10 significant reasons to read aloud to students on a

Do you want to keep your students engaged and reading during reading time? Read this post to learn about 10 reading centers for upper elementary.

These printable cutting practice strips are an easy way to help your young learners work on their fine motor and cutting skills. Find more Cutting Practice Packs HERE. *The free download button can be found at the END of this post. Printable Cutting Practice Strips You’ll find horizontal lines, vertical lines, zigzag lines, and ... Read More about Printable Cutting Practice Strips

I have always been intrigued by the art of Sashiko, but I have never had a chance to learn more about it. This article from Koekoek was just what I was looking for. It is a nice introduction to th…

Thinking about implementing a Daily Three reading structure for reading rotations? Check out this post for details and example activities for each roation.

Amazing things can happen with just one dot.

Have you ever had a class that just tried your patience day after day? Have you ever felt like you could walk away from teaching forever tom...

" International Dot Day ", a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration, began when teacher Terry Shay introduced his cl...

Activities that boost fluency all year long…and that you only have to prep once!

Read about eleven different ways to meaningfully incorporate art in ELA class. Keep the focus on students' learning, not their artistic abilities.

I have always assigned nightly reading. Why? I don't assign nightly reading because I want to give students "reading homework." I don't assign nightly reading

Then, we used a little total physical response to give my firsties a better visual on how the size of the places we live are related. They *loved* this

Upper elementary blog with practical, rigorous, classroom tested ideas to implement with your students.

hold students accountable while they independently read with these easy to implement reading tips and tricks and strategies

This moon craft is great for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, or older kids. It's a great art extension during a space theme in the classroom.

We are in the second week of September! Some years, Labor Day will fall this week, but I am including lessons for Monday as sometimes it does not. You can use my lesson plans as a guide, but tailor them to fit your own needs and schedule. This page contains affiliate links. Read Full Disclo

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

Spending the first week of school teaching classroom expectations and procedures is essential for a successful year. Glue is a tricky school supply for many little learners and there definitely needs to be instruction dedicated to teaching learners how to use this tool.Glue BottlesWhen learners are not taught how to use their glue correctly things

First Week Watercolor Portraits 7 comments Back to School, Bulletin Boards, Self Portraits, Tutorials Every year, my second graders paint a watercolor self-portrait. It is truly my most favorite first week activity of all time. After sharing this picture of this year's portraits on Facebook, a sweet reader asked if I had a blog post about them. Well, it dawned on me that while I have shared my annual self-portraits many times, I've never really shared them exclusively in a post. So, here goes! Every year, I have my students paint a self-portrait during the first week of school (an idea I learned while student teaching many moons ago). I hang these portraits in the room, for the entire year. They really brighten up our space and they are such a joy to look at (this is a picture of my students' portraits from last year). I am not an art teacher and I believe that kids should be encouraged to take risks, so when I task my students with painting their portraits, I pretty much let them "have at it." Don't worry, it isn't a total free for all. I do model the process and I also share examples from years past, like the ones shown below. I just make it very clear that I don't expect their paintings to look like an actual photograph. ;) I always begin by pointing out how much of their body/self they will be painting. I tell them to think about the pictures they see in their yearbooks and how those pictures only show people's heads and shoulders. I explain that they will include only their head and shoulders in their paintings. I then show them examples from previous years (sometimes students move and they get left behind, so I have a few on hand). Once the students understand what it is that they will be including in their portrait, I model the drawing process on the board. I discuss how large the head should be in relation to the paper and show them what this looks like. From there, I show them how I draw a neck and shoulders, hair, and facial features. I apologize that I don't have a photo of this, but essentially, I model and narrate the process, one step at a time. And, then...it's the students' turn. I give each student a piece of white card stock (8x10 inches) to work with. Card stock is brighter and thicker than construction paper, and it just seems to hold the paint better, in my opinion. Then, they start their drawing. Sometimes, I have them draw the outline of their pictures with a black crayon (see below). When I do this, there is NO pencil involved. This helps them to really slow down and visualize before they draw because they know that they can't erase. However, this year, I let them draw with pencil first and then they traced over their pencil lines with a Sharpie. Why did I do that? I have no idea, it was just what I decided to do when I was prepping the materials, but the end result was still fab! Once the students draw the outline of their portrait, they get to paint! Using watercolor is a tricky thing for many second graders. They have a hard time always gauging how much water to use, so a discussion about this (and a little modeling) ahead of time is a good idea. Tip: No matter how much explaining and modeling you do, you'll still have a student or two that uses too much water. Let them use a tissue to blot their paper if you notice this happening. I lay the portraits to dry on the floor, in an out of the way spot. They dry within minutes here in the desert. Once they are dry, I flatten them by stacking heavy teacher manuals on them overnight. I could iron them, but my iron and I do not get along. At all. The next morning, I hang them up and admire the sight before me...all year long. :) At the end of the year, it's always fun to repeat this process. You will be amazed at how much growth your students show. Here are a few examples from last year. Amazing, right? We always get lots of compliments on our portrait display, and the kids are always very proud of them. They love seeing if their parents can guess which one is theirs, and it's fun to see how many parents get it right! At the end of the school year, I send the portraits home as a keepsake. Many parents have commented how much they love them, and they are the perfect size for framing! First week self-portraits are a great way to encourage students to take risks, have fun, and learn to use materials. Beyond that, the students take great pride in their creations and enjoy them just as much as I do, and we have something truly magnificent (that they created!) to look at all year long. :) Share It:

