Three times a year you get handed a color-coded spreadsheet of universal screening data. Most likely you take a quick glance, confirm those are the kids who appear to be struggling and move on. However, your reading universal screening data has really useful information. It can help identify where more information is needed and what […]
Curriculum & Instruction
The Boxcar Children Novel Study Unit
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner is such a great book for literature circles or book clubs because it captures the adventurous spirit and creativity of childhood. This no prep Boxcar Children Novel Study Unit, written as a companion to the first book in the series, engages readers and gets them thinking about the […]
5 Simple ways to build math fact fluency
Math fact fluency is an important step toward math proficiency. Students who know their facts are better equipped to manage math word problems and throughout their real world experiences. Despite knowing the reasons math fact fluency matters, it can be hard to find time adequate time and engaging resources to practice this foundational skill. What […]
A Wrinkle in Time Novel Study Unit with Printable Activities
Do you read A Wrinkle in Time as part of a literature circle or book club with your students? This no prep A Wrinkle in Time Novel Study Unit engages students with this classic story by Madeline L’Engle without overwhelming them with endless lists of surface-level comprehension questions. The included activities are easy to differentiate for […]
5 Simple Ways to Freshen Up Your Reading Test Prep
Test prep often takes center stage as we move toward the end of the school year. Figuring out how to prepare your students for state testing without boring them with never-ending multiple choice questions and reading comprehension passages can be a challenge. You want to do your best to give your students strategies for tackling […]
St. Patrick’s Day Writing Craft
This fun St. Patrick’s Day Writing Craft is a great way to get students writing. This writing project makes a displayable banner and is a perfect way to blend academics into your St. Patrick’s Day fun. St. Patrick’s Day is a fun holiday, and it offers lots of great ways to get kids engaged in learning. This […]
Charlotte’s Web Novel Study Unit with Printable Activities
Getting ready to start a Charlotte’s Web literature circle or book club with your students? This no prep Charlotte’s Web Novel Study Unit is the perfect way to engage students with this great story by E.B. White without overwhelming them with endless lists of surface-level comprehension questions. These activities are easy to differentiate for a whole […]
St. Patrick’s Day Reading & Writing Activities
Looking to add some fun to your St. Patrick’s Day reading lessons without sacrificing valuable instructional time during the stressful testing season? Then you’ll love these ready-to-use St. Patrick’s Day ELA lesson plans with printables. These engaging activities focus on important fiction and non-fiction reading comprehension skills that are perfect for March and can be completed in […]
Holes Novel Study Guide with Printable Activities
Getting ready to start a Holes novel study with your students? This no prep Holes Novel Study Unit is the perfect way to engage students with this great story by Louis Sachar without overwhelming them with endless lists of surface-level comprehension questions. These activities are easy to differentiate for a whole group novel study, but they […]
Simple Ways to Spread the Love This Valentine’s Day
So often Valentine’s Day becomes just another reason to have a party and eat candy. The kids look forward to sharing cards, but for the most part they just want to see (and eat) all the delicious candy from their bag/box/other storage method you use for Valentines. Who doesn’t love a good sugar rush, right? […]
Valentine’s Day Writing Craft
This fun Valentine’s Day Writing Craft is a great way to get students writing about the special people in their lives. This displayable banner craft is a perfect way to blend academics into your Valentine’s Day fun. Valentine’s Day is a great chance to get students to take stock of their friendships and those special […]
Using Pictures to Support Your Struggling Readers
Finding ways to help your struggling readers grasp complex comprehension tasks can be a challenge. See if you can relate to this scenario. You have the perfect mini-lesson planned. You’ve picked a great text, and you are totally going to rock this lesson. However, as soon as the students go to practice, you are stuck […]
Graphic Organizers for Formative Assessment: 3 graphic organizers every teacher needs
Formative assessment is a huge buzzword in education right now for good reason. Being able to determine whether your students understand before formally testing them is the key to stopping knowledge and skill gaps before they start. However, all too often formative assessments end up looking more like…well, assessments! Graphic organizers are a great alternative […]
Building Writing Stamina with Daily Writing Activities
Writing papers, multi-paragraph stories, and essays can be challenging for many upper elementary students. For reluctant writers, this often means frustration and black paper at the end of your writing block. Since the expectations for on-demand writing increase after the primary grades in preparation for standardized writing assessments, it is important to support all students […]
