Morning Slides - On This Day in History

My experience in many schools is that social studies instruction often gets put on the back burner. We are told to integrate it into other subjects, but depending on your curriculum that is easier said than done. So a few years ago I started creating these morning slides that give students a little piece of history each day, plus a vocabulary word that goes along with it because vocabulary is another area that students seem to really struggle.

Each day the slide is set up so that you get a fact about something that happened on that particular day in history. There is a vocabulary word with the definition that goes along with the historical fact. In the speaker notes at the bottom is a link to more information about the fact. So depending on how much time you have it can be a quick 5 minute mini-lesson on something from history.

The best part is that these slides are completely customizable. Want a different fact from on this day? Change it out! Don't like the vocabulary word that goes with that day? Pick a different one! Use the checklist to get your students set up for the day and just leave this on the board for students to read as they come into the classroom.

Below are a few examples and then if you want to check out each month, just click on this link!

Apple Teacher Loading...

If you have known me for awhile you know that I am a GOOGLE education queen. I have done the Google educator trainings, I have helped my school learn the ins and outs of all things Google, and I have even presented at the Google summits a couple of times.

So finding out at the end of the year that we are switching to Apple products next year left me feeling all types of emotions. However, after getting over the negative feelings I am trying to have an open mindset.

I decided to kick off my summer with the Apple Teacher trainings that are available online completely free! Check it out here: https://education.apple.com/

Here are my takeaways so far. Click on this link to take you to my rough notes or check out a nice looking infographic thanks to ChatGPT: 

(click on the image to make it larger)

Using Pages on the iPad:

Using Keynote on the iPad:

Using Numbers on the iPad:

Using iMovie on the iPad:

Stay tuned this fall as my students and I navigate this new world of Apple!

Family.

I took a year off of blogging last year, so I never got around to writing a reflection post. I was also in a weird spot. I was getting ready to leave another school that I absolutely loved, but I knew that the move I was making was a good one for my family. In my 2 short years at New Hope I accomplished a lot. I received my National Board Certification. I was nominated to be the school's Teacher of the Year. I felt seen. I felt supported. I loved the community. However, working in a different county than your kids has so many challenges. Different school calendars including a completely different week for Spring Break. We also had times where my county was open, but the kids county was closed for snow. I found myself having to take off more days than I prefer. So when the principal of my kid's school said that she had a position open for this year I jumped at the opportunity.

And boy am I glad I did! Obviously I have had experience with the school for the past 3 years as a parent. I knew many of the teachers, I knew the admin and so many staff members. But becoming a teacher opens your eyes to how much this school prides itself on family. We do things together at school and outside of school. I feel like I actually know every single person that works there, not just by saying hi to them in the hallway.

Oh and my 5th grade team... AMAZING! There were so many times throughout this school year where I would pause and wonder is this really our first year working together?! We clicked from the moment we started together in August and it just kept rolling from there. We planned together, shared ideas/resources, and our students were OUR students. We want all of students to do well whether they are in our homeroom or not. We also shared more than just work, we shared emotions, family, life. We were there for each other through the good times and the bad. Also, if you aren't aware... we LOVE matching outfits!

My word for this year is Family. Because this school community truly feels like a family.

I love summer time to rest, relax, and rejuvenate, but I am already excited for next school year!

Will we ever get to 100 days??

In North Carolina we have been pummeled by these past 2 weeks with ice, snow, and temperatures that refuse to get above freezing. Last week we were out of school all week and here we are on Monday morning still sitting at home. I am hopeful that we will be back in the building soon since it is supposed to be in the upper 30s and 40s all week.

Since I am back in 5th grade this year, I decided to revamp my 100th Day of School activities. In 5th grade, students get to celebrate their 1000th day of school. Most counties go to school for 180 days per year (or the equivalent of that in hours), so the 100th day of 5th grade is the 1000th day for them.

