ELA Exchange

Trying to remember names during the first few weeks of the school year can be a struggle. Name plates/tents help you to avoid awkwardly staring at a student while trying to remember their name or calling them by the wrong name. Students add their preferred name (and last initial if you prefer) and decorate--helping you create a connection between the student's name and his/her interests. This simple activity takes a few minutes and helps you build community on the first day by referring to s

Start the school year strong—without spending a dime. This folder includes 9 low-prep activities designed to help you build classroom community, learn names, and get students talking (and writing) from day one. Whether you're facing a bare classroom or don't have the creative energy or time, these quick and meaningful activities have you covered. Inside, you'll get: Creative memoir book spine templates A choose-your-own-adventure personality quiz A class similarity Google Form activity An edit

The first week of school is all about breaking the ice and building a sense of community—and these editable bingo cards make that process fun and low-pressure for students (and you!). This product includes two different bingo cards: one designed for whole-class “Get to Know You” fun, and one tailored for “Get to Know Your Group Mates”—perfect for collaborative seating arrangements. Both cards are ready to print and fully editable in Google Slides, so you can customize them to fit your grade

Have you ever needed to contact a student’s guardians, but their information is not updated in the school’s system? Have you ever contacted the estranged parent to discuss a student’s progress? Have you ever called a parent and gotten chastised for referring to the student by the nickname they use in class?  While your student information service may have a lot of official information, I find the gaps, the insufficient information, and the difficulty to use provides one more barrier to making t