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.

Winter

First Week Back After Winter Break: Classroom Activity Ideas

The first week back after winter break is its own kind of teaching challenge. Students are out of routine, energy is unpredictable, and diving straight into new content usually backfires….

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Math

How to Teach a Second Grade Number Line for Addition and Subtraction

If you teach second grade, you know that number lines show up everywhere: in addition, subtraction, place value, and mental math. A strong 2nd grade number line strategy helps students…

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Reading | Fall | Reading Comprehension | Social Studies

Thanksgiving – Making Connections Between a Series of Events

This elementary Thanksgiving unit helps students understand the events leading up to the first Thanksgiving and gives them tools to make connections between those events. By the end of the…

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Writing

How I Teach Informational Writing in Second Grade (Step-by-Step Process)

How do you teach expository writing in your classroom? I wish I could do it throughout the year thematically as we approach different content. We can do that occasionally, but…

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Fall

Pumpkin Measurement Activities for 2nd Grade

We started our measurement unit this Fall by measuring the attributes of pumpkins. Students had fun working with their team to explore their pumpkins AND this pumpkin activity made a great introduction to measurement. Get a FREE copy of the student sheets for this pumpkin exploration!

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Math

Two Digit Addition and Subtraction Strategies and Models

Second grade is a very important year where students develop fluency with two-digit addition and subtraction. It is the year that we work on a multitude of addition and subtraction strategies that students can use to solve problems.

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Writing | Fall

Bats Nonfiction Writing Activity & Anchor Chart

October is the perfect time to study and write about creatures that come out at night. Bats, spiders, owls . . . this month is filled with creepy creatures that…

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Reading | Fall

Favorite October Books for the Primary Classroom

Our favorite October picture books for the primary classroom that are engaging, have good pictures and are well received by my students. These are our classroom favorites that I go back to each and every year during the fall season.

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Early Reading

The Importance of Phonemic Awareness in Kindergarten and Preschool

Phonemic awareness is a key component of early literacy development, particularly for preschoolers and kindergarteners. This skill is akin to an auditory playground where children learn to manipulate individual sounds,…

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Teacher Professional Practice

Easy Meal Planning for Teachers – Quick, Low-Stress Ideas for Busy Educators

Teaching is stressful. After planning instruction all day long the last thing I wanted to do was plan for dinner at home. At the same time, our family needed to…

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Differentiation | English Learners

What are the Components of Academic Language?

Some students, including English learners or impoverished children, come to school not having the academic language at their fingertips to express their thinking. They have great things going on in…

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Differentiation

Students with IEPs – Tips to Collaborating with Service Providers

Do you have students in your classroom with IEPs? Students with IEPs often have unique challenges in the general classroom setting and those challenges can be very diverse, from academic…

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