This is always so difficult for sure! I love to do a holiday countdown where every day we celebrate with something (directed drawing, game time, etc). It’s usually the last 15 mins of the day so it’s not taking up a ton of instructional time but they work hard to earn it!

I think Angela added some great ideas and are all necessary! I would also include printer paper (I have been fortunate this year to have it provided, but that hasn't always been the case). I would also say hand sanitizer, tissues, and Clorox wipes as staples. I do understand that these may have already been on the school supply list, but they tend to go quickly!

I’ve definitely done reading buddies in the past which has always been fun! This year at my new school we have half days once a month and we have a mentorship going between the upper and lower grades. We focus the activities around the character trait of the month and we spend 30 minutes working with both sets of kids!

I will admit that I spent a lot of time with the Sunday scaries over my years in education, but recently have been able to avoid them. Some of that has to do with my role and more of that has to do with my school environment. I know I put a ton of pressure on myself to be everything I could for my students (I'm sure I'm not alone in this) and that's what would keep my anxiety up. For me, even now, I drink some sleepy-time tea, set a hard end time for when I will do work, doing something I love before bed (usually that's reading for me) and put on a relaxing mediation to fall asleep.

I'm sure there are some fantastic ELA teachers who can give you amazing advice, but this math teacher is going to give it her best shot! :)

I have taught third through fifth grades in ELA so that's the perspective I'm coming from. One of the great things that I have done with kids is as we read the story, I ask them to illustrate a scene from the chapter, explaining what happened in that scene. I would then have them write a paragraph explaining their photo. Or I may give them the option to share via video or audio recording instead of writing it out. Once they do this a couple of times throughout the book, we would celebrate by watching the movie. As we watch, I would stop the movie and give them time to tell a partner or the class the differences between what they drew and what the movie showed.

I don't necessarily love this worksheet (or worksheets in general) but I do like some of the ideas and figured it would be good to include for brainstorming on your part! https://www.englishworksheetsland.com/grade6/readingliterature/7/1bookvmovie.pdf

I love the ideas that have been shared so far! I've tried a couple of them in the past with math intervention students and have had much success! The coin song is GREAT! Kids love it!

I don't know that you need more great ideas to start out as there are plenty good ones here, but when your students are ready, there are some additional activities to help them build upon their knowledge of money.

https://hcpss.instructure.com/courses/106/pages/2-dot-md-dot-c-8-about-the-math-learning-targets-and-increasing-rigor
There are several tabs across the top (under the header: Grade 2 Measurement and Data) that will not only give you resources but also centers and assessments. Hope this helps!

For many students whom I’ve had the honor to work alongside, they don’t always have the best example on how to be social with others. This is not meant as a slight to families; it’s simply a reality for some students. In some of the situations I’ve come across, many parents are working multiple jobs and they may be relying on older siblings or extended family/friends to help. My suggestion (and I’m coming from an elementary background) is to explicitly model how they interact with each other using grade level content. For elementary age kids, I also believe in the magic of morning meetings. That truly helps students build relationships with others.

One very big thing I changed in my classroom a couple of years ago was to label things not just with English words, but also pictures! This has really helped bring some confidence to my MLL students because they know what they are looking for! I have also done some of the aforementioned things. I would say that just finding out what they need from you is a great place to start and if you have an MLL teacher, work with them as well to ensure students get what they need most!

Hands-on equations are amazing! When I taught Gifted and Talented, we used these, but I also used them when I taught 5th grade. I think that it starts younger than that though and something small but foundational that I do with kids as young as first grade is missing addend problems. 7 + ___ = 9. This gets them thinking about what number goes in the blank which is the very basic premise of algebra!

These are awesome! I will definitely share with my reading interventionists and teachers! I teach math intervention or I would use them myself! So cool!

So many great responses here! Might be borrowing some of these ideas! In math intervention, one of the ways I make it accessible to everyone especially when we are discussing our answers is I will provide sentence stems. This gives students an entry point if they have an answer but don't know how to start. We use manipulatives with each lesson so it's always hands on, but I try to encourage more discussion and sentence stems have been a game changer for getting students to start!

