Teaching With Haley O'Connor

Let's build a better world together-one classroom at a time!

Books for Teaching Self-Control

Books for Teaching Self-Control

Today I wanted to share some of my favorite read-alouds for teaching self-control. When we teach our students to have self-control, they are more able to handle big emotions. An overly excited student might run around the room or yell. An excited student who’s showing self-control might feel the same emotions, but be able to tell their friend how excited… Read More

Non-Verbal Reminders for Students

Today I wanted to share some ideas for students who need frequent reminds to stay on task, complete their work, and use safe hands and feet. During my first few years of teaching, I focused a LOT on positive relationships with my kids. That meant I really focused on the way I talked to my students. Instead of “sit down,”… Read More

Gratitude Read-Alouds

Gratitude Read-Alouds

Gratitude is a challenging skill for so many students. So many families focus on “saying thank you” as soon as toddlers can talk. However, we don’t often talk about what it means to be grateful and how we can really show that. Students become robotic and teachers say, “What do you say?” when we give them something. But that does… Read More

Favorite Fall Books

Favorite Fall Books

Today I wanted to share some of my favorite books for celebrating Fall in the classroom. I LOVE Fall. I’m not sure what my favorite season is…but I know it’s not summer. I’m always so happy when it’s over! I do NOT like the heat. So as soon as I can start celebrating Fall, I am ready! Depending on your… Read More

Teacher Gift Free Download

Teacher Gift Free Download

This post contains affiliate links. I receive a small stipend when you purchase using my link. It doesn’t cost you anything, and I only recommend things I use and love. Hi! This week my daughter, Everly, started preschool. I planned for her to start a little earlier, but the past 18 months have been so crazy! As a teacher, I… Read More

Alternatives to Clip Charts

Alternatives to Clip Charts

Over the past few days, I’ve shared two other blog posts about clip charts in the classroom. First, I shared reasons why teachers choose to use clip charts. I feel like when we know what problem we’re trying to solve, we can come up with better solutions. Why Do Teachers Use Clip Charts Then, I blogged about what the experts… Read More

Latest on Pinterest

  • Alphabet and phonics charts are perfect for a warm up in guided reading, as supporting during writing, or as review for struggling readers! Simply print them on cardstock and model using them...before you know it students will begin using them independently in their reading and writing!
  • Holidays Around the World Interactive Read Alouds and Comprehension Activities by Teaching With Haley. Holidays around the world is the perfect time to promote diversity and acceptance! I wanted to choose some favorite read-aloud with diverse characters celebrating major holidays. From Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Christmas to Diwali, Chinese New Year read aloud, and more. Perfect diverse holiday activities for teaching Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and Homeschool students.
  • Looking for the best fall books to read to your elementary students? Today, I am sharing 6 of my favorite fall read alouds. Each of these picture books for kids has a great authors message and teaches students so many important lessons. Some of the books I share are great for teaching poems. You can even have students write their own fall poems. I also share a leaf book where students learn about leaves and how to identify different types of leaves. Enjoy these autumn books today!
  • Grab these All Are Welcome activities for back to school. This book is a great introduction to social-emotional learning about kindness, inclusion, and diversity. During the beginning of the school year, it's so important to set up a strong classroom community and start building relationships. This helps with behavior management and student learning. This literacy activity includes comprehension questions, vocabulary practice, and hands-on activities to go with All Are Welcome.
  • Are you looking for alternatives to clip charts for your classroom management system? In this post, I am sharing 5 classroom management strategies that will help your students feel valued and take ownership of their behavior rather than feel publicly shamed. These classroom management tools and ideas will empower kids to make good choices. Use these student behavior strategies to set students up for success. Focusing on intrinsic motivation is key.
  • Are you still using clip charts for your behavior management system? If this is your go-to classroom management system, it is important to identify why you are using this to manage student behavior. In this post, I am sharing why teachers chose to use clip charts over other classroom management tools. There are tons of other classroom management strategies out there but clip charts for managing behavior still are high on the list, especially for new teachers.
  • Are you looking for ways to honor Indigenous people in your elementary classroom? Currently our social studies curriculum is entirely lacking if we only include Native American history in November. In this post, I share two simple ways you can honor Indigenous people all year long. You can share the true history of Native Amaricans and European settlers or you can read some Native American books to help celebrate Native American culture. Use these read alouds during readers workshop today.
  • Are you using clip charts as part of your classroom management system? In this post, I am sharing 4 reasons why you should stop using clip charts in your elementary classroom today. Using a clip chart for behavior problems damages teacher student relationships and student relationships with their peers. Clip charts for behavior also don’t work long term. It is time to ditch this behavior management system and try something new.
  • All Are Welcome is the perfect read aloud for back to school. It is a great introduction to social-emotional learning about kindness, inclusion, and diversity. During the beginning of the school year, it's so important to set up a strong classroom community and start building relationships. This helps with behavior management and student learning. This book does a beautiful job celebrating diversity and helping students feel safe in our classrooms. Grab this All Are Welcome book activity!
Follow Me on Pinterest