Modernize Your Lessons - Classroom Freebies

Are you looking for ways to bring more technology into your classroom, without having your students on iPads all day? That was something I was grappling with last school year. My students love technology, but too much screen time has side effects too. I created 2nd grade PowerPoint lessons which I use to modernize my lessons and make my instruction very explicit. The best part is, my students LOVE them!

Are you looking for explicit common core standards instruction?

I use literacy centers along with guided reading in my classroom. I love the routine, but I was missing the daily explicit instruction I knew my students needed. My school recently got rid of it’s daily language arts curriculum, so the common core standards became my guide.

I use the common core standards to list the skills I need to cover. I spend plenty of time on each standard, and then spiral back around towards the end of the year, and incorporate many of the standards for the next grade level. These keep my minilessons focused and structured.

I use the skills as outlines for my minilessons. I structure my daily PowerPoints around each skill I’m teaching. What I like best about using PowerPoints is that they are flexible enough for all of those teachable moments. The PowerPoints also keep me focused on exactly which points I need to stress with my class. Here is an example of one of my PowerPoint slides:

How can I keep my students engaged?

By incorporating images along with text, students are more engaged in each lesson. I also find that the images of a PowerPoint lesson help my second language learners understand exactly what I am talking about. It really is a win win.

My students really love the structure of our daily PowerPoint minilessons. I enjoy the way they allow me to remain focused on the main point of what I’m teaching. Explicit instruction also allows my students to remember the message of each lesson. Here is my free PowerPoint lesson on RL 2.1 Asking and Answering Questions Enjoy!

Michelle