In our district, we focus on the essential standards that are deemed so by the state (South Carolina). Not to say that we don't teach all of the standards that are required, but we assess and focus on these. For me, while I have used the curriculum that is given to me, I will first look at the standard and determine what pieces of curriculum I will use to teach that standard. If a student is missing an essential component of what came before, I will often collaborate with other grade levels and their materials to help students in a small group.

I had a mentee a few years ago and we met weekly on Wednesdays after school. I loved it because little did she know, but I learned a ton from her during these meetings too. We were just able to check in with each other and I could help her with those high-stress items that were holding her back. Sometimes I would help her create things or sort papers and we would talk. She was great and she did great things that year!

As a first year teacher, I thought that you taught it and kids would just learn it. I realized very quickly that that was not the case. I can laugh about my optimism now! It requires really analyzing what you are going to teach in order to be able to figure out where the misconceptions will be and how to plan for those. Multiple strategies are always necessary. And sometimes, the other students will be the best 'teachers' when you aren't getting through so be sure to give students a time to share their responses to questions. Other students will benefit greatly from that!

I spend a lot of time at the beginning of the year listening to them tell stories about themselves and their family/friends. When I was a classroom teacher, I would sit next to different students at lunch or spend time playing a game at recess with them to get to know them better. As a math interventionist, I spend the walk from their classroom to mine talking about their day and asking about anything they want to share. This has opened up the lines of communication with students and they look forward to the walk!

I'm going through this right now as I've just transitioned into a new school and district. I definitely agree with communication being key. In my role, I serve many students in many classrooms so I've got to inform teachers of who I need and when. I also take time to talk to people about who they are outside of being a teacher; their families, etc. It helps me understand who and what is important to them.

When you have time (or ask your admin for some time), go in and observe your mentee. It shouldn't be a surprise. Meet with your mentee beforehand and ask for something they may want your help with so that you can narrow your focus on what they need assistance with. If this is not an option, you can also have the mentee record themselves teaching and you can sit down with them and talk about what you both see together!

All of the ideas shared are great ones! In addition I would add, reach out to the family. There could be an underlying issue there that the student hasn't communicated to you that could be stopping them from completing assignments. Share that you are concerned about the lack of completed assignments because you don't know how best to help the student if you don't know what they can or can't do. Empathy goes a long way with families!

I would start by reading Dr. Nicki Newton's work "Math Running Records." It is absolutely a game changer for your classroom. It takes a lot of work up front, but will give you information to help target specific missing elements of the different operations.

Some other great tools that I have used are Reflex Math (grants are available: https://reflex.explorelearning.com/grant?_gl=1*zd6c2v*_up*MQ..*_ga*OTA0NjA4MjQ4LjE3MjQzNDQwNDQ.*_ga_S0NLYBJCR0*MTcyNDM0NDA0NC4xLjAuMTcyNDM0NDA0NC4wLjAuMA..) if your school doesn't have access to Reflex. A free website to go to is XtraMath which also gives students daily practice.

I would incorporate daily fluency instruction for students, no matter what level they are. It can look different for different groups of students but it will pay off in dividends!

I agree with all the great resources that have already been mentioned!

One resource I used when I taught science was The Science Penguin (https://thesciencepenguin.com/science-penguin-library-landing). I love her blog and you can sign up for her free resource library. I also follow her on Instagram.

Home Science Tools has a wide selection of experiments: https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com

I also love the Smithsonian site for all sorts of information: https://ssec.si.edu

The eagle nest cams got my 4th grade scientists so excited! https://eaglesorg.wpengine.com/what-we-do/educate/live-hd-nest-cams/

Another great resource for this is the Hand2Mind free resources: https://www.hand2mind.com/lessons/lessons-by-subject/math-lessons
If you go to the website you can search by grade level and find different lessons for fractions starting with second grade. From there, you will find worksheets and videos.

I will sing really out of tune for those students who I know will love that but for others who I know would be embarrassed, I will just say happy birthday. I typically have something that can pick out to celebrate their special day! I have birthday bracelets and other trinkets for them to choose from.

