Click to see how one teacher uses 1 book to launch writing workshop with a detailed breakdown of each day and a free download.
These FREE Printables and Unit Studies for Eric Carle's Books will help you expand on what your kids are learning through these beloved books.
A writing template to help children when structuring text types.
Need Wonder activities for your classroom or home school Wonder teaching resources? We have Wonder lesson plans, Wonder worksheets, and more ideas for book projects, kindness activities for middle school, and diversity lessons to make a great study unit for students using both the novel by RJ Palacio and teaching with movies (including the popular precepts project!).
Try these writing exercises for beginners and become a better writer by actually applying writing tips to your writing.
In today’s society, it is important that students can use their critical thinking skills in their everyday lives. The perfect place for students to learn how and to practice critical reading, writing, arguing, and even listening is the high school English classroom. Here are 10 critical high school English lessons and skills that teachers should be teaching their students!
I love using interactive lapbooks in the classroom. They are fun to create, engaging and can be used throughout the year to review skills taught. I finally completely my Lapbook Bundle and I am happy to share the lapbooks included with you. Whether you think your learners will enjoy creating all of the lapbooks, if you
Informative writing can be tricky in first grade, but this all about book is the perfect way for students to research their own animal and publish a book
Fables are an important part of English Language Arts instruction. The genre, which often includes animals that act like humans and moral lessons, is perfect for targeted lessons in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and analyzing. Classic and modern fables are both entertaining and approachable. Fables also shed light on other cultures, characterization, and moral lessons. Most importantly, they're just plain fun to teach! Here are 6 easy ways to teach fables in your classroom... I LOVE giving students a chance to write their very own fable. I recommend starting with mentor texts so that students can become experts on the genre. Then, through targeted writing instruction, students can write their own story that includes a moral, animal characters, story elements, and illustrations. As students develop their stories, you can even have them "pitch" their stories to their peers acting as storybook editors. Once students have written a strong fable, take these lessons to the next level and let students create a children's book filled with illustrations. You could even have them share their fables with younger students. Check out this ready-to-teach Fable Writing Unit! Don't you just love lessons that meet a ton of instructional standards at once? Well, this fable unit does just that! It’s a 7-day unit designed around Aesop’s fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” and in it students read three different versions of the fable. After building background on each form, they have the opportunity to critically read and respond to the fable in prose, verse, and drama form. Through small group work, independent studies, and class discussions students will not only understand and appreciate the elements of a fable and each form of literature, but they’ll also develop a deep understanding of each text. Learn more about this unit here. Of course, fables are wonderful to read in the classroom. But, why just read a fable when you can also connect, investigate, write, and draw? I created this Foldable Fables resource with Art with Jenny K. to combine reading, writing, and illustrating. This resource is super engaging because students create an accordion-style booklet filled with their learning and creativity. It's fun and educational! The seven learning activities help students connect deeply to their reading. Check out the super engaging Foldable Fable here! I've found that fables are wonderful to add to learning stations focused on reading comprehension skills. For instance, in this sequencing centers resource, students investigate "Fox and the Goat" at one of the learning stations. At the station, they're tasked to read the fable and then put the fable in the correct sequence with an interactive shape. Since fables are often short and focused they're the perfect addition to reading comprehension learning stations! Fables lend themselves perfectly to plays. I've found that students respond really well to opportunities to perform short skits and plays in the classroom. In this theme mini-unit, students get to act out "The Four Oxen and a Lion." As a small group, they practice reading out loud, acting, and investigating theme. It's fun for students to get into different characters as they act out a fable! I'm a big fan of reading out loud to students. Often, I would read stories to students as they completed their daily warm-ups. My read alouds included novels, poems, short stories, and of course, fables. You might mix-up your own read alouds with fables from around the world or modern fables. Here are a few collections of fables that you might want to add to your classroom library... --- Aesop's Fables: The Classic Edition --- Buddhist Stories for Kids --- Filipino Children's Favorite Stories ------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope you've found some simple ways to teach fables in your classroom! Fables really are wonderful literature treasures for teaching reading, writing, investigating, performing, and more! Thanks for stopping by! Mary Beth P.S. My friend, Art with Jenny K., has another idea for adding fables to the classroom. Check out her post here. *This post contains affiliate links.
