Beth's Elementary Education Blog

Memorial Day falls a little bit early this year - on May 26th. It offers the opportunity to teach our students about the value of honoring the memory of those who came before us.

Get some ideas for here for Easy Memorial Day Lesson Plans.

Do you have a favorite book or activity that you enjoy using to discuss Memorial Day with your students?

Even as the relaxation of summer approaches, May and June can be a stressful time of year for students and teachers alike.

My colleague Melissa Kelly (Secondary Educators) has some valuable tips for dealing with this particular kind of stress. My favorite suggestion is to try and leave your schoolwork in the classroom (don't bring it home!) as often as possible.

How do you find sanity amid frantic end-of-the-year activities?

If you need quick, easy, and fun last-minute Mothers Day lesson plans, these craft ideas will hit the spot!

Some teachers like to stay busy throughout the summer months. Others can't get to the beach quickly enough.

I recommend a measured approach that takes the best of both philosophies and maximizes what summer has to offer for teachers.

Here are my recommendations for What You Should Do This Summer.

Traditionally, it's considered a smart teaching strategy to put abstract math concepts into concrete, "real world" terms for our students. For example, teaching fractions as portions of a pizza.

Surprisingly, a new study shows that word problems not only don't help learning, but may actually interfere with it.

Do the results of this study ring true to you? Would you ever give up using concrete examples in your math instruction?

Every summer we teachers have a decision to make:

Should we spend the majority of our time relaxing by a body of water recuperating from our challenging jobs? Or, should we keep the productive momentum going and teach summer school, read professional development books, and take graduate level courses?

This summer: should you rest and recuperate, or should develop your skills?

What are you summer plans?

Some teachers are taking straw polls in their classrooms to see what the youngest citizens have to say about the presidential election in the U.S.

Take advantage of the record-breaking enthusiasm this election year (not to mention the constant media coverage) and see what your students think the next president should do to help the nation and the country's schools.

It's also a natural segue into discussing how government works, the responsibilities of citizenship, and prominent presidencies in American history.

(Quick Word of Warning: Steer clear of espousing your own political views, and avoid controversial issues.)

Yes, it's that time of year - everyone's counting down until summer vacation!

So we might as well make the best of it, right? The ABC Countdown To Summer is a fun tradition that teachers and students will both enjoy. It gives everyone a little something special to look forward to each day.

Customize the countdown to make it your own. Then get out there and make some fun memories with your class!

Have you ever actually read what the three remaining presidential candidates have to say on the subject of Education in America?

• Hillary Clinton
• John McCain
• Barack Obama

Is there one candidate in particular who, in your opinion, truly addresses the current problems in Education?

Bingo is one of those all-purpose learning games that I keep in my back pocket at all times.

The way I use the game of Bingo, it can suit any subject matter at the drop of a hat... no preparation required. Don't forget about the magical properties of good ol' classic - Bingo!