 

Click on any image to download a copy

My 1000th day packet has students figure out how they have been in school for 1000 days and then make $1000 words by assigning each letter of the alphabet a value. I also have a decimal version included where they make $10.00 words. There are also a few writing activities including a what would you do with $1000 prompt and a letter to yourself on the next 1000 days, which will be in high school.

Click on any image to download your copy

This activity has students read about what life was like 1000 years ago and compares it to life now. Then they complete a 3-column chart that has them compare life 1000 years ago to now, and then predict what they think life will be like in another 1000 years.

         

Click any image to download your copy

I used this pizza activity when I taught 4th grade and students were learning how to connect fractions to decimals. They create a pizza with 100 toppings from the options on the page and then determine the fraction of each topping. They then model the fraction as a decimal on the decimal grid.

Click image to download your copy

This 100th day packet has been around since I first started teaching 3rd grade, but has been updated throughout the years. The cover page allows students to color each section of the 100 as they complete the task. Activities in the packet include: coloring stars for 100 seconds, a hundreds grid activity for primary and upper elementary, 100th day poem, drawing circles for 100 seconds, top 10 lists for primary and upper elementary, roll a die and flip a penny 100 times, and a writing prompt for primary and upper.

Hope everyone has a Happy 100th Day of School (whenever that may be!)

Social Emotional Learning Slides

Do you ever have a picture in your mind of something that you want to use, so you scour the internet, Teachers Pay Teachers, blogs, etc. and still can't find what you are looking for? This happened to me with my SEL lessons. I was not happy with the program that the county I worked for at the time used. I wanted something that was going to follow the same routine each week and just swap out the topic and activities. 

So I started working on this project in the summer of 2024 and built it throughout the year. I have gone back and fixed things that I discovered worked better as I was using the slides and now I am ready to share with everyone!

Each week follows the same routine.

Monday - Introduce SEL Focus

• ask the same three questions: what does it look like, sound like, and feel like?
• show a short video to introduce the topic

Tuesday - Read Aloud

• I tried to include 2 different books to choose from for each SEL focus
• I also tried to include a link to a video of the book being read aloud if possible

Wednesday - Activity

• the activities that were planned for Wednesdays tend to be more hands-on or independent activities that allow the student to explore the SEL focus

Thursday - Let's Chat

• one slide has a quote that students should think about the meaning of and how it relates to the SEL focus for the week
• one slide has a what would you do scenario for students to think about and discuss with a partner or whole group

Friday - Fun Activity

• this day is a little different each week depending on the topic, it may be a whole class or small group activity or it will sometimes be another independent task

Check out the entire Kindness Slides here!

Check out the SEL tab on my blog to see all of the slides.

Social Emotional Learning Topics Included:

• Awareness
• Choices
• Circle of Control
• Consequences
• Diversity
• Empathy
• Express Yourself
• Flexibility
• Friendship
• Goals
• Gratitude
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Kindness
• Listening
• Mindfulness
• Organization
• Patience
• Perseverance
• Power of Yet
• Respect
• Safety
• Self-Advocacy
• Self-Controls
• Sportsmanship
• Teamwork
• Time Management
• Values
• Work Ethic
• Zen

January Reset

Things that I did in my classroom the week after winter break...

Sprinkled in a few New Year's Activities:

- One Word

Students create a Google Slide with a word that describes their year, goals, etc.

- New Year's Resolutions

Students think ahead to 2026 and the things they would like to accomplish.

- Vision Board

Students use Google Slides or Canva to create a vision board for the upcoming year.

- Winter Break Mood Check

I assigned this slide deck in Google Classroom for students to complete during the first week back. It gave them a safe place to let me know how their break was and how they are currently feeling about being back at school. You will be surprised what they will tell you!

Classroom Routine Reset:

Most things stayed the same, but I took this opportunity to change a few things for the second half of the school year and review the routines that were the most important to our classroom.