Geometric Art

Morphology walls are a great tool in 4th and 5th grade classrooms! Read more and sign up for free posters to make your own morphology wall!

Motivate students with independent reading by adding engaging reading sprints...turn the traditional reading log upside down!

This post breaks down how I teach reading in 5th grade and how my reading block is structured, including the materials needed.

This Monster in My Closet art lesson has been one of my students' absolute favorites over the years! A perfect lesson for drawing creativity out of even the most hesitant young artists. With a focus on line, shape, and texture your students will be engaged the entire time they are creating!

Students love these high interest, non-fiction reading comprehension passages! They are great for a quick and easy assessment or warm up. You can also use them in reading centers or for homework. Each passage has 3 comprehension questions. It includes 4 fun reading passages with 3 comprehension questions each. • Flag Day • Buzzing Bees! ... Read More about Free Reading Comprehension Passages with Questions

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

Unlock strategies for 4th and 5th grade small group reading. Explore different focuses and a six-step process to use.

ALL ABOUT FRIENDSHIP Friendship and conflict solving skills are so important to teach our kiddos. Our job is to teach them important social skills. They need these tools to ensure successful relationships with their peers and adults. It is tricky, but it can be done! I am sharing some

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

Increasing reading fluency in our students is one of the main goals of any elementary school teacher. If they are not fluent readers, they are unable to gain meaning (comprehend) from what they are reading. There are a few components to being a fluent reader...

Looking for inspiration for teaching middle school reading skills? Read on to see how I teach the essential elements in a 6th-grade classroom.

Jesus chooses and sends his 12 disciples preschool Bible lesson. Free printable for home or church. Includes worksheets, games, coloring pages, craft and more.

At my school we call them learning buddies but you might know them as reading buddies or big buddies/little buddies. Whatever you call them, some times it’s hard to think of activities to do with them. I often found myself planning things on the fly so I decided to compile a list of activities that […]

Here in third grade, we practice fluency daily with: -Word Lists -Phrase Lists -Passages/Running Records My Mental Journey I have had a love-hate relationship with fluency. As a third grade teacher, my students are subject to end of year, high-stakes testing for the first time. Fluency is not tested on these exams, students have

Some ideas for teaching plot elements to help students recall stories in sequential order, summarize stories, and understand theme.

ALL ABOUT APPLES September is here! We love learning all about apples! Who knew one fruit could bring so many fun books, activities, songs and videos to our classroom? I do an thematic unit every month . These activities are based around the read alouds I choose. This month it is All

With so many of my BIG KIDS struggling with fluency, I worked to make it a part of my daily work with students, a Tier 1 intervention that the majority of the class could benefit from. Reading fluency incorporates three main components: speed, accuracy, and prosody, which directly impact comprehension. While I have shared a great deal about incorporating 6-Minute Solutions, here are a few other ways I worked to make fluency fun for my 6th graders.

A printable eyeglasses template can significantly simplify your DIY projects or educational activities. Whether youre planning a creative craft session, designing costumes, or teaching children about vision and accessories, having a template allows for easy customization and saves time..

One of the first projects my first graders made were these “All About Me Crayons”. I had seen and taught this lesson probably 10 years ago and decided to revisit it. I can not remember exactly where I saw this idea, but as many lessons are, we get ideas and see projects all over the place. I try to credit when I can, but some of these I have been doing so long! We started the day by reading … Read more... →

11 free, printable Dot Sticker Art Activities for Kids. Kids place dot stickers on pictures according to a key to make awesome dot art.

Selling printables on Etsy has replaced my full-time income. This post includes my top tips for getting started with a profitable printable shop of your own.

Finding out what a student knows about phonics is made easy with this quick and simple phonics assessment for K-3 readers! And it's FREE.