If your students haven't gotten to read Wonder yet, they are missing out! Not only is it an inspiring read, but it makes for a perfect writing unit where students get to consider different points of view!
If you love the book Enemy Pie, here are some great reading and writing lessons that go great with this story. Enemy Pie is one of my students' favorites.
Free printable comic strip template is perfect to make your own comic book pages. Perfect indoor educational activity helps kids with writing skills.
Spring lamb tracing pages that are free
A free comic strip template for Elephant and Piggie books, plus a set of super cute Elephant and Piggie paper bag puppet templates.
105 creative writing exercises to get you writing again. Try these short, 10-minute creative writing exercises to beat writer's block.
Sometimes as a teacher, it can be overwhelming to plan a research-based writing project. We know that gathering research, taking notes, and then organizing those notes in categories are skills that need to be explicitly taught to our students on top of the writing process, but how??? Well, I am soooo excited to show you THE RESEARCH NOTEBOOK! You are going to LOVE it! This little pocket notebook will teach your students how to gather research in an organized way! When I used the research notebook to teach an animal research-based writing project to my third graders, it became my favorite writing unit that I taught all year! I was astounded at the high-level writing my students produced at the end. Check out the research notebook in use in the picture below! So here's how it works! Basically, you create pockets out of paper that fit the size of an index card perfectly, and each pocket has a specific topic that students should focus on as they delve into their research. For my animal research project, I broke the research notebook into 6 different categories: Habitat, Food & Diet, Physical Features, Life Cycle, Fun Facts, and Sources. These categories seemed to give a "lens" each day for students to view their informational text through, and this focus allowed them to read with a purpose of locating specific information. I finally was able to take some time to put this research notebook as well as many other resources together in an informative writing unit for others to use. In this writing unit, there are detailed day to day lesson plans, student printables, anchor papers for you to use as the teacher, and rubrics. Here is how the unit is broken down: FIRST, you follow the lesson plans for the research portion of the project and print out those necessary materials. SECOND, you choose beforehand whether you will have your students write a multi-paragraph research paper OR a nonfiction book. You then use the corresponding lesson plans and print out those necessary materials based on your selection. THIRD, you can grade your students writing project using the rubrics provided. There are also generic rubrics included so that you can use this pack to teach research-based writing and create a paper or book on ANY TOPIC you desire in the future! This versatility is found in the research notebook and nonfiction book template as well. You can use the template to build a nonfiction book about any subject!! This is what the nonfiction book looks like when it is finished! Here is a look at all 12 pages included. To access this product at my TPT store, click on the picture below!
Do you love to read to your students? If your answer is yes, which I am sure it is check out this list of "must read" books. It is recommend for Kindergarten but any age should enjoy them. Reading a book to my students is one of my favorite things to do as a teacher. I love the way kids get so engaged in a story. It makes me feel like I am five years old again. Well here is the list....enjoy! 100 Books
Do you hate to teach poetry? Do you want your students to learn and enjoy poetry? Try these simple ways to learn how to teach poetry...
I am on summer vacation over here. The school year went by so fast and yet so slow. August feels like forever ago. I miss seeing my sweet k...
20 Engaging read-aloud books that are great for building character! Use these read-aloud books when teaching character education lessons.
