The Hive

ISSUE 10 | WINTER 2026

Looking for a right-sized refresh to help your class push through winter? Seize the seasonal spirit of friendship and kindness to focus on collaboration.

New small group configurations and additional opportunities for partner work may be just what your class needs to fuel new energy and enthusiasm.

Enjoy a taste of Zaner-Bloser with these free printables.

Word Study Scavenger Hunt

Support development of word study skills with this Word Study Scavenger Hunt. Activities and prompts model how to build a definition in one’s own words.

Try it for morning work, as a center activity, or as a supplement to lessons in your ELA block. Students might work independently, in collaborative pairs, or in small groups to investigate unknown words that spark their curiosity!

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Book Recommendation Cards

This teacher-submitted idea from our fall issue was so popular that we turned it into a freebie for you! Students can complete Book Recommendation Cards to help classmates find books they may also enjoy.

Like the “Staff Picks” in your favorite bookstore, completed cards can be taped to shelves for all to see while browsing. Meaningful writing practice that promotes a love of reading—what’s not to love?!

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Family Conference Worksheet

Spring family-teacher conferences just around the corner? Keep your meetings efficient and organized with this free template!

Type or handwrite strengths, opportunities, key data points, and a goal you’d like to share—or set collaboratively—with each student’s family.

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Looking Closely at Student Work

Did you know that the word assessment is derived from the Latin verb assidere, which means “to sit beside”? Sitting next to a student and talking through the strategy they used to solve a math problem is an excellent way to discern what they know.

Without explanation, the student work visible here might seem incorrect because it doesn’t demonstrate direct modeling. During a 1:1 conference with the teacher, however, the student explained, “I know that 5 x 4 is the same as 4 x 5, so I switched it to what I thought was easier to draw. The answer is 20 both ways.”

With a bit of conversation, the teacher confirmed that her student was on track with the concept of commutative property!

Learn more about fact fluency and assessment.

Do you study student work with your professional learning community to inform your teaching plans? We’d love to hear from you! Email us

Fun Fact: Field bees leave the hive daily to forage for pollen and nectar they bring back in “pollen baskets” on their legs.

Inspired by the field bees, we’ve collected ideas from classrooms across the country to share with you!

The Gift of Kindness

Mrs. Jones asked students to write one kind thought for each classmate—for example, something the classmate does well, a time you felt grateful for that classmate, or something kind the classmate did for you.

Students didn’t know what she was planning, but she compiled all of the sentiments for each student into holiday-appropriate containers and presented them as gifts to each student in class.

Word Rock

Ms. Wyman helps students prepare for standardized testing by acknowledging that taking tests can feel stressful. She invites students to think of a positive word, phrase, or thought that they can recall when they feel anxious.

Before testing begins, students paint rocks, and each writes their encouraging word or phrase on one. Students can display the rock on their desk or tuck it into a pocket during test time as a tangible reminder that they rock!

We’re serious about skills and value joyful learning, too—so we’ll leave you with some quick fun.

Classroom Kindness Bingo

Looking for ways to encourage kindness in the classroom? Our colleagues at Highlights have some inspiring ideas for that!

Download classroom kindness bingo to explore ways to show kindness to others.

Fun Fact: A honey super is a box a beekeeper adds to the top of a hive structure to give bees more room to store honey. The term is short for superstructure.