American Symbols is one of my FAVORITE units to teach. It must be yours too because over 12,000 teachers have purchased this unit from Teachers Pay Teachers ! It meets the Common Core Standards for Informational Reading with rigor and brings your classroom joy while reading! Updated with more crafts and symbols see below! My students LOVED this unit! I got 4 parent notes telling me how much they enjoyed hearing their child talk informatively and passionately about Social Studies. One parent said that their child doesn't talk much at the dinner table, and now he won't stop talking about school and symbols! I think it's because the unit is written to be kid friendly and engaging! Here are a few of the Statue of Liberty pages I wrote a week of fluency for the Statue of Liberty too. Each Symbol has a full writing unit Remember the update has even more art! 2 Interactive Little Books have been included for launching the unit and explaining what a "symbol" is. Oral Speaking "pledge page" with assessment rubric Tons of Activities like these: Math Graphing Bulletin Board You also get full color pages of all 5 symbols to make your bulletin board so cute. Also, you need a great way to show your graphing data. I included all the pages that kids need in order to understand that symbols are everywhere! Need grades for your grade book? Me too! I created several tests. Bonus American Symbols Mock Election Material The Reading Fluency passage comes in three levels. Low First Grade First/ Low Second Second Grade Anchor Charts and Registration to Vote Time to vote Anchor Chart, Secret Ballot, and Graphing to discover the winner Easy Graph (Tally Marks) "Harder" Graph ******* Update 1 ****** I am excited art added and has become available as BUNDLE! The one above has art as a bundle If you don't want / need the art, you can buy without it too. 62 Printables and 6 art projects! Pick and choose or do them all. This has open house written all over it! 2 student books 3 math and literacy activities 1 game 8 fluency & reading comprehension pages 5 writing units (From pre-write to publish) Syllables Activity Vocabulary Word Searches Clues Page (possible assessment if you choose) 2 patriotic student writing pages 1 oral speaking activity with parent note & grading rubric 3 assessments 6 art projects ***** Update 2 ***** So many of you asked for The Washington Monument to be added. 

Kids will have fun learning about science as they explore with these Solid, Liquid, Gas Hands on Activities for kids of all ages.

Learn how to teach quadrilaterals conceptually rather than having your students memorize the names of shapes. Tips for teaching quadrilaterals are included! Implement in your 4th grade or 5th grade math class today!

Videos from the series Earth Science with Science Mom

Okay teacher friend. It’s finally here. And I’m so excited! I’ve had this resource collecting dust on my computer for years now. I’ve been using this strategy in my classroom for the last few years, but haven’t had the energy or time (teacher life + mom life is exhausting, am I right?) to put it all together so that it’s ready to go for busy teachers like you! Well, it’s finally finished and I finally get to unveil it to you! Did you know I have a FREE downloadable reading response menu board that you can print now and use in your

Learn what is under your skin with a fun life-size human body project for kids. Download FREE skeletal system bones and organ printables!

Are you looking to elevate your Ecosystems and Biomes unit? This 4th or 5th grade project based learning unit for ecosystems incorporates science, nonfiction reading, research, writing, and the arts! Read to find out how I organized the research project, what our launch activity was, the driving que

Do you dread having early finishers in your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade classroom? Every classroom has them. Grab some free challenges in this post!

10 hands-on ideas for teaching earth changes and landforms in 2nd grade science with engaging STEM earth changes activities kids love!

Capturing your students’ interest and curiosity during the first few minutes of class is the key to keeping them engaged for your entire lesson. But not all math warm up activities are created equally. Math teachers miss out on activating their students’ critical thinking and reasoning skills when

Check out this list of over 85 Apps that Integrate with Google Classroom! Did you know that Google Classroom plays well with others? Yep! Google is known for making their applications open to working with third-party applications, and Google Classroom is no exception.

This Simple Radiation And Conduction Experiment is such a fun way for kids learn a scientific concept they use in everyday life.

Looking for a fun way to introduce the writing process to your students? What about using playdough? Come grab a fun & hands on lesson for your classroom!

While I am a firm believer in students reading real books that they choose and doing this often, I also love to include reading games and reading centers in

In order to boost virtual classroom participation and reduce achievement gaps, it is essential that teachers explore different strategies to see which ones motivate their students to learn.

Try these Amazing Eye Science Experiments for Kids of all ages to explore vision with a fun and memorable for kids. EASY project!

