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Glow Day Classroom Transformation: ELAR Testing Prep Fun
Resources, Games, Transformations Aimee Marks Resources, Games, Transformations Aimee Marks

Glow Day Classroom Transformation: ELAR Testing Prep Fun

I’ve done Glow Day almost every year before state testing (except for last year, as I was on maternity leave), and it’s probably my favorite day of the school year ever. I completely transform the classroom and we spend an entire block playing games and preparing for the STAAR test. My kids have a blast and I have fun watching and interacting with them!

Although I personally use this to prepare for our state test, many educators have been purchasing this resource for use year-round. So, it’s totally feasible to use it to prepare for any test, or just when you want a fun way to review reading test taking strategies.

Keep reading to learn all about it!

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Interactive Poster Activity: Engaging Text Feature Review
Games Aimee Marks Games Aimee Marks

Interactive Poster Activity: Engaging Text Feature Review

I wanted a more interesting way to review text features with my students than with my school’s lesson plans said, so I found a way for them to do it that would get them moving, working together, involved in great conversations, and best of all - having FUN!

Keep reading if you want to learn more about what I did with my kids to review text features!

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Engage Students with Test Question Slap Down Review!
Resources Aimee Marks Resources Aimee Marks

Engage Students with Test Question Slap Down Review!

Test Question Slap Down is a strategy my school introduced me to, and I tried it on my kids. They seemed to enjoy it much more than doing it the boring way and sitting still in their desks. Though I made my slides last-minute (they were kinda ugly tbh), I made some nicer-looking slides to go along with this strategy so YOU don’t have to. Keep reading to learn more about it and download this resource to level up your classroom.

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Transform Your Classroom Management with CHAMPS Expectations
Classroom Management, Resources Aimee Marks Classroom Management, Resources Aimee Marks

Transform Your Classroom Management with CHAMPS Expectations

The truth is, classroom management is at its BEST when you set EXPLICIT expectations and follow through with natural consequences. Yes, you can reward positive behaviors, as many many students will respond positively to this. But you CANNOT leave out the expectations and consequences. Students should not just “be good” (though I hate the terms “good” and “bad” to refer to behavior) to get a piece of candy, as that is surface level and will not stick for long.

If the lack of explicit expectations sounds like your classroom, there is still hope! Many educators use what is known as CHAMPS to set these explicit expectations. Read more to discover what CHAMPS is all about.

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Transform Boring Test Review with Annotation Relay Game
Games, Resources Aimee Marks Games, Resources Aimee Marks

Transform Boring Test Review with Annotation Relay Game

The other day it was in our lesson plans to read a passage and annotate it together. That’s it. Great discussion points were listed, sure, but would that reach every student? Probably not. (Like I said… engagement is the key!!!) So I came up with this game called Annotation Relay. It was my way to meet my students where they were at and attempt to make the otherwise snoozefest lesson a bit more engaging.

I wanted to share a resource with you that can help you get started with this will even LESS prep than I did. The slides are ready to go for you with directions and rules, but you can edit them if desired. Keep reading to learn all about it.

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Transform Your Classroom with March Basketball Madness ELAR Skills Review
Resources, Transformations, Games Aimee Marks Resources, Transformations, Games Aimee Marks

Transform Your Classroom with March Basketball Madness ELAR Skills Review

Two words.

Basketball. Review.

With that certain… trademarked sports game taking place in March, what better way to join in on the fun but with centers/stations revolving around basketball? I have the PERFECT product for you to transform your classroom into a day of fun review!

Keep reading to see why you download the product, what’s included in the download, and a few tips on how to get started!

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My Story
Personal Aimee Marks Personal Aimee Marks

My Story

If you’ve fallen far enough the rabbit hole… congratulations! You’ve found this post. Now, a bit about me.

I’ve always had the propensity to learn, be creative, and teach others. Heck, when I was in elementary school, I would play school with my younger brother during the summer who was a soon-to-be-kindergartener. I’m sure many teachers have similar origin stories, so I’m not super original, but I do have fond memories of that time in my life. I would even give him grades! (If only I was on top of grades now as I was back then…)

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