Off Task Teachers Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Episode Summary

Get back to school with Annie and Nichole! In this episode, we share our best strategies for starting the year strong with a new class of students.

Topics Discussed

- Staying organized at the beginning of the year

- Starting strong with routines and procedures

- Co-creating expectations with your class

- What can you skip to save yourself time and money?

Links & Resources

Sub Binder Template on TpT

Class Pledge Activity

Subscribe to the Show

Make sure to follow Off Task Teachers so you never miss an episode—or the extra tips and resources we drop in the show notes. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music. And if you’re enjoying the show, leaving a quick review is the best way to help other teachers find us. Your feedback not only supports the podcast but also helps us create episodes that matter most to you.

Let’s Connect

Follow us on the podcast, Substack, 5th Grade Teacher Facebook Group, Catholic School Facebook Group, Annie on Instagram, and Nichole on Instagram!

Episode Summary

Meet your podcast hosts- Annie & Nichole. These two friends both teach in the upper elementary classroom and decided to share their excitement for all things teaching with fellow educators!

Annie is a 4th grade teacher in a Catholic school in Chicago. She is beginning her 17th year in the classroom- all 17 years have been at the same school, in the same classroom (and the same grade). Annie’s husband, Mark, and their dog Tipperary (a therapy dog) also work at a local Catholic high school. When not teaching Annie enjoys exploring National Parks and running/swimming/Peloton. In 2017 Annie had the honor of being the Iditarod Teacher on the Trail, following the race via bush plane!

Nichole is a 5th grade teacher in a public school in Colorado. She is beginning her 24th year in the classroom. Nichole and her husband love doing all things outdoors- camp & hike. Nichole is also a big Denver Broncos fan!

Annie and Nichole met through Teachers Pay Teachers and realized they had a lot in common- often relying on each other for classroom advice during their weekly TPT meetings. From there, sparked the idea for a podcast- sharing their ideas with fellow teachers!

We’ll be putting out two episodes a month- often with the same theme! So we hope you’ll follow along and bring us with you on your teaching journey!

Topics Discussed

-Introduction to Annie & Nichole

-Plan for the Podcast- 2 Episodes a Month

-Where to Find Us- Instagram & Facebook

Links and Resources

-Follow Annie on TPT, Instagram & Facebook

-Follow Nichole on TPT, Instagram, & Facebook

Subscribe to the Show

Make sure to follow Off Task Teachers so you never miss an episode—or the extra tips and resources we drop in the show notes. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music. And if you’re enjoying the show, leaving a quick review is the best way to help other teachers find us. Your feedback not only supports the podcast but also helps us create episodes that matter most to you.

Let's Connect

Follow us on the podcast, Substack, Fifth Grade Teaching Ideas Facebook Group, Catholic School Facebook Group, Annie on Instagram, and Nichole on Instagram!

Episode Summary

In this week’s episode we will talk about classroom routines that can be used all year long. Annie and Nichole share their favorite classroom routine to start off the podcast, but then they go into detail about all the routines that help make the school year go more smoothly.

Nichole has a morning meeting each day, which includes school announcements, question of the day, and any schedule changes. Annie wraps up her day by having students complete their classroom jobs- helps reset the classroom for the next day.

Feedback Friday is Nichole’s favorite to end the week. Students give each other shout outs each week and Nichole shares those out (anonymously) with the group which helps builds classroom community. On Friday Annie’s class has Fun Friday for 30 minutes where there are no screens and kids are often playing board games or card games!

Visiting the library is a fun routine that Nichole’s class does every week- her students have book bags and refill it each week! They keep their books (3-5) in a Ziplock bag in their desk and choose from those books throughout the week. This routine avoids the “I need a book to read” during free read time.

Annie’s 4th grade class does Book Buddies with our 1st grade students. The 1st graders read a story that they are working on in class, and then Annie’s 4th graders read a picture to their buddies. It’s a sweet way to connect students throughout the year to build school community!

Every class Nichole does a math warm up! She gives students a problem or puzzle each day to kick off the math block! Short and sweet is the way to go with math warm ups!

Read alouds are a favorite in Annie’s classroom. She begins every language arts class by reading 10 pages of a novel- usually tied to the curriculum (or Iditarod). Her favorite read alouds are Born to Mush, Wonder, and Sled Dog School.

