• Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Our Class is a Family
    • A Letter From Your Teacher: First Day of School
    • A Letter From Your Teacher: Last Day of School
    • Book Companions
    • Author Visits
    • Virtual Read Aloud Permission
  • Shop
    • My account
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • Reward Points
  • TPT
  • Summers
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

Life Between Summers

Elementary Teaching Blog

latest from the blog

Last Day of School Activities : A Letter From Your Teacher Book Companion

Small Group Classroom Management: How to Keep the Rest of the Class on Task

Classroom Management Strategy for Keeping Students On Task During Independent Work

Valentine’s Day Card from Students to Parents

New Year’s Resolution Writing Craft: 2023 Balloons

Simple Grammar Crafts and Activities for Every Season

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • …
  • 15
  • Next Page »

Latest on Instagram

Any time of year is a good time of year for studen Any time of year is a good time of year for students to learn about heroic women, like the courageous Rosa Parks! And her birthday coming up on February 4th gives an extra opportunity 🎂❤️ 

This reading comprehension & writing resource just got a brand new update too! Same Close Reading passage and Main Idea & Details bus craftivity- new topper for the writing paper 📝 

If you already have this from TPT or my website shop, you can go re-download the new update for free 🙌🏼

If you don’t yet have it and are interested- the link is in my profile, or you can comment below if you’d like me to DM you the link 💛

#rosaparksactivities #closereading #mainideaanddetails #readingcomprehension
Do you have a teacher bestie you’ve become close Do you have a teacher bestie you’ve become close friends with outside of work? 👯‍♀️

My long-time friend like that (we were classroom “next door neighbors” for over a decade) also became my girls’ godmother when they were born ❤️ 

She treated them to Frozen on Broadway this past weekend as their Christmas present, and we loved it! ❄️ “Experience” gifts are often truly the best kinds of gifts 🥰

Even though we’re no longer co-workers, I’m grateful to have her as a lifelong friend! 💕

#teachertraveltuesday
Yesterday I shared a Guess Who math game for count Yesterday I shared a Guess Who math game for counting money- here’s one more for Telling Time! ⏰

These games can be used for differentiation, or have students progress through each of the different game levels! These provide practice with telling time to the:⠀
⠀
•Hour and Half Hour⠀
•Quarter Hour (great for kids who need more practice with “quarter to” and “quarter past”)
•5 minutes ⠀
Plus there’s a game with a mixed combo of all 3! ⠀
⠀
The “cheat sheets” are a helpful visual reference for students as they play (swipe to see specific ones for the hour/half hour and quarter hour games). ⠀

The link is in my profile- just tap on “Guess Who Games for Math” 💛 or comment below if you’d like me to message you the link directly.

Happy Friday to you, have a nice TIME 🤓 this weekend! 💕

#tellingtime #tellingtimeactivities #iteach1st #iteach2nd #mathcenter #mathcenters #mathgames #studentengagement
“Guess who” loves playing this math game to pr “Guess who” loves playing this math game to practice counting money (and all kinds of other math skills)❓

This has always been a big hit with students! Great for math centers, as a choice for kids who finish their work early, etc. 
⠀
The “cheat sheets” are a helpful visual reference for the kids as they play, and for developing math vocabulary. 

This Money version has multiple levels of games for students to progress through as they practice identifying coins & dollar bills, and counting combinations of them 💰 
⠀
There are game sets available for all kinds of other skills too (like math facts, place value, telling time, geometry, etc.) plus an editable template to make it easy for anyone who wants to create their own games👌🏼

The link is in my profile (just tap on “Guess Who Games for Math”) or leave a comment below if you’d like me to DM you the link! 

#iteachsecond #iteach2nd #2ndgrademath #mathcenters #mathgames #countingmoney
Want some cozy classroom decor for Valentine’s D Want some cozy classroom decor for Valentine’s Day coming up? 💕 Have students help create it!

This banner is perfect for hanging up in the classroom all February long 💗 

It also gets students thinking and writing about what love means to them (swipe for a closer look at the writing prompts) ✏️ 

The link for this is in my profile, or just leave a comment below if you’d like me to DM you the link! 💘

#valentinesdayactivities #valentinesdayactivity #valentinesdaywriting #valentinesdaycrafts
Do you have any favorite ways to facilitate cooper Do you have any favorite ways to facilitate cooperative learning? 

