classroom Community -Managing Your Classroom with Class Compliments    For more resources and show notes, head to teachcreatemotivate.com/18. Follow me on Instagram @teachcreatemotivate. 

Games are one of my favorite ways to manage classroom behaviors and expectations. They are an easy way to keep things fun and engaging for you and your students! I love creating behavior management games so that you have low-prep ideas for your classroom.    Today I’m joined by two classroom teachers, Lydia and Amy. Lydia is a third grade teacher and Amy teachers both second and third grade. They both use some of my classroom management games daily with their students and are on the podcast to share their experiences with you!   In this episode we discuss: -Which classroom management games are their favorite -How they use the games in both in-person and virtual teaching -What kind of prep it takes to set up and manage -How the games have made an impact on classroom management, student behavior, accountability, and engagement -Using the games in whole group and independently   Resources mentioned: -Join the waitlist for Classroom Management Academy at teachcreatemotivate.com/coursewaitlist! -Classroom Management Games Bundle -Classroom Management Bingo -Classroom Management Unscramble -Classroom Management Tic-Tac-Toe -Read my blog post on classroom management games   For more resources and show notes, head to teachcreatemotivate.com/17. Follow me on Instagram @teachcreatemotivate. 

Happy end of the year! While the end of the year is so exciting, the days leading up to it can bring on a great deal of stress and overwhelm. Final grades need to be put in, your classroom needs to be packed, and the list goes on and on. All you want to do is welcome summer and enjoy your much needed break, right?    Even though it may seem counterintuitive, I encourage you to do a bit of organizing before you call the year quits. Yes, it will take some time up front, but it will save you SO much more time at the beginning of the next school year. I’m going to fill you in on my favorite ways to purge, organize, and set yourself up for success before summer break begins. I promise you, your future self will thank you!   In this episode you'll learn: -What you can purge to make your teacher life a little less chaotic  -Specific ideas of what to focus on organizing at the end of the year -Things you can prepare now for the first few weeks of school -The benefits of making certain resources digital    Resources mentioned: -Interactive Discussion Starters -Digital Student Check In Journal -Classroom Management Games Bundle -Episode 13, Staying Organized While Teaching Virtually -How to stay Organized While Teaching Virtually      For more resources and show notes, head to teachcreatemotivate.com/16. Follow me on Instagram @teachcreatemotivate. 

You’re almost there teachers! The end of the year is here. If you have completely run out of ways to keep your kiddos engaged, I have the perfect solution for you. Research projects! Research projects are my favorite way to end of the school year.   Assigning research projects are the perfect way to review content learned throughout the year or introduce new topics that are of interest to your students. The best part? You can easily implement research projects in-person or digitally! You can even use them as an assessment.   Be sure to check the links below to grab an easy to use digital research project from my TpT store! Which will you use first?!   In this episode you'll learn: -When and how to use research projects -How you can use research projects as an assessment -Topic examples -Options for assigning projects to your students -Things to remember when using research projects digitally   Resources from this episode: -Digital Famous Hero Research Project -Digital Animal Research Project -Digital Weather and Climate Research Project -Digital Environment Research Project   For more resources and show notes, head to teachcreatemotivate.com/15. Follow me on Instagram @teachcreatemotivate. 

I'm so excited to bring on a guest who is also one of my best friends. Her name is Amanda Newsome and she is a wife, mom, and speech-language pathologist. She has been in an elementary setting for ten years. She also runs her business, A Perfect Blend, where she creates beautiful fonts as well as other digital and printable resources.   Amanda and I are diving into the disconnect that sometimes happens between GenEd and SPED. Amanda has lots of great tips on how to build the relationship between the two teachers in order to best serve our students. We believe that the greatest growth comes when both worlds come together and collaborate throughout the entire school year.   In this episode we discuss: How SLP's can support GenEd teachers and vice versa The importance of keeping communication open between teachers all year long in regards to student goals and progress Understanding that your special education students are the responsibility of both the GenEd and SPED teacher Simple ways that teachers can work collaborate virtually Creative ideas for giving students real-world experiences on your school's campus   Resources From The Episode: Amanda's Instagram: @aperfectblendteaching Amanda's Website: aperfectblendteaching.com Amanda's TpT Shop Read about how to implement a coffee store in an elementary special needs classroom on Stephanie's blog: mrsdscorner.com/coffeecartfriday/   For more resources and show notes, head to teachcreatemotivate.com. Follow me on Instagram @teachcreatemotivate. 

