Find 23 ready to use, effective vocabulary activities your students will love, by The Teacher Next Door!
Students benefit from hands-on activities to help boost their conceptual understanding of math. This focuses on measuring liquid volume.
tw When it comes to math, geometry seems to be in a whole different league. Some kids fall in love with it instantly, while it seems challenging for other kids. One of the great things about geometry is that there are so many hands-on activities we can provide for our students, which makes it lots of fun! Here are some of my favorite geometry activities: 1. Start With Shapes I like to have students start with shapes they've known since they were tiny, like triangles, squares, and circles. We draw these on whiteboards as a whole class. Next we draw the more advanced shapes like pentagons, hexagons, octagons, trapezoids, and even the rhombus! This brings us to a discussion of polygons and we can classify shapes that way. Besides whiteboards, there are lots of ways for kids to work with shapes, like Popsicle sticks (which are also great to use to illustrate lines like parallel, intersecting, and perpendicular), LEGOS, Geoboards, and even clothespins which can be clipped together. 2. Marshmallow Geometry I like this activity because any time you add food, kids are all in! Using marshmallows and toothpicks, kids can make simple 2-D shapes, and also 3-D shapes. Plus, this activity is the perfect place to emphasize vertices since each time you add a marshmallow, you place it at a corner. If you have food allergies or school regulations which prohibit food, you can substitute the marshmallows for Play-Doh. 3. Use an Anchor Chart Once students have had lots of exploration time with shapes, it's time to discuss their attributes. I like to actually make this anchor chart with the kids' help. I explain how it will be organized, from the smallest number of sides to the greatest. We also notice patterns of sides and vertices as we create it. I do ask kids for examples of shapes, and sometimes they get really creative with this! 4. Go on a Shape Scavenger Hunt This is an activity that is great to do with some parent helpers if you have any. I like to send iPad cameras with each group, clipboards and pencils, and a record sheet. Kids record the shape that was found, the type of object it was, and where it was found. It's really fun to see what shapes they're able to find while walking around the school campus! 5. Incorporate Some Art I am a huge art proponent so I add art wherever it fits in. Geometry is a great time to do either geometric animals, robots, or people. I usually choose one of those categories but really you could make it a wide open project too! I shared another fun geometric art activity on a blog post I wrote called Incorporating Art in the Classroom. This one is from Literacy Loves Company. As a follow up to geometric lessons on lines and angles, I cut polygons from white construction paper for each child. I have kids use rulers and sharpies and follow my step by step directions of drawing lines and then finding obtuse angles, right angles, perpendicular lines, and so on. After the lesson is done, kids add color to these, making it a really fun art piece. 6. Add Some Kinesthetic Learning Kids need movement and it's easy to add some movement with this unit. For this activity, students will be on the floor working with a partner to make different kinds of lines (parallel, intersecting, and perpendicular), shapes, and angles (right, acute, and obtuse) using their bodies. An alternative is to have kids stand up and use their arms to illustrate these geometric concepts. Another kinesthetic activity is to gather Chinese jump ropes or packages of sewing elastic. If you use elastic, one package is enough for one small group of 5 - 6 kids. The idea is to have students use the elastic as a group to make the shapes you call out (types of triangles are especially good) or types of angles. Different kinds of lines can also be made if two groups work together. 7. Add Some Task Cards and Games Task cards are one of my go-to tools! Kids love the game-like format and I know that they're getting really focused learning on whatever math concept we're working on. I have used them as centers/stations, for whole class math time, for one on one, and as exit slips. If you'd like some pre-made math task cards specifically for geometry, click here; 3rd Grade Geometry Bundle 4th Grade Geometry Bundle 5th Grade Geometry Bundle 8. Read Mentor Text I love it when I can tie reading into math too! The books above are some of my favorite mentor texts for geometry. I love all of the visual examples included. 9. Use Music I just found these songs by Numberock on YouTube and they are perfect for this unit! Really great pictures and catchy tunes: Parallel, Perpendicular and Intersecting Lines Angles Types of Triangles 10. Practice Angles Seriously, next to long division, measuring angles is probably the most difficult math skill students will face in the elementary years! It doesn't help too that it is introduced in fourth grade in common core and then not even mentioned in 5th grade standards. Oh well! One activity that helps is to have kids use graph paper and write their first name in all capital block letters. Students can measure any angles created by the intersection of the letter's lines. Another favorite activity for practicing angles is to take tape and make different lines, which create angles on a desk, table, or even on sheets of butcher paper. Kids use protractors to measure angles and then write with expos (or markers on the butcher paper) right on the desks/tables! Great way to add some fun to this difficult concept! Hope you've found at least a few ideas you can use for your geometry unit! I did want to let you know that I have Math Task Card Bundles for every grade from 3rd - 5th. Each bundle has 30 sets of 32 task cards that cover ALL STANDARDS (CCSS) for those grades. I love prepping them at the beginning of the year and then grabbing whatever concept we're working on for some added practice. If you'd like to take a look: 3rd Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 4th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 5th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle Thanks so much for stopping by! If you like this post, I would love it if you would pin it or share it with a teacher friend! For more ideas and strategies focused on Upper elementary, be sure to sign up for The Teacher Next Door's free email newsletter right HERE. I'd love to connect with you! Facebook Pinterest Instagram TpT Store