If you haven’t seen this idea before from @thinkgrowgiggle, it’s a great way to encourage more equal participation among group members 👏🏼

Swipe to the next image to read how it works! 

And just my two cents, for what it’s worth 😉: Enjoy the holiday weekend! ❤️

#teacherfollowfriday #cooperativelearning #classroommanagement
Bulletin board flashback! 🇺🇸 This one is fro Bulletin board flashback! 🇺🇸 This one is from the Close Reading & Opinion Writing resource I shared yesterday ❤️

Students did Close Readings on five historical figures and answered this writing prompt: “In your opinion, which American Hero made the biggest difference in our country?”

It works great for February, or any time of year really! 

The link to the resource is in my profile, or just comment below and I can message you the link directly 💙

#classroombulletinboard #studentwriting #writingpromptsforkids #closereading #readingcomprehension #opinionwriting
Get ahead for February! ❤️💙 This will help Get ahead for February! ❤️💙 This will help have you covered for the month with reading comprehension, opinion writing, & Social Studies!

The resource comes with reading passages and writing paper for 5 important figures in American history 🇺🇸

The link is in my profile, or comment below if you’d like me to message you the link directly! 

#closereading #opinionwriting #elementarysocialstudies #iteachfirst #iteachsecond #iteachthird
Doesn’t have to be New Year’s Day to hit the r Doesn’t have to be New Year’s Day to hit the reset button 😉

No matter how 2023 is playing out for you so far, every Monday (or even every morning) can always be a fresh slate if you want it to be 😊 

Hope you have a great week!! 💛

#teachermindset #teachinglife #positiveteacher #teachermondays

Latest on Facebook

Life Between Summers

5 months ago

Life Between Summers
SURPRISE!!! 🎉 Sandie Sonke Illustration & I just finished up the cover for our 4th book together, coming in 2023! 📙🥳In the past, I haven’t shared new book titles/covers until closer to the release date, but this time around I’d like to try and share more with you throughout the actual book-creating journey (sketches, sneak peeks, etc.) so here ya have it! 💞As you probably guessed by the title, this new one will be a follow up to Our Class is a Family! 🥰The premise:Kids have their immediate family that they live with, but extended relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) make up a special part of a family too! You can see where this is going- it’s similar at school! Students have their teacher & each other within their classroom walls, but they also have an extended family there to support them ❤️Specifically, all of the amazing people who are a big piece of the heart of a school:Librarians, speech pathologists, school counselors, administrators, custodians, school secretaries, reading specialists, cafeteria workers, and parent volunteers, just to name a few 🏫 And you’ll find them all represented in this new book! 🙌🏼 My hope for “Our School is a Family” is that it will help students feel extra safe, loved, & supported, and encourage kids to form positive relationships with (and show appreciation toward) the helpers at their school!I am so excited to share more about this book with you in the months to come!! 📖 P.S. Speaking of “months,” my very warmest congrats to Sandie, who is Society of Children's Book Writers & IllustratorsIllustrator of the Month! So very well-deserved!!! 🥂💗#ourschoolisafamily #ourclassisafamily #aletterfromyourteacher #shannonolsen #shannonolsenauthor #backtoschoolbooks #teacherreadaloud #schoollibrarian #schoolcounselor #speechpathologist #schoolcommunity ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Life Between Summers

9 months ago

Life Between Summers
New book companion to go with Our Class is a Family! Class Family Memory Books for the end of the school year 📖💕This is a nice & simple writing activity for students to work on during those final weeks/days leading up to summer break 👌🏼 It’s a meaningful way to reflect on all their memories from the year, and they can take it home as a special keepsake on the last day of school! If you’re thinking you might want these memory books for your students, the timing couldn’t be better because they’re 25% off today & tomorrow (along with all other resources in my TPT store!) with the code THANKYOU22 💛 This comes available on its own, or in a discounted bundle with more extension activities for all 3 of my books 📚 I will share the link in the comments! 💕 ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Life Between Summers

9 months ago

Life Between Summers

This content isn't available right now

When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Life Between Summers with Lakeshore Learning.