Need the perfect independent reading activity to hold your middle school and high school ELA students accountable while also measuring their comprehension? These Reader's Notes Foldable Annotation Pages allow students to annotate their reading books and build stronger understanding! Students simply fold the annotation pages over the pages of their books and take notes on methods of characterization, plot development, literary devices, or the elements of plot, setting, and character. Reader’s Notes Foldable Annotation Pages were created with you and your students in mind. Foldable Annotation Pages provide you with a wide range of high-interest, meaningful reader’s response notes that students can fold right into their books. For students, reader’s notes foldable annotation notes allow them to take notes directly in their books as they read--the best part? The annotation pages double as a book mark! Reader’s Notes Foldable Annotation Pages are the closest students can get to directly annotating a novel--plus they help students to stay organized with everything they need for their independent reading in one place! How Reader’s Notes Foldable Annotation Pages work: simply fold the note pages over the side of a page either vertically or horizontally (pages are marked so students know where to fold). Students follow the directions provided on the sides of each set of reader’s notes. Students fold the directions and provided definitions out of the way. As students read, they mark literary devices, methods of characterization, or important plot points! In this pack you will find Reader’s Notes Foldables for: Methods of Characterization Literary Devices Understanding Plot Mastering Standard RL3: Analyzing how elements of a novel interact Ideas for Implementing Reader’s Notes Foldables: Use separately as students study each element of literature. Combine two sets of reader’s notes. For example, study characters and literary devices, asking students to find examples of each as they read. Use in class scavenger hunt style, asking students to grab any novel and find examples of literary devices, methods of characterization, or plot points. Give students a choice of Reader’s Notes Foldable Annotation Pages for independent reading. Students choose their foldables and complete that set as their reading response. Plot Line foldables can be saved and put together into one big plot line when students finish their novels. Students can build the plot line by gluing their notes to a medium-sized piece of poster paper as they read. Plot lines can be displayed and even used as an end-of-novel assessment. The possibilities for Reader's Notes Foldables are endless. Make reading engaging and active with these print and go pages! For more engaging ELA ideas, click on the links below: Standards Based Bellringer Journal Escape Room Bundle for ELA Letters about Literature Independent Reading Program Narratives as Mentor Texts Master the Standards with Poetry Bundle Close Reading Task Cards Informative Writing Revision Stations Blending Quotes Stations Narrative Writing Revision Stations A Long Walk to Water Unit Bundle See products in action on Instagram Read my blog for innovative ways to engage and excite middle school ELA students
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Check out over 14 resources that should add to your 8th-grade homeschool curriculum. Includes resources for math, English, history, and even Spanish.
Writing in kindergarten has the potential to be so much more than handwriting exercises. The best kept secret to kindergarten writing is writers' workshop.
Crow: The Legend is a phenomenal animated short film. It features an all-star cast, is beautiful, is perfect for teaching students about diversity.
Discover the essential rules and tips for mastering punctuation in English!
The Color Monster is the story of a monster who, with the help from a little girl, learns about his emotions through different colors. This book companion is the perfect cross-curricular addition to your classroom for teaching your students about their emotions. What is included? • Visual craft with step-by-step real picture sequencing • Writing activity (to go along with the craft - great for bulletin board displays!) • STEM emotion activity • Visual recipe to make monster cookies • 7 differentiated cut/paste worksheets (errorless included) • Task box emotion clip cards When do you use book companions? Book companions are a great addition to any reading or language arts block. They also serve as a great print-and-go lesson for any substitute binder. PLEASE NOTE * 1. You will need to purchase the book The Color Monster - A Story About Emotions by Anna Llenas to go along with the book companion and craftivity. 2. Part of this book companion is included in the January Mini Lesson Plan Pack. Connect with me: • Newsletter • Blog • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • Don't forget about the green ★ to follow my store to get notifications of new resources and freebies! Thanks for Looking and Happy Teaching!
Check out this great lesson I found on Cleverbean. Learning Intention: Create an artwork in response to the text ‘Journey’ by Aaron Becker.
If you are looking for Frindle teaching ideas, this is the place to visit. You'll find printables, lesson plans, and novel study samples.
Babies to Bookworms provides a list of entertaining children's books about punctuation and grammar to help make language learning fun!
Clever ideas for kids' book reports, from mint tins to cereal boxes to a Wanted poster.
Integrate art and literacy with no prep or background knowledge with step by step tutorials for art history and art around the world!
Help your primary grade students explore, learn, and write about landforms. See our hands-on landforms activities plus our culminating writing project!
Last week I was here: Doing this: And it was fantastic. This week I was doing this: With them: And it was also...
Hey friends! I am so excited to share this new book with you! The Little Linebacker by Steven Tulloch and Maria Dismondy is such an adorable book of determination! It has a great message of never giving up on your dreams and goals, even when things set you back or you fail! This is […]
I use the book Enemy Pie several times throughout the school year, but about once a year, I use the worksheets provided on this blog to turn the book into several weekly lessons. It’s such a cute...