The 20 Best Books for 3rd Graders
Ever struggle to find the best books for your 3rd graders? Whether you’re planning for literature circles, read aloud, or independent reading, it can be challenging to find quality novels with engaging plots that support deep conversation and critical thinking about the text. That’s why I compiled this list of the 20 best books for third […]
Simplify Place Value to Help Struggling Learners
Teaching place value is always a challenge when it comes to my third graders. They come in with very different levels of understanding, and I find that I need to spend a lot of time differentiating to meet their needs and get everyone on the same place. It can be a struggle to figure out […]
Fun September Lesson Ideas for Grades 2-4
September is typically all about building routines and starting the core of your instruction. However, September also contains a number of great opportunities for building fun, interactive learning into your lesson plans. Here are a few September lessons and activities to consider: Back-to-School Lessons & Activities for September I’ve included my five favorite activities to include […]
Differentiated Place Value Worksheets
Are your students struggling to master key place value concepts? These Differentiated Place Value Worksheets include activities that are perfect for meeting your students regardless of their level. Ideal for small group or independent practice, these can also be used in math centers. What is included with the Differentiated Place Value Worksheets? These Place Value Worksheets target a […]
World’s Best Grandparents- A Grandparents Day Writing Craft
This World’s Best Grandparent Award is a no prep Grandparents Day writing craft that students love to create for the special grandparent in their lives. The craft has a graphic organizer for planning, all the pieces to create the ribbon, and additional writing pages for older students to write a longer response. Easy and meaningful, this […]
Advice to Help You Shine – An End of Year Writing Craftivity
Advice to Help You Shine Next Year is a fun, easy end-of-year writing craftivity that students will love to create and your class next year will love getting to read. The craftivity includes a graphic organizer for planning and all the pieces to create the sunshine writing display. Easy and meaningful, this craftivity makes a […]
Improving Personal Narratives with a Focus on Seed Stories
Every year my students struggle to write personal narratives. This makes improving personal narratives imperative to building successful writers. I’ve been using the Lucy Calkin’s Units of Study for a few years now. One of my favorite parts is the analogy watermelons and seeds during the idea generation process for personal narrative writing. I’ve found […]
World’s Best Mom – A Mother’s Day Writing Craft
This World’s Best Mom Award is an easy Mother’s Day writing craftivity that students will love to create and moms will treasure for years to come. The craftivity includes a graphic organizer for planning, all the pieces to create the ribbon, and additional writing pages to allow the option of an extended response. Easy and […]
Poetry Month in the Upper Elementary Classroom
April is National Poetry Month, but with state testing season closing in (or already arrived), it can be hard to find ways to incorporate this genre in fun and meaningful ways that engage students without sacrificing a lot of instructional time. Today I want to share a few suggestions for incorporating poetry into your already […]
Cheap & Easy-to-Use Handwriting Apps for Upper Elementary
There are so many apps, activities, and worksheets available to help beginning writers, but what is available for upper elementary students who struggle with handwriting? Students who form poor handwriting habits early in kindergarten or elementary school may have a hard time overcoming them. Still other students perform well with printing but struggle when it […]
What is Daily Academic Vocabulary?
Daily Academic Vocabulary is designed to support students to build the academic language skills needed to be successful in school. While many students have a strong conversational vocabulary, they lack the exposure and understanding of the Tier 2 words commonly used in the classroom and on standardized assessments. While this is common, and often addressed, […]
The 20 Best Books for 5th Graders
Looking for the best books for your 5th graders? From read aloud to novel studies to independent reading, there are so many different options and it can be challenging to find quality novels that engage your students while supporting critical thinking about the text. The 20 Best Books for 5th Graders Whether you grab a […]
The 20 Best Books for 4th Graders
Ever struggle to find the best books for your 4th graders? Whether it is read alouds, novel studies, or independent reading, it can be challenging to find quality novels with engaging storylines that support deep conversation and critical thinking about the text. That’s why I compiled this list of the 20 best books for fourth grade. […]
What are trifold novel studies?