Fibonacci Day - 11/23

What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite food? Favorite movie? Favorite sport? Is this how your typical graphing unit goes? Mine too! Until this year, my students were always graphing the same boring answers to the same types of boring questions. This year I decided to make our graphing activities more meaningful. I wanted to […]

These FREE book report worksheets for a simple, fun way to make kids understand what they read. Print free printable book report template here

When it comes to teaching science, our number one concern is always safety! Science labs are traditionally what students enjoy most about science. Of course, that means students need to understand how to be safe and responsible in the science classroom.

Free growth mindset lessons to help your students have a more positice frame of mind. All activities are engaging and quick to prep.

Learn about five different biomes as you color and read key facts about with free printable Biome Coloring Pages for Prek-4th graders.

Studying morphology (affixes, bases, and roots) is a great way to connect decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension. Using these morphology warmups is a great way to implement morphology into your instruction in small group, whole group, or even reading centers. Note: If your 5th graders have received morphology instruction in 3rd and 4th grade and are ready for more advanced roots and affixes, this may be too easy for them. What is Morphology and Why is it Important? Morphology is the study of meaningful word parts in a language. It is the “building blocks” of words. These include roots, bases, prefixes, and suffixes. When students understand how words are built, they can use that knowledge to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words, make connections between words, and support their reading comprehension. Morphology instruction can also help students with decoding and encoding skills (spelling). ***THIS GROWING BUNDLE IS NOW COMPLETE. IF YOU PURCHASED BEFORE ALL SETS WERE INCLUDED, PLEASE DOWNLOAD NOW TO ACCESS ALL WARMUPS.*** About the Morphology Warmups This includes 10 sets of Morphology Warmups. To learn more about a warmup or to see examples, click on the title. 1. Morphology Warmups Set 1: Reading Base Word Families - This set of reading warmups has the students reading base word families. The purpose of this morphology warmup set is to: Practice reading fluency with similar word families Potentially expose students to new words with similar bases as familiar words Allow students to see how affixes can be added to create new words 2. Morphology Warmups Set 2: Base Word Creations - This set of reading warmups presents a base word to the students. The students must use the base word and different affixes to create words based on given meanings. The purpose of these morphology warmups is to: Provide students practice with creating new words with given bases Review affixes and how they impact the meaning of words 3. Morphology Warmups Set 3: Adding Affixes - This set of reading warmups has the students reading a base word and three sentences with blanks. In each sentence, the missing word is the base word with an affix added. The purpose of this morphology warmup set is to: Allow students to see how affixes can be added to create new words Familiarize students with the process of adding affixes to change the meaning and function of words Have students determine which affix is needed to make a word that best completes each sentence 4. Morphology Warmups Set 4: Match the Meanings - Focus on Affixes - This set of reading warmups has the students reading a base word, three sentences, and three definitions. Each of the three sentences includes a word containing the base word with additional affixes added. The students read the sentences, underline the word in each sentence, and then match the meaning that best defines the underlined word in each sentence. The purpose of these morphology activities is to: Allow students to see how affixes can be added to create new words Familiarize students with the process of adding affixes to change the meaning and function of words Help students uncover the meaning of words by analyzing affixes 5. Morphology Warmups Set 5: Prefix Warmups - Introduce your students to a variety of prefixes in bite-sized instructional timeframes using these morphology warmups that focus on prefixes. The purpose of these morphology warmups is to: introduce and explicitly teach a variety of prefixes expose students to grade-level words that use a variety of prefixes provide practice opportunities for using and reading words that contain prefixes 6. Morphology Warmups Set 6: Suffix Warmups - Are you looking for way to introduce your students to a variety of grade-level suffixes in small, manageable chunks of time? These morphology warmups that focus on suffixes are perfect for that! The purpose of these morphology warmups is to: introduce and explicitly teach a variety of suffixes expose students to grade-level words that use a variety of suffixes provide practice opportunities for using and reading words that contain suffixes 7. Morphology Warmups Set 7: Root Word Families - This set of root word warmups has the students reading a root word and its meaning, words and definitions, and sentences with blanks. The students read the words and their meanings and then pick the word that best completes the sentence.  The purpose of these morphology warmups is to: Familiarize students with common root words and their meanings Model for students how the meaning of a word can be connected back to the root word it contains Allow students to see how knowing common root words can help determine the meaning of unfamiliar words AND help them decode unknown words 8. Morphology Warmups Set 8: Using Roots, Affixes, and Context to Define Words - This set of reading warmups has the students reading a word, a sentence containing the word, and some information about what we already know about the word. Then the students provide their own definitions of words in their own words. The purpose of these morphology activities is to: Allow students to see how knowing the meaning of roots can help them determine the meaning of unknown words Allow students to see how roots and affixes work together to create the meaning of words. Give students practice with breaking unknown words into morphemes (roots and affixes) to uncover the meaning of those words 9. Morphology Warmups Set 9: Two Truths in a Lie - This set of morphology warmups has students reading and analyzing a given word. Then they will read three statements about the word. They will determine which statements are true and which one is false (the lie). Finally, they will prove their answer by correcting the false statement. The purpose of these morphology warmups is to: Continue reviewing affixes and bases/roots with your students Give students practice with analyzing words and the morphemes that make up those words 10. Morphology Warmups Set 10: Spelling with Suffixes - This set of 55 morphology warmups reviews the three basic suffix spelling rules: 1-1-1 Doubling Rule Silent E Rule The Y Rule. ***THIS GROWING BUNDLE IS NOW COMPLETE. IF YOU PURCHASED BEFORE ALL SETS WERE INCLUDED, PLEASE DOWNLOAD NOW TO ACCESS ALL WARMUPS.*** Using the Morphology Warmups Use the printable morphology warmups to start your small group reading instruction. Use the digital morphology warmups for whole group lessons and activities. Use the digital OR printable morphology warmups for independent practice, reading centers/stations, or word study activities. About the Digital Versions Digital versions of EVERY warmup are included. The content is exactly the same as the printable warmups, but the activities have been redesigned to work in Google Slides. Students will need to be in "edit mode" in order to manipulate moveable pieces or type in editable text boxes on each slide. More details about the digital versions are included in each PDF. Looking for more reading warmups aligned with the Science of Reading? Morphology Warmups BUNDLE Morphology Warmups Set 1: Reading Base Word Families Morphology Warmups Set 2: Base Word Creations Morphology Warmups Set 3: Add an Affix Morphology Warmups Set 4: Match the Meanings - Focus on Affixes Morphology Warmups Set 5: Prefix Warmups Morphology Warmups Set 6: Suffix Warmups Morphology Warmups Set 7: Root Word Families Morphology Warmups Set 8: Using Roots, Affixes, and Context to Define Words Morphology Warmups Set 9: Two Truths and a Lie Click here for ALL of my SOR-aligned resources!