Fluency is such an important tool for readers as they move ahead to reading more challenging texts. Being able to read fluently, aloud or silently in your head, is a skill that students must be able to master as good readers. So why is fluency so important? Reading fluently is the ability to read a given text accurately, quickly, and with expression. When this happens students not only comprehend what they are reading, but also better grasp character feelings and understand the mood and tone of a text, allowing for deeper comprehension. As students get older, they read silently. As a silent reader they must recall words quickly to develop an understanding of what is read. Fluency, as a silent reader, is the key to connecting both oral reading of words to comprehension of the text, all without hearing it, or discussing it immediately. While silently reading, students are left on their own, to determine the meaning of words, situations, plot, and character analysis. With strong fluency skills, students can understand all that is read in the complex chapter books that they read independently. This is why in my classroom fluency is practiced daily in a variety of ways! It is important to me that I give my students many opportunities to practice being a fluent reader each day; both as independent readers and as readers who discuss what they have read with a partner, small groups, and with the whole class, too! Here are five ways that I practice fluency in my classroom to build stronger readers who comprehend the texts that they read deeply. 1. Daily Poetry Reading Reading a poem each day is definitely the highlight of my day and my favorite way to practice fluency. When the students arrive they take the poem of the day and head to their seat. They are responsible for reading it several times independently before it is read as a whole class. Here is what they do: *First read is to read through the poem to grasp the main idea *Second read is to circle words that tricked them up and that they either have to decode or use context clues to solve the meaning *Third read is to practice fluency, pausing at punctuation and exaggerating bolded or italicized words or phrases *Fourth read is read as needed to answer comprehension questions that align with the poems After students have had enough time to do the above steps, I select one student to read the poem aloud while the class tracks their reading. Following that reading, we read the poem as a class, practicing our choral reading fluency skills. We then discuss any issues in our reading and the comprehension questions. Students keep the poems in their folders so that they have a great typed text to practice fluency independently when needed. I love using these monthly poetry books by Scholastic for our daily poetry reading. They are organized by season, making them highly engaging for students. Do not let the grades listed on the cover fool you. These poems are perfect for upper elementary fluency practice. With cute pictures and chunky fonts, students are always eager to read these. The poetry is also chuck full of great vocabulary and figurative language. Although there are no comprehension questions, it is easy enough to create a quick question, write it at the board, and have students respond on the back or in a poetry notebook. (Direct links at the bottom of this page to the resources I use to increase fluency.) You can also tie together close reading strategies with fluency practice with this set of classic poetry. Click on the image to see more! 2. Fluent Reading Anchor Chart and Student Reference Sheet Having a class anchor chart is a great way to remind the students of fluency tips during whole group and small group instruction. It especially helps students that are working independently practice what is expected as you work with other students. The anchor chart below is one that I use in my classroom. I also keep a typed version at the reading table with me, and students keep a student reference sheet of these strategies in their reading binder. You can grab it here for FREE. 3. Writer’s Workshop Stories In my classroom, practicing to be fluent readers does not just take place during reading! Writer’s workshop is a great time for students to practice their fluency skills with their own writing pieces. During our writer’s workshop hour, we take a mid-workshop break. Students meet with their writing peer partner and discuss their writing pieces. During that time, each student finds a part of their writing that the feel is written in a way that the reader would read it with expression. Each student takes a turn reading their selected segment with fluency. Not only is this a great way to squeeze in some fluency practice, but it is also a great way to break up your writing block. 4. Student Selected Reading We like to have breaks during reader’s workshop just like during writer’s workshop, and the perfect thing to do during our break time, is to practice fluency! During our reader’s workshop break, students meet with their reading partner and after summarizing what is happening in the book they are reading, they read aloud a part of the text that made them feel strong emotions. This gives them an opportunity to read with emphasis and share the mood and tone of the text with a fellow reader. My students always love this part of our day! 5. Reading Buddies Let’s face it, kids love being in charge! What better way to practice fluency than with younger students! Having reading buddies allows students to practice fluency on multiple levels. We meet with our reading buddies on Fridays. My students have all week to select a book to read to their buddy. Once they have selected a book, they have to practice reading it for fluency and create one comprehension question that they will ask their younger reading buddy. By Friday, my students have had to meet with me to share the book they selected, read aloud one page to show their fluency, and have to be able to answer the question that they created. On Friday, the students are so excited to share the book that they selected with their younger buddy. When their “lesson” is over, they then read a book that their buddy selected. This is a great way for them to practice fluent reading with a “cold read” book. As the year progresses and their younger buddy begins to read more, my students have a chance to listen to their buddy read and offer suggestions for them to become more fluent. This strategy is great especially for your struggling readers to practice fluency. It is a confidence-building experience for them and after each session, they certainly do feel proud! How do you practice fluency in your upper elementary classroom? (Affiliate links listed below for the resources that I use to increase fluency with my students.) If you liked what you read and learned something new, please share this post!