I think about how a student would move around the room. Sometimes I’ll sit in one of the seats and go to various areas to make sure I can move easily. I try to do groups of students so they can collaborate but I also make sure I have a small group place with materials I organize for myself so that I don’t have to disrupt my small group lesson because I forgot materials. I make sure I think about the accessibility to all the materials students will need throughout the day.

Attached are some resources to get you started with fractions! These come from Howard County which has great resources for so many math standards!

I’m coming at this with an elementary lens, so I would say that the most bang for your buck in an elementary setting is to use morning meeting to introduce these concepts and have discussions with your students. I would often use read alouds as a powerful way to introduce these concepts as well so that they could have a discussion on how things were being handled in the book and relate it back to their own life. Lastly, I would suggest to use lunch and recess time to just discuss things with kids. I think that this is one of the most powerful ways to talk to kids. It may not be a whole group lesson but those conversations make more of a difference than you know!

My experience is coming from an elementary school perspective; I would have a buddy to assist with any tasks like gluing materials in journals or writing notes in journals. Then I would pull the student in a small group with students who may need a review on what topics you’ve taught. There’s a chance that at least one or two other students will need whatever you taught again. Also, there were times that I would send home some of the work with videos to watch or a help sheet with examples. I would communicate with parents ahead of time to be sure that they could work with the student at home. Sometimes this isn’t possible so I would resort to the aforementioned ways to meet the absent student’s needs.

Do’s:
Always start by being positive, no matter who you are reaching out to; everyone wants to feel valued and appreciated. Parents often only get calls or emails when students do something inappropriate, so even if it is something that isn’t the best news, find something good to share first.
Proofread your emails before hitting send. I will often have a colleague read over what I typed, especially to a parent or admin to make sure it makes sense and is free of grammatical mistakes.
Respond to anyone who emails you in a timely manner. I would say 24-36 hours is a good time frame.
Set boundaries – if you respond back to parents, admin, etc at all hours of the day, they begin to expect that every single time. You are a human who has a personal life too.
If you aren’t sure how to respond to an email, ask for assistance from someone in your building.

Don’ts:
Don’t respond to an email when you’re angry. If you need to write out your feelings just to get them out, do that, but don’t do it in an email.
Don’t use students’ full names. First initial, last name and grade level should suffice when talking to admin or a colleague via email.
Don’t forget to attach the attachment – I know I could use this reminder! 🙂
Don’t send any personal emails with your school email address. This means that if you have something that you wouldn’t want to be read in a lawsuit, don’t send it.

Professionally: Math Running Records by Dr. Nicki Newton
Personally: just finished The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Both great reads!

I have students do a math inventory at the beginning of the year so that I know what they like and dislike about math. (I'm a math interventionist.) But the first day that I pull them, we do a math about me activity where I can talk to them about their lives and what is important to them. It's a very safe entry point for my students.

I 100% agree with everything that as already been posted. I will also take time out just to ask them about their families or what they did on the weekends. It just opens the lines of communication with them. Most principals that I've had are pretty open to discussing their amazing families and they want to feel like a human being first. I also make sure to loop them in on any potential problems I see and if there is a way I would fix it. Always having some sort solution when going to them about problems is essential. It shows that you have thought through what you are asking of them. They may not go along with those solutions but it's great to have some.

Positive phone calls/notes home the first couple of weeks of school. It is VITAL to get parents on your side. Some of the reason that parents get so upset and disinterested is because they only hear about the negative things about their child(ren). I would also be discouraged if that's all I received as well. Invite them in to observe or in for a special day so that they can see the great things their child is doing!

Our second grade classes and I are organizing some voting to tie into their graphing unit which is the first unit of the school year. They will talk about why voting matters in their classes and then I will come in after they've voted on different questions so that we can use a variety of graphs to show their data.

We also have mentors assigned at our school but I’m going to be honest—many times I’ve been a mentor to someone whose content I didn’t know well. The people on your team will probably adopt that role to be honest, but if not, I would reach out to admin and ask for someone who can show you the ropes!

