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word work activity samples with cards, pocket charts and wipe off pockets

Word Work Activities Extravaganza!

Independent, small group and guided word work activities are an essential part of learning to…

Daily Literacy Practice Activities

Kindergarten Literacy Activities

Kindergarten literacy activities are an essential component of building student mastery. They also develop ownership…

Chunky Monkey Featured Image

Phonics & Sight Word Practice with Chunky Monkey

I love incorporating phonics and sight word practice with chunky monkey. This phonics strategy is…

Reading and Writing Strategies posters and bookmarks

The Most Important Reading & Writing Strategies

On the road to building decoding and fluency mastery, students need to incorporate a variety…

1st Grade Life Science NGSS

First Grade NGSS Life Science – Plants and Animals

I’ve added NGSS First Grade Life Science to our NGSS repertoire. The three first grade…

How to Customize Your Teacher Planner

Teacher planners with evenly spaced boxes are simply not helpful. Personalizing your teacher planner is…

Editable Monthly Newsletter

Editable Monthly Newsletter

Providing parents with continual updates and communication is important. I use an editable monthly newsletter…

Friday Note

Weekly Parent Communication

Make a habit of communicating with your parents on a routine basis. Every Friday I…

Engaging Writing

Engaging Writing Curriculum

Teaching writing is a stress inducer for a lot of teachers. Engaging Writing is here to help! During my…

Jellyfish hanging in classroom

Jellyfish Craft

Open House is right around the corner. That means our classroom is being transformed into…

St. Patrick's Day FREEBIE

St. Patrick’s Day Classroom FREE Activities

I have a little St. Patrick’s Day Freebie to share with you. One of my…

FREE Sub Plans

Sub Plans Made Easy

Taking a day off as a teacher means writing sub plans. We all know how…

Space Systems - NGSS 1st Grade

Patterns and Predicability with NGSS – Space Systems

The lens of our space systems is such a fun way to explain the patterns…

Ensure Word Work is Engaging & Meaningful

With winter around the bend, my classroom is becoming a winter wonderland!  We will start…

Animal and plant habitats. Engaging bulletin boards for thematic learning. TraciClausen.com

Engaging and Rich Social Studies and Science Content

There is no busy like back-to-school busy! There’s no crazy like it either!! Right? I…

Classroom Decor

Classroom Reveal and Some FREEBIES!

Monday was our first day back with the kiddos. It’s been an exhausting but fun…

7 Keys to Effective and Engaging Reading Instruction

7 Keys to Effective & Engaging Reading Instruction

Teaching little humans to read is often the most rewarding and challenging part of the…

How to Keep the Hassle Out of Desk Nameplates

Nameplate Pros and Cons I’ve had mixed feelings about desk nameplates for a while. CON:…

Effective Student Grading

Morning Routines and Building Mastery

I’m linking up with Jen over at Teacher by the Beach again for Monday Motivation…

No Fuss Interactive Math

No Fuss Interactive Math Lessons & Curriculum

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I am ALL about keeping…

Interactive Word Wall

Word Walls

I’m linking up with Jen over at Teacher By the Beach for her Monday Motivation…

Clipboards & Posters

How to Make Personal-Sized Clipboards

I received a few emails about the clipboards shown in my Daily Schema Review post.…

Schema Review Cards

Daily Schema Review – Concept Practice and Mastery

Do you ever need to fill a few minutes in class? Want those minutes filled…

Vanilla Sherbet Classroom Essentials

Vanilla Sherbet Classroom Decor

Peeps! I’m so excited about my new classroom essentials resource, Vanilla Sherbet classroom decor! After…

March Resource Round Up

March Resource Round-Up – Leaping into Spring – and a FREEBIE!

