Vestal's 21st Century Classroom

with Meghan Vestal

The Classroom Management Plan No One Tells New Teachers

Are you a new teacher, struggling to come up with the perfect classroom management plan? If so, you are not alone! Classroom management is one of the biggest challenges all first-year teachers face. A positive classroom management system involves many parts. You’re probably aware of some of those parts such as creating classroom rules and building relationships with students, but there are other ... Read More about The Classroom Management Plan No One Tells New Teachers

Math Resources for New Teachers

If you’re a new teacher, I have an important question for you! How much time do you spend lesson planning each week? Most likely, you are spending several hours researching ideas and planning out your activities. If you have read my New Teacher Survival Guide, you know one of the most important tips I share is find your go-to resources and stick with those. Rather than spending hours searching the ... Read More about Math Resources for New Teachers

Halloween Read Alouds for Upper Elementary

To be perfectly honest, I am one of those people. You know, those people who love to go all out for holidays. I especially love celebrating the holidays in my classroom, which is a great way to make learning fun for students! But, when I do celebrate holidays at school, I try to always make sure that the holiday-themed activities align with standards I am teaching. During October, one of the best ... Read More about Halloween Read Alouds for Upper Elementary

6 Ideas for Teaching Colonial America

Welcome back to the second post in this series about creating hands-on history lessons. Last month, I shared tips for engaging students during your early explorers unit. Now, I am excited to share a few of my favorite ideas for teaching colonial America. By implementing these activities, your students are sure to have a blast while learning about the first permanent settlements and the 13 ... Read More about 6 Ideas for Teaching Colonial America

ELA Resources for New Teachers

How many hours do you spend planning each week? This is one of the biggest challenges new teachers face. Since you do not have years of prior lesson plans to refer to, it can be easy to spend hours every week writing lesson plans and researching the perfect activities that align with the standards. In my New Teacher Survival Guide, one of the tips I share is the importance of finding your go-to ... Read More about ELA Resources for New Teachers