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  • Ideas by Jivey

    Jivey shares ideas and lessons to make literacy accessible for all.

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    10 Things I’ve Learned From Teaching…

    July 23, 2013

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    Jivey shares ten tips of advice she learned from her own teaching career to help make your teaching life easier and less stressful!

    There are so many things I’ve learned from teaching, honestly. I’m going to start with what I think should truly be #1, and then the others will come in no particular order of importance. 🙂

    #1 – Do what you KNOW is best for your students. I know this sounds like a “duh,” but you’d be surprised at how easy it is to get caught up in what everyone else on your grade level is doing (or on a blog, or on TPT), but might not be right for your own kids. You are the expert in your classroom!! Sometimes, I just have to tell myself, “shut the door and teach.”

    Jivey shares ten tips of advice she learned from her own teaching career to help make your teaching life easier and less stressful!#2 – Humor is a great teaching strategy. Example: When I taught first grade, it never failed… someone spelled “put” like “foot” because they rhyme. All I had to do was tell them we don’t “poot” on our papers, and they never misspelled it again! And they laughed and laughed and laughed. 🙂  On that note… Kids will be kids. They think words like, “but” and “nuts” are funny (even when you aren’t talking about a butt or… well you get it). They think it’s hilarious if you have to spell something that has a double-p or a double-t aloud. Just roll your eyes and keep moving along!

    #3 – The students who make you want to pull your hair out are the ones you just have to remind yourself to love. Every day. Maybe every minute. 😛 When we got in this profession, we knew we would not get to “choose” our students. We agreed to love any and all students that walk in that door. But a reminder never hurts. Time-out in another room doesn’t either.

    #4 – Classroom Management Is Key. That would be the title of my book if I ever wrote one. Setting expectations on DAY ONE and staying consistent all year is so important. And sadly, we were never “taught” this in our college classes. In fact, there are a lot of things I wish they’d teach us, but then again, I guess the only way to learn those things are with experience! But I think one thing they SHOULD teach us when it comes to classroom management is that the best plans are ones that don’t just punish for negative behaviors. This was how I started my plan when I first started teaching, and I noticed I was only ever saying names for bad behaviors. My mentor swooped in and told me, “kids are looking for attention. They don’t care if it’s positive or negative! Rewarding students for the positive, though, will make those kids who generally receive negative think twice about their behavior.” I changed my management plan right then and never looked back. Will you still have “those kids?” Of course. But I AM A HAPPIER TEACHER because I look for the good instead of the bad!!

    Jivey shares ten tips of advice she learned from her own teaching career to help make your teaching life easier and less stressful!

    #5 – Parents can make or break your school year. Get them on your side!! I like to follow the compliment sandwich rule in conferences – (positive) (concern) (positive). I also like to send something home in the first week of school praising something their child did that week!

    #6 – Pick your battles. Some things you are very passionate about just aren’t valuable to others. Don’t let that devalue you, though. Keep doing what you know is right and only “fight” for what you feel is absolutely the most important.

    #7 – Be realistic about grading. I can’t tell you how many times a week I carry my school bag home full of papers, and there it sits on the floor until I walk out with it again the next morning. I do a lot of work at home, don’t get me wrong. But you know when you just aren’t in the mood. Save your back some strain. Or even better- grade one stack before you leave school. You feel good that you accomplished something, and you can leave the rest!

    #8 – Vent. No one likes a constant complainer, I know. But if you keep all of it bottled up, it makes a not-very-nice teacher. Find someone who will listen, and who will vent back. But just remember, that can’t be the only conversation you have! Share positive stories, too!

    #9 – Don’t reinvent the wheel. There are SO MANY great resources out there, some free, and some not. Don’t spend every waking minute creating or thinking up lesson ideas. I’m not saying don’t ever create. I’m saying, COLLABORATE. There are many ways to do this. With your grade level of course, but also through the online teacher community! I’m a part of several great online Facebook groups for teachers, and of course…. BLOGS! I have gotten some of my best lessons from teachers who share their ideas on blogs. Just be sure when you enter these communities, you are willing to share ideas too, and not just take from others.

