Teaching With Haley O'Connor

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

Ruby Finds a Worry

One of the most powerful ways we can connect with our students and normalize "big feelings" is by sharing quality literature with them. Often, they can identify with a character and label their emotions before they can label their own. Even if you're not ready to add Social-Emotional learning to your daily or weekly lesson plans, bringing in powerful read-alouds is a great first step. I am ... read more

Using Google Classroom™ for Remote and Digital Learning

Man what a crazy world we're living in! Years ago, I heard Google was moving into the education space. I was excited for what this could mean for students and teachers...especially in upper grades. But here we are and even Kindergarteners are learning to use Google™ and Google Classroom™! It's pretty exciting! Unfortunately, so many teachers are asked to use these tools without much help. I want ... read more

Teaching Social-Emotional Skills Digitally

Sometimes I wake up and feel like I'm dreaming...or maybe having a nightmare. I never imaged we would be trying to build relationships and teach social skills through a computer screen. It's difficult to teach math online...and guided reading is even more challenging. But tackling social-emotional learning is a "whole new monster." We use our body language, tone of voice, role-playing, and class ... read more

5 Simple {and FREE} Ways to Build Relationships Virtually with Students

Today I wanted to stop by and share 5 ways to connect with students virtually. Even though we're wrapping the year up, some of you may find you want to reach out to students over the summer. I hope you'll also keep this info in your back pocket in case we have to remain socially distant in the upcoming school year. 1. Using whatever platform you're currently using, send a fun video or photo ... read more

FREE Editable Awards

The end of the school year is so emotional. We're excited for summer and rest, but sad not to see the same little faces each day. We worry about them regressing over the summer and if we worked with them enough. This year is even more complicated as so many of you didn't get to say goodbye to students. The last few weeks of school are usually full of award ceremonies, parties, and lots of ... read more

Make the Most of Digital Student Memory Books

As we near the end of the school year, I've been racking my brain coming up with substitutes for all the fun EOY activities. Even though we won't be able to have award ceremonies in person or share our yearbooks together, we CAN still make special memories. I absolutely love this blog post that Elementary Nest wrote about digital ideas for the end of the year. She even has a free Balloon Pop ... read more

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in the Inclusive Classroom

This post contains affiliate links. As I have grown as an educator, I have started to see so many things in a new light. Mother's Day and Father's Day is something I went into teaching knowing it was sensitive. Having grown up with divorced parents and several step-parents, I knew it could be awkward for kids. I remember only getting one packet to fill out and wondering who I should give ... read more

PE Activities to Do at Home

This post contains affiliate links. That means I get a small compensation (at NO charge to you) for sharing links. I use these fees to keep this website up and running! Do you have that person in your life that stepped up for you when you really needed them? You look up to them and want to be just like them when you grow up? For me, that person is my Aunt Patti. She has been there for me my ... read more

Digital Activities for Vowel Teams and Diphthongs

This post contains affiliate links. That means I share a quick link for you on Amazon and I get a little referral fee. BUT they are always things I use frequently and believe in! This referral fee helps keep this website up and running and doesn't cost you anything! So sometime in the future you'll be reading this blog post and you may not remember these days. These days of shelter in place. ... read more

Easter Egg Learning Activities

About a month ago I grabbed some plastic eggs for my daughter's sensory bins. As we have used them to put pom poms in, in the bathtub and to build with, I remembered all the fun my students used to have with them. I wanted to share 5 simple activities you can put inside plastic eggs...but really you could put them inside anything they can hunt for! You could even just put them around your ... read more

Latest on Pinterest

  • This pack is perfect to practice addition and subtraction word problems. This story problem uses numbers 1-20, but mostly focuses on working with numbers between 10-20. Each topic has 10 word problem pages with 2 versions, a full page where students show their thinking by drawing a picture and writing it in words and a version has journal prompts. Spring Lesson Plans | Elementary Printable Worksheets
  • Spring Break is such a welcome break for teachers and students! But many students (and their parents) want engaging activities to complete at home! This math & literacy bundle is perfect to send home with my little ones over the break so I know that their minds are getting a little exercise. Spring Lesson Plans | Elementary Printable Worksheets | First Grade Resources
  • Read now on the blog...I would love if we occasionally set time aside to publicly praise EVERY student…in front of their class and class parents. I created a list of awards with my teacher friends. I wanted to make sure there were enough and that you could find something for every student. As I created this list, I thought about what we want to encourage in our students. What skills and traits will help them be successful in their future? | Resources for Teachers | Year End Awards |
  • The End of the Year can be incredibly stressful...but having the right tools can make it so much easier! This bundle is truly a survival kit! It's everything you'll need to wrap up your year and send your students home to have a successful summer! It includes best sellers First Grade Bootcamp and End of Year Memory Book, Crafts, Activities, Student Awards, and more, all in printable format! | First Grade Resources | Printable Lesson Plans | Elementary Teacher Resources |
  • The End of the Year can be incredibly stressful...but having the right tools can make it so much easier! This Summer Bucket List Craft and Activities Pack is perfect to wrap up your year and send your students home to have a successful summer - all in printable format! | First Grade Resources | Printable Lesson Plans | End of Year Lesson Plans |
  • Have you heard of the 2×10 strategy for behavior management? The first time I heard about it was many years ago from my administrator. Many teachers on our campus were struggling daily with classroom behavior and referring students to the office on a regular basis. We knew something needed to change, so she introduced us to this strategy. Learn more and get your printable conversation starters now!
  • Nonfiction Text Features - This unit is packed with activities to get your little ones exploring, identifying, and using text features in their nonfiction books. Teacher Resources Elementary | First Grade Printables | Printables for Learning | ELA Resources |
  • Building a classroom community is one of the most important things teachers can do and it greatly impacts our students academically! I created these units to support classroom instruction by explicitly teaching students about what we expect from them. In the same way that we provide direct instruction, activities, and practice in math and reading, I believe we should provide these same things for character education. | Social Emotional Learning | Character Education |
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