Topics Discussed

-Morning Meeting

-Classroom Jobs

-Friday Fun- Friday Feedback and Fun Friday

-Library & Book Bag

-Book Buddies

-Math Warm Ups

-Read Alouds & First Chapter Friday

Links and Resources

Catholic Classroom Jobs

Math Warm Up Blog

Free Math Warm Ups

Building Thinking Classrooms Book

Subscribe to the Show

Make sure to follow Off Task Teachers so you never miss an episode—or the extra tips and resources we drop in the show notes. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music. And if you’re enjoying the show, leaving a quick review is the best way to help other teachers find us. Your feedback not only supports the podcast but also helps us create episodes that matter most to you.

Let's Connect

Follow us on the podcast, Substack, 5th Grade Teacher Facebook Group, Catholic School Facebook Group, Annie on Instagram, and Nichole on Instagram!

*please note- some links included in this blog are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission when you click on the link and purchase. This commission helps us keep this podcast going! Thank you for your support. :)

Episode Summary

We’ve officially hit Episode 9! In this week’s chat, we dive into one of the trickiest parts of classroom life: getting students to actually talk—and not just surface talk. Even when they’re socially chatty, academic conversation doesn’t always follow. Nichole shares how her class often falls silent (“crickets”) when it’s time to turn the talk into thinking. Annie’s class, meanwhile, is full of energy (one day they even broke into song in math!). We unpack all of that and then dig into real-world strategies you can try this week…

A quick heads up - Off Task Teachers are going to be very off task in the month of December! We will be on hiatus, but will be back in early January with more teaching ideas and strategies! If you need your OTT fix, click here to listen to all of our past episodes!

Topics Discussed & Links

Different strategies to promote classroom discussion:

-Think-Pair-Share and “Turn and Talk”

-Talking Chips Kagan Strategy

-Socratic Seminars

-Chalk Talks

Teaching discussion norms explicitly

-Modeling for students

-Setting discussion expectations

-Using sentence starters or specific questions

-Link to Nichole’s Number Talk Discussion Questions and Prompts

Subscribe to the Show

Make sure to follow Off Task Teachers so you never miss an episode—or the extra tips and resources we drop in the show notes. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music. And if you’re enjoying the show, leaving a quick review is the best way to help other teachers find us. Your feedback not only supports the podcast but also helps us create episodes that matter most to you.

Let’s Connect

Follow us on the podcast, Substack, 5th Grade Teacher Facebook Group, Catholic School Facebook Group, Annie on Instagram, and Nichole on Instagram!

*please note- some links included in this blog are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission when you click on the link and purchase. This commission helps us keep this podcast going! Thank you for your support. :)

Episode Summary

In this episode of OffTask Teachers, we are fresh off a low-key Halloween and ready to dive into one of their favorite classroom traditions—read alouds. From Wonder to Frindle, we explore why read alouds are so much more than filler time.

We chat about how reading aloud builds classroom community, sparks empathy, and connects students across grade levels. We share our go-to titles, the importance of previewing books, and the strategies that keep students engaged - from “First Chapter Friday” to student voting.

Topics Discussed & Links

-How read alouds strengthen academics and classroom community

-Why older students still crave being read to

-Favorite classroom read alouds - Wonder, Frindle, Home of the Brave, and more

-Tips for choosing books that fit your class

-The importance of reading ahead (and why Nichole avoids dog stories 🐶)

-How “First Chapter Friday” can reignite excitement for reading

Subscribe to the Show

Make sure to follow Off Task Teachers so you never miss an episode—or the extra tips and resources we drop in the show notes. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music. And if you’re enjoying the show, leaving a quick review is the best way to help other teachers find us. Your feedback not only supports the podcast but also helps us create episodes that matter most to you.

Let’s Connect

Follow us on the podcast, Substack, 5th Grade Teacher Facebook Group, Catholic School Facebook Group, Annie on Instagram, and Nichole on Instagram!

*please note- some links included in this blog are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission when you click on the link and purchase. This commission helps us keep this podcast going! Thank you for your support. :)

In this week’s episode we chat about our (not so) favorite holiday, Halloween! In 2025 it falls on a Friday, which is a blessing! While neither of us are super fans of the holiday, we do have some suggestions on how to make the day enjoyable for you and the students! We discuss how to make the day slightly academic, and suggest a few activities for your classroom party.