what are effective reading comprehension strategies to help readers and struggling readers in your upper elementary classroom? this reading strategies list will help guide your reading instruction

No-prep figurative language skills packet! This product is included in the conversational skills bundle product, which can be found here https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Conversational-Skills-Bundle-5861998 The figurative language skills packet includes the below: Assessment p. 4-6 Assessment Sample p. 7-9 Educational Page p. 10 Metaphors p. 11-14 Similes p. 15-18 Hyperboles p. 19-22 Personification p. 23-26 Idioms p. 27-33 Figurative Language Tic-Tac-Toe p. 34-38 This is recommended for students who are reading to learn or ~4th grade and up. If you would like to take it for a "test drive", check out the free sample! NEW edits uploaded 9/8/2020

Order of Operations A student asked me today what my favorite subject to teach is and I said, “Math, of course!”. To which, he replied, “What’s your favorite math topic to teach….[paused]…Nevermind, I know it has to be order of operations.” :) He’s not wrong. Room Transformations One of the reas

Students may think a straw looking broken in a glass of water is magic. Use this fun and engaging ideas to help students master the concept of reflection and refraction of light energy.

When I started at my new school last year, I came into a new reading program. I was used to doing almost all of my reading instruction WHOLE CLASS, but my school uses a guided reading model all the way up to 5th grade. I definitely had to rethink my reading block! I had done centers in the past, but wanted a really clear way to maximize the time and make the transitions clear for the students. Here's how I do my guided reading block! ROTATIONS We have Guided Reading/Centers Monday-Thursday from about 1:10-2:00 and I rotate through four groups. This means each center is 12 minutes long, with about 30 seconds for a transition. 12 minutes can fly by, so the students have to work on getting those transitions DOWN. I found a FANTASTIC resource by my friend Kristen of Chalk & Apples, and it has made centers SO easy. There are tons of different icons that can be easily swapped out on different days or weeks. I change mine up all the time! In a typical week, I do guided reading with leveled passages on Monday and Wednesday, and we do literature circles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. GROUPS My students are grouped according to DRA levels, because that is what my school uses. You might use AR, Lexile, or another measure. I have four groups: Low, Low-Mid, High-Mid, and High. Each group has a number, but I assign the number randomly so it doesn't match up to skill level in any way. I have 24 students in my class this year, so there will be 6 kids in each group. If you have a larger class, you can still make it work by having your higher groups work on their own while you work with a lower group and just check in! GUIDED READING I LOVE this close reading resource from Fifth in the Middle. I bought the entire bundle so I have TONS of options. Each reading comes in four reading levels, but they are on the same topic and look the same so students don't notice. There is also a paired text that I try to use for morning work toward the end of the week. There are several pages of activities for each passage, and I often have the students start these at the table with me after we've read the passage out loud. When it is their turn for guided reading, the students come to me at our back table with a pencil and a highlighter. I give them their sheets for that day and discuss what we will be looking for while we read (unfamiliar words usually) and we begin reading. I like to make sure each child reads, so however I have to break it up to make that happen. After reading through, I ask them to scan through again to find specific information. This changes week to week, so one time it might be looking for transition phrases, and another it might be looking for dates to create a timeline. Then, we talk about what everyone found and work on putting together the information on the worksheet. I, of course, provide a lot more scaffolding and support to my lower readers, while my high readers are able to do the activity on their own. LIT CIRCLES On the days that we have literature circles, the students still come to the back table with me, but this time they bring their lit circle book (which varies) and their lit circle binder. In their binder, they keep all of their jobs and their reading schedule. I have used about a GAZILLION resources