I also introduce a one rule classroom at this point in the year. It's simple and something that I can use to easily redirect as needed. Is what you are doing interrupting the learning of others? Then don't do it.

While I sprinkled in the activities above, we most importantly dove right back into learning. The middle of the year is 2 weeks away upon our return. That means mid-year testing will be quickly approaching and it is time to get their brains back on track. Kids also thrive off of routine, so establishing the schedule on day 1 is important.

Lastly, have some grace. Remember that the break was different for everyone. Some students may be excited to get back to school so that they have hot meals for breakfast and lunch. Some may be excited to see friends that they haven't seen in 2 weeks. Some may be tired because they were off their usual schedule (teachers included!). Some would rather be at home with their families. All of these things are completely acceptable. When jumping back into the schedule and routines, it is important to understand that some students may need some time to adjust and a few extra reminders.

Hope the rest of your school year goes well!

The One Where I Turned 40

I started looking through pictures of this past year and forgot how truly amazing this year was. There was one theme. Travel.

January brought a few snow/ice days to NC. We had already decided to sneak away down to Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte for a belated birthday trip for Mackenzie, but we ended up not having to "sneak" since it ended up being a snow day for school! Since this Great Wolf Lodge is so close, we took advantage and got almost 2 full days in the water park!

February allowed me to fly up to Maryland and visit my girls for a quick weekend away. I love when coworkers become family and am so happy that we keep in touch. We did a paint night and enjoyed a nice dinner out. Kyle was also happy with another Eagles Super Bowl win as we hosted another fun party.

March ended with chaperoning Mackenzie’s field trip to the Outer Banks. We spent a full 48 hours visiting Jeanette’s Pier, climbing to the top of Currituck Lighthouse and Jockey’s Ridge, seeing the Wright Brothers Memorial, and exploring the Lost Colony. It was fun just being a parent/chaperone and not being in charge of activities and other people!

April took us to Phoenix, Arizona for an anniversary getaway with my cousin and his wife. We played lots of golf, ate lots of food, and explored Sedona on a jeep tour. It even snowed while we were there!

May was pretty calm. No travels, but we did go to the ACC baseball championship game at the Durham Bulls stadium.

June carried us to our annual beach vacation to Ocean Isle Beach full of family, food, golf, and swimming! We also went to Busch Gardens with my childhood BFF and her kids.

July produced an epic road trip. The month started off with me sneaking away to Tennessee to play in a golf tournament and ended with a road trip from North Carolina to Ohio to Chicago then to Tennessee. Our trip to Chicago included marking off 3 more baseball stadiums from our list, including driving up to Milwaukee for the day. I ended the month by turning 40.

August brought about back to school season. I finally landed a job at the neighborhood school where the kids have gone the past 3 years. It immediately felt like home.

September we entered the baseball family life. Jackson joined a team for the first time and we enjoyed watching him learn and grow.

October stayed calm with a visit from my mom and some STEAM club projects.

November was filled with more travel. The fifth graders trekked up to Washington, D.C. for 36 hours of jam packed experiences. We visited Mount Vernon, DC monuments at night, Ford’s Theatre, Arlington National Cemetery, Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, Washington Monument, and Smithsonian museums. Kyle, the kids, and I then snuck off to Orlando. We spent Thanksgiving with Mickey at the Magic Kingdom and then fulfilled Jackson’s Lego dreams by hitting up Legoland. We also stopped by Savannah, Ga on our way back home to visit with my uncle.

December didn’t bring any travel, but we packed in some local fun. Family time at the Flyers-Hurricanes hockey game and a fun afternoon playing Top Golf. Our Christmas was spent in North Carolina with lots of family time.

I am truly so thankful for all of the amazing things that occurred this year. Turning 40 sounds scary, but honestly it hasn't been so bad. I feel like I'm hitting my groove with parenting, teaching, marriage, and life.

Can’t wait to see what 2026 brings!