Trifold novel studies are designed to engage students in higher level thinking about literature without the long list of chapter questions that only focus on recalling the plot. Students focus their daily reading response on core reading comprehension skills and vocabulary using popular chapter books that are appropriate for their reading level. What’s in a […]
5 benefits of novel studies that will change your perspective
The room was abuzz with discussion. This was exactly what I had been aiming for as I began planning my novel study and is one of the core benefits of novel studies in my classroom. As I moved from group to group, I listened to the lively debate about character relationships. I overheard a discussion […]
How to use brain research to build math problem solving skills
Whether you’re talking state tests or just meeting with your team to plan the next math unit, the conversation inevitably turns to word problems. But it can be hard to know how to build math problem solving skills without resorting to pages of boring story problem practice. These days word problems aren’t the basic one-step […]
15 free websites for digital reading in your classroom
Looking for some free digital reading resources? With the number of classrooms moving toward 1:1 technology on the rise, the amount of time students spend reading digital texts is growing exponentially. However, it can become costly for us to try to keep up with classroom libraries in two formats so I’ve pulled together a list […]
September Books for Upper Elementary
September is one of my favorite months of the year, and I love the transition into the autumn weather and the excitement of pumpkin latte season. September is also a great time to start making a plan to bring novels into your classroom. As you get get acquainted with your new class and start to think […]
Math Spiral Review to Increase Achievement
Last week, I wrote about issues I’ve seen with spiral review, but I didn’t tell you much about how I handle these issues. Today’s going to give you a picture into what math spiral review looks like in my classroom and how I purposefully designed it using research-based best practice and student achievement data. Math Spiral […]
Spring into April Learning
April is nearly here and spring has sprung! With the arrival of warmer weather, I love to add some spring fun into my classroom routine. Keep reading for some great activities and lesson plan ideas you can do in your upper elementary classroom. Celebrate Poetry Month with Spring Poems Poetry writing is one of those […]
10 Must-See Websites to Support Math Intervention
I’ve received so many great comments regarding my post from last year, 10 Must-See Website for Reading Intervention, and one of the most common ones has been whether I know of any sites to build math skills and support math intervention. Math Websites for Intervention Support As you know, I firmly believe it is important to […]
Best Books for February: Engaging Readers in Grades 3-5
Looking for the best books February has to offer? Good news! There are lots of great holidays that can create cross-curricular connections, and by now the kids have developed their reading competencies and independence to the point that they are ready to take on more responsibility for their learning. This makes it the absolute best […]
Why I Teach Cursive….even if I don’t use it!
My friend Sherri, from the wonderful blog Literary Sherri, posted a few months back about whether cursive was becoming a lost art. You can read her thoughts on the topic here. After coming across the post recently through Pinterest, I decided to go back and re-read the post I wrote five (insert creaking bones here) years […]
What to Read in December: A classroom book list
Is it really December? I feel like I’ve blinked and half of the school year has passed, and it is time to share a set of December novel studies. As we wrap up Thanksgiving and start looking toward holiday break, book clubs can be a great way to keep students engaged and learning as the […]
Holiday Writing…It’s more than just letters to Santa!
The weeks between Thanksgiving and Winter Break can be torturous, and it can be really tempting to do some slacking when it comes to instruction…especially when it comes to writing. It can be really tough to fit quality writing instruction into those busy weeks. However, holiday writing doesn’t have to be fluff, and it doesn’t […]
Vocabulary is destroying your test scores. Here’s how to fix it!
Vocabulary Development. Would you believe me if I told you I took a whole class with this title in high school? I took the course an English elective because I had heard it was an easy way to get a credit. The rest of my schedule was full of AP this and that, and I […]
20 Questions to Get Kids Talking
The importance of building relationships with students has been well documented in research. A strong teacher student relationship can mean the difference between an engaged learner and a disengaged learner. There are several ways to build relationships with students, but the easiest is to actually get to know them and take an interest in their […]
Building Mathematical Thinkers through Problem Solving
So many students grow up with a fear (or hatred) of mathematics. Mathematical thinking makes up a huge piece of the Common Core standards and this thinking is one way we can help students develop stronger problem solving skills. aimed to solve this by connecting different methods of thinking to the teaching of problem-solving. The big message is […]
No prep brainstorming strategies for reluctant writers
Every year there is at least one student in my class who dreads writing. When writing time comes, he’s the kiddo who spends the whole period just staring at the paper. Over time I’ve incorporated several brainstorming strategies for reluctant writers that have really helped transform how kiddos like this feel about writing. Why you need […]
Best Books for May: Novels, Nonfiction, and More for Grades 3-5
If your school is anything like mine, then you pine for the arrival of May almost as soon as April has begun. There is something about the beautiful weather and freedom to teach without throwing in test prep that makes May an infinitely better month than April. Book clubs are a must for my […]
Why Read Aloud?
