Looking for esl task cards to use with your english language learners? Try these picture cards that are perfect for quick and effective language practice!
Wondering how to engage students in meaningful learning? This ultimate list of active learning strategies is a great reference to use while lesson planning.
Teaching growth mindset can be done with read-alouds! Rosie's Glasses is a great book for this. Get ideas for using this book to teach being positive.
Looking for unique post-reading activities to inspire students and provide a sample of their analytical skills? Find high-interest strategies for secondary.
I mean...why WOULDN'T you use cootie catchers in your reading block? It makes perfect sense. Ok - remember last week how I was talking about doing a little spring cleaning with some of my TpT resources? Well, I did a little spring cleaning in my file folders on my computer as well. Yikes. Now THAT'S a bit of a rabbit hole. I got in a little deeper than I wanted to, but I figured I might as well finish the job. I got rid of a lot (a LOT) of cringe worthy products that just didn't make the cut anymore, and I got some major organizing done as well. BUT - you know what I found? THIS >>> It's a reading comprehension cootie catcher that I TOTALLY forgot I made! And since it resurfaced for me - I thought I'd resurface it for you! I'm sure I made it for you guys in the first place, but I can't for the life of me find it anywhere on the blog. There's actually 3 different versions. They have different comprehension questions that can be used with any fictional book. They work great as a quick partner review game. You can download them here! Find any long-lost things in your spring cleaning, lately? Pin and Share this freebie:
Asking questions before, during, and after reading comes very naturally to skilled readers, but for struggling readers, this skill can be just the opposite. Asking questions of varying depths is arguably the most important reading
Use these free Writing Folders and freebies to give your writers support during their independent writing time. Find all our FREE Writing Printables HERE. If you are a subscriber to my newsletter, you can download all the printables that go with it for FREE! Not a subscriber? Simply subscribe HERE! NOTE: If you are already a ... Read More about Writing Folders – for K-5 Learners
Hands-on pre-reading activities that encourage your elementary students to access their prior knowledge and make predictions.
If you are looking for some high-interest activities, try using animated shorts to teach inference. Free handouts focus on student learning.
If you know me, you know that a good sort is one of my favorite instructional strategies. I actually think my grade level colleagues get si...
Read about several important note taking strategies to share with middle and high school students as well as how to establish expectations.
Do you have elementary students in your homeschool? If so, you will find this FREE Elementary Reading & Writing Bundle so helpful! It’s full of useful homeschool printables for writing and reading assessment as well as reading comprehension. This limited time freebie will end on 4/26 so you will want to be sure to grab the...
Analyzing writing curriculums, planning writing workshop and teaching writing lessons can be overwhelming. You might think, how am I going to fit everything in and produce successful writers? Where do I start? What skills do they need? This post will share the 7 BASIC WRITING LESSONS that every teacher should teach! With this basic knowledge, students will be able to perform other writing assignments more effectively. The following skills are not only effective in upper elementary, they are often needed at the middle school level for review or the primary level for differentiation. So yes, every teacher should teach them! If you start with these 7 fundamental skills, it will set the expectations for your writing lessons and assignments throughout the year! Frequently Asked Questions What are the basic skills and what order should I teach them? Sentence Structure 1. Complete Sentences Lesson for complete sentences 2. Fragments Lesson for fragments 3. Run-ons Lesson for run-ons Paragraph Writing 4. Topic Sentences Lesson for topic sentences 5. Relevant Details Lesson for relevant details 6. Transition Words Lesson for transition words 7. Closing Sentences Lesson for closing sentences How much time should I dedicate to teaching these fundamental skills? I recommend one day for each skill. If you spend a whole writing block for each skill, students will benefit from the practice. How do I teach each skill? First: Start with an anchor chart explaining the skill. (See each lesson link above for effective anchor charts.) Second: Provide examples. Students can share examples too! Next: Students should take notes. I love using Interactive Writing Notebooks to take notes. Research supports the use of interactive notebooks through studies on multiple intelligences, the brain and note taking. Here are a few videos to Set Up Interactive Writing Notebooks. Click photo for the Upper Elementary Version. A Primary Version is also available. Then: Identify the skill. Provide practice sheets and task cards for students to practice identifying the skill in sentences and paragraphs. Last: Apply the skill. Students should have the opportunity to write their own sentence or paragraph to apply the particular skill. What if I can't fit the lesson in one writing block? If you can't extend the days to complete them, there are other ways to get the whole lesson in. You can put practice sheets or task cards in a center, or you can have students apply the skill for homework or morning work the next day. What if my students, some of my students, or absent students can't do interactive notebooks? Make a small anchor chart to put in their notebooks with the same information! If you don't have a printable poster, take a picture of the anchor chart you used in class and print them off! I hope you found this post helpful and your students become successful writers this year! Connect With Me! TPT Store Facebook Pinterest My Blog
Part of my literacy class involves teaching them the life-long skills of SKIMMING and SCANNING. This handout covers both of these types of reading strategies. It describes what skimming and scanning are, and what the difference between them is. It has a word-bank fill-in-the-blank style questions, and some helpful tips. Also the second page includes a worksheet that ALSO introduces the very important idea of "reading for detail", with true/false examples and multiple choice examples. An answer key is included to help make your life easier. TIP - I get them to look at a menu as the "hook" -I'll bring it up on the whiteboard and ask them to tell me what they want to order within the next 2 minutes. They naturally skim and scan to find their answer :) Then I give this handout and they really get it. ALSO IN MY SHOP! Another worksheet that focuses on skimming through an article about good teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/English-Reading-Skills-Skim-2961049
If your non-English speaking students aren't ready to do the regular class work, what should you have them do instead? This handy tool can help.
