Looking for unique post-reading activities to inspire students and provide a sample of their analytical skills? Find high-interest strategies for secondary.
Haven't tried a book tasting with your students yet? This fun reading activity is an awesome way to introduce genres in your elementary classroom or library!
The Pigeon has to go to school and he's not happy about it! In fact, he's worried. Help kids kick their first-day fears with these fun ideas!
Teachers, looking for a book to read on the first day of school? Pick a back to school read-aloud from the list - it will be a hit in your class!
Looking for a fun vocabulary activity? This extension is perfect for middle and high school to help encourage critical thinking and associations.
Summer Book Series :: Free Printable. Don't let summer learning loss happen to you. Check out these fun FREE books for kids. Repetitive and cute.
Do you teach a young reader with the BOB Books? Then you’ve just struck gold! This post is FILLED with tons of FREE BOB Books printables for sets 1-5 and beyond… What are BOB Books? BOB Books were created by Bobby Lynn Maslen and John Maslen. While working in a preschool, Bobby began making the ... Read More about FREE BOB Books Printables for Sets 1 though 5
Independent reading is a great way to help students build a love of reading! These 5 strategies help hold students accountable!
? Pick 3rd grade reading books that are engaging and fun-to-read! Plus grab Books for Third Graders printable with FREE 3rd grade reading list!
Middle grade books are admittedly some of my favorites to read. Both when I was in middle school and now as an adult. My only regret is that I hardly read
hold students accountable while they independently read with these easy to implement reading tips and tricks and strategies
I used to spend so much time looking for the perfect read aloud books each month to read to my students. I have finally compiled a list on this blog post to save you so much time searching for books your students will love. I have even created FREE book companion activities you can pr
A Book Report Project Your Students Will Love!
Last summer I added Mo Willems' The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! to my classroom library. Of course, this addition was a no-brainer. Willems' books are always super popular, especially Pigeon books. Just as predicted, my students loved this book. It is the perfect length for the beginning of the year, when attention spans are extra short and students need a little break from all the procedural training they are receiving. Since I knew this book would be a hit, I decided to make it the centerpiece of back to school. I created some basic "Pigeon themed" math and literacy activities, as well as a simple craft. I used these activities intermittently during the first week and was able to glean some great info about my new students' basic math and literacy skills, as well as their fine motor skills and listening skills. One of the Pigeon themed activities was a number/number word/counting mini book. Students traced and wrote the numbers 1-10, as well as the number words 1-10. Then students illustrated a picture to go with each number. We broke this activity up over a couple of days. Students took part in a listening activity. Students had to complete a picture according to a series of questions/statements that I read aloud. (If you've every made a glyph with your students, this activity feels really similar.) Students also put together their first puzzler for the year. This puzzler focused on number representations. Students cut and glued the puzzler pieces to tell what number is represented in the box. By the end, students have a completed picture that they can color. I use various puzzlers throughout the year. This the Pigeon puzzler is a great introduction to how to complete a puzzler. Students loved making their simple, one-page craft Pigeons. All that was required was the Pigeon pattern (I used white card stock), scissors, and glue. The class Pigeons made a really quick and cute back to school bulletin board. In addition to these activities, students worked on counting/cardinality, geometry, place value, number bonds, handwriting, the alphabet, rhyming words, sight words, and more. The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! is a perfect springboard for a variety of skills. For a math freebie (from the printables featured above), click on the picture below. This freebie provides practice with ten frames, counting, and number identification. If you have not added, The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! to your classroom library, I highly recommend it. There are so many directions you can go with this book. More importantly, your students will love it and be totally engaged. What a great way to start the year, by reading a book that students truly enjoy. :) For more details about the all of the Pigeon inspired activities I used with my students, be sure to click on the picture below. Of course (like most), I'm not certain what this year's back to school days will look like. Whatever the setup, I know I'll be using The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! to help me kick off the year. Thanks for stopping by. School Is a Happy Place is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associated Program, an affiliate program that allows this site to earn advertising fees. Please know that all of the recommendations on this site are authentic and come from personal experience.
Independent reading is a great way to help students build a love of reading! These 5 strategies help hold students accountable!
Yes, reading aloud to middle school students in 7th and 8th grade benefits them just as much as in elementary school. Immeasurably.
If you are looking for some high-interest activities, try using animated shorts to teach inference. Free handouts focus on student learning.
Starting the year with rich and engaging read alouds sets the tone for the rest of the year. These incredible back to school books will...
"It was like herding cats!" That was my answer to my husband the other day when he asked how my day had gone. Seriously, the days I have first and second graders are just hard - fun, but exhausting. That is until I found the SECRET to STEM and the littles! Are you ready for
This spring is presenting new challenges for teachers all across the country. Some of us are getting ready to go back to the classroom for the first time this year. Some of us have been in person all year, but we are about to get new virtual kids. Some of you have been in the ... Read More about Classroom Management and Expectations
Plus follow-up activities and a free printable list.
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
Looking for upper elementary first day of school read alouds and activities? This list of favorite picture books and the free activities that come with them will help you build an inclusive classroom community that values diversity. First week of lesson plans done!
A list of back to school must have picture books that are ready to help all students enjoy every moment in the classroom!
Build connections and community in the classroom with this list of read alouds and activities to share during the first week of school.
Do your high school students struggle to find books they can’t put down? Here are 31 student-approved books to read for high school that won’t disappoint!
As a teacher, I am always on the hunt for the perfect tools at the cheapest prices for my ELA classroom. Taking care of our students and keeping our learning
How I implement and run guided reading and small group in my middle school and upper elementary ELA classrooms
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.
Use these free printable Parts of a Book Poster & Worksheet to teach your pre-readers about book awareness and concepts of print.
Thank you to Diane for submitting this fun book report poster. It’s legal size (paper) worksheet and is great for lower grades (or as an easy project for upper grades). Great end of the year …
15 reading fluency activities you can do in minutes a day with strategies to improve reading fluency in your slow, choppy reader. Reading fluency games online, printable reading fluency games, reading passages and more! Education ideas - what are the 3 components of reading fluency? Wanting to know how to help your child read faster? Check out these ideas for reading fluency games, printable reading fluency games, timed reading games, plus reading fluency activities pdf format to print. If you find yourself asking - I want to know how to help my child read more fluently, check out these reading fluency activities, games, kindergarten fluency activities games, and other strategies to improve reading fluency.
read aloud books for the first weeks of school
Using literature to set the tone in your classroom is a great way to kick off back-to-school season--even when your back to school week is online! This post shares the best read-alouds for back-to-school that work for in class and virtual learning. PLUS you can grab some FREE printable and digital graphic organizers as book
Clever ideas for kids' book reports, from mint tins to cereal boxes to a Wanted poster.
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
These ten top-notch short stories are perfect for teaching in middle school. Students can access the stories online.
Kindergarten is a most delightful ages for read alouds–kids are full of wonder and silliness, and the selection of excellent picture books is enormous. Here are 50 of the best books for kindergarten.
No more boring book reports! Check out 26+ FUN, creative and unique book report ideas and free printable projects too!
Teach children the basics to paint like Pollock in just 40 minutes. Great for grades K-2, kids learn new techniques with paint, yarn and becoming fearless
