Blog - Your Thrifty Co-Teacher

Cinco de Mayo Activities for ELA Classrooms

Any opportunity to learn about a new culture is great for students. As Cinco de Mayo approaches, students may be curious about what this holiday really is about. Learning about this holiday and centering some activities around it can bring some engagement into the classroom. Here are a few Cinco de Mayo activities you can incorporate into your ELA classroom. (This post contains ... Read More about Cinco de Mayo Activities for ELA Classrooms

Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas She Will Love

Teaching is such a rewarding profession, but man is it challenging. Showing a teacher in your life that they are appreciated can go a long way. Today, I am sharing some Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas teachers are sure to love and appreciate. While it can be tempting to buy a teacher a mug for her coffee or daily drink, there are better options. Tumblers that help keep the teacher's ... Read More about Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas She Will Love

What to do Before the Big Test to Ease Students’ Anxiety

State testing is a stressful situation for everyone involved...students, teachers, and administrators. It is the few days of the year to show what has been taught and more importantly learned throughout the year. Unfortunately, it does not take into account external forces that can affect a student's performance. While we can not control everything, we can implement classroom strategies to help ... Read More about What to do Before the Big Test to Ease Students’ Anxiety

Basketball Classroom Transformation Ideas

Want to engage your students during rigorous review work? A basketball classroom transformation will do just that. It is the perfect transformation for March Madness, but it works great any time of the year. Students naturally love games, so bringing in a sports twist is guaranteed to motivate your students. Here you will find some easy to implement ideas that will have your students excited and ... Read More about Basketball Classroom Transformation Ideas

Pi Day Ideas for the ELA Classroom

Most of my teaching career, I taught in a departmentalized setting. Almost all of that time, I was the ELA and Social Studies teacher. As most in our community know, I love to incorporate hands on activities in the classroom. The last couple of years in the classroom, I would feel a bit of FOMO hit when Pi Day showed up. I would see the kids walk in all excited about the fun activities they had ... Read More about Pi Day Ideas for the ELA Classroom

Presidents Day Activities for Elementary Students

At this time of the year, we are trying to pull out all the stops in our upper elementary classrooms. Students are becoming antsy, anxious, bored, you name it. This is why making connections between what we are learning and current holidays is important. It helps break up the monotony and keeps things relevant. Let's talk about a few easy to implement Presidents Day Activities we can use to engage ... Read More about Presidents Day Activities for Elementary Students