I agree so much with what has already been shared! Building relationships with kids is the most important part of any system that you use because they truly have to 'buy-in' in order for it to work. I'm not sure what grade level you would be using the strategies with but one thing I always did was asked students to write down the name of a person that I could call when they had a good day. For some of them, this wasn't a parent--it was a coach or a pastor or an aunt. I would then reach out to the parent/guardian and ask if it was okay for me to reach out to that person and what would be the best way to contact them. My students were always SO excited when they saw whoever I called and got praise from them too. It takes a village. Also whatever system you do use, make sure to ask the students' feedback; for example, if they are working towards a reward, ask them what they want to reward to be. I would normally ask for a couple of options or I would tell them some ideas I had and they would choose from those.

We are using Big Ideas Math. I don’t love it but we can use it to supplement if we want. I love using Math in Practice as my instruction and adding in other pieces!

I would think about ways you’re going to build relationships with students and how to weave in your expectations and procedures throughout the first couple of weeks. The classroom set up is important as far as furniture goes, but as shared, your classroom will grow with your students. Find someone who you can plan with, even if that person isn’t on your team. And remember to breathe. You’re going to be great!

We have one two days before the year officially begins. I think it’s great so that parents can put a face with a name for homeroom teachers! I loved it as a homeroom teacher—as a math interventionist in a new school and district, it will be a little different for me this year since everyone is new to me!

I'm not sure how much you can use on this, but I would do a mathematician of the month on a bulletin board (I know you said scientist, but it's a similar concept and many of them are scientists as well). Students loved being able to look up books in the library or on Epic, as well as watching the videos that I would link. (It's not editable because I couldn't upload something that was, but feel free to use this information!)

Besides the great ideas listed already, I also suggest a positive note and/or phone call home the first two weeks of school. This gives parents something positive about their child. You would not believe the amount of times parents have said to me, "I never receive a positive call home about my child." Parents love to hear great things and will remember this phone call. It also allows you and opportunity to answer any questions that they may have which makes them feel like they have been heard.

I will positively praise students in a whole group (unless I know that students prefer not to be recognized in front of all of their peers) and many times (in elementary) this will redirect those who aren't doing what they need to. For those students who like to give us a run for our money, find any and every thing that they do remotely right and praise them. I also ask students to give me the name and phone number of someone (does not have to be a parent/guardian) that I can call when they have a good day. This will often motivate students who have after school activities that they value. As far as not so great behaviors, I usually pull students aside and ask them if there is something going on that I need to know about because they aren't acting like themselves. Then I ask for ways to give them the space they need to be successful and not in trouble for behavior.

When I was a classroom teacher, (I'm a math interventionist now so I teach exclusively in small groups), I would teach the concept whole group and then spend the next couple of days that we are working on that standard in small group instruction, challenging kids who understand and who are beyond, and backing up a few steps for students who need it. Once I started this, I saw so much growth in my students!

You cannot do it all. Definitely set time limits and boundaries for yourself. Give yourself plenty of grace because it’s a learning curve (and one I’m still on in year 14). I would set an hour timer and see how much I can get done in that time. Rely on experienced teachers to show you ways to make things easier and/or faster.

This is a great question! I will often make a to do list either on Friday before I leave or first thing Monday morning. Then I slowly chip away at it during the week during my prep. I’ll start with the most important and then work to things that I hope to get finished!

I do a lot of surveys about interests at the beginning of the year or during morning meetings. I keep that information and use it often throughout the year. For example, I’ll put student names in math problems or do a read aloud about a certain topic that kids have shared they like!

I have definitely thought about it but paying for it is holding me back a little right now. I’ve also heard that literacy is easier than math but I’m a math interventionist. Any advice you can share?

Tons of reading, walking, resting when my body is tired, spending time with friends and family, and getting some sun (safely with sunscreen)!

I totally agree with Amanda—building relationships is step one. Ask to meet with them somewhere that is pressure-free (and work-free) if your schedule allows. Get to know them as humans and allow them to do the same with you. Then you can get into the roles and responsibilities of the team and who does what. Best wishes! You’ll be great!

When I taught 4th grade, I would infuse it with math and reading. Many of the measurement and data standards aligned super well with science. We would read about whatever our topic was in reading and then infuse math and science especially with laps! Then I could use a lap report as a writing grade.

I’m a math interventionist so I make sure to have a ton of small group areas so that depending on what it is that we are doing, we have space to use manipulatives! When I was a classroom teacher, I always tried to have multiple work spaces for students as well. Collaboration is so powerful!

