With many school districts closing on short notice due to the coronavirus, I know a lot of us are scrambling to provide appropriate, standards-based distance learning options to students. Many companies are offering free digital resources for educators and families while schools are shut down, which ... [ Read More ]
Teaching Students to Identify Sensory Words
Teaching students to identify sensory details as they read is a great way to teach author's craft. And, bonus, it helps to encourage students to use descriptive language in their own writing! Here are some ways that I teach and review sensory words in the upper elementary classroom. I'll also share ... [ Read More ]
Teaching Social Studies with Picture Books
If your social studies lessons have been dragging lately, I have just the tip for you! Try reading aloud picture books to your students! Picture books are one of my all-time favorite ways to introduce content in social studies! The text and illustrations grab students' attention and help them to ... [ Read More ]
Teaching Functional Text in the Upper Grades
Teaching students to use functional text is one of my favorite units! Why? Because kids are engaging with texts that they actually read in their daily lives! They get to see that the reading skills we teach are immediately useful outside school, and that's always a win! What is Functional ... [ Read More ]
How to Host a Book Tasting
By mid-elementary school, students generally have an idea of the kinds of books they like to read. That said, we can certainly expose them to different genres, authors, and titles. One way to do this is by hosting a book tasting in the classroom or library. This is a great way for students to sample ... [ Read More ]
