Introducing Wild about Teaching!

My products and posts will mostly be focused on 3rd - 5th grade but if you are looking for younger activities, check out this great blog -

Wild about Teaching!

Ms. Yates is an amazing teacher and has a wealth of great ideas and information to share with you!

Ticket Item

Each week I posted a trivia question regarding science (that is all I taught last year). I tried making them questions related to the topic we were studying but something you couldn't find in our text book. Students would write their name and their answer on a piece of paper and turn it into the Ticket Item Box. Every Friday I would pull out the correct answers and the next Monday they would be given a ROAR Buck which they could turn in for prizes (our school's reward system). The students loved trying to figure out the answers and if what Texas wanted them to know was boring to them, they knew they would always learn a cool fact each week from Mrs. Knight!

Science Tic Tac Toe

With nearly 30 students in one classroom all at different levels, a lot of teachers what to know what to do with the higher level students or students who finish their work early. I created a collection of Tic Tac Toe boards for our main science topics (animals, plants, solar system, weather, forces). Each board has nine extension activities that students can work on independently.

I allowed each student to choose one activity each 9 weeks from the board that was turned in for a grade. I varied the type of activities so students could choose one that interested them while still reviewing our concepts. These were also amazing products to showcase in the classroom and around the school. You will be amazed at the creativity and effort students will put into these projects! I also included the rubric I used to grade the products.

You can get this collection of Tic Tac Toe boards at Teachers Pay Teachers

TpT Science Tic Tac Toe boards

STAAR Review Charts

After teaching my first year in 4th grade, I created a collection of Math STAAR review charts that would help students remember major concepts and strategies we used in class. I posted the charts around the room as we learned about each topic and then I put them all back up at the end of the year as we reviewed for the TAKS (now STAAR) test. All it took was glance at the images for the students to remember what they needed to do for each problem. By the time the test came around, my students had the charts locked in their brains and no longer needed them posted. I also copied these charts for every student to study with at home the week of the test.

This first product is FREE, so if you would like to use them in your classroom head on over to Teachers Pay Teachers to check them out!

TpT Math STAAR Review Charts

Welcome!

Welcome to the SHINING STAAR! I am a 5th grade math/science teacher who loves to create new lessons and build on each year. This is where I hope to share many fabulous ideas and activities that you can use with students in the STAAR testing grades. I am just beginning this new journey so I hope you will stick with me as I learn the ropes!