    Jivey shares ten tips of advice she learned from her own teaching career to help make your teaching life easier and less stressful!

    #10 – Maybe this last tip should be tied with #1 actually, because it’s pretty darn important. Make learning FUN. You know the feeling of sitting in an inservice, totally bored because the presenter reads every slide, never lets you talk or get up and move around… don’t do that to your kids!! Let the kids TALK and SHARE with each other. That’s actually proven to be the best way for students to learn! A quiet room is a boring room. And make them move! Those kids who never want to stay still will thank you.

    I hope you were able to learn and reflect on these tips- or maybe they were just good reminders to you as you prepare for your next school year!

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    by Jessica Ivey 

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    Welcome!

    Welcome!

    Hi, I'm Jessica, also affectionately known as Jivey! I am passionate about making literacy accessible for all students using research-based strategies. Students learn best through content integration and in-context skills, and my goal is to help you deliver your instruction with these best practices!

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    Ideas By Jivey

    19 hours ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    😍Teachers LOVE using the paired texts I've written! 📖With original passages (differentiated for two reading levels) and multiple-choice & constructed response questions that require students to go back into the text for the answers (not basic-level comprehension), you are able to tackle rigorous reading standards while integrating social studies and science content into ELA to maximize much-needed time!Plus, bonus!! Students actually enjoy the passages' topics (no yawns through lessons)! 🚫😴Check out this set for Westward Expansion here! 👉https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paired-Texts-Print-Digital-Westward-Expansion-Grades-4-6-1811055 ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

    2 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    Happy World Poetry Day!! 📖🖋️☕️Need a ready-to-teach close-reading poetry resource? Grab it here! www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Close-Reading-Poetry-Through-the-Year-Printable-Digital-2216146 ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

    3 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    🦎Here's another fantastic book you won't want to miss for Women's History Month on this Mentor Text Monday!🐉Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles by Patricia Valdez is the inspiring biography of the pioneering female scientist who loved reptiles.Get the resource I've made to go along with the book to have:★a mentor sentence lesson for the book★an interactive notebook activity to review/teach abstract nouns★eight reading ideas suggested with three activities provided: supporting an inference, key details and main idea, and vivid verbs★one writing idea suggested with a writing prompt given★contextual vocabulary activitiesGet it in the All-Access Mentor Text Membership: members.ideasbyjivey.com/all-accessGet the unit on TPT: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Joan-Procter-Dragon-Doctor-Mentor-Text-Digital-Print-Unit-802...Get the unit on Jivey's website: www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/joan-procter-dragon-doctor-mentor-text-digital-print-unit/ ... See MoreSee Less

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    😍Teachers LOVE using the paired texts I've writ 😍Teachers LOVE using the paired texts I've written! 

📖With original passages (differentiated for two reading levels) and multiple-choice & constructed response questions that require students to go back into the text for the answers (not basic-level comprehension), you are able to tackle rigorous reading standards while integrating social studies and science content into ELA to maximize much-needed time!

Plus, bonus!! Students actually enjoy the passages' topics (no yawns through lessons)! 🚫😴

Check out this set for Westward Expansion at the link in my profile!

#ideasbyjivey #fabulousfeedback #pairedtexts #pairedpassages #iteach456 #upperelementary #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers 
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paired-Texts-Print-Digital-Westward-Expansion-Grades-4-6-1811055
    Happy World Poetry Day!! 📖🖋️☕️ Need a Happy World Poetry Day!! 📖🖋️☕️

Need a ready-to-teach close-reading poetry resource? Grab it at the link in my profile! 

#worldpoetryday #worldpoetryday2023 #ideasbyjivey #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers #iteachtoo #iteach456 #poetryintheclassroom 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Close-Reading-Poetry-Through-the-Year-Printable-Digital-2216146
    🦎Here's another fantastic book you won't want t 🦎Here's another fantastic book you won't want to miss for #womenshistorymonth  on this #mentortextmonday!

🐉Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles by Patricia Valdez is the inspiring biography of the pioneering female scientist who loved reptiles.