By being a good listener and if needed, a problem solver. I think we all just want to know that we’re not alone in this and sometimes it really feels like we are.

I recently became a state-trained mentor in SC. It was a great training and has allowed me to really focus on one person in my building to help them with what they truly think would benefit them most. I have loved being able to go watch them teach and I’m constantly inspired by them. I have also led professional development where we focus our time on how to build and maintain relationships with students and parents. In my experience, that’s where the learning really happens.

We just ended on Friday and teachers will come back July 30 with students starting August 7. We do have a modified school year so we have a week for Thanksgiving, two and half weeks in late December, and a week for spring break.

When I was a classroom teacher, I made copies of things I knew I needed for the first week of school! I also make sure I have an “open first” box so that I know where all the important things are—tape, scissors, hot glue gun, etc!

I’m in the process of switching school districts so I cannot confirm about my new district but my former district did. I do think it’s extremely important that teachers get that pay when they give up hours outside their normal hours!

We have used Everyday Math during summer school. Our Esser funds also ran out so I am having to move districts to keep my role as a math interventionist. I know that my new district uses Number Worlds for summer school.

I’m moving to a new district and school next year but in the past with my math intervention students, I would do a raffle and anyone who used Freckle Math over the summer would be entered to win a new backpack with school supplies! Kids loved it!

We have decided to do a modified school year so we are done this year May 31 and we go back July 30. Students will come back August 7. I don’t hate it because I live far away from my family so the longer breaks give me time to go see them!

We use Freckle and Boddle! I’ve also used Gimkit for review (as well as Kahoot and Quizziz). When I was a classroom teacher, I would do Prodigy Fridays for practice after we did the mini lesson and my kids loved it!

I have and I love hearing what they come up with! I’ve also covered words in books and had them make up the story based on the pictures!

Yes! When I’m feeling like this and can arrange it, I will go watch someone else teach (usually during my planning). Watching someone else always gives me ideas. I also will reach out to other teachers who I don’t normally meet with (other than my team) so that I can gain some ideas too.

I thought I attached my quote the first time but I’m not sure if I did. Gotta love technology (or myself for messing it up!).

Absolutely so true.

Yes! I’m a math interventionist and I find that so many of my students struggle with the vocabulary that used in questions because they don’t see and hear it enough! We play a game called ‘Mile a Minute’ and students are paired up. Students stand facing each other but one is looking at a list of words and the other person has to guess that word based on the mathematical clues (think the end of $100,000 Pyramid). It’s a great way to reenforce vocabulary!

If your school has access to Flocabulary or Freckle, these are also great places to find interactive activities for students. I also incorporate into my math unit since we discuss money in every grade level so anything I can do to boost the math skills is also super helpful!

I would recommend a couple: Khan Academy is great for specific topics (such as a focus on multiplication since you can type in what type of videos they need). I would also suggest Freckle. This has both reading and math and parents can sign up for free. We have this through our district so the parent may want to check if it is used at the school!

We also have younger grades adopt a class and kids love it! We have them do videos for each one of the testing days to encourage the kids! We also did a high five morning celebration where parents showed up on the first day of testing and greeted kids off the buses and out of cars! They felt like celebrities. Something I have done in the past is ask students what they are good at that is not academic and we put it on chart paper with the hash tag #morethanatestscore. It reminds students that they are not just defined by what they score on a test!

We have to complete LETRS training. It has been beneficial even though I am a Math interventionist so I don’t teach reading (specifically that is as we are all reading teachers). That’s here in South Carolina!

A few years ago this happened in South Carolina and we had the day off but we planned lessons before it and all the kids were given glasses so they could go outside to see it!

I would say not to underestimate the ideas you bring to your team. I often do professional development for incoming teachers in my district and I always learn something new from them!

I absolutely LOVE Vera’s blog (aka Tutu Teacher) for all things reading but this is a great post on some amazing books with strong women as characters: https://thetututeacher.com/2016/11/diversity-matters-books-about-strong.html

Integrate as much as you can. I agree with Brian, it does take so much planning but if you can make it work, it will benefit your kids so much. I used to mix science and social studies texts into ELA daily when we tackled the nonfiction standards. I also would start science with a math question using science information—usually charts, graphs, etc.

I am also a member of our local SCEA here in SC and I appreciate the great professional development they offer! On Instagram, one of my favorite accounts is @mixandmath
https://www.mixandmath.com/?fbclid=PAAaYYjmuytMhh7NXtbVcprAkKHTQjHQa4FzXcX0ajbDe3aKpnpHO3bvAsqSM_aem_AfZapHF3jBabyusmYCSYAFzn02uKP1MGN9LbaqP-uK34n_0y72LS2mRyuFBa6izPE0o
Her website is great too!

We have different theme days this week too! The kids are loving it and it’s only the first day! On Friday we will end with a book character parade which is always my favorite!

One of my favorite ways to start the year is by asking parents in a survey what the best parts of their child is and what they expect from me! Parents love their kids and want to brag about them. Also, as others have suggested, a positive phone the first week or so of school can go a long way!

This is one of my favorites. An oldie but goodie!

I read a lot of professional books—I love a good book study with colleagues at our own pace! I also try to find online classes that I can do at my own pace! And if it’s free—that’s even better!

We like to do socials! We had a committee in the past but we have a new admin team so that hasn’t happened this year but maybe next year!

As a complete math nerd, I LOVE The Math Curse. My kids also love it (or maybe as the math interventionist, I just believe they love it!). 😁

My second year of teaching I started collecting items from students or writing down successes that we had as a class. I put them in an envelope and whenever I start to find myself jaded, I pull it out. It’s gotten bigger because this is year 13 for me but it always reinspires me.

There are two things that I try. First give them a common task to do—I usually will make it STEAM related so that it’s fun and engaging. There is usually a time limit and then we debrief afterwards—what went well? What didn’t? How did you work (or not work) as a team? How did this contribute to your success? We have a discussion about how working together is vital. The next thing I do is determine roles for each person in whatever group students are in. For example in a jigsaw activity for reading, they are responsible to report back to their group so that their group can learn from them. It gives them a purpose and a responsibility!

When I was a classroom teacher who taught ELA, I loved choice boards for homework. It gave students choice and they were more apt to do the work. I also used it as math teacher during longer breaks with extra credit opportunities which kept students engaged over break. For these I did Bingo choice boards and would add in a few fun things like playing outside for 20 minutes or enjoying dinner with family. Families loved it as well.

I have used these and legos in the past. I also have used tangrams!

Not so much student-related but I recently used it for my updated resume and cover letters! Worked great. I also have had a fifth grade teacher at my school use it to create a math project for her students.

I definitely agree with what Jan said. Using the CRA (concrete, representational, abstract) when introducing and practicing standards has done wonders for our early and elementary students. One thing though that I’ve learned as a math interventionist—while building their math capacity, you must also build up their self esteem. The lack of confidence that many of my students (especially girls) have is astounding. They phrase answers as questions instead of just saying 5. It’s more like a quiet 5?? I make them say it again but with confidence and praise the heck out of them when they do say it with confidence without my prompting.

Apparently I forgot to attach and now I can’t delete.

Round 2. :)

We use Teams and Schoology at our school. So Teams is used for the meetings but Schoology for the upload of materials. I too have used choice boards for independent work! I also love to use task cards as independent practice once I’ve taught the skill to them in a meeting. I would also suggest a morning meeting (I’m Elementary, but I think other school levels can use that maybe titling it differently) to regroup and remind kids of the rules online but also ask a fun question or play a game with them. I have also used Padlet for responses to reading or math. I love Nearpod for lessons and Quizlet for practice and review.

I love the sticky note question!

As a math interventionist, I send home a weekly progress letter with practice. It comes from the curriculum so it’s not something difficult to get done. But I do send more detailed reports home every cycle so parents know how their child is doing. As a classroom teacher I would post weekly on Class Dojo but I would also pick a few parents to update weekly as well as check-ins with parents more frequently as needed.

I love using games to differentiate for students. Once you teach them the game, they can play with others who are on the same level of understanding as they are. Or you can assign an “expert” to help different groups of students!