Are you interested in getting your upper elementary students to spell more words correctly, understand the meaning behind more words and read more words independently? If so....then code based instruction must continue in the classroom. What is code based instruction?? This is when students are taught phonics skills in an explicit and specific sequence. Research tells us, code based instruction is the most effective way to teach students to read and spell. If a student is taught using this approach they will have the skills needed to apply learned patterns when spelling or encountering the unknown word in text. According to international literacy expert and co-author of LETRS, Dr. Carol Tolman, orthographic learning should continue beyond phonics concepts into morphology and etymology. Morphology is the study of morphemes. Morphemes are units of meaning in language (i.e. prefixes, suffixes and root words). Etymology is study of the historical development of words (i.e. identifying if the morpheme is of Greek, Latin or Anglo Saxon origin). Typically instruction on morphemes and etymology would happen at the end of third grade progressing into middle school and beyond, although younger students can easily learn basic morphemes. Dr. Tolman uses the hourglass figure below to clearly illustrate the multiple layers of direct instruction teachers should provide, progressing from phonological skills all the way into etymology. The video is about 20 minutes in length, but well worth the watch if you want to learn more about all of the layers. There is a sort of natural progression of instruction with morphemes. You will notice the progression goes from easier to understand to more difficult concepts that require background knowledge. One might first start with Anglo Saxon and Latin compounds which are free morphemes. A free morpheme is a morpheme that can stand alone and have meaning (i.e. dog and house alone mean one thing, but combined make doghouse, which means something else). Compounds are a great introduction to illustrate word chunks are meaningful. Next, one might progress to inflectional morphemes. Inflectional morphemes change what a word does, but doesn't change its meaning (i.e. ing, ed, etc.). Then, one might progress to irregular past tense plurals (i.e. catches, catch and caught). After that, one might teach common prefixes (un, re, pre, etc.) and then move to less common prefixes (macro, mono, fore, etc.) Next, one might instruct on derivational suffixes, which are suffixes that make a word change a grammar class. For example this means a word can go from being a noun (ex: pore) to being an adjective (ex: porous) by adding a derivational suffix (in this cause -ous). Finally one might teach Greek and Latin roots. Greek roots are not as common as Latin roots and are more scientific and technical. After a prefix, suffix or root word is explicitly taught there needs to be multiple exposures and chances to engage with the learned morpheme. Some great ways to further explore taught morphemes are by creating word webs, thinking of a visual or action that represents the morpheme, word hunts, graphic organizers, cloze activities or playing games. Ready to better instruct on morphology? Prefix, suffix and root word graphic organizers are a great way to deepen understanding of morphemes! Send me morphology graphic organizers!! We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered By ConvertKit > Bottom line--the more students understand about the structure of words, the better they will be at reading them independently, understanding their meaning and how to correctly spell.
This blog post contains a FREE compare and contrast reading activity! Materials are included so you can replicate the compare and contrast anchor chart and lesson for your own upper elementary and middle school students.
Find 23 ready to use, effective vocabulary activities your students will love, by The Teacher Next Door!
Teach upper elementary students about character traits by having them analyze their characters' feelings, actions, thoughts, and dialogue within the story. This blog post contains everything you need for a complete character traits lesson... for free! The reading passages on the anchor chart, the sentence strip activity, and the interactive notebook foldable are all free!
Having a wide vocabulary is a huge part of what helps students to be successful in both reading comprehension and writing. This is why vocabulary is one of the National Reading Panel’s five core elements
Back in the fall of 1991 I was a brand new middle school teacher. I had left a two year gig as a high school English teacher which I loved, but felt called to work with middle schoolers. In any case, my mentor teacher ( they didn't have such a program then, but she graciously took me under her wing) shared with me a beginning of the year writing activity she did with her 8th grade language arts students called The Perfect Gift. