Learning Language Arts Through Literature is available in these homeschool lesson plans for easy online planning.

Today I am excited to welcome Kim from English Oh My as our guest blogger. She has some great ideas for teaching students to comprehend poetry in a manageable way. Enjoy! Happy April, and Happy National Poetry Month! Poetry is a timeless genre, and it is a part of most English Language curriculum. When I tell […]

Disney movies have some very deep lessons to teach kids. Zootopia lesson plans are perfect for teaching kids about bias vs. sterotypes.

This book provides teachers, librarians, and education methods professors with strategies, lesson plans, and activities that enable them to use literature as a springboard to social studies thematic instruction. With the amount of time and resources allocated to teaching social studies being significantly reduced, social studies lessons need to be incorporated into other subjects. Notable Books, Notable Lessons: Putting Social Studies Back in the K-8 Curriculum offers the tools to teach students social studies concepts that are increasingly relevant and essential in today's diverse, globalized world--lessons that are vital in order to prepare students to think critically and participate in our multicultural democracy. Providing information that elementary and middle school teachers and librarians, district-level curriculum directors and principals, staff developers, and social studies and literacy methods professors will find extremely useful, this book uses the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)/Children's Book Council (CBC)'s current and past lists of Notable Books at the elementary and middle school levels to offer easy-to-follow lesson plans that integrate social studies instruction with reading and language arts. The lesson plans pose compelling questions to facilitate discussion and critical thinking and suggest engaging activities that are connected to the social studies concepts. The book also includes sample student handouts for the selected pieces of literature.

Poetry slams can lead your students beyond a focus on rhyme and meter and into the emotional pull of poetry.