Get the resource I've made to go along with the book to have:
★a mentor sentence lesson for the book

★an interactive notebook activity to review/teach abstract nouns

★eight reading ideas suggested with three activities provided: supporting an inference, key details and main idea, and vivid verbs

★one writing idea suggested with a writing prompt given

★contextual vocabulary activities

This is just one of over 150 books in the All-Access Mentor Text Membership! Join at the link in my profile! https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/all-access

#ideasbyjivey #picturebooks #mentortext #mentorsentence #teachersfollowteachers #iteach345
    When do YOU teach grammar? 🤓 📓If you're usi When do YOU teach grammar? 🤓

📓If you're using the #mentorsentences routine, I suggest beginning your writing time with it! You want grammar and language to be directly connected to their writing.

This also helps get students into a writing frame of mind, and often gives them a purpose for writing that day! ✏️

Read more about the mentor sentences routine at the link in my profile!

#ideasbyjivey #mentortexts #teacherspayteachers #upperelementary #grammarteacher

https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/routine
    🔍Research has proven that #vocabulary words mus 🔍Research has proven that #vocabulary words must be presented in context for proper comprehension.

📖That means... throw out the word lists for kids to look up in a dictionary and memorize the definition!!!

📚Picture books are vital – yes, even in the upper grades – to allow students to use the images to help with context and infer the meaning of words. One way to present vocabulary words effectively is to teach through texts you are already using for other lessons!

😍You can find over 150 weeks' worth of contextual vocabulary activities just like these in the All-Access Mentor Text Membership- link in profile!!

#ideasbyjivey #upperelementary #mentortexts #teachingvocabulary #teachersfollowteachers #iteach345 

https://members.ideasbyjivey.com/all-access
    🍀What book are you reading this week for St. Pa 🍀What book are you reading this week for St. Patrick's Day?

Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman is a fun one!

Need some last-minute activities?

You can find an entire unit for this #mentortext in Ideas by Jivey's All-Access Mentor Text Membership, as well as on TPT (link in profile)!

#stpatricksdayintheclassroom #ideasbyjivey
#mentorsentences #upperelementary
#teachersfollowteachers #teacherspayteachers
#iteach345

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fionas-Luck-St-Patricks-Day-Mentor-Text-Digital-Print-Leprechaun-Book-Unit-7821146
    I LOVE reading #fabulousfeedback from you all! 🤩 This one makes me especially happy because I know committing to a new routine like mentor sentences is a mindset shift, but I always hear such positive results once teachers do! ❤

Check out #mentorsentences on my website or my TPT store! www.ideasbyjivey.com

#ideasbyjivey #iteach #iteachtoo #mentortexts #grammarteacher #elementaryela #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers
    🍀🌈💰For today's #mentortextmonday, let's g 🍀🌈💰For today's #mentortextmonday, let's get excited for St. Patrick's Day this week! 

I have the perfect #picturebook: 🍀Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman. It's an original folktale with a little girl power mixed in!

Get the resource I've created for it and you'll have: 
🍀a mentor sentence lesson for the book

🍀an interactive notebook activity to review/teach figurative and literal language

🍀six reading ideas suggested with three activities provided: citing evidence, character analysis, and defining using context clues

🍀one writing idea suggested with a writing prompt given

🍀contextual vocabulary activities

🍀science integration - design a leprechaun trap with simple machines

You can find this unit in Ideas by Jivey's All-Access Mentor Text Membership, as well as on TPT (link in profile)! 

#stpatricksdayintheclassroom #ideasbyjivey #mentortext #mentorsentences #upperelementary #teachersfollowteachers #teacherspayteachers #iteach345

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fionas-Luck-St-Patricks-Day-Mentor-Text-Digital-Print-Leprechaun-Book-Unit-7821146
    🤔 So what's so special about using #mentorsente 🤔 So what's so special about using #mentorsentences instead of lectures and worksheets?

💡Engagement in the daily class discussions around language is what will give many students a “lightbulb moment” and help those skills transfer to writing. 

Holding these high-level conversations are when the students are going to learn the MOST. 🥳

Read more at the link in my profile! 

#ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #iteach345 #mentortexts #upperelementaryteacher #grammarteacher 

https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/routine
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