I’m sharing a few of my favorite March activities with you today. I cannot believe…

Lulu Love Bird - Traci Clausen

Creative Writing with Lulu the Love Bird

Valentines Day cuteness and creativity in the form of Lulu the Love Bird narrative writing is joining…

Valentines Day - Traci Clausen

You A-Maze Me! Valentine Card Freebie

Each Valentines Day I give my kiddos a homework pass along with a cute Valentine…

Symbolism and Patriotism crafts and readers

American Symbols and Presidents

We have a full month celebrating American Symbols and Presidents. There’s going to be a…

Groundhog Phil Display

Happy Groundhog Day!

Wow, did January ever fly by!! I cannot believe we will already be celebrating Groundhog…

Elf Glyph and Narrative Writing Lesson - Engaging Teaching with Traci Clausen

Quick and Adorable Elf Glyph and Narrative Writing Lesson

Throughout the month of December, my class studies Holiday Customs Around the World. But as…

Management Strategies

5 Effective Management Strategies

Most teachers say that one of their greatest obstacles in their daily work life is…

Birthday gift tags and jumbo pens

How to Celebrate Student Birthdays – Quick and Easy – with a FREEBIE!

I’ve been getting things ready I have been implementing a few changes again this year.…

Writing Rubrics and Grammar Assessments

Simple Solutions for Grading Writing and Grammar

Grading student writing can be a cumbersome process. Often the tools provided to teachers to…

Syllable Fun

S’more Syllable Fun – Use Your Jaw!

Do your kids ever do this? Time and time again I find that my little…

Write About It Journal Prompts

Write About It!

Sometimes all we need is a little inspiration to spark a whole lot of creativity.…

Reflections of 2015 - Engaging Teaching with Traci Clausen

Reflections of 2015

I cannot believe it’s time for our annual reflections linky party! I honestly cannot believe…

Become a Sight Word Hero!

Are your kids sight word heroes? Practicing those high-frequency words can be daunting, but necessary.…

Holiday Customs Around the World - Traci Clausen

Holiday Customs Around the World

 Our first trimester of school has come to an end. That always signals the beginning…

Differentiation and Stem - Engaging Teaching with Traci Clausen

Differentiation and Stem

Carson Dellosa recently sent me a couple of products to try out in my classroom.…

Falling Into Literacy Resource Parts

Falling Into Literacy

I love engaging my students in all aspects of reading, writing and phonics with fall literacy…

Alphabet and Phonics Cards - Engaging Teaching with Traci Clausen

Alphabet and Phonics Cards

I think classroom environment is important. It’s important that all that your students’ environment is…

Read the Rainbow

I’ve known and worked with a couple of the teachers that man our Kindergarten team…

Supply Caddies

I STRONGLY believe that teachers have more important things to do than worry about organizing…

Classroom and Time Management & Organization Routines

Save your sanity with some simple tweaks and changes that will simplify your classroom and…

Behavior Management Music Box

Behavior Management Made Simple

Behavior management systems are a touchy subject. It makes sense that they are. We all…

Phonics mastery activities

Building Phonetic Mastery!

It’s difficult for me to narrow down my favorite thing to teach in 1st grade.…

Goofing Off with Owls and Common Core

I go back this coming Wednesday. I can’t even believe it. Where did the time…

back to school necessities

Back to School Essentials

It’s definitely an exciting and hectic time. Over the years there are a few things…

“I Have” Morning Wake Up!

I like “I Have – Who Has” games. In fact I have a free one…

Crayon Cubbies

Crayon Cubbies

Some things that define me: Organization freak. Obsessed with keeping things simple. Clutter despiser. Lover…

School Family Library – Title 1 Students and Families Support

We are a Title 1 school with a high English Language Learner population. We strive…

Wish List Wednesday – Morning Wake Up!!

It’s time for WISH LIST WEDNESDAY! This week I am highlighting my morning work for K-2,  Morning…

Sit Spot Love

SitSpots – An AMAZING Classroom Rug and Management Tool!

