The Classroom Commute
If you have a classroom and a commute, then you're in the right place! The Classroom Commute Podcast is THE place for busy teachers who want actionable tips, simple teaching strategies, and a little fun on your ride in to school! Carpool with Rachael each week as she helps to send you in with a grin! Each week Rachael shares simple, yet powerful teaching tips, ideas, and strategies that will help you become a more effective teacher, and maybe help you enjoy your job a little more!You'll find actionable tips for how to make your lessons more engaging for your elementary students, ideas for including more classroom technology, new activities to implement, ways for building a stronger classroom community, and strategies for all content areas including science, social studies, reading, writing, and math!And of course, there will be a little teacher humor along the way! So - buckle up and let's hit the road on your classroom commute!
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 18 minutes
- Episodes
- 149
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2022
8 Tips for Having the Best First Day of School...EVER!
The first day of school is typically filled with all kinds of emotions.
You're excited to meet your new students, show off your fresh classroom, and dive in to a brand new year.
You're also likely fe…
Developing a Strong Classroom Management System
It may be one of your least favorite things to spend time and energy on, but many would argue that it is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing you will do all year.
I'm talking about classroom management, of cour…
Building Stronger Classroom Communities
Positive classroom communities can make or break your school year.
It’s that simple.
Inventing time in building a strong community in your classroom will serve you well all year. In this episode, I’m …
It’s time to Fine-Tuning Your Instruction with New Teaching Strategies and Best Practices
We all need a tune-up now and then.
Whether you’ve been teaching for 1 year or 20 years, teachers are life-long learners.
Not only that, education is ALWAYS changing (for better or worse), and it’s alw…
Curriculum Mapping & Planning For a New School Year
What makes the crock-pot one of the best kitchen inventions?
It’s the fact that you can prep ahead of time, set it, and then forget it. You do the work early on, and then you don’t have to think abou…
CCP: Episode 23 // Mastering Classroom Organization
Welcome to week 2 of the "Getting Your Year in Gear" summer teacher challenge! Set the foundation for a successful school year by spending time BEFORE the school year starts getting organized! This…
Classroom Decor and Design Made Easy
Welcome to week one of the "Getting Your Year in Gear" teacher summer challenge! This week we are discussing how to design the perfect classroom! I've got tips for choosing a classroom theme or col…
CCP: Episode 21 // It's time to Get Your Year in Gear (FREE Teacher Summer Challenge!)
Join me this summer for the 2020 “Getting Your Year in Gear” FREE teacher summer challenge as we prep and plan for the new school year with intention and purpose!
It’s a challenge like no other and …
CCP: Episode 20 // Getting Started With Reading Partnerships in the Classroom
In this episode, you'll learn how to build a stronger classroom community through establishing reading partnerships with your students. Reading partnerships go well beyond traditional buddy reading,…
BONUS Episode // Heading Into Summer After Distance Learning
Raise your hand if you just want to drop your things and run away from this school year!
If you’re like me, you are SO ready to close the book on this school year. It’s been like no other year, full…
BONUS Episode: Ending the School Year While Distance Learning
We may be ending the school year unlike any other school year - virtually - but that doesn't mean you have to cancel all the fun! In this episode I'm sharing some simple and fun ways that you can en…
BONUS Episode: 10 Activities to Do With Students Over Zoom or Google Meet
Looking for some inspiration to spice up your daily or weekly online class meetings?
Check out these 10 fun teacher-tested, student approved activities that you can incorporate into your distance le…
BONUS EPISODE: 5 Things to KEEP Doing During Distance Learning
As we think about where we are now in our school year with distance learning, there are many things that we CAN'T do.
We can’t physically be with our students in our classrooms and therefore there are…
BONUS Episode: Distance Learning Made Simple
There's a new kid in class.
And his name is “Distance Learning.”
And we’re all not so sure how we feel about him. He’s been a little disruptive. He came to us with almost no notice or warning, and we…
Kindness in the Classroom (9 Tips for Teaching Students to be Kind)
Simply stated: Kindness needs to be a priority in your classroom.
You can't do math or literacy centers if your students don't know how to work nicely in groups. You can't go on field trips if your …
Poetry Activities to Use in Your Elementary Classroom
I loved teaching poetry, and for the most part, my students always loved our poetry unit. And -although I'm sharing this post with you in April (National Poetry Month), I want to encourage you to te…
3 Steps to Organizing Your Teacher Computer Files Once and For All!
How many times do you waste minutes, hours, or even days searching for the perfect activity or lesson for students that you know you already have saved somewhere on your computer?
You know the story……
Create Your Own Author Study: Activities For Your Students
Wow - we are coming to a close on this mini-series all about author studies! If you've been following along from the beginning, get ready to hit the ground running with your own author study.
In th…
Create Your Own Author Study: Formatting & Differentiating Your Instruction
The beauty of an author study is the ability to mold it and craft the instruction to your current classroom set-up and teaching style.
Author studies work great with:
- whole-class instruction
- guided read…
Create Your Own Author Study (Selecting Books)
Author studies are a powerful way to help students fall in love with reading. After you've made the careful decision on what author you and your students will focus on, selecting great books is the …