The original Once Upon a Crime Reading Mystery Series follow a 'crack the code' format to reveal the clue. This has worked well for many students in many different classrooms. However, since no student or class is the same, recently I decided to develop a new structure that will give teachers the option to change the way these reading mysteries are delivered to best suit their students.  In this post, I will explain this new
​'B-Edition' structure and the new addition of word banks added to the original Once Upon a Crime Reading Packets.  

The rush of the school day can often lead to skipped meals or a last minute binge on refined sugary snacks. You know the feeling too well. We will hunt for anything in that staff cupboard that will give us that little boost we need to get through the last hour of the school day.

​I noticed that eating these types of foods became a habit of mine. This  caused my energy levels to crash and left me feeling worse than before!

But it doesn’t have to be this way! Super-foods are all the craze at the moment! The internet has tonnes of quick recipe and snack ideas for a busy lifestyle. Check out these seven superfood snacks for your teacher lunchbox!

​We encourage students to be their best possible selves. Let’s do the same!  

Critical thinking is a skill our children will certainly need throughout their lives.  As educators, it is part of our job to equip young minds with the ability to analyze situations, solve problems, and to question what they see and read. 

All of our students have a tremendous capacity! But, to tap into this capacity requires a gradual process that involves hard work and lots of patience. So how can we do what is necessary to help our students develop critical thinking skills? Keep on reading for some suggestions and strategies that you can start implementing at home or in the classroom today.

​As a student, art lessons were always one of my favourite subjects in class. Little did I know that as a teacher a lot goes into the preparation and organization of a well-run art lesson. It can sometimes go south very fast! The moment paint is spilled or two students think that wet paint brushes make for an excellent sword-fight, can be enough to put you off doing an art lesson again.

There is no such thing as a neatly organized art lesson, half the fun is to get messy! But perhaps there are a few things that could help make life a little easier during lesson time. 

Thanks to the internet, here are some brilliant art class hacks for keeping the chaos to a minimum while still allowing your students to explore their creative side!  

​My kids LOVE the game Hungry Hippos. It is one of our favorite games to play when it's 'game time.' Since I like to look for ways to turn any game into an opportunity for learning, I came up with a simple 'upgrade' to include some math to this fast and fun game. The math focus in this 'upgraded' activity will be addition with multiple addends. This activity is ideal for math practice at home, math centers, or a game corner if you have in the classroom. 

​Like all professions teaching has its ups and downs. It can become easy to forget the reasons why we chose the job in the first place. When you come home after a day of work and nothing went according to plan, you begin to question if you are really making a difference to the young minds in your class!   This week I have collected some of my favourite teacher movies that remind me of why I chose this path. I found that these films really helped me get back in touch with my personal teaching philosophy because I felt I could relate to the struggles, triumphs and ideals of these teachers. Through their determination and understanding these teachers gave their students a sense of empowerment and ability to think for themselves.
 Here are the top five teacher movies that will remind you of why you love what you do!