Get excited about reading with cute bookshelf reading logs for kids of all ages. Print book log template from pdf and start reading a book!

Finally, a guide for upper elementary teachers that will show you how to teach research reports in a step-by-step format! If you are struggling with teaching the research report process, you are not alone. Seriously, we’ve

Asian art is a subject we explore each year in second grade - this year we started with one of the world's most beautiful and amazing creatures - the tiger! Several types of tigers live in Asia and many artists from this region show the beauty of the animal in their art. Here are some of the examples we viewed, and an illustration of the symmetrical nature of the tiger's face. The symmetry lends itself well to a special type of monoprint, or single print, called symmetry printing - the artist paints on half the paper, and folds the other half over and rubs the top to transfer the paint, creating a mirror image. Because the tempera dries quickly on the construction paper, we used a quick rhythm of painting just a few strokes and then printing - “paint a little, print a little.” The students followed me in a guided drawing of half the tiger face, as seen above, and then we began painting the white areas. The next session we added orange and black - some asked to paint the eyes green if we had time. I love the way each tiger has a unique face and expression!

April 16, 2012 This session I will be teaching my fifth grade class. Unfortunately my sixth graders left and will be moving onto the middl...

Something big is happening at our school this year! We are becoming a 7 Habits Leadership School. If you're not sure what this is, don't w...

Recently, our district decided to unify our reading instruction practices by implementing The Daily 5 and CAFE by 2015-16. The five parts of The Daily 5 include Writing, Word Work, Read to Someone…

Book digitized by Google from the library of the New York Public Library and uploaded to the Internet Archive by user tpb.

Are you wondering how to make a lap book? Then you're going to love the ideas, tips, and resources presented at this blog post. Plus a FREEBIE!

An educational blog

Using cardboard looms all 6th-8th grade art students created two small circle weaving for a permanent collaborative installation in the library. Most of the yarn was collected by sending out a district wide email and the cardboard was cut from the numerous Blick art supply boxes I have been saving. With very little cost, and a high level of visual impact, this project was a great success! Making the Loom: Prep- Cut MANY 3x3 inch squares 1) Using a scissor cut the corners of the square off to make a circle 2) Around the edge mark with a pencil an odd number of evenly spaces lines (13,15, or 17) 3) Using a scissors, make a 1/2" cut towards the center of the loom using the pencil lines as a guide 4) Poke hole in center of circle There are a couple of ways to begin setting up the loom once created. I have written detailed instructions below describing what worked best for us after some trial and error:) Getting the Weaving Started: 1) Cut 3' of yarn and thread one end with a tapestry needle 2) Holding the loom, stick the needle through the hole from the backside and pull through to the front side of the loom. 3) Pull until you have 4" of yarn left hanging out the backside of the loom (do not make a knot) 4) Then, holding the 4" tail of yarn with one hand on the backside, take the yarn and place into one of the 1/2" along the cuts 5) Wrap yarn to the back side and again pull the needle through the center hole from the back side to the front. 6) Repeat step 4 and 5 until a piece of yarn securely placed in each cut. 7) Using the extra 4" of yarn left of the backside, knot the two ends of yarn together twice. Knot should be resting snugly against the backside of the loom. 8) Stick needle up the center hole one last time. 9) Begin weaving over under over under 10) Tie on additional yarn as needed in different colors as desired:) 11) Tie off yarn once done

springtime, math, freebie

The Unfair Game is a totally unfair twist on Jeopardy that your students will LOVE to hate! Learn how to play and find sample game boards in this post.

I mean...why WOULDN'T you use cootie catchers in your reading block? It makes perfect sense. Ok - remember last week how I was talk...

Ideas for bookmaking projects come to me in all sorts of places. Last month I was at a talk by Tuskegee Airman James A. Sheppard at the Newburyport Public Library. He started by describing the history of African American aviation before World war II and showed a photo of the first licensed black aviator in the US—a woman named Bessie Coleman. I immediately knew she would be a perfect subject for March's bookmaking project in celebration of Women's History Month. Here is a Who Am I? Book about her. This is a simplified version of the book I usually make with a grocery bag and a cereal box panel (directions here). For this one I used two sheets of used copy paper with writing on one side only. You Will Need: 2 sheets used copy paper with writing on one side only Piece of yarn about an arm's length long Bead Glue stick Scrap paper Hole punch Make the Book: Fold one of the pieces of paper in half the long way like a hot dog with the writing on the inside. 2. Open the paper, put glue on one half, close and smooth to help the glue adhere. 3. Repeat with the second piece of paper. 4. Place one folded piece so that it is tall in front of you. Place the second piece on top to form a large plus sign. 5. Take the bottom of the tall paper and fold it up over the sideways one. 6. Take the right side of the sideways paper and fold it over the bottom you just folded up. 7. Do the same with the left side and the top. 8. Take the two piece of paper apart. 9. Put glue on the center of the tall rectangle, place the sideways piece on top, and smooth to help the glue adhere. 10. Fold the book up. 11. Punch a hole in the center of the lower edge of the top flap. 12. Fold the piece of yarn in half. 13. Insert the loop end into the hole. 14. Open the loop, put the ends of the yarn through the loop, and pull. 15. Thread both ends of the yarn through a bead (I find it easiest to fold a small loop and twist it before threading) and tie a knot with the bead inside. Tie a second knot to make it secure. 16. To close the book, wrap the yarn around the book and tuck the bead under the yarn. BESSIE'S BOOK I was able to find a lot of information about Bessie Coleman both online and in books. She's a popular subject for children's books. I love the one I have—Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger, illustrated by Teresa Flavin—filled with both information and inspiration. Here's how the book closes: Daughter...aunt...walker...reader...dreamer...thinker... student...pilot...speaker...teacher. Bessie Coleman was all of these. Like her mother, Susan, Bessie knew how to plant seeds. Her work in schools and churches was as important as her daring spins and loops in the sky. Across the U.S., some of Bessie's young fans grew up to be pilots. Many others would remember her courage, her smile, and her words: "You can do something, too. Keep trying! Fly high!" Here are some online resources: bessiecoleman.com centennialofflight.gov rootsweb.ancestry.com (photos) GIVEAWAY: Join in the celebration of Women's History Month and share a link, a book, or other information about a woman in history to be entered into the giveaway. There will be a random number drawing for each of two books: and The drawing will close on Friday March 23 at midnight.

So many project options! I love giving students lots of choices to showcase their learning. Check out this graphic for lots of ideas on how to assess student understanding and comprehension of any novel. What would you add to this list? #bespokeela #2ndaryela #EdChat

Great ideas for easy science challenge bags perfect for small rewards, party bags or extra challenges. Make paper spinners, density bottles and more.

Grades 2 to 8

I must admit the very first time I ever attempted a STEM lesson I was a bit nervous...but once I saw how hooked my students were I knew it was something I needed to implement more of! If you haven't heard too much about STEM, here is a quick rundown: STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics STEM lessons provide hands-on experiences for your students that involve real world problems and students LOVE to get working right away! STEM lessons are guided by the engineering design process. (see below) STEM lessons incorporate 21st thinking skills such a communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. STEM lessons allow for multiple right answers and provide an environment for students to generate creative solutions. Click here to get your copy of this poster in my TpT store! One thing you must know is that sometimes students projects will fail, and their design might not work. Students may experience some disappointment but that is also when we gain those teachable moments. When using the engineering design process in a STEM lesson, students can learn from what went wrong and make improvements to try again! So if you ready to try a STEM lesson in your classroom or looking for more STEM lessons to add to your collection I have one just in time for Earth Day (April 22nd)! This lesson focuses on the real world problem of littering. In this lesson students design mechanical grabbers to help their community become a cleaner, litter free place! Stop by my TpT Store to get your copy of this lesson. It includes a lesson plan, teacher prep instructions and and activity lab book for your students to use throughout the challenge. I hope your students love the project, just as much as my students did! They definitely were excited about Earth Day so that they could use their grabbers to help clean up our school and teach other students about recycling!

April is National Poetry Month, and what better time is there to teach and explore poetry with your students?!?! I love to spend the month of April having students read, write, and share poetry in our classroom. At the beginning of my poetry units each year, I find that my students are often intimidated by poetry, especially when it comes to writing it. Over the years I have tried to find the perfect activities to ease them into writing their own poems. One of my favorite activities is taking my students on a Haiku Hike!! Several years ago I found this book, Haiku Hike from Scholastic. The story and poems in this book were written by a class of 4th grade students. The idea behind the book is that the students in this class went on a nature walk, and instead of taking pictures of the different things they saw, they used the form of haiku to capture different moments and scenes in nature. I loved this idea so much that I decided to implement it in my own classroom. Here’s how it works... What is Haiku? Before you take students on a Haiku Hike, you will need to make sure that they are familiar with this poetic form. Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry that is often used to describe nature or the seasons. Haiku is a three line poem that follows a specific pattern based on syllables: Line #1: 5 syllables Line #2: 7 syllables Line #3: 5 syllables I would suggest creating an anchor chart to discuss and display the elements of Haiku. Take a Hike! Once your students are familiar with Haiku, they are ready for their Haiku Hike. You could schedule a hike or nature walk as a mini field trip, but I simply take my students on a walk around the grounds of our school. Students take “field notes” throughout the hike. I ask them to take notes about what they see, hear, and feel, and encourage them to be as descriptive as possible. I also ask them to try to capture a moment in time or a scene in nature. Below is a page you can provide for students to record their field notes. Click HERE to download this FREEBIE!! Time to Write Once you return from your hike, it is time for students to turn their field notes into haiku. Ask them to write two to three poems based on their experiences and observations. They can write these drafts in a writer’s notebook or journal. Have students share their poems with you and their classmates for feedback. Then have them choose a final haiku to publish. Since students are using haiku to “capture” a scene or moment in time, you can have them use the Polaroid page below to record and illustrate their haiku. This page is also included in the free download!! These “snapshots” make a beautiful bulletin board for students to display their haiku!! This activity is the perfect way to ease students into writing their own haiku. It gets them outside to observe their environment. What better way to inspire nature themed poems, than going outdoors to explore?!?! If you are looking for more poetry activities, check out this blog post on my blog, Create Teach Share. You can also check out my Poetry Toolbox in my Teacher Shop!!