In this week’s episode we also mention how important it is to know your students and understand what holidays they celebrate. It might be best to pivot to a “Fall Fest” to honor all those who don’t celebrate Halloween.

Topics Discussed & Links

Math Activities∙ Multiplying by 1 Digit Numbers Color by Code∙ Halloween Decimal Word Problems∙ Multiplication & Division Word Problems

Language ArtsBook Suggestions∙ I Need My Monster∙ The Pumpkin Head Mystery (Boxcar Children)∙ Room on the BroomWriting Prompts (Freebie)

Other Fun Activities∙ Halloween Word Search∙ Have a Fa-BOO-lous Halloween Collaborative Poster∙ Haunted House Collaborative Poster∙ Fall/Halloween Bookmarks

Halloween Music∙ Harry Potter Soundtrack∙ HalloweenTown Soundtrack∙ Halloween Music

Subscribe to the Show

Make sure to follow Off Task Teachers so you never miss an episode—or the extra tips and resources we drop in the show notes. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music. And if you’re enjoying the show, leaving a quick review is the best way to help other teachers find us. Your feedback not only supports the podcast but also helps us create episodes that matter most to you.

Let’s Connect

Follow us on the podcast, Substack, 5th Grade Teacher Facebook Group, Catholic School Facebook Group, Annie on Instagram, and Nichole on Instagram!

*please note- some links included in this blog are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission when you click on the link and purchase. This commission helps us keep this podcast going! Thank you for your support. :)

Join us for this week’s episode where we chat all about ways to make parent-teacher conferences a smashing success this school year! We share tips and tricks that have worked for us over the years. Plus, be sure to grab a few freebies we’ve included!

Prepare for Conferences Ahead of Time

∙ Student 3, 2, 1 Reflection∙ Handout for Parents∙ Students Work to Share∙ Parent Google Form

During Conferences

∙ Start with Positives∙ Include Support as Needed∙ Be Open to Questions∙ Listen to Parents∙ Keep Notes∙ Be Mindful of Time

After Conferences

∙ Follow up with Emails∙ Thank Parents for Coming In

Links & Resources

∙ Student Reflection Handout∙ Parent Google Form∙ Conference Form (grades, grows, glows, etc)

Episode Summary

In this week’s episode we chat with Gretchen Geerts-Melaniphy, a math interventionist. We chat about her role, along with how she supports students and teachers. We discuss everything from common misconceptions we see students make, to teaching teachers (yes, Annie included) what the standards are. Gretchen shares insights from her years working with students who benefit from additional math support. We touch on best practices within the classroom and how to identify students who are might need to work with a math interventionist. This episode is truly filled with tons of math nuggets that will have you thinking all about how to teach math and how you support your students in the classroom!

Topics Discussed

-Math Interventionists

-Push-in Support- Centers

-Student Math Interviews

-Teacher Education of Standards

-Color Coded Standard Algorithms

-Fact Fluency

Links & Resources

-UChicago STEM

-Do the Math by Marilyn Burns

-Listening to Learn by Marilyn Burns

-Gretchen’s Color Coded Algorithm Resource

-The Math Pact Book

-Connect with Gretchen- Learning with Miss G

Subscribe to the Show

Make sure to follow Off Task Teachers so you never miss an episode—or the extra tips and resources we drop in the show notes. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music. And if you’re enjoying the show, leaving a quick review is the best way to help other teachers find us. Your feedback not only supports the podcast but also helps us create episodes that matter most to you.

Let’s Connect

Follow us on the podcast, Substack, 5th Grade Teacher Facebook Group, Catholic School Facebook Group, Annie on Instagram, and Nichole on Instagram!

*please note- some links included in this blog are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission when you click on the link and purchase. This commission helps us keep this podcast going! Thank you for your support. :)

Episode Summary

In this week’s episode we talk about 5 (but really 6!) strategies to create a math community within your classroom! Both Annie and Nichole discuss tips from their own experiences helping students feel like a part of the math community at school.’

First up, we talk about our favorite math topic to teach! Nichole’s favorite is volume in 5th grade, and Annie loves teaching two digit by two digit multiplication and long division.

Tip #0: Discuss Norms and Set Expectations - Both teachers agree that we need to create a climate where students trust their teacher and each other. They need to feel safe to make mistakes, to learn, and to grow! Nichole shares an idea called My Favorite No.