Have you heard of the incredible classroom rug and management tool – SITSPOTS?! I am…

FREE Odd and Even Posters

I have some free odd and even posters for you today! One of my fabulous…

Money Poem & Assessment

Money Poem and Test FREEBIE

With common core in full force, we don’t do as much with money or coins…

Calendar Simplicity and Bright and Bold Classroom Essentials

I use a LOT of business card magnets. I love them. SERIOUSLY. They are the…

Summertime Writing

Summer Writing Lessons – Beat the Backward Slide!

And just like that, summer is nearly upon us! Time absolutely flies when you are…

Writing Through the Sea!

Our classroom has been transformed into an ocean wonderland over the past few weeks. The…

Open House – A Growth Showcase!

The end of the year is near peeps! We just had our Open House last…

Backward Plan Part 3

Backwards Planning for School Year Success Part 3

School year curriculum mapping and planning for school year success is an essential part of…

Backward Plan Part 2

Backwards Planning for School Year Success Part 2

Are you ready to begin year curriculum mapping and planning for next school year? Let’s…

Backward Plan part 1

Backwards Planning for School Year Success Part 1

My team’s year curriculum mapping and planning for next year is done! It feels fabulous…

Spectacular Sentence – Identifying Sentence Types

A lot of what we do in the primary grades is repetitive. This is often…

Sunny Sunflower Plant Facts

Spring is around the corner. It was over 80 degrees here in SoCal today in…

My Place on the Map

Some of the concepts that our kiddos need to learn can be quite abstract. Understanding…

Meaningful and Engaging Morning Work for K-2!

A while back I wrote about one of my favorite daily activities – MORNING WORK…

Interactive Notebooks on the Fly

Every once in a while there are those days when everything you planned kind of…

Full of CHEER to Begin the NEW YEAR FREEBIE!!

I hope you are enjoying your break! I’m so sad that an entire week is…

Reading & Writing Resources

Holiday-Themed ELA Activities

Is your December a whirlwind? I enjoy teaching in December. It’s fun and quick. But…

Pumpkin Pie Tasting Adjectives FREEBIE

This week is going to be busy in my classroom. We just have this week…

Progress Reports – Quick and Easy and FREE!

It’s hard to believe that it is already time for progress reports! This year we…

Digging Deep DOK, Bloom's, & Learning Practices

Engaging Learning Practices and Higher Level Thinking!

Engaging and engaging learning practices and higher level thinking should be at the core, the…

Teacher Schedules, Planning and Management

Another day of Meet the Teacher week. This week we are sharing about teacher schedules,…

How I Stay Organized!

I’m super excited about Wednesday’s “Meet the Teacher Week” topic. Do you see that? It…

Where I Teach

Whoa… two blog posts in a row! I’m on a roll. And I’m cheating. Shhh……

Classroom Simplicity 3 Ways

Classroom SIMPLICITY – 3 Ways!

Desert 5 ways?! Yes please! Yum! Now this post is going to be a little…

parent guide

Keeping Parents Informed – Editable FREEBIE

Those first few weeks are EXHAUSTING aren’t they? Each year I get a little better…

Back to School - 1st Days Activities

Easing BACK into SCHOOL – 1st Day Fun!

Some of you teacher peeps are already heading back to the classroom and enjoying all…

EASY, Reusable Class Books – Bright Idea

My Bright Idea this month is actually a re-run from a couple of years ago.It’s…

Hanging Jelly Fish in an Ocean Habitat

Open House is a few weeks away for us. I know a lot of you…

Permanent Art Tile Note Holders and Some Teacher Appreciation

Happy Teacher Appreciation week peeps! I have a couple of freebies for you to start…

Diving into Summer – Reading, Word Work, Writing Activities, & Crafts

I just finished my latest seasonal reading, word work, writing and craft resource. It’s perfect…

A Regrouping FREEBIE and…Digging Deep and Common Core

Last week I shared a pic about our kinesthetic math. I said I had a…

Five for Fraturday

I know. I’m a thief. I stole that title. From a dear friend, even. Hopefully,…

Ditch the File Cabinet! A School Year in BINDERS!