Staying organized is challenging enough, but teaching online calls for next level organization. Virtual learning comes with endless PDFs, Google Slides, resource links...the list goes on. Resources such as Google Drive gives you the capability to organize all of your files, but it can get messy very quickly! With all the digital files being used every day, you have to have some sort of system to keep up and lessen overwhelm.   I'm sharing my favorite organizational tips with you that you can implement right away. These are simple things you can do to tighten up your organization for your digital classroom. Put these strategies in motion and you will end up saving so much time throughout your day!   In this episode you'll learn: My top tips on staying organized while teaching virtually Free resources you can use to manage your digital files Why using Google folders, topics, and lists will save you precious time Additional reminders of things you can consistently do to declutter your desktop   Resources from this episode: Download my Google Keep Headers freebie HERE 10 Chrome Extensions for Distance Learning Episode 11: Google Classroom Tips and Tricks Digital Student Check-In Journal   For full show notes, head to teachcreatemotivate.com/13. Connect with me on Instagram @teachcreatemotivate. 

If you know me, you know I LOVE talking about classroom management, so that's what we are diving into today! Classroom management is something that's constantly evolving for all of us. You've probably found that what works for your class one year doesn't work the next year. You may even have to switch up your management tools throughout the year, and that's okay!   Each part of the year brings new challenges. The time of year between winter break and spring break is a great time to try out new systems in your classroom to encourage students to stay engaged, feel successful, and make positive choices. Having effective and fun classroom management routines will make every day so much smoother for you and your students.   In this episode you'll learn: 3 powerful ways to engage students for better management Why timers are one of my number one favorite management tools Tips to help show students how to take ownership of their work and time How to increase engagement by offering student choice   Resources from this episode: FREE February BINGO Board Distance Learning Class Slides with Timers Class Slides with Timers Bundle Morning Slides with Timers   GIVEAWAY! To celebrate the relaunch of my podcast, I'm giving away five $25 gift cards to my TPT shop! Entering is simple: 1. Leave a review for Teach Create Motivate: The Podcast 2. Screenshot your review, add it to your Instagram stories, and tag me @teachcreatemotivate The giveaway closes February 9, 2021!   For full show notes, head to teachcreatemotivate.com/12. 

Do you use Google Classroom in your everyday teaching? It' such an amazing tool for both in-person teaching and virtual learning. It's quickly becoming a hot topic, so today I wanted to give you some tips and tricks so that you can maximize how you're using it!   In this episode you'll learn: How to keep your Google Classroom organized in a way that works for you The difference between a "material" and an "assignment" and other features My favorite ways to have your students collaborate with Google Slides Top ways to save time using Google Classroom 3 ideas for making Google Classroom engaging and FUN (hint: it involves emojis!)   I hope that by the end of this episode, you'll feel motivated and excited about trying something new in Google Classroom. Once you and your students get the hang of it, the possibilities for use are endless! The best part is that you can use Google Classroom in any and every subject.    GIVEAWAY! To celebrate the relaunch of my podcast, I'm giving away five $25 gift cards to my TPT shop! Entering is simple: 1. Leave a review for Teach Create Motivate: The Podcast 2. Screenshot your review, add it to your Instagram stories, and tag me @teachcreatemotivate The giveaway closes February 9, 2021!   Resources from this episode: 10 Google Classroom Tips & Tricks: Agenda Slides Reading Response Notebooks Digital Student Check In Journal Joy Pixels   For full show notes, head to teachcreatemotivate.com/11