Tip #1: Build Math Confidence - Nichole does an activity that all students can access and creates an anchor chart called “What Helps Us Learn Math.” Annie has her students “play teacher” and she chooses students who might struggle a little more to come to the board and share their correct answers!

Tip #2: Giving and Getting Feedback - Timely, “in the moment” feedback helps students grow and find areas to improve. Nichole admits she hates grading, but loves giving feedback through strategies like “glows and grows.” Annie and Nichole agree that students need an approachable and caring teacher in order for feedback to be successful. Annie sets up her classroom so that students feel comfortable getting extra help during work time at the teacher table.

Tip #3: The Power of Partner Work - We both love to have students working with partners or in small groups! Annie sets up her routines so that students can be successful when working together and helping each other. She also shares how she groups her students by things they can’t change - find a partner who also has glasses, who has the same gym shirt, etc! Nichole shares about using sticks or partner cards to get them randomly grouped. Both teachers love using partners and groups in math!

Tip #4: Math in the Real World - Annie shares how she uses Lou Malnati’s pizza for a delicious real world fractions connection! She also talks about how she uses her Iditarod experiences for SO many math connections. Nichole suggests starting with a real world problem before teaching skills and concepts explicitly.

Tip #5: Making Assessments Meaningful - Nichole shares about using exit tickets as an in-the-moment snapshot for checking on kids’ understanding and possible reteaching. Annie provides immediate feedback as students are working and keeps track of students who need help while she circulates! We both have times in the day to help students who are struggling get a little support.

Topics Discussed

-Creating a Math Community by:

-Discussing Norms and Setting Expectations

-Building Math Confidence

-Giving and Getting Feedback

-Harnessing the Power of Partner Work

-Making Real World Math Connections

-Making Assessments Meaningful

Links & Resources

My Favorite No

Building Math Confidence Blog Post

Partner Cards - Math Skills

Subscribe to the Show

Make sure to follow Off Task Teachers so you never miss an episode—or the extra tips and resources we drop in the show notes. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music. And if you’re enjoying the show, leaving a quick review is the best way to help other teachers find us. Your feedback not only supports the podcast but also helps us create episodes that matter most to you.

Let’s Connect

Follow us on the podcast, Substack, 5th Grade Teacher Facebook Group, Catholic School Facebook Group, Annie on Instagram, and Nichole on Instagram!

*please note- some links included in this blog are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission when you click on the link and purchase. This commission helps us keep this podcast going! Thank you for your support. :)

In this week’s episode we chat about all things Iditarod! Annie spent 2017 as the Iditarod Teacher on the Trail, so she shares her tips and tricks for using the Iditarod in your classroom!

For those who don’t know, the Iditarod is a 1,000 mile sled dog race across Alaska that takes place in March every year. It is the ultimate teaching tool for any grade! Please use the links below get started with using the race in your classroom!

Topics Discussed & Links

* Step 1: Sign up for the Free Iditarod Edu Newsletter

* Sign Up Here!

* Step 2: Check out the Conferences

* Winter Conference in Alaska

* Summer Conference in Lower 48 (coming soon)

* Step 3: Baby Steps to Getting Started

* Choose one musher to follow as a class. Check out the full list here!

* Pick a book to read with your students.

* Sled Dog School (chapter book)

* Woodsong (chapter book)

* Born to Mush (chapter book)

* Granite (picture book)

* Even more Iditarod Books

* Follow a musher throughout the race (begins on March 8, 2026)

* Follow for free here!

* Follow the live tracker (paid) here!

* Other Links Mentioned

* Alaska Native Heritage Center

* Husky Talk Podcast

* Follow the Jr. Iditarod

* Denali- The Science of Sled Dogs

* Denali National Park Kennel

* Musher Letter Program

Subscribe to the Show

Make sure to follow Off Task Teachers so you never miss an episode—or the extra tips and resources we drop in the show notes. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music. And if you’re enjoying the show, leaving a quick review is the best way to help other teachers find us. Your feedback not only supports the podcast but also helps us create episodes that matter most to you.

Let’s Connect

Follow us on the podcast, Substack, 5th Grade Teacher Facebook Group, Catholic School Facebook Group, Annie on Instagram, and Nichole on Instagram!

*please note- some links included in this blog are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission when you click on the link and purchase. This commission helps us keep this podcast going! Thank you for your support. :)