How will you set up a class meeting area in your classroom? It is incredibly important to create a space in your classroom that is specifically designed for read alouds, whole group instruction, and class meetings. There are so many different ideas on Pinterest and educational blogs. It can be
Interactive read alouds are an incredibly valuable tool that can build reading comprehension, problem solving, critical thinking, and higher level thinking skills. But here’s the catch… This only happens if students are fully engaged in their learning. If students are staring off into space and daydreaming about what they are
Teachers know how valuable instructional time with our students is. Pull-outs for special education services, state testing, assemblies, and the days leading up to the holidays and vacations limit it. Additionally, we have mandates set by our districts and the federal, state, and local governments that limit the time we
As classroom teachers, we know how important it is to have a fully-stocked classroom library that includes a variety of genres, topics, plot lines, characters, settings, cultures, reading levels, etc. It is important for students to easily access texts that are interesting to them, show characters, plots, and settings that
Parents reading aloud to their child or children every day is one of the most important things they can do. As teachers, we know that it supports students in growing into proficient readers and learners. One of my favorite quotes is from Emilie Buchwald who said, “Children are made readers
Books! Glorious books! While we want our kids reading a variety of great literature to themselves, there are also books we hoard to use as read alouds and mentor texts. How do we keep these books separate but also accessible? Read below to get proven classroom book organization ideas for
There are so many books available at our fingertips now more than ever. With the help of Amazon, Barnes and Noble, small bookstores, and local libraries, thousands of children’s books are a click or just a short drive away. There are so many books to choose from that it can
Do you love elementary read alouds as much as I do? There are two moments I anticipate with excitement every year in my classroom: When Charlie Bucket finally gets his Golden Ticket and the class cheers wildly (because they always do) and when Charlotte dies and even my toughest little
This is the tale of how a 3rd grade teacher who once hated teaching paragraph writing (spoiler alert: it was me) used a simple system called Paragraph of the Week to transform her reluctant writers into excited authors and rapidly improved student writing. For real. It can be really challenging
Raise your hand if you dread teaching main idea and details to your elementary students. I think it’s one of the trickiest things for kids to grasp. However, teaching main idea and details is simple once you have a solid understanding of the literacy concept and a systematic approach to
Exit ticket, exit slip, exit card, exit prompt, exit pass… All of these terms are used interchangeably to describe a quick assessment given at the end of a lesson or class period. Not only will I share everything you need to know about using exit slips in your classroom, but will
This Me on the Map resource is my #2 all-time best seller. These Me on the Map activities are hugely popular among elementary teachers in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th! It is a great way to help kids conceptualize geography. It’s also the perfect way to kick off a