for lit circles (including online blogs), but this one from Pocketful of Primary is my absolute FAVORITE: It is SOO easy to adapt to groups of different sizes and I found it very user-friendly for both the kiddos and for myself! I organize the jobs using a hanging file I found on Amazon. You can find it here: THE OTHER CENTERS So what do the kiddos do during their other blocks of time? Here's some options I cycle through: STAPLES: Partner Reading Each student has a partner from their reading group that they meet up with for this activity. I typically use "I Survived" books or similar short chapter books. I stock up through Scholastic! I have 6 shared books for the entire class, and I place a sheet inside the front cover so the students can write their names and where they ended each day they read. I always have new books ready to go for the students who finish. I do this strictly for fluency, so I don't do quizzes or worksheets. Silent Reading (KBAR) In my class, we call silent reading KBAR- Kick Back and Read. When we do a whole class KBAR, I sometimes take it outside. Spelling (Spelling City) I typically use Spelling City for centers, but sometimes do a worksheet instead. Vocabulary (Quizlet)Quizlet is AMAZING. I love using this for vocabulary! The students really enjoy it as well. Keyboarding (KWT) This is a tough one since monitoring the students' finger placement is so important. I don't do this OFTEN as a center, but throw it in now and again. Writing If we are working on a longer project (such as the state report), I have the students use this chunk of time for that. Otherwise, I sometimes provide a prompt or allow them to free write. Here's one of the resources I use: NoRedInk If you've never used this site, CHECK IT OUT! It's one of the best ways to get some extra grammar practice into your day! Be aware that the initial set up takes a bit of time because the students have to select a bunch of their favorites from different categories: books, tv shows, movies. What's neat is the site uses their preferences and their name + their friends' names when building the practice sentences. The kids get a kick out of it! Task Cards (small group) Students work with their reading group and record their answers on individual answer sheets. I have a huge selection of task cards that I keep in one of these bad boys from Michael's: Cursive (Can Do) I love that my school teaches cursive, but in fifth grade, we don't have a lot of specific time for it. To keep the kid's practicing, I assign pages from our cursive book during centers. Reading Comprehension (Reading Plus) We use Reading Plus, but there are many online reading comprehension sites. Use whatever your district provides or what works for your class! Games I will occasionally throw in a review game for the kids to play with their small group. The key is they have to be short and not too loud! Comment below if you have other questions or want to add some advice on running smooth ELA centers with Guided Reading!

Learn about the human digestive system for kids twith this memorable digestion experiment. ZANY human body project making poop!

Use these six classroom management strategies in your science classroom on the first day of school. Back to school for new science teachers.

My name is Kaleigh Richards, I am an Upper Elementary Teacher at a Montessori charter school in Reno, Nevada. I have been teaching at this level/in this school for 5 years. I teach 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. I have 34 students. Our school is tuition-free for all students in elementary and middle school. We are a Montesso

The freebies have moved! Instead of having the freebies in a separate resource library, we have put all of our freebies in our shop. You can find the freebies by clicking right here!

In this mental math worksheet, your child reads the clues to find the secret number in each problem.

Want an intentional way to increase your students' morphological skills AND vocabulary? Try a morphology word of the day routine!

These tips for teaching plot to 3rd graders help you get your students thinking and discussing how all the story elements work together to ...

Details on our homeschool curriculum picks for 4th grade and 2nd grade. What we picked, why we picked it, and the extras!

Justify the claims using evidence and reasoning in the middle and high school classrooms using our Claim Evidence Reasoning Templates. Feel free to download and print for free.

Looking for ways to use comprehension passages in your classroom? Come check out how use mine plus check out my new comprehension one pagers!