1 years ago

Life Between Summers
Check out these top 5 favorites from Lakeshore Learning! They are having their biggest sale of the year for back to school. Use the coupon code 6392 for 20% off any non-sale item! bit.ly/2Usm24T Coupon valid ‪through 8/31/2021 for one-time use in stores or online. Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid on items with shipping restrictions. Other exclusions may apply. Visit bit.ly/3bbUXIj for details. #LearnwithLakeshore #ad #sponsored ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Life Between Summers

2 years ago

Life Between Summers
Standard Form, Expanded Form, Word Form. Maybe not the most exciting math concept to teach, but definitely an important one…so why not make it fun and engaging?? 😄Guess Who math games encourage higher level thinking/reasoning and using math vocabulary verbally. They’re an instant favorite for math centers and early finishers!Find this game and others at bit.ly/guesswhomathgames ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Latest on Pinterest

  • Looking for some fun plural noun activities your elementary students can work on this spring? Today, I am sharing a whole group plural noun activity and a plural noun poem and tree map. I also share a spring craft where students write the plural noun rule on one side and a plural noun example on the other. This makes for the perfect spring bulletin board. These plural noun activities are great for writing workshop, readers workshop, or literacy centers.
  • Are you looking for a fun way to practice addition and subtraction within 20 this spring. This spring math game is easy to play and will be a great addition to your math centers. This math classroom easter egg hunt is also great for morning work or early finishers. Students will love practicing their addition and subtraction math facts with this hands-on math game. Enjoy this plastic easter egg math game today.
  • Ready to celebrate Earth Day in you elementary classroom with a fun Earth Day activity? This Earth Day craft and Earth Day writing activity are the perfect way for students to appreciate their environment and think about ways they can help keep their earth a more peaceful place. This Earth Day writing prompt comes with Earth Day writing paper and templates. Students even get to pain and practice fine motor skills with this craft. Perfect Earth Day bulletin board.
  • Looking for fun ways to teach students how to tell time? Today, I am sharing 6 telling time activities. These hands-on math activities involve math crafts and math games including a Guess Who Game and Jenga math game. The flower craft makes for a perfect spring bulletin board. Find telling time to the hour, half hour, quarter hour, and five minute math activities. These telling time activities can be used during math workshop, math centers, or guided math groups.
  • Looking to help expand your students vocabulary within their writing? Today I am sharing a shades of meaning synonym word sort and rainbow writing craft that are perfect for spring. Kids analyze synonyms and put them in order from weakest to strongest based on their shades of meaning. This is a great grammar activity to use during literacy centers. You will be amazed with the nouns, verbs, and adjectives students use after doing these ELA activities.
  • Classroom Easter egg hunts are a ton of fun for elementary students but thinking of ideas of how to use plaster Easter eggs for learning can be a challenge. Today I am sharing a variety of math activities and ELA activities that involve students going on an Easter egg hunt. Students can review time and money and addition and subtraction with these fun math games. I also share some brain break activities using easter eggs. Find all of the Easter egg learning activities here!
  • Looking for some fun plural noun activities your elementary students can work on this spring? Today, I am sharing a whole group plural noun activity and a plural noun poem and tree map. I also share a spring craft where students write the plural noun rule on one side and a plural noun example on the other. This makes for the perfect spring bulletin board. These plural noun activities are great for writing workshop, readers workshop, or literacy centers.
  • Are you looking for some new spring classroom activities that you can use for your second grade classroom? Check out this blog for my favorite spring activities to use for math and language arts. Practice collecting coins, telling time, addition and subtraction practice by doing a classroom egg hunt for your next math lesson. I also have a fun earth day writing craft that can be used as a classroom bulletin board for the month of April. Read here for all of these 2nd grade resources.
  • Ready to celebrate Earth Day in you elementary classroom with a fun Earth Day activity? This Earth Day craft and Earth Day writing activity are the perfect way for students to appreciate their environment and think about ways they can help keep their earth a more peaceful place. This Earth Day writing prompt comes with Earth Day writing paper and templates. Students even get to pain and practice fine motor skills with this craft. Perfect Earth Day bulletin board.
Copyright © 2023 · Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs Privacy Policy and Disclosure