We enjoyed taking on different roles during out Mock trials of fairy tale characters! It was a great way to integrate social studies and literacy! Thanks for the idea Katie Knutson #inspire96

Ep. 4 Drops today and focuses on the connection between knowledge and writing! "When students write about what they're learning, it increases their ability to understand and remember the material." Natalie Wexler #knowledgematters Listen to Ep. 1-4 here: knowledgematterscampaign.org/podcast/

If Instructional Coaching Really Works, Why Isn't It Working? ascd.org/el/articles/if… via ASCD Important questions and recommendations for building a "system of coaching".

“Mounting evidence suggests that [grouping by reading level] doesn’t improve struggling students’ reading skills. Studies have shown… that dividing up high- and low-performing students can actually widen achievement gaps.” 🎯, ⁦Sarah Schwartz⁩! edweek.org/teaching-learn…

My LAST first day of school is in the books! I'm lucky to complete my 34th and FINAL year of teaching with this fine looking bunch! #inspire96

So impressed with the "Me Museum" displays that students organized to show items they value and love! We had a great gallery walk to use colored dots for feedback! #inspire96

When instructional coaches also teach in the classroom, they can build mutual trust and respect with teachers. Rethinking the Role of the Instructional Coach / edutopia buff.ly/3EgVyGV

Our favorite class meeting game of the week! Stack the cups with index cards in between...if you pull the cards out at the same time, the cups will fall in place! Harder than it looks! So many smiles...so much fun! Thank you Jonathan Alsheimer for the idea! #inspire96

Meet "Boogie Woogie"--our new class plant! The perfect project to support our learning about photosynthesis! After a robust discussion, we decided on the name and gave him/her a haircut so that we could propagate some of his/her leaves! Now we wait for roots! #inspire96

Another fun team building activity with cups! We used string attached to rubber bands to make cup pyramids! So much cooperation and fun! Thanks for the idea Annie Nguyen and Jonathan Alsheimer #inspire96

We had a blast with pool noodle charades during our class meeting! A fun way to start the day! #inspire96

We had some spooky class meeting fun with "Skull, Web, Ghost, Goblet!" #inspire96

We had so much fun with a spooky team builder during class meeting! We passed one paper around in each group and wrote stories--one word at a time! The results were hilarious--and a little SCARY! Thanks for the idea Nicole McRee! #inspire96

Learning the concept of multiplying and dividing by powers of ten with human decimals! The order of the digits don't change, just the "human decimal!" #inspire96

TWO fun science investigations for our unit on Earth Systems this week! We made clay models of the Earth's "spheres" and we also designed and constructed water filters! So much fun and learning! #ispire96

Playing a little dreidel was a great distraction from MAP testing! So much fun to appreciate different holidays and customs! #inspire96

Loved starting the day before winter break with a classroom book swap! Everyone has lots of good books to enjoy over break! #inspire96

Coming Up: Transition to Middle School on April 17 #Inspire96

This Pennsylvania barbershop is helping children build their confidence, paying young customers $3 to read stories aloud while getting a haircut deserves unlimited retweets..