We're so glad you're here. We're Joe and Quyen and we can't wait to share all things teaching with you. By signing up, you will be the first in line when we share new ideas and resources. Can't wait to meet you!
This Week on the Top Floor (Free Reading Assessment)
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Hi there! Another week, another peek into what’s actually happening in our classrooms. We’re right in the middle of some heavy-lifting standards right now, so this week is all about checking for understanding, tightening up instruction, and giving students tools to work more independently. Here’s what we’re using this week on the Top Floor 👇 Wrapping Up Survival + Pretesting Our Next Reading Focus We use assessments we’ve created for each standard based on skill ladders, which helps us pinpoint exactly where students are and what skills need the most attention. The resource we pull from is our RI.5 Informational Text Bundle, and right now we’re zooming in on RI.5.5 – Text Structures. And for this week’s freebie...🎁 Continuing Adding & Subtracting Fractions (Because… It’s a Tough One 😅) This week, we’re focusing on:
One resource we’re especially thankful we created is our self-checking subtracting fractions word problem slides. Students work through problems independently and get immediate feedback, including explanations, so they can start figuring out why an answer works. Click here to check them out! With 32 students in a room, it’s hard for kids to know if they’re right or wrong in the moment. Self-checking resources help them build confidence and independence without waiting for us to get to everyone. Starting a New Podcast for Listening Comprehension 🎧 Podcasts are perfect for that 15–20 minute window after lunch or recess when kids need to unwind but still stay engaged. While listening, our students:
It keeps them actively listening instead of passively sitting and leads to some great discussions. 100th Day Is Coming Up (or Already Here!) 🎉 If you’re looking for something easy, meaningful, and no-prep to mark the occasion, we use our 100th Day of School Activities for Upper Elementary. It’s print and digital, super simple to implement, and works great even if you’re celebrating a little early or late. If you made it this far, here’s your freebie! As a thank-you for being part of our email list, we’re sharing the RI.5.5 text structures assessment we’re using this week — completely free. Here's the link: RI.5.5 Assessment More classroom updates coming soon! Joe and Quyen from Top Floor Teachers Follow us on our social media accounts and TPT store! |
Top Floor Teachers
We're so glad you're here. We're Joe and Quyen and we can't wait to share all things teaching with you. By signing up, you will be the first in line when we share new ideas and resources. Can't wait to meet you!
Hi teachers, Testing week is here, so we’re shifting how we use our time. Less new instruction, more review, and a big focus on keeping students engaged without overdoing it. One of our go-to moves this week is turning math review into a friendly competition. We set up task cards around a common area on campus and have students work in partners or small teams to solve them. When time is up, we collect all the responses and tally the correct answers by class. The class with the most correct...
Hi teachers, We’re in that stretch of the year where things start to move fast. The content ramps up, the schedule fills up, and there’s a lot happening all at once. Here’s what’s going on in our classrooms this week: Math: Order of Operations with GEMS We’re diving into order of operations, and we are firmly Team GEMS over PEMDAS. If you’ve ever had students multiply before dividing just because the acronym told them to, you already know the struggle. PEMDAS can lead kids to think there’s a...
Hi teachers, Spring break came and went way too fast, but we’re back and ready to roll into the final stretch of the school year. These last two months always feel like a sprint, and this week is no exception. Math: Geometry is HEREYou know it’s the end of the year when geometry finally makes its appearance. This week, we’re diving into classifying polygons using hierarchies and Venn diagrams. That whole “every square is a rectangle, but not every rectangle is a square” idea can really trip...