Teaching With Haley O'Connor

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

Teacher Favorites: Dollhouses

Today I wanted to share my favorite "dollhouses" for encouraging creative play. I wanted to create a few posts in case you are a parent or grown up in a child’s life and are looking for gift ideas. These lists are also great for teachers who are looking to add more play into their curriculum and day. Sometimes I let my daughter choose her toys…we go to a store or check out a website and let ... read more

Teacher Favorites: Pretend Play

Today I wanted to share my favorite toys for pretend play. I wanted to create a few posts in case you are a parent or grown up in a child's life and are looking for gift ideas. These lists are also great for teachers who are looking to add more play into their curriculum and day. Sometimes I let my daughter choose her toys...we go to a store or check out a website and let her chose ... read more

Teacher Favorites: Building Toys

Today I wanted to share my favorite building toys. I wanted to create a few posts in case you are a parent or grown up in a child's life and are looking for gift ideas. These lists are also great for teachers who are looking to add more play into their curriculum and day. Sometimes I let my daughter choose her toys...we go to a store or check out a website and let her chose something she's ... read more

4 Resolutions You Can Actually Keep

Hi teacher! Today I want to share a few resolutions for the new year that I think you'll actually be able to keep! As teachers, it is so easy to put everyone ahead of ourselves. You might be tempted to set goals about learning more about your reading instruction or organize your manipulatives. But you have enough on your plate. I encourage you to set resolutions and goals for the new year that ... read more

My Favorite Fine Motor Games

Today I wanted to share some of my favorite games to keep on hand in your classroom. These would be great for indoor recess, but you could also make a case that they're beneficial to have out during literacy or math centers, or even tutoring! Fine and gross motor skills deeply affect student success, and we often get so much push back from school and district administrators. This post contains ... read more

Sensory Friendly Classroom Materials

Today I wanted to share a few of my favorite "sensory friendly" materials to keep in your classroom. These are great to keep when students are a little "fidgety," and seem to need extra sensory input. They're also great to use when students need brain breaks. Most of these items you can find on Amazon, but I've tried to find them at other "small shops" to support those businesses! This list is ... read more

Books for Teaching about Diwali

Hi! Today I wanted to share some of my favorite books for teaching about Diwali. Diwali is such a special holiday, celebrated by Indian and East Asian families all over the world. If you're looking to do a Diwali unit in your classroom, be sure to check out my Holidays unit. Diwali celebrates "good over evil," and is often called the "Festival of Lights." If you'd like to learn more about ... read more

Reindeer Picture Books

Hi! In my last post, I shared about my favorite non-fiction books for your Caribou unit. Don't forget, you can get a ton of Caribou activities HERE. Today I wanted to share some of my favorite reindeer picture books. These are a great addition to your caribou unit and to discuss Christmas traditions. However, I encourage you to make sure you're balancing these books with books celebrating ... read more

Nonfiction Books for Your Caribou Unit

Are you getting ready to teach about caribou and reindeer in your classroom? I love doing a quick thematic unit about caribou in December, as well as other arctic animals! I wanted to share a few of my favorite non-fiction books to use for your Caribou unit. If you need activity ideas, be sure to check out my Caribou unit. There actually aren't a ton of nonfiction books about ... read more

Caribou Activities

Hi! Today I wanted to share a few of my favorite activities for learning about caribou. All of these activities can be found in my Caribou unit. I love studying arctic animals during the winter! Because we live in Dallas, most of my students don't have much schema (background knowledge) about winter animals (or even winter, hah!) It's so important to me that my class is inclusive, so we ... read more

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  • Looking for sensory toys for your elementary classroom? I am sharing some of my favorite sensory input toys that are great for students that need help staying on task. For sensory needs in the classroom, I love to let students use these at their desk, during morning meeting, or mini-lessons. You can use them in a calm down corner. I share sensory bracelets and pop it fidget toys which are great classroom management tools. Weighted stuffed animals are also great for students with anxiety.
  • Today I wanted to share my favorite activities for learning about caribou. I am sharing my favorite arctic animal activities for caribou. You will find thematic vocabulary words to help students begin to learn context clues. You will also find directed drawings and nonfiction books about reindeer and caribou to use in this thematic unit. Students also get to work on an all about book for nonfiction writing. Find comprehension activities and nonfiction anchor charts! Great for readers workshop.
  • Are you looking for a fun way to spice up your reindeer week or caribou study? Students love learning about reindeer, and this unit allows you to reinforce important comprehension and writing skills! Use these reindeer activities to teach students all about inferences, main idea, and asking questions. There is a list of educational videos and nonfiction books about reindeer and caribou to go with this study. Use this during readers workshop nonfiction unit or add to your arctic animals study.
  • Gratitude is a hard skill for students to learn but with picture books, they are able to better understand and learn how to be grateful. In this post, I am sharing 4 books about gratitude for kids. These kids books about gratitude are great to read around Thanksgiving. These are some of my favorite November read alouds. They are not necessarily Thanksgiving books but they do tie in very well into the month of November. These are great to read during classroom meetings or readers' workshop.
  • Are you looking for reindeer books or caribou books to use as part of your arctic animals unit? I am sharing 8 caribou books and reindeer books you can use with any caribou activity or reindeer activity in your kindergarten, first grade, and second grade classroom. Use these books for your nonfiction books unit as well as for teaching students about nonfiction text features. Read these during readers workshop, keep in your classroom library, or have in browsing boxes for independent reading.
  • Teaching students about self-control is a huge part of social-emotional learning in the classroom. Today I wanted to share some of my favorite read-alouds for teaching self-control. These children’s books about self-control will help students to regulate their emotions, especially kids with big feelings. You will not only find picture books about self-control, but you will also find regulating emotions activities. These self control books are great for your calm down area in the classroom.
  • Are you looking for digital activities for vowel teams and diphthongs? These digital resources are easy to use and no prep on your part as an elementary teacher. Use these phonics activities during literacy centers, Daily 5, or guided reading groups. These literacy activities can be used on any device. There are magnetic letter activities, vowel team activities and diphthong activities. Students can work on creating sentences, cvc word activities, and finding missing words.
  • Looking for mindfulness books for kids? Look no further! In this post, I am sharing 8 mindfulness books for kids that tie into my mindfulness activities and resources. These mindfulness picture books for kids will help students to regulate their emotions and find calm in their day. Use these mindfulness children’s books in your calm down corner in your classroom. They are great for teaching students self control and calm down strategies during your social emotional learning block.
  • Are you looking for a fun way to spice up your reindeer week or caribou study? Students love learning about reindeer, and this unit allows you to reinforce important comprehension and writing skills! Use these reindeer activities to teach students all about inferences, main idea, and asking questions. There is a list of educational videos and nonfiction books about reindeer and caribou to go with this study. Use this during readers workshop nonfiction unit or add to your arctic animals study.
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