Blog - Katie Roltgen Teaching

Starting a New Year in the Classroom {Plus a Freebie!}

2021 is drawing to a close and a new year is (finally) around the corner! A New Year in the classroom brings a new semester, the joy of looking back at how far my students have come this year, and the excitement of moving forward. It feels a bit like a fresh start without all of the back-to-school jitters! Easing back into a routine For the first few days back to school, I like to ease ... Read More about Starting a New Year in the Classroom {Plus a Freebie!}

First Day of Kindergarten Crown Freebie

Hey teachers! Nothing is cuter than a line of sweet kindergarteners walking proudly after their first day of kindergartener. I’ve always loved making crowns with my students and I wanted to share one of my absolute favorite crown templates with you! This crown template is super cute and easy to put together! Simply have students color the template. Next, attach a strip of construction ... Read More about First Day of Kindergarten Crown Freebie

27 Read-Alouds for the New School Year

No matter what grade you teach, you’re sure to have a wide variety of emotions entering your classroom this new school year. You’ll see students who are eager, excited, and ambitious, but also students who are annoyed, unmotivated, and disappointed that summer is over. Helping your students form a positive and growth mindset around school will need to be one of the very first things you establish ... Read More about 27 Read-Alouds for the New School Year

Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs: Part 6 – Promoting Independence

It’s the sixth and final part of my Morning Tubs Blog Series! (If you would like to go back and read any of the previous posts, I’ll link them below!) Today, I’m sharing about ways to promote student independence with morning tub activities. This is a really important topic and even though we’re talking about it last, it’s the glue that holds the success of morning tubs ... Read More about Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs: Part 6 – Promoting Independence

Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs: Part 5 – Assigning Tubs

Hello! Today is part five of my morning tubs summer blog series and it’s all about the topic of assigning tubs.This topic is a big one for a lot of reasons. Your decision to assign or not assign tubs might change from one year to the next. Some classes might handle choosing their own tubs really well, while others might need them assigned. It also might change throughout the year! Let’s break ... Read More about Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs: Part 5 – Assigning Tubs

Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs: Part 4 – When to Change Tubs

Hello! Thanks for stopping by for the fourth part of my summer blog series! Let’s talk about how often you’re going to change your tub activities. The answer for most teachers will probably be monthly, but it really depends on how you’re setting up and managing your tub activities. I’ll break it up and give some pros and cons! Monthly My preference is to change tub activities monthly. ... Read More about Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs: Part 4 – When to Change Tubs

9 Student Gift Ideas for Back-to-School Time

Although summer is pretty amazing, there's something really special about meeting new students for the first time. All of the excitement and curiosity on their faces is simply precious. Plus, it's the perfect time to start building the school-to-home bond with families! I think it's fair to say that most schools do some sort of Meet the Teacher or Back-to-School Night. No matter what you call ... Read More about 9 Student Gift Ideas for Back-to-School Time

Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs: Part 3 – Types of Activities

Hey there! I’m so glad you stopped by for Part 3 of my Morning Tub Planning Series! Today, let's talk about what activities you’ll use for morning tubs. There are literally hundreds of options and it can be super overwhelming, so I’m going to break it down into some categories for you. Bear with me! Start by Defining Your Goal What’s your goal for morning tub activities? Literacy and ... Read More about Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs: Part 3 – Types of Activities

Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs: Part 2 – How Many Tubs?

Welcome to Part Two of my Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs series! Today, let’s do some brainstorming about how many tubs you want to have in your classroom. If you haven’t already downloaded my Morning Tubs Planning Guide, you might want to download it at some point. It has brainstorming pages that go along with each part of this blog series. It’s optional, but you might find it to be useful! You ... Read More about Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs: Part 2 – How Many Tubs?

Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs: Part 1 – What to Use for Tubs

Welcome to the first part of my Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs series! You may be new to morning tubs, or maybe you’ve used them in the past but you’re looking to revamp or reorganize what you’ve been doing. No matter where you are in your morning tubs journey, welcome! Before we even start thinking about what types of activities we want to use or how to promote student independence, it’s ... Read More about Go-To Guide to Morning Tubs: Part 1 – What to Use for Tubs