With a carefully chosen book, read aloud time is a magical part of the day where students can open their imagination and even reluctant readers can find the joy in a story. However, many times read aloud is put aside due to the numerous stresses and requirements that must be fulfilled within the school day. […]
Best Books for April for Grades 3-5
Is it really almost April? I feel like I’ve blinked, and the school year is moving toward a close. There is a LOT of pressure this time of year to make sure you are putting the finishing touches on mastery of your grade level standards with the upcoming testing season ready to pounce. Teachers feel […]
What to read in March: a classroom book list
With its holidays and breaks, March can be a crazy time in the classroom. Throw in the stress of the upcoming testing season, and it becomes even more clear why things tend to get a little overwhelming. Instead of getting caught in a test practice rut, consider getting more authentic literature into your students’ hands. […]
Why math fact fluency matters
Opinions are divided on whether students should be expected to memorize their basic math facts or given timed math fact fluency assessments. While the research supports the benefits of fact fluency, many schools have pivoted toward a greater focus on higher-level math skills instead of fact practice. I firmly believe that computational fluency, or the […]
Genius Hour in the Classroom: Challenges & Solutions
I love helping students find their passion for learning, but for many students traditional instruction doesn’t teach students how to learn. Several years ago, I came across this post about passion projects by Jen Runde from Runde’s Room. After incorporating some of her stratgies and adding my own twists, I can honestly say I love implementing Genius […]
October STEM Fun | Pumpkin Science Stations
If your campus is like mine, there is a big push toward STEM activities that allow students to explore and learn through hands-on activities. Over the past few years, I have loved working pumpkins into my October lesson plans, and doing a STEM activity with pumpkins is always a long-lasting memory for my students. < […]
A beginner’s guide to teaching energy
Welcome back to another Science Saturday! We are just wrapping up our 10-day unit. Teaching energy has been a really fun one for me and the kids. You’ll notice we only covered: Sound, light, and heat energy in depth. We worked in a little mechanical energy on the first day, but our district has a separate […]
Science Saturday: Science Careers
Welcome back for another week of Science Saturday! This week I am going to share my second unit of the year. As I said last time, it is a very short one (which is why I am doing two Science Saturdays this month). However, I think it is great for giving students a background […]
How to teach science safety & tools
Science safety is something that students must learn. However, teaching science safety and tools can feel like a repetitive way to start each year. The good news is – It doesn’t have to be! I’ve outlined these lesson plans for science safety and tools that will keep your students engaged and excited to learn about […]
Building reading fluency by making repeated reading fun
Poor reading fluency is a challenge many students face. If a student is using all their mental resources decoding words and doing the foundational skills of reading, they have very little left to spend comprehending. This is especially troubling with the increased focus on critical thinking and understanding the nuances of text that are embedded […]
Tips, Tricks, and Free Activities Simplify Teaching Area & Perimeter
I love teaching measurement to my students. One of my favorite concepts is area and perimeter because it lends itself to so many fun hands-on activities and lots of opportunities to move around and work cooperatively. It also helps that the students can apply the skill to their lives outside of school, making perimeter and […]
Place Value Freebie!
Today I went to a great training on math strategies. The presenter got me thinking about the important things we can learn from sort and match activities. I know a lot of people are moving away from them, but I think they are a great lead-in or follow-up to a lesson. They give students a […]
Teaching to Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a great time to build in so many academic skills. Here are a few ways I incorporate the holiday excitement into my classroom…because we all know the kids’ brains are already moving to break! The First Thanksgiving Webquest I love doing this amazing webquest from Scholastic. The site is chock full of great […]
How to collect writing samples that represent your students’ abilities
Each year I collect samples of my student’s writing throughout the year (as I am sure we all do). However, last year I realized the samples were not always a great comparison because they didn’t cover similar topics/events. My solution was to collect three comparable writing samples. One at the beginning of the year, one […]
Seed Journals for Use with Lucy Calkins
I finally created my class seed journals for our writing time. These are composition books cut in half…in watermelon pink. Each journal has a pink and black polka dotted ribbon hot glued in the back that we will use as a page marker. Even with a table of contents, I often find that kids skip […]
Building Focused Personal Narratives
Getting students to create personal narratives that are engaging and focused is one of the biggest challenges I face in writing. I’ve been using the Lucy Calkin’s Units of Study for a few years now. One of my favorite parts is the analogy watermelons and seeds during the idea generation process for personal narrative writing. […]
Why I Use Trifold Novel Studies for Building Comprehension
The first time I tried reading novels in my classroom, my novel study activities were dry and boring. While the story was great, the post-reading activities left something to be desired…and by the end of our book, my students could only recall the details of the story as a result of our work. From that point […]