I'm so happy to be hosting our Must Read Mentor Texts Linky for Language Arts! But, do you know how hard it is to just pick one book to talk about with Language Arts??? It's tough!! But we did it!! I'm excited to be sharing a book today that I have used for many years in writing and reading....A cute, fun story about a little dog that causes a lot of commotion! :O) The Great Gracie Chase- Stop That Dog! is a story that all of us pet owners can personally relate to...you know when your pet gets out of the house or out of the yard and suddenly you are having to sprint down the street screaming its name? Searching frantically!!!! Trying to catch it!!! YEP! That's what this little story is all about! This humorous story is written by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Mark Teague....I LOVE both of them!!! :O) Gracie is a very good dog and has never done anything naughty. But, Gracie likes a very quiet house and one day, some noisy painters come in and disturb Gracie. Of course, they leave the door open and BAM, off goes Gracie, running down the street!! So, people run after her, trying to catch her, but this causes Grace to run faster and further. Until, finally, everyone gets tired out and once again, Gracie has her peace and quiet, so she just goes on home. ***Warning- this next part is personal- If you don't want to read personal, skip down to the Mentor Text Memo*** ;O) I think I love this book so much because I have so many connections to it. We had a dog just like Gracie when I was growing up. Calm, quiet, always good. But if that door got left open and she saw a chance to run...she ran. Fast. And far. My brother and I would go running after her and she'd just keep running (one or both of us would end up in tears, worried we'd never catch her) and we'd be screaming her name!!! But, it never failed. She'd have to stop and go potty. And that was when one of us would grab and and carry her home. Then, she was right back to her sweet, calm self, like nothing happened. There's just something about that open door... Just this week our big black lab pitbull mix (Piper) did the same thing. My husband had used the lawn mower and when he put it back in the building in our backyard, he left the gate to our fence wide open. Later, he went down to let her out and he said it happened so fast he couldn't believe it. She walked outside a little ways and then she immediately looked left. He said as soon as she looked left, he knew but by the time his brain got his body moving, she was gone. So, 10:00 at night my husband yells at me to get his truck keys because Piper is out and he runs after her. By the time I get my slippers on (yes, slippers, because I was in my pjs ready to get in the bed) I get in the truck and head through the neighborhood. They were all the way in the back. But, you see, Piper is obsessed with getting in vehicles. So, all I had to do was pull up, open the door, and in she went. My husband had ran after her and almost caught her. We think that's only because she's about 9 years old now and so she's slowed down, otherwise, who knows where she'd be. See...the open door...BAM! (But, unlike Gracie from the story, Piper is naughty most of the time, so this was not a surprise.) Ok, personal drama over! I use this book during language arts to teach making connections, cause and effect, and writing a response to literature. First off, I try to get students to make connections. Not everyone is a dog lover, like me. So, some kids have never had a dog. But, most kids have had an experience of some kind with a dog, and so I get them to make those connections first. Every year that I have used this book, every single student has had an experience of some sort with a loose dog. Whether it was theirs, a grandparent's, or a neighbors, they know pretty much what happens when a dog is running for its freedom. So, they can usually make some sort of connection. Then, we work on cause and effect. I feel like there are two different kinds of stories that use cause and effect. One is when there are just different events and there is a cause and then an effect. And then later, there's another cause, with an effect. The second kind of story is where you have one cause, and then a sequence of effects, sort of like a domino effect. I feel like The Great Gracie Chase is more of a domino effect story. Gracie gets upset, she runs. The painter runs after her and then one by one, more people see it and join in the chase. In the end, she gets what she wants. Peace and quiet. So maybe that makes it a circle story too. Anywho, I thought of making a cause and effect sheet just for this book for you as a freebie, but then I decided I'd make a blank cause and effect sheet for the "domino effect" instead, so it can be used for more stories. So, here ya go! (Just click the pic!) Finally, we take all of the connections we've made with this story and we write a response to literature. I usually help them set it up and organize it, and this is how it goes: Click the picture to get the freebie! Students use this graphic organizer to jot down their thoughts. They summarize the story in the first box (which will be the first paragraph). Then, they choose 1 sentence starter from the second box and fill in the blank box (paragraph number 2). For example, "One time when I was younger I had a dog that was just like Gracie. Her name was Sable and she was so sweet and loving..." Then they choose another sentence starter and fill in the corresponding box (paragraph number 3), like "It made me feel really upset and nervous when Gracie got loose because that is always how I felt when my dog got loose...." Finally, the last paragraph they choose one of the sentence starters and fill in the box. Like, "This is a great book because it is action packed. You are on the edge of your seat, wondering if anyone will catch Gracie..." Now, I usually used this organizer in 3rd grade, but it could still work for 4th. I just wouldn't let them choose good or bad to describe the book, they'd have to use better adjectives, and I'd tell them they have to use strong, descriptive words to describe their feelings. I will say, only once did I have a student say he did not like the book. Let me say, though, that he was a very difficult student and had many behavior problems. He said he did not like the book because he once had a dog and then the dog died so this book made him sad. But, he still participated in the writing. He just wrote short sentences and did not recommend the book. So, there is always the possibility that a student may get upset...but at the same time, maybe this is an opportunity for them to write about it and get it out? Of course, there are other great books that can be used for response to literature. If you are a dog lover, and can connect with this book, this could always be your model lesson using Gracie to connect with your experience of a loose dog. Then, the students could use the same organizer, but with a different book for their independent writing. Just a thought... :O) So, now it's your turn!!! (If you have never linked up before you can check HERE for more information.) I can't wait to see what you link up!! And if you aren't a blogger, please leave a comment of your favorite book for making connections and/or response to literature! Amanda For the Linky- Please make yourself a SANDWICH! Please comment on the person who linked up before you and the person that linked up after you. I know everyone puts in a lot of time and effort to these posts and I want everyone to feel the love!!! (Haha, see, you're a sandwich...you know...because you are in the middle of the comments...do you get it?) ;O) Next week's topic- Math

Reading comprehension lessons to teach students to ask questions, supplemental posters and visual aids, graphic organizers, and other materials for your Kindergarten or first grade students! ------ This reading comprehension strategies unit is designed to get students asking questions about texts. The lessons use real literature, and you can select books from a list of many different suggestions. Through minilessons that gradually release responsibility, your students will learn to: - Ask questions before, during, and after reading - Distinguish between “thick” and “thin” questions, and ask each type of question - Ask questions to find out the meaning of a new word - Ask questions to clarify meaning in a fiction or nonfiction text (and learn strategies for when comprehension breaks down) - Ask questions to wonder about what will happen next in a story, or about the meaning/lesson of the text - Seek answers to questions in fiction or nonfiction texts This unit contains: - 17 clear minilessons that will last for about 4 weeks - Printable posters and visual aids - Tips for setting up the reading workshop and conferring with students - Planning and organizing templates - Common Core alignment and clear goals - Checklists and rubrics - Differentiation materials for Kindergarten and first grade - Real photographs of sample anchor charts - List of suggested texts for use with the unit (you can use the books you already have in your classroom - the lessons do not require that you use one specific text) Please view the preview file before you purchase! This unit is the eighth in a series that you can purchase for a discounted bundled price by clicking here. For a catalog with more information about all of my literacy curriculum products, click {here}. ------ By: Learning At The Primary Pond with Ms. Lilypad

Reading comprehension lessons to teach students to ask questions, supplemental posters and visual aids, graphic organizers, and other materials for your Kindergarten or first grade students!   ------   This reading comprehension strategies unit is designed to get students asking questions about texts. The lessons use real literature, and you can select books from a list of many different suggestions.   Through minilessons that gradually release responsibility, your students will learn to: - Ask questions before, during, and after reading - Distinguish between “thick” and “thin” questions, and ask each type of question - Ask questions to find out the meaning of a new word - Ask questions to clarify meaning in a fiction or nonfiction text (and learn strategies for when comprehension breaks down) - Ask questions to wonder about what will happen next in a story, or about the meaning/lesson of the text - Seek answers to questions in fiction or nonfiction texts   This unit contains: - 17 clear minilessons that will last for about 4 weeks - Printable posters and visual aids - Tips for setting up the reading workshop and conferring with students - Planning and organizing templates - Common Core alignment and clear goals - Checklists and rubrics - Differentiation materials for Kindergarten and first grade - Real photographs of sample anchor charts - List of suggested texts for use with the unit (you can use the books you already have in your classroom - the lessons do not require that you use one specific text)   Please view the preview file before you purchase!   This unit is the eighth in a series that you can purchase for a discounted bundled price by clicking here.   For a catalog with more information about all of my literacy curriculum products, click {here}.   ------   By: Learning At The Primary Pond

Looking for a fun Camping Preschool Binder for kids? Check out these 8 Hands-On Camping activities for Preschool or Kindergarten.

Children create a three dimensional mobile using algebraic equations.

Lights, camera, action! A garden is a dynamic space full of stories to be harvested and shared. Let the garden become your stage by encouraging your students to create their own garden-inspired theatrical performances.

TeacherVision provides teachers with expertly curated teaching resources and printables across all subjects for grades pre-K to 12.

Analyzing Conflict has become one of my favorite activities to teach my students. Identifying the type of conflict is usually pretty easy for kids to grasp, but analyzing things like the origin of the conflict, things that contribute to the conflict, and what events help to resolve the conflict can be difficult to understand. I teach analyzing conflict in steps. We start out simple: identify the types of conflict in the story and provide text evidence that supports the conflict. As soon as they start to master that skill, I throw in a new element. I keep adding new twists throughout the year. Because I like to teach in steps, I have created eight different activities that are meant to be progressive. I believe kids thrive when they have a clear routine, but I also believe that repeating the same lesson over and over again leads to less engagement. These activities are just different enough to add some variety without losing the gains they have made. So far this year I have used three of these activities with my eight graders, and I am looking forward to taking it to the next level with them in our next unit. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Graphic-Organizers-for-Analyzing-Conflict-3440217 All of these activities require the students to cite relevant evidence. With my 8th graders I am color coding these activities for our different units. After grading, the students will keep them in their binder so we that we can not only see the progression, but we can also compare and contrast the impacts of conflicts between texts. Some of the analysis tasks in this set include: Conflict origin Character influence Setting impact Events that lead to resolution How the conflict impacts the characters, setting, theme, and plot Positive & Negative Outcomes Making Connections Synthesis Here are some samples: I hope you enjoy these activities that I have put together. Many of these are tasks that I have taught for many years, as I am sure you have too, but putting them together in a new format has been energizing for both me and my students! ~L

Writing commentary is undoubtedly the most difficult part of writing any essay. All other parts of the essay are more formulaic in nature. But when it comes to commenting on evidence, there is no formula. This blog post explores strategies for teaching students how to write commentary for the liter

You must know that one of the best things about teaching kindergarten is your students' ability to believe whatever you tell them. Like the magic of Santa Claus, or the Tooth Fairy, or leprechauns ... or Spiderman??!! Yes, even believing that Spiderman came to our classroom to tell us how to become the best readers possible! This new reading unit transitions us from focusing on retelling emergent storybook stories (reading from memory and picture support) to focusing on the actual print in the book. Moving away from telling what we think the author could be saying to what the author actually is saying. Away from rereading stories we've already heard aloud to reading brand new, on-our-level stories using our very own reading 'superpowers.' Examples of these "powers" include but are not limited to: pointer power, partner power, letter power, picture power, reread power, fix-it-up power, etc. Parents, you'll get a mini anchor-chart of these powers once we've gone over all of them. This chart will stay in your child's bag of books to come back and forth between school and home. We've only had two lessons in this unit so far. But these lessons are SO EXCITING and CONVINCING and MAKE STUDENTS WANT TO READ SO MUCH that even just two of them are powerful! So let's take a look at the first one. On Thursday, I sat down and pulled out a book to begin my mini-lesson. Camryn couldn't help but interrupt. "There's something there," he said, and pointed. Note: 5-year-olds will always notice something out of place in the classroom. Especially when it has spiderwebs on it. "Oh, you're right!" I said. I picked it up carefully, not wanting to get spiderwebs on my hand. "It says Room 304. Should we go find that room?" "YES!" The kids shouted. We ran to the door, thinking it was a good idea to find out what room we were in to know which direction to head. "OUR ROOM IS 304!" someone shouted. We rushed back inside. The kids were eager to know what was inside. I asked, "Are you sure I should open this? There could be .... spiders inside!" They looked uneasy, but they were certain they wanted to know what was inside. "It's a package!" Camryn kept saying. I reached in and pulled out some more cobwebs. Thanks, Mrs. Buzzell, for capturing all these ridiculous facial expressions. Then I pulled out a letter. "READ IT!" all the kids shouted. I began reading. I paused. "I wonder who wrote this?" I asked. "YOU DID!" Tyce shouted. "Tyce," I said, "Look at this handwriting. It's terrible. My handwriting is much better than this. Do you really think that I wrote this?" All the other kids chimed in, "NO! Her handwriting is WAYYY better!" Tyce still wasn't convinced. By the time I got to the end of the letter, I asked Colin to come read who signed it. He said "Spiderman." I said, "No way! I think you must have read that wrong. Yuto, can you take a look at it?" Yuto looked it over. "YUP. IT SAYS SPIDERMAN." Here's where the kids got really excited. It was time to see what special tool was inside. WOW! Finger flashlights! We got to wear them and go around the room, highlighting words we could read. Students found sight words, other words they know, letters and letter blends. Then students were able to use them to highlight words as they read their books. On Friday before lunch, I started reading the book Skeleton Cat. I told the kids we'd finish it when we got back from lunch. We came in, got our book boxes, and sat down to finish the story. Camryn shouted "THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!" but I kept talking about Skeleton Cat. Other students joined in, saying, "LOOK! LOOK MRS. RICHARDSON! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!" I paused and looked at them. "Another what?" "ANOTHER PACKAGE!!!" they said excitedly. Sure enough, there was another envelope sitting in the same spot. "No," I said, "I'm fairly certain that's the same package from yesterday. Let's find out what happens to Skeleton Cat!" Greyden said "No, it can't be the same one! You put yesterday's up there," and pointed to my desk. "Oh, you're right!" I told him. "I guess it must be a new one! Should I open it?" "YES!" They all screamed. "But we might not get something we want this time," I cautioned them. They didn't care. They wanted me to open it. Again there was a letter. (I didn't get photos of this one, it happened too quickly. Mrs. Buzzell was out of the room and Mrs. Dean was with the kids as I was setting up. I mean, as Spiderman came by. I wasn't able to give her my phone in time.) This time it said: Super Readers, I will be secretly visiting you and giving you clues to become the MOST SUPER readers on Earth! You will find the first super power in here! -Spiderman And in the envelope, we found (among extra spiderwebs): "What do you think these are for? I don't understand this at all," I said. Annaley said "I think they're for pointing!" "Oh, yes," I said, "They must be for pointing! I put a glow-in-the-dark witch finger on each of my fingers and began playing with them before pointing to each word in Skeleton Cat with all five of my fingers at once. "NOOOOOOOOO," all the students shouted, "YOU HAVE TO SHARE!" I told them if I shared, then I couldn't tap my fingers and make spooky noises. "YOU HAVE TO SHARE," they insisted. "Well, how many are we supposed to get," I asked. "ONE!!" they said. "Oh, I guess that makes sense," I agreed. I let each student come and get a finger before meeting their partner back-to-back for independent reading. As we get new tools to highlight our SUPER READING POWERS, these will get added to our bags of books. To coincide with our new print work, students now have bags of books to take home each night. Students will shop for new books each week based on their specified shopping labels, which tell them how many books to choose from each labeled bin. These labels will change as student reading levels change. Also included in reading bags are our sorting journals (so students can practice sorts at home), library books, poems, and book club badges. And, you know, since the kiddos need to shop for their own books, I needed to stock up our library with some good ones:

I LOVE POETRY! I love to read it, write it, and teach it, and above all, I want my students to love it too! In order for them to love it, ho...

Steal, steal, steal, maybe a I stole a lesson from you! We are still focusing on shape, line and pattern as our elements of art. We are also practicing our oil pastel and watercolor skills. No tempera paint till we show good control with our watercolor painting. Kinder: Last week we read "The Dot" and made dot stamps. This week our dot will go for a walk and read "Lines that wiggle." We will make a chart with different types of lines and make them with our hands lines that go up and down, lines that go side to side, lines like a slide (diagonal) lines that make little hops, lines that make big jumps, lines that zig zag, and spin around and wiggle. I don't think we are ready to do a oil pastel and watercolor line resist, we will save it for later on. We will go back to our tables and play with string. Then we will practice drawing our lines as a group on chart paper. Finally if we have time each table will get a new chart paper, toy cars and one tin of paint that matches their table color. They will drive their cars into the paint and then leave tire tracts on the paper to make lines. 1st grade: no school Friday so no 1st grade this week 2nd: I like this Jasper Johnson inspired idea over at We Heart Art There is no way to get through the alphabet in 27 min in a reasonable number of weeks. Instead I will pint up regular size paper divided into 12 rectangles. 3 rows of 4. In row one the students need to draw a geometric shape in each box, in row two they need to draw a different type of line in each box, in the last row they will draw a different pattern in each box. We will then go over our lines with oil pastel and start painting each square showing control with our paint. NO black paint as it muddies our other colors. 3rd grade: I love the book Matthews Dream. So dose Teach Kids Art who has this great lesson this is a great project because it has us working with shape and thinking about overlapping which I will need the kids to be awesome at for our next project. We will use standard size paper and each student will need to include these shapes: square, triangle, circle, rectangle, oval, diamond, crescent and three organic shapes the kids make. Each shape must overlap the other. Depending on time we will either use markers or oil pastel and paint it. Our third grade students are spaz monsters so I think we will have to stick with marker. 4th: Used shape to make falling boxes last week and worked with colored pencil. I realized we never use colored pencil (mostly because my classroom is not equipped with a real pencil sharpener argg low income arggg) I think we are done with shape and are ready to move onto line and pattern. We will do a modified zen tangle. I am inspired by this project from Blue Moon Pallet. Tami is the only other k-8 teacher I have encountered and she has awesome lessons to boot! We will follow her project to the tee. Kids will go over their lines in marker and then color it in with colored pencil 5th grade: Will keep working on our op art circles. the 5th grade class I see twice a week is getting the yearly bike safety class so for their second project we will have a little side lesson learning how to draw a bike and design our own bike. 6th-8th- Last week we finished our rhythm and movement drawings that I will post soon. They turned out so well. Then for a change I showed them how to draw a large, simple sunflower, ala Van Gogh. I then told the kids they would paint without brushes and I broke out the plastic butter knives the left over acrylic paint and are trying to paint like Van Gogh. Some kids are lovings this and some are not. I keep telling them to imagine they are making peanut butter and Jelly Sandwiches. We will play with this project for one ore day. Then it is time for our color wheel unit. I'll detail that in another post. OH one last thing, I found this linked on the crafty crow...soooo cool! Website is Zakka life

Streamline literacy learning with power-packed children's books Pam Koutrakos shows how to streamline and integrate literacy instruction using a single children's text for a variety of purposes, weaving together different aspects of literacy from reading and writing to spelling and grammar. This user-friendly resource is packed with ready-to-go lessons and tools to create and teach using multitasking texts. Resources include Full lessons centered on high-quality, inclusive children's literature A DIY section to help teachers plan and teach lessons Dozens of student and classroom examples Printables available online to help with immediate implementation

The Georgia Department of Education English Language Arts division has its very own Twitter account and has been hosting a weekly series this academic school year of “Twitter takeovers”…

Teaching characterization does NOT have to be a challenge with the ideas & FREE download presented here. Plus your elementary students will utilize technology.

Looking for ways to incorporate children's literature into your elementary music lesson plans? Would you like to have ready to go, easy to follow lesson plans and extension activities to leave with substitutes in the music room? Check out this Children's Literature Music Mini Lessons (Volume 3)! This set contains five Children's Literature Lessons with Extensions Short lesson plans where the music teacher or the sub reads the book (some are with CD) and then digs a little deeper with some brainstorming, review, writing, drawing, etc. afterwards. Books used in this set: 1) 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe Illustrated by: Anna Grossnickle Hines ISBN: 0152063056 Suggested grades: PreK-Kindergarten 2) Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss ISBN-10: 0689835248 Suggested Grades: K-3 3) The Magic Flute by Anne Gatti ISBN-10: 0811849740 Suggested grades: 4-6 4) The Farewell Symphony by Anna Harwell Celenza ISBN-10: 1570914060 Suggested grades: 3-6 5) The Story of the Orchestra by Robert Levine ISBN-10: 1579121489 Suggested grades: 4-8 Many of these books are ones that you can find in your library, but they are great to have in your personal or classroom library as well! This set is is included in the following bundle - Children's Literature Music Mini Lessons: Bundled Set

Grab cute, FREE printable If you Give a Mouse a Cookie Worksheets to practice letters, math, literacy, and more with Pre k & Kindergarten

I posted two new products on TPT tonight! The first one is a set of Word Wall Words and the second is a packet of guided reading lesson plans. You can purchase these here! I was struggling to find lesson plans for my guided reading time, so I decided to create my own. These plans allow me to still use Deanna Jump's Guided Reading 101 Packet. They fit in with everything provided in her product and the two go perfectly together! Click here to Purchase this Product Well, That's it for now! I hope everyone is having a great week!! Only 2 more days until the weekend! Stay Blessed!

Now that the snow has passed and we are finally getting back to normal, first graders are reviewing rhythms and performing them. I am using the Music K-8 arrangement of Aiken Drum (Vol 17, No. 4) so we can review tah and ti-ti with word rhythms. The song is so silly and perfect for my first graders. This arrangement also has a "Kitchen Band" piece to accompany it. We are going to create our own kitchen band with the word rhythms of Aiken Drum's outfit and perform excerpts of the Music K-8 Kitchen Band arrangement. Here is a link to the Powerpoint with the lyrics and the word rhythms: Aiken Drum Once we finish our performances, we are going to create our own version of Aiken Drum with our favorite foods. I will ask the students for a food based on a specific rhythm. Then we will draw him out on the board. Here are the word rhythms and the instrument he played on. Cheddar cheese – ti-ti tah on a pie pan Gingerbread –ti-ti tah on a muffin tin Tuna fish –ti-ti tah on a serving spoon Pizza –tah tah on cookie sheet Raisin toast –ti-ti tah on skillet String beans –tah tah on a teacup Tacos –tah tah on tin can

Embark on a Journey with "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" Theme Learning Pack for Preschool and Kindergarten! What's Included: Printable "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" Theme Learning Pack Activities for Literacy and Math Centers Ideal for: Preschool and kindergarten homeschooling "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" themed activities Literacy and math skill development Pages: 35 pages + credit page A4 Please see the preview for more information. This file includes: 1. Tracing Broken lines 2. Tracing numbers 3. Tracing Alphabet 4. Q-Tip Painting 5. Coloring Pages 6. Memory Game 7. Pattern Activity 8. Sequencing Numbers 9. Tracing The Very Hungry Caterpillar Words How to Use: Download and print "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" Theme Learning Pack. Create a captivating learning environment with literacy and math exercises inspired by the classic story. Foster a love for learning with this delightful theme for your preschool or kindergarten homeschool. Download "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" Theme Learning Pack now and watch as your young learners metamorphosize into enthusiastic scholars! REMINDER: This is a DIGITAL download. Not a physical item. Directions: After purchasing the item, you will receive an email from Etsy containing the link to download the files. Kindly read this article for more information: https://www.etsy.com/help/article/3949 Due to monitor differences and your printer settings, the actual colors of your printed product may vary slightly. TIP: Print and laminate the worksheets for multiple uses! Click for more: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftedWithBlissShop Follow us! FB - Pinterest - IG @craftedwithbliss www.craftedwithbliss.com Terms of use: After purchase, the buyer acquires the license of the product for personal and non-commercial use only. The buyer is strictly not allowed to sell, rent, send, and distribute the file to others. In addition, the buyer is strictly not allowed to share, copy, or lend the file to others. Unauthorized usage or reproduction of our products is a clear violation of the copyright laws. Lastly, we have a no return and refund policy. With this, we will not allow any return of our products or refund of your payment upon purchase. Thank you! Let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Just message us here! :)

During reader's workshop we used the book The Snowy Day to respond to literature. Here are some of the activities we did. We made text-to-se...

This Letter C lesson plan includes lots of Letter C crafts and activities. There are also links to free Letter C worksheets.

Teach your students how to explore content with depth and complexity.   Here it is, a complete and ready-to-use resource for teaching all 11 elements (Big Ideas, Rules, Trends, Patterns, Language of the Discipline, Ethics, Relationships Over Time, Details, Unanswered Questions, Across Disciplines, and Multiple Perspectives) of critical thinking! Your students will explore of these elements by applying them to familiar stories, such as “Cinderella,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and “The Three Little Pigs.” These enduring fairytales present countless avenues for critical analysis and can be used with many grade levels (4-10+). Everything you need is included; no need to purchase additional materials or books!   Two versions–with and without icons–are now included!!   What's included:  Instructions: Detailed information and suggestions for implementing these materials. 6 Fairytales: Formatted and ready to print. Titles are listed above. 6 Explorations Guides: Each guide includes specific and concrete examples of how to apply the 11 different icons to the included fairytales. 11 Graphic Organizers: One for each critical thinking "Thinking Tool". (provided in color and grayscale versions). 4 Addition Fairytales: "The Frog Prince," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Rapunzel," and "Rumplestiltskin". These can be used for extension activities of your choosing. ➡FREE Depth and Complexity Posters   This resource was created based on the Depth and Complexity framework, which was developed by Dr. Sandra Kaplan under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Research and Improvement: 1996 BYOB! Build Your Own Bundle Pick and choose the Depth and Complexity resources you want and receive a bundle discount. The more you buy, the more you save. The discount will appear in your cart for all qualifying quantities. 3+ Depth and Complexity Resources = 10% off 6+ Depth and Complexity Resources = 20% off 9+ Depth and Complexity Resources = 30% off   Get all the latest Teacher Thrive news! ➜SIGN UP for my newsletter! ➜FOLLOW me on TeacherThrive.com! ➜FOLLOW me on Facebook! ➜FOLLOW me on Pinterest! ➜FOLLOW me on Instagram! Please read: This is a nonrefundable digital download. Please read the description carefully and examine the preview file before purchasing. © Copyright 2018 M. Tallman. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to copy pages specifically designed for student or teacher use by the original purchaser or licensee. This is intended to be used by one teacher unless additional licenses have been purchased. The reproduction of any other part of this product is strictly prohibited. Copying any part of this product and placing it on the Internet in any form (even a personal/classroom website) is strictly forbidden. Doing so makes it possible for an Internet search to make the document available on the Internet, free of charge, and is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

I am giving myself the award for the World's Worst Blogger! Y'all don't even know how many posts I have in draft :) Seriously adding the third kid to the mix, made my evenings SO crazy! So here is March is super speed before the baby finds the cords now that he is full on crawling! Library Lion was a HUGE hit with my kids. We have become such a fan of Rooted in Reading. It has enough routine for them not to be too thrown off, with enough variety to keep them excited! We have taken the time in our writing to do quite a bit of "proving" based on the text. The kids know that Mrs. King will ALWAYS ask, "How do you know that?" or "Why?" The crafts that Amy makes keep them so engaged that they don't even realize I am challenging them in their responses to reading. Which brings up a good point! I am a writer's workshop teacher through and through. That time is completely separate for me. I think responding to reading is obviously extremely important, but so is workshop so I keep both of these kinds of writing in my day, every day! I texted Amy the other day and told her that the grammar focus in these units has kept me SO much more organized than I have ever been before! And that Lion non-fiction reader? It is still floating around my room, because the kids love it so much! After Library Lion we headed straight into Jane Goodall and the amazing book Me...Jane. Y'all I haven't gotten through that text once without crying! To see someone's childhood dream realized the way that this book shows....just amazing! Here is a picture of the books that I used during several different times throughout the day. Amy and I are working on a list of supplemental texts to pair with Rooted in Reading, but that won't be ready until this summer! In addition to being the worst blogger, I am also terrible at remembering to take pictures too! Katie over at The Homeschool Style on instagram does an amazing job documenting her use of RIR with her son so I snagged one of her beautiful pictures! Everything you see in this picture content-wise if from our unit! On Fridays I like to change up math and science a little bit. A lot of times that looks like a STEM project. I had a parent help me out hugely this week by completely coming up with our project. I told her my kids were fascinated with the idea that chimpanzees can use tools and that shattered our idea of what makes people "humans." That is before Jane Goodall! So she brought in tupperware, paperclips, straws, notecards, string, popsicle sticks, and bouncy balls. All materials that I would have had in my classroom too. She told the kids that they had to design a tool to get the balls out of the tupperware, without their hands going into the tub. Y'all they worked for an HOUR on this. They were so engaged, so competitive, and so everything. I almost can't even articulate how awesome it is to see kids use their science vocabulary to solve a problem. Afterwards my super mom and I explained to the kids how important it is in today's job market to be problem solvers! How STEM challenges push them to work together and communicate. Here is a picture of my winning team that got the ball out after 53 minutes! Here is a quick picture of my hallway with our chimpanzee writing! Phew on to week 3... That's What Leprechauns Do! Our grammar skill this week has been collective nouns. My kids have thoroughly enjoyed this skill and the activities! I love the next little girl's writing because I felt like I could see her love of reading coming out in her writing when she talked about the pack of wolves racing like the wind! That is the world's best feeling- to see a child's love of reading coming through in their writing! And last but not least, check out this ADORABLE Leprechaun from the pack. This little girl's mother is from England, hence the "cheeky" little green guy :). If you are still around and looking to try out Rooted in Reading check out the picture below and click on it to head to Amy's store!

I love rare books, I don't know why. Everyone has heard of "Charlotte's Web" and "Because of Winn-Dixie", and although those are great...

Recommended for: Primary Years (K-3rd), Intermediate Years (4th-8th) This book study was originally designed for our July 2024 Book Club Pick Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls. Now available as a standalone study, you can download and use in your homeschool or as book study with a group. Create lasting connections through this rich story while you study themes such as science, nature, geography, history, and language arts. Each download includes: Summer of the Monkeys Book Study with weekly lesson plans, recipes, and more Summer of the Monkeys Book Report Template Summer of the Monkeys Extension Book List Multimedia Reference Materials links Book Club Meet-up Guide Overview of Summer of the Monkeys Fourteen-year-old Jay Berry Lee is walking through the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma in search of a lost cow when he encounters a tree full of monkeys. When Jay learns from his grandpa that the monkeys have escaped from a traveling circus, and there’s a big reward for the person who finds and returns them, he is thrust into a story of heart, humor, and excitement. Jay sets off, determined to catch the monkeys, as he has his eye on a pony and a hunting gun. By the end of the summer, Jay will have learned a lot more than he bargained for—and not just about monkeys. As you immerse yourself in the story, journey back in time and learn about the Civil War and Clara Barton, transportation in the late 1800s, and the history of the circus in America. Explore nature study as you learn about sycamore trees, chimpanzees, and fairy rings. Pack your bags and travel to Cherokee Nation and the Ozark Mountains. Themes covered in this study Cherokee Nation Trail of Tears Transportation in the 1800s Samuel Morse and the Telegraph Chimpanzees and Monkeys vs. Apes Ozark Mountains Sycamore Trees American Red Cross and Clara Barton Circus History Horses and Ponies Fairy Rings Compassion and Empathy Perseverance Access each month's Book Club picks and connect with other members by joining Treehouse Book Club.

Grab these free beginning letter sound worksheets for kids in preschool and kindergarten. They're super simple! Kids sort the pictures between those that start with the featured letter and those that don't. #alphabetactivities #abcworksheets #lettersounds #preschool #kindergarten

Little 1st grade Social Studies Thinkers Curriculum is a complete First Grade social studies curriculum with lessons specifically for primary kids. It's content-focused, user-friendly, and contains EVERYTHING you need to introduce, teach, practice, and assess your students. NO SUPPLEMENTING.

Explore Anne Frank's Diary through StoryboardThat's free lesson plans which includes timeline, summary and character insights for profound student understanding.

Get your children excited about the seas with these fun fish books for kids that will get them thinking about our underwater friends.

I bought the book Up, Down, and Around last week from the book fair and really wanted to use it in a lesson this week so I put together a su...

Reading Interactive Notebook: 24 detailed literature lesson plans, 48 fun and highly engaging foldables (SnapChat, Instagram, Music) posters, supply list, and so much more! Y ✨Want this in an ELA Bundle? Click here. Please make sure to download the preview file and video. ⚡Preview Video This Reading Interactive Notebook includes: 1. Lesson 1- Inference 2. Lesson 2- Main Idea 3. Lesson 3- Summarizing 4. Lesson 4- Story Vocabulary 5. Lesson 5- Character Analysis 6. Lesson 6- Plot 7. Lesson 7- Setting 8. Lesson 8- Conflict 9. Lesson 9- Theme 10. Lesson 10- Point of View 11. Lesson 11- Text Features 12. Lesson 12- Compare and Contrast 13. Lesson 13- Tone and Mood 14. Lesson 14- Text Evidence 15. Lesson 15- Sequencing 16. Lesson 16- Genres 17. Lesson 17- Figurative Language 18. Lesson 18- Metaphors 19. Lesson 19- Similes 20. Lesson 20- Personifications 21. Lesson 21- Alliterations 22. Lesson 22- Hyperboles 23. Lesson 23- Idioms 24. Lesson 24- Onomatopoeias This reading interactive notebook helps students relate to learning through lessons because they are rigorous and relevant for their age. Entice students with lessons about beards, sweet treats, cell phones, and more. Blog posts you may enjoy: ⭐Top Grammar Mistakes and How to Avoid Them ⭐How to Use Writing Interactive Notebooks ⭐30 Ways to Use Amazon Echo Dot in the Classroom Resources you may also love ⭐Grammar Interactive Notebook ⭐Writing Interactive Notebook ⭐Reading Passages for the Year (4-8) Let's Connect Blog Facebook Instagram YouTube Newsletter and Friday Freebies