I’m sharing one of my FAVORITE things with you today. In my opinion, it’s an…

Listening the First Time – or Not

One.more.week. They are ready. I am ready. We all need spring break, already. Last week…

Be Prepared to Have SitSpot Envy!

I’ve had rug envy. I admit it. For years and years I had this type…

Interactive Word Wall…BRIGHT IDEA!

I have another easy-peasy BRIGHT IDEA for you today. I had had a love-hate relationship…

Spring is on the Horizon!!

This past week we started our plant and life cycle science. The bulletin boards are…

A Sprinkling of SPRINGS and Gears

It’s adorable… right? Who knew I even liked robots. Certainly not me! He’s the craft…

Practical Calendar Time (a revisit)

A few days ago I received an email from a teacher peep asking about calendar…

Interrupter Stopper… BRIGHT IDEA!

I have an easy-peasy BRIGHT IDEA for you today. During those times when you are…

Fairy Tale Takes and Tweaks.

I am kind of in LOVE with takes and tweaks on familiar stories – like fairy…

Listen Up! This is AMAZING!

So do you have a silent class? Do they listen the first time? Are they…

Map-Things and FREEBIES

Our social studies theme for January is “Our Place in the World”. It fits in…

Super Penguin to the Rescue

Penguins and How to Teach Narrative Writing

Do you love penguins? I LOVE them! They are just so adorable, quirky and different.…

New Year Activity for Primary Students

It’s hard to believe it’s already time to ring in a new year!! I have…

Holiday Classroom Ideas FREEBIES -Engaging Teaching with Traci Clausen

December in a Primary Classroom

December in a primary classroom has its challenges! These free activities fill the days with fun and engagement... and a little sanity, too!

Student Gifts for Parents & Teacher gift for Students

These holiday crafts are fun and easy student gifts for parents. The clipboard sign is perfect teacher gift for students as a holiday gift AND as a classroom decor item. Check out all of the FREEBIES on this post.

Daily Literacy Practice

I had some inquiries about my Daily Literacy Practice for 1st grade, so I thought…

Increase Student Engagement with Practice Work

Ever wonder how to increase student engagement with practice work? Are you fearful that some…

differentiated back to school based opinion writing lesson

Back to School Opinion Writing – An Exciting New School Year

This past week my kiddos worked on opinion writing again. In between our Engaging Writing…

Journal Quick Writes

Quick-Writes – Easy Journal Activities

A sweet teacher emailed me and asked me if I ever used journals – and,…

The Golden Ruler

Writing with a Golden Ruler – Back to School Writing

Writing with a Golden Ruler combines an important social studies lesson with writing. It’s always…

All About Me Adjectives Feature Image

Adjective Mastery Through Shared Writing & More

I have a perfect for back to school adjective lessons to share with you today.…

A Slice of Summer

Picnic Thieving Ants – A Back to School Activity

Picnic thieving ants have taken over my room! I am excited to share this fun…

1st Grade Measuring Stick

Back to School Already?

Today I am going to share with you some of my first-grade first-day activities that…

Balanced Literacy

Of all the subjects, ELA is my favorite. I have a huge passion for reading…

smarty pants booklet and owl craft

PHONICS Smarty Pants – First Grade Phonics Review

This first grade phonics review activity is so fun and helps the kids see precisely how much they've learned in phonics throughout the year.

Kids making a paper orca

An Ocean Themed Classroom Unit

Our ocean unit is my FAVORITE! This classroom flip is so much fun. The ocean habitat is such an engaging topic for the kids. Turning the classroom into an underwater world filled with all of my students hard work is so fun!

Spring Writing Lesson – Raining Cats and Dogs!

I’m here! I’m here! Thanks for all the well wishes, comments and emails. That little…

How to Teach Narrative Writing to Primary Students

The Writer's Workshop model and I are not great friends. There are definitely more engaging and effective ways to teach our little ones about writing.

Gnomes, mushrooms and coins

Skip Counting & Coin Counting

We’ve been working on skip counting in class. We do all kinds of things to…

boy holding egg timer

The Best Teacher Advice Ever!

