Mid-Year Tweaks Toward a Smooth Sailing Classroom

Do you ever tweak things mid-year?  I love to reflect on how things are working in my classroom around this time each year.  I've had plenty of time to implement new systems and programs and give them time to work and flow smoothly.  If they're going well, wonderful!  But, if not, I set forth to make some changes.

Last year, around this time I realized that Interactive Notebooks just weren't working in my classroom.  They were taking up WAY too much of my instructional time with non-instructional tasks such as cutting, folding, and gluing.  My solution:  No-Cut Interactive Notebooks!  That's right - no cutting for the students, AT ALL!  Just glue a half page into their notebooks and they're ready to go!


These have literally saved me so much time and sanity this year!  Students are engaged in LEARNING instead of cutting and folding.  I have the growing bundle (10 of 12 notebooks are already completed and ready to download in the bundle) in my shop and it is 28% off with code SMILE during the TpT sale!


https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/No-Cut-Interactive-Math-Notebooks-BUNDLE-2nd-Grade-1958097

Here's a sneak peek at the items included in ONE notebook.  You will certainly be set with math for the year with this set!


A tweak I recently decided to make in my classroom deals with writing.  I realized that if something gets time taken from it during the day, it's often my Writer's Workshop...which breaks my heart!  It's at the end of the day and that's just the way it goes.  So, I wanted to start integrating writing into my science and social studies block even more to ensure that my students are never missing writing opportunities.  I also love to have quick, easy displays ready for the hall, so this was born:  Opinion Writing Across the Curriculum.


This little packet has 11 different topics and includes an anchor chart, planning pages, publishing pages, and display ideas/templates.  Opinion writing for the year - check!  Students just take a stand, provide support, and write their piece!  For example, in the one below, students would choose if Sunny Days, Rainy Days, or Snowy Days Are Best.  At $5.99 (regular price) this packet will be a STEAL during the sale!

And finally, if you're searching for something for your early finishers, this is the perfect piece to implement in your classroom.  Fun Facts Through the Year


There's a set for each month of the year and these amazing facts will engage learners of every age (1st grade through ADULTS!)  They're self-checking and there's a great suggestion for storage included making them easy to take back to seats for independent work! <3  At just $6.99 (regular price) for 10 sets of 24 task cards, your students will be engaged at all times in the classroom!


These are just a few of the items that have helped change my classroom for the better.  Go check out my shop Teacher's Clubhouse during the TpT sitewide sale (November 30-December 1) to see if there's something that will help your classroom run more smoothly for the remainder of the year.  Remember to use code SMILE at checkout!


3 comments

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  2. Nice post! Thanks for sharing this. When I read this I knew it is worth reading and that’s the reason to recommend it. If you liked this, the article called: “Scholarships for Aspiring Writers – Yes, They Do Exist!” would interest you.

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  3. it is true that sometimes we waste our time on non-productive things but if we have teachers like assignment help australia you so we can cop up with our wasted time and use that remaining time on more productive work.

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