Goals can given students purpose for learning. Find out how to take the goal-focused approach to reading in the classroom. Help your students to grow as readers by giving them tailored instruction that addresses their individual needs.

Feel like your students are all over the place when it comes to writing? Perhaps a little goal-driven instruction is what they need! Writing goals help students hone in on specific skills and give them an action plan to help them reach those goals. Learn how to create writing goals with your students!

Social Emotional Learning, or SEL, has been around for a while, but it has become even more apparent that we need it in the months following the pandemic. But, too often SEL becomes just something “trendy” to talk about or slap on our school blueprints. It’s time to make it more than just a educational buzzword.

Does your head begin to spin when you think about starting readers and writers workshop in your classroom? With all the moving parts, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to planning and prepare for reading and writing in the classroom. Listen in as we cover all the essential questions you need to ask yourself BEFORE starting the workshop model in your classroom!

Every teacher is a new teacher once! We all have to go through it… and we all learn from it! If you’re stepping into the classroom for the first time, then check out these must-know tips to help make your first year a success!

No one likes to be caught off guard and left scrambling. Set yourself up for success in your classroom now by prepping some simple activities and classroom systems that will save you TONS of time (and sanity!) later!

It’s back to school season! Teachers everywhere are creating their To-Do lists and getting ready to welcome students back to the classroom. However, here are a few things to leave OFF your checklist!

Back to school season is upon us! It’s fun to think about a fresh new school year with a new batch of students. In this final playlist of the summer, here are some of my best tips for getting the new school year off on the right foot including tips for designing the classroom of your dreams, getting organized, curriculum mapping, and nailing your first day of school.

If there was ever a time in education when technology is essential - it is now! Classroom technology has definitely become a star player both for in-person and virtual learning and its no secret that this has brought about new challenges! In this episode, you’ll find tips and ideas for best practices for class tech and more!

Wish your classroom could be running like a well-oiled machines? Perhaps it’s time to fine-tune some of your classroom management strategies for the new school year! In this episode we’ll talk about the most important classroom management essentials for ultimate success!

Teachers know that establishing a positive classroom community can be a game changer for success. Not only is it a good idea to build a positive classroom community, but it is necessary in order for you to see truth growth in your students - both academically and socially. On this week’s playlist, I’ll cover some simple relationship-building strategies that work in any elementary classroom.

The life of a teacher is unlike any other. There are ups and downs and every other feeling in between. This week’s road trip theme is dedicated to all things teacher life including surviving a difficult school year, habits of successful teachers, how to seamlessly co-teach, and a heck of a lot more!

This week’s road trip playlist is packed full with tips and ideas for engaging a classroom of learners. From interactive ways to start a lesson, to 5 minute-fillers that make an impact, to ways to ditch the boring textbook and replace them with much more engaging alternatives - it’s all inside the episode!

This week we’re headed to Writing land where we’ll revisit some of my most popular episodes on writing instruction. We’ll talk launching writer’s workshop, setting up a student writer’s notebook, helping students develop their own writing ideas and much more!

This week we’re headed to Reading Rodeo where we’ll revisit some of my most popular episodes on reading. We’ll talk launching reader’s workshop, my philosophy for teaching reading comprehension strategies, and setting up things like literatures and reading partnerships with your students.

It’s time to have a little fun! Before we hit the road on our summer teacher road trip and visit some of the most popular episodes from this past school year - get to know your road trip buddy (me!). I’m answering listener questions - personal to teacher related - I’m spillin’ the beans!

It’s time to take this show on the road! Join Rachael on The Classroom Commute Summer Road Trip as we visit some of the most popular episodes from the last school year to help you feel prepared and motivated for the next school year!

Many teacher find teaching theme challenging with elementary students. But— it’s likely because we aren’t giving our students a simple formula that they can repeat over and over to help them successfully identify theme. I’ll show you exactly what that formula is in this episode of The Classroom Commute!

Preparing your classroom for summer vacation likely means a lot of organizing, purging, tearing down, and cleaning. Don’t do it all yourself! Enlist the help of your students (its not as scary as it sound!) to help you tie up any loose ends in your classroom so that you can sail into summer faster!