Written by Brittany Nestell, Math Teacher, Perry Middle School (Perry, Michigan) While in the car the other day, I was listening to a wonderful interview on NPR (National Public Radio) about how educators need to adapt to the needs of the changing generation of students who learn through internet and group collaboration. The report was [...]

Fortunately for me, a basketball fanatic, March Madness runs into April so really, March and April  should be renamed “Basketball Madness.” As a proud graduate of Massachusetts’s Springfield College (SC), I could not have been more excited when I opened our SC calendar and saw the newly unveiled bronze statue of James Naismith – the [...]

Reading Awareness Month is underway, which has undoubtedly provided opportunities to add excitement to your class routine. Although it’s been a minute or two since I was there, this writing brought back great reading related memories from school and home, as both parents were teachers and my mother is a 36-year veteran of elementary teaching. [...]

Hello and Happy New Year! This is the time of year that most individuals look to makepositive changes in their lives. At abcteach, we are making a commitment to provide materials that assist you on your path to a healthier and happier school year. My name is Candy, and I joined the abcteach team with [...]

Whether created by students or their teachers, shapebooks can help engage children in reading.  Border papers are useful to frame a poem, story or report, before those materials are printed or shared digitally. However, the Shapebook/Border Paper tool has a versatility that can be creatively used to produce other fun and stimulating materials for the [...]

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas…oh my! It’s hard to believe that Back to School plans have already turned holiday-themed, but we are definitely in full swing. Although a busy time, the season holds great opportunity for fun and meaningful activities at home and in the class. The following are “real class” examples from abcteach staff… Thanksgiving Ideas [...]

If you’ve ever been curious about classroom learning centers, the new year is a perfect time to give them a try. Learning centers add an exciting dimension to classrooms by offering a variety of activities, while allowing students to work either independently or in small groups. These specialized stations not only encourage individual responsibility and [...]

Our Shapebook and Border abctools offer many possibilities. Both are great for making fun books for students to write and color, but don’t stop there. Think outside the shape! These tools have dozens of uses that will enhance your student’s experience. Here is just one idea! Make creative word walls using the shape patterns. Decide the size you [...]

Last month we reviewed a few of the abctools customization features, from adding clip art to resizing margins. Here are a couple more tips for creating documents that are functional and engaging for both your students and class. Document Titles Want to include teacher names, room numbers, or additional information at the top of your [...]

It’s hard to believe, but another summer is already on its way. For many of our members, this means preparing for the closing of the current school year by creating lessons on how a plant grows, fun seasonal activities, or memorable certificates for soon-to-be grads. It’s an exciting, colorful time, and our abctools have some [...]