Hallelujah! Yes, I did it! Though I have limited knowledge of video making/ software; I excitedly present my first short animated video, explaining what photosynthesis is. It is up for your judgment down below.
 
I spend hours and hours looking for the right video to enhance the content that I present to my kiddos in my classroom. However, sadly, despite that is time-consuming, very often my search is unsuccessful. Therefore, I had this idea of making them myself for a long time, but I always found a reason not to do it. Well.. No more. I finally did it!
If you can spare a minute (literally), please check it out, I would very much appreciate any feedback. Here's it is:

If you would like to use it in your classroom, you can download it is available on my TpT Store. Click here. 

An important aspect of Social Studies is civic education. Given the fact that this year is an election year in the United States of America, it offers an excellent opportunity for students to see democracy at work. Voting and elections are an essential part of the  U.S. Government.  At least take a peek into the electoral process - from party primaries to the general election, the qualifications to vote in 1776 and in the present, etc.  

The United States Presidential  Election 2016 has been a roller-coaster ride of suspense and surprises right from the start. In my belief, anyone living inside and outside of the United States of America should not miss this race replete with valuable “teachable moments.” It is unlike any other in modern history. Don’t you agree with me?

Therefore, I would like to share my findings with you. I have no doubt these free resources will get our kiddos excited and engaged. ​

Though, my kiddos love my engaging worksheets, I'd felt like my classroom was still missing. Well... It's not true anymore.

To make long story short, I will just say that yesterday, I spent long hours looking for interactive supplementary games and activities for my oceans and continents curriculum. Have you tried looking for it?

There is so much information out on the Internet, but not quite what I had in my mind. Thanks to the gods and guardian angels, I finally found something -> www.purposegames.com, where I became a game creator. 

It's Today, I came to realize that there were no sighs, rolling eyes, nor grunts when I said "that" word... "homework" while wrapping today's grammar lesson up. My heart filled up with unbelievable joy when I realized how far I came this school year. Believe me, it is worth celebrating it. 

Yes, there is constantly discussion going on about pros and cons of homework in our teacher's lounge but this post it is not about that. It's about "Why do teachers give homework if once they hated it themselves?"

I am the one who believes in the "magic" of homework. Oh... yes... I said it despite the fact that I do remember myself sitting in the class and eagerly waiting for the bell to ring, hoping my teacher forgets/ won't have time to assign the homework. I have to admit I had even days when I thought that some of the assigned homework were just a waste of my time. 

Today, as a teacher, I explain my every action to my kiddos because, as my practice shows, students tend to fight less when they understand the reason behind it.  So...

If you are like me, you are also in the process of last minute preparation for one of the most beautiful season of the year - spring. This year I am using St. Patrick's Day to kick start the "Season of Green". Using cultural celebrations around the world is an exciting way to promote internationalism and world citizenship in the classroom. I believe, incorporating different thematic learning across the curricular engages students. There is a ton of fun celebrating every single one of them. 

For the last several years I'd been using the resources such as crosswords, coloring pages, etc. Online world is full of various worksheets and handouts. However, this year I felt my classroom is ready for an upgrade to meet the needs of my students, so I got myself a challenge to create a set of St. Patrick's Day handouts.

This is the result: 

Are you counting the last hours of 2015 already? Are you ready for the new "monkey-ish" 2016? I'm trying to ease my way back into school mode slowly but determined for some great adventures. Fingers crossed, we will all have a smooth transition back to school in January!  

This time I would like to share with you my ideas for the first day after this winter break. Rather than 'getting tough' on kids, I do my best to take advantage of their energy and excitement at the New Year and use it to my advantage! These are the activities that I have in mind.

I have to admit I am one of those ESL teachers who believes in combining crafts with meaningful learning activities as we call it on TpT "craftivities". It does not seems like a big deal for an adult but I have noticed it is a "biggie" for my kids. 

After some time I naturally came to believe that my fifth graders are motivated better when they combine scientific problem, writing task and etc. with arts. They enjoy this form of activities more than plain worksheets or a blank page of their notebook. 

Making New Year’s resolutions is a tradition that I like to uphold as well. So every year after Winter Break I come back to my classroom with a new set of goals. It's a great opportunity to start fresh for me and my kids. 

There are some Mondays when I need a little more inspiration than others. Here is a kick start for today! I hope you will find it inspiring and helpful as well. 

Don't you often feel like you are a magician or that you are expected to be one in order to be the best teacher you could be? I know I do.