Author: Jessica Boschen

Jessica shares her passion for teaching and education on What I Have Learned. Jessica has 16 years of elementary teaching experience and currently homeschools her two middle school boys. She enjoys scaffolding learning for students, focusing on helping our most challenging learners achieve success in all academic areas.

Math

Place Value Games: Dice and Card Games by Grade Level

The fastest way to turn place value practice from a worksheet into something students actually want to do is with a handful of dice and a deck of cards. Place…

Read More Place Value Games: Dice and Card Games by Grade Level
Math

How to Teach Place Value in Elementary School

Every elementary teacher has watched a student read the number 42 as “four, two” instead of forty-two. That small moment is the whole reason place value matters, and it’s why…

Read More How to Teach Place Value in Elementary School
Math

Open-Ended Math Questions: How to Use Them in Grades 3-5

The first time I put an open-ended math question on the board for my third graders, half the class sat frozen. They kept asking, “But what’s the answer?” They had…

Read More Open-Ended Math Questions: How to Use Them in Grades 3-5
Classroom Management | Teacher Professional Practice

Preparing for a Substitute Teacher: What to Include and What Actually Works

Preparing for a substitute teacher is one of those things that can feel surprisingly stressful, especially when you’re dealing with it the night before or the morning of an unexpected…

Read More Preparing for a Substitute Teacher: What to Include and What Actually Works
Back-to-School

First Year Teacher Tips: Advice From Someone Who’s Been There

First year teacher tips are everywhere, and most of them tell you to “be flexible,” “build relationships,” and “enjoy every moment.” That advice isn’t wrong, exactly, but it doesn’t help…

Read More First Year Teacher Tips: Advice From Someone Who’s Been There
Classroom Management | Back-to-School | Teacher Professional Practice

Classroom Library Ideas for Elementary Teachers: Organization, Labels, and Checkout Systems

For years, my classroom library was a mess. I had picture books and chapter books mixed together, guided reading books on a separate shelf, and a system that kept falling…

Read More Classroom Library Ideas for Elementary Teachers: Organization, Labels, and Checkout Systems
Back-to-School

How to Prepare for Back to School as a Teacher: A Guide for New Teachers

Knowing how to prepare for back to school as a teacher is one of those things nobody tells you clearly enough before your first year. You know school starts in…

Read More How to Prepare for Back to School as a Teacher: A Guide for New Teachers
Back-to-School | Classroom Management

How to Set Up a Classroom for the First Time: A Guide for New Elementary Teachers

Setting up a classroom for the first time is one of those tasks that feels both exciting and completely overwhelming. You walk in, see four walls and a pile of…

Read More How to Set Up a Classroom for the First Time: A Guide for New Elementary Teachers
Back-to-School | Classroom Management

First Day of School Tips for Teachers: What Actually Works After 16 Years in the Classroom

The first day of school tips for teachers that actually stick are the ones you learn the hard way — from the years where something didn’t go the way you…

Read More First Day of School Tips for Teachers: What Actually Works After 16 Years in the Classroom
Writing

How to Teach Sentence Fluency in Grades 2–5

If you’ve ever read a student’s writing and thought, “I can tell what they’re trying to say, but it just doesn’t sound right,” you’re noticing a sentence fluency problem. Sentence…

Read More How to Teach Sentence Fluency in Grades 2–5
Math

How to Teach Division in Elementary School: Strategies and Activities

Most elementary teachers have seen it: a student who sailed through multiplication stares at a division problem and goes completely blank. Learning how to teach division well starts with understanding…

Read More How to Teach Division in Elementary School: Strategies and Activities
Earth Science

Glacier Model Activity for 4th Grade Science

When students encounter glaciers in a science unit on Earth’s surface changes, the concept can feel abstract with ancient ice, distant mountains, and slow processes measured in centuries. This glacier…

Read More Glacier Model Activity for 4th Grade Science

End of content

End of content