I’ve been thinking about how overwhelming things were my first few years of teaching. Well,…

Favorite Class Signals

Favorite Classroom Management Ideas

I have a bunch of my favorite classroom management ideas to share with you today.…

Valentine’s Day Freebies

I have a couple of Valentine’s Day Freebies to share with you today. I hope…

Bossy & Silent e Poster

Bossy E & Silent E FREEBIES!

Teaching literacy, despite its many challenges, is so rewarding and fun. All the abundance of…

past and present projects

Our Changing Times

Comparing the past and present is a perfect theme for the month of November. I LOVE…

habitat crafts cactus owl monkey banana bear blanket elephant grasslands

Happening Habitats

Our science focus this month is plant and animal habitats and their environments. In addition…

Behavior Management

FREE Classroom Forms to Communicate with Parents

I have some little FREE classroom forms I’d like to share with you to help…

Progress Monitoring with Book Boxes

Progress Monitoring

There are 3 top LOVES/NEEDS/MUSTS I have in teaching. Progress monitoring is a definite must…

Standards Planning Consistency

Standards Planning with Consistency

There are 3 basic LOVES/NEEDS/MUSTS I have in teaching. They are what I think most define…

How Does Your Dragon Fly?

How to Teach Kids the Difference Between Questions and Statements

Do you snicker and giggle and roll your eyes and say “oh no” in your…

Parent Helper Gift – S’more Bag Topper

It’s important to let those who lend help to your classroom know that you are…

Open House – A First Grade Grand Finale

Our Open House was last night. I really love Open House {and not only because…

Rainbow Fish Fun!

It’s like being on a runaway train… isn’t it?Powering at high speed, you can’t get…

Ocean-Themed Writing Lesson

We are continuing with our ocean-themed writing lessons. But yesterday we didn’t use an ocean…

Cloud Science Freebie

I’m up to my eyeballs with weather writing… storms, seasons, clouds. We’ve become experts. We’ve…

Weather Science, ELA & Art

Fabulous Weather and a Freebie

I have some things to share about teaching weather science, but . . . Let’s…

MarchPoem

March POETRY

I have a little March poem FREEBIE for you today. As I’ve mentioned before, we…

Class Callbacks

Holy Moly… Guacamole!

Do you use attention grabbers or class call backs? They are a MUST HAVE in…

Tooth Month Writing Lesson – Toothy Tales

A tooth month writing lesson is a great addition to our writing block in February.…

The BEST Classroom Pencil Sharpener

The BEST classroom pencil sharpener? Hmm…. I’m skeptical. Often. Although it serves its purpose, it’s…

100th Day of School Activity

I have a FREE 100th Day of School activity for you. Our 100th day of…

IT’S JUST a SENTENCE

I have no idea what it is this year… my kiddos are REALLY struggling with…

Bring on Winter

Winter-Themed Activities

I’ve been so good about relaxing, not fretting, not working this break. But then I…

Mama Bear and BEER DRINKIN’ REINDEER

I have some fabulous root beer drinking reindeer things to share with you – but…

Dictionary and vocab freebie

It’s a bird, it’s a plane…. It’s VOCABULARY COLLECTOR!

I wish I had something witty or interesting to share with you. I’ve been battling…

MUMMY ACTIVITY CUTIE

I absolutely LOVE this adorable book. I picked it up on Amazon: Where’s My Mummy?…

Word Work iPhones- FREEBIE

I decided to make my little firsties some word work iPhones. The kids use wipe…

Penmanship Poster

Penmanship Sticking Points

Do some of your kiddos struggle with penmanship? This “Penmanship Sticking Points Poster” has REALLY…

I have Who Has Cards

CVC Word Work – “I Have – Who has” CARDS

I’m excited share these CVC word work games that I use at the beginning of…

I’m passionate about helping teachers find their joy, develop efficiency and ignite their own teaching strengths. I’m so happy you’re here!

 

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