Teachers, have you heard of NAEIR? It's a nonprofit organization that receives donations of merchandise from huge companies, and offers them to schools, churches, and other nonprofits. Techni...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2018/04/how-teachers-can-join-naeir.html
Donors Choose is an amazing resource for public school classroom teachers! We never seem to have everything we need in the classroom... and Donors Choose has companies and individuals who wa...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2018/04/how-to-post-classroom-request-on-donors.html
On the first day of school somewhere between twenty and thirty students walk in to my third grade classroom. They're all a little bit nervous. What kind of teacher will they have? Are ...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2017/02/kindness-in-classroom.html
The floors have been vacuumed, and the tables cleaned. The art work and "All About Me" banners are hanging on the wall. Student binders with work samples are ready to be placed at each...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2016/09/back-to-school-night-what-i-dont-want.html
So this happened... I was walking through Walmart, minding my own business, and these emoji beanbags threw themselves into my cart. Sort of. First, I saw that they were on clearance for $7...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2016/07/self-assessment-tools-emoji-style.html
How do you celebrate Earth Day in your classroom? Here are a few fun and easy ways that we reduce, reuse, and recycle in ours. 1. Have students bring empty plastic or cardboard containers f...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2016/04/earth-day-in-classroom.html
The struggle is real, people! Third graders can be so sweet and kind... or not. Many are the times that I have opened the classroom door to be greeted with a group of kiddos, all trying to ...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2016/02/valentine-friendship-tree.html
I love Pinterest. I use it every day, mostly for teaching ideas. I love to have school links saved in an orderly and logical fashion - maybe because in my home life I'm not so good at this! ...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2015/07/how-to-follow-educational-topics-on.html
As a teacher I am always on the lookout for great ideas for my classroom. Handouts, printables, flip books, homework, games... Often, I would find something that was close to what I wanted, bu...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2015/06/tpt-seller-challenge-week-1.html
Before I became a teacher I thought teachers taught subjects. Like reading, writing, math, science, and music. Boy, was I wrong. Teachers teach kids. And we don't just teach them ...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2015/05/teaching-kids-to-give.html
A few months ago I made a fun multiplication partner practice game for my students. It uses two regular dice, which means that students are only practicing from 1x1 to 6x6. They loved it! ...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2015/03/free-multiplication-practice-game-for.html
My third graders have been working on multiplication and division for months! First, we focused on understanding what multiplication is. After the conceptual understanding was in place, we ...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2015/01/multiplication-and-division-fact.html
Word problems are a HUGE part of teaching elementary math! The best way that I have found to get students excited about word problems is to have them write their own. When it comes to additio...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2015/01/intro-to-multiplication-things-that.html
Every third grade teacher (at least those of us using Common Core State Standards) must deal with the fluency and memorization of multiplication facts. There's no way to avoid it! So let's ma...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/12/how-to-organize-your-daily.html
I've been blogging about teaching multiplication lately, and have mentioned playing a game called Sparkle as part of our memorization process. Today I thought I would explain how we do this i...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/12/how-to-play-sparkle-in-classroom.html
Click on the picture for free download from TpT. I've been thinking a lot about formative assessments lately. Formative assessments are all about gathering information from your students -...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/12/metacognition-helping-students-assess.html
Let's say that your principal called you into his office and sat you down. Then he said these words: "What formative assessments are you performing for your current math unit?" Would you kn...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/12/what-is-formative-assessment-anyway.html
©Depositphotos.com/@tomwang Multiplication is SO important for third grade. It is imperative that students know the facts so that they can focus on higher level math tasks in fourth grade...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/11/unlocking-secret-code-of-multiplication.html
Allow me to introduce you to my Emperor Penguin. Her name is Penelope. I made her in one of those incredibly rare and much beloved moments in teacher time, twenty minutes spent student-less...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/11/teacher-your-penguin-is-too-fat.html
© Depositphotos.com/@ Krisdog @Wavebreakmedia I have a confession to make. I'm an elementary teacher who does not like Halloween. Honestly, I find the whole thing kind of distasteful. ...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/10/classroom-conundrum-i-dont-like.html
Oh. My. Word. This is THAT year. You know what I mean. Every teacher has had at least one. This year is really going to help me grow as a teacher. That's all I can say. Well, I can ...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/09/classroom-posters-for-every-teacher.html
Our school had an amazing day celebrating the 200th Birthday of the Star Spangled Banner! We raised a new flag, sang every patriotic song imaginable, and were even on the local news. My t...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/09/how-to-make-paper-american-flag.html
On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key was on an enemy ship in Baltimore Harbor, and had just watched a 25 hour battle in which the British attempted to capture Fort McHenry. They did not s...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/09/the-star-spangled-banners-200th-birthday.html
Third grade is all about multiplication. We explore it. We dig into equal groups and patterns and skip counting. We make sure students get to a deep understanding of what it is and why it...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/08/id-like-some-multiplication-with-my-ice.html
I am not a scientist. I'm a regular teacher who does regular teacher-y things. Like taking classes to learn to be a better teacher, and reading articles, books and blogs. The only thin...
http://www.lightbulbsandlaughter.com/2014/07/eleven-rules-for-engaging-students.html