Explicitly teaching, as well as continually modeling and practicing reading comprehension strategies with students is one of the most important jobs we have as teachers of growing readers. Research shows that teaching reading strategies encourages
Motivate students with independent reading by adding engaging reading sprints...turn the traditional reading log upside down!
Classroom tips,teaching ideas, and resources for the upper elementary classroom. Teacher Giveaways
hold students accountable while they independently read with these easy to implement reading tips and tricks and strategies
Trying to improve reading fluency in high school can be frustrating. Here are some effective approaches educators can use in the classroom.
These Reading Comprehension Bookmarks give students the tools they need to successfully share their great ideas about what they have read.
Asking questions before, during, and after reading comes very naturally to skilled readers, but for struggling readers, this skill can be just the opposite. Asking questions of varying depths is arguably the most important reading
Trying to find a meaningful vocabulary teaching approach? Find fresh, powerful, and inspiring ideas to revolutionize the way you teach words!
I've been a special education teacher for 6 years now. Actually, we're all special education teachers, as my first principal liked to say (and she was right). The thing I always struggled with the most
When I think about student writing, one of the most difficult concepts to teach is sentence fluency. Much of excelling at fluent writing revolves around students’ background with literacy. Certainly,...
RACE Writing Strategy.This document has 3 different formats. Each format explains what the strategy is, tips and sentence starters and what an example rubric is to check work. This is a great resource to teach students what the RACE Strategy is, for students to use while writing their response and ...
With the RACE writing strategy, students Restate and Answer the question, Cite the text, and Explain their quotation. Plus download a free...
Use engagaing videos to teach the elements of narrative writing. Students can analyze the genre by using short videos as they prepare to write their own.
I am so excited to launch my first "series" of blog posts! It's making me feel all grown-up and blogger-like :)My first series is going to be on increasing student engagement in the classroom. Over
Fluency tends to be a commonly overlooked skill, but you can change that by learning about strategies for teaching fluency with your elementary students!
Make constructed response simple and easy with the structure of RACES. This predictable writing strategy transformed the my students' ability to respond to literature. Incorporating these posters into my lessons is one of the most valuable changes I've made in my ELA block. One small change has created lasting change in students' level of ability to respond to reading with confidence. R - Restate the question A - Answer all parts C - Cite evidence E - Explain your thinking S - Sum it up Included in this resource: 5 posters (R, A, C, E, S), each in their own 8.5 x 11 poster 5 color palettes as well as black and white posters Printable RACE(S) response sheets ( editable) Digital RACE(S) response sheets ( editable) Desk plates for easy access Editable slides - edit the text, font and color of each level RACES encourages students to answer constructed response questions completely and with details from the text. Watch your students' responses improved dramatically as constructed responses become something they no longer dread. __________________________________________________________ MORE RESOURCES YOU’LL LOVE: READING ANCHOR CHARTS BEST-SELLING STUDENT DATA NOTEBOOK LEVELS OF UNDERSTANDING LEVELS OF EFFORT __________________________________________________________ Copyright © Cooties and Cuties All rights reserved by the author. Permission to copy for single classroom use only. ********************************************************************************************
Interested in using anchor charts with older students? Read about benefits, best practices, and materials to make the experience a success.
When it comes to teaching close reading and annotation, is there anything worse than seeing your students mindlessly highlighting for pages and pages with no real understanding of what they're highlighting or why they're highlighting it? The frustrating part is that highlighting indicates that they're trying, but it often shows that they don't understand why.
Visualizing the text is such an important strategy used for building your students’ reading comprehension. It is very versatile as it can be used in different ways with students of all ages and reading levels. I
Well, my school year has barely ended, and call me crazy, because I am already planning and creating for next year!! I have a list a mile long of new ideas that I can’t wait to try out for next year. My first one?!?! Close Reading Toolboxes!! This post contains affiliate links to amazon.com. If you…
Here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging.
The beginning of the school year is an important time to assess the writing skill levels of new students in our English classes. One way to do this is to assign a diagnostic essay in order to "diagnose" each student's writing level. This creative approach to essay writing helps students t
Teaching writing DOESN'T have to be complicated! With these simple strategies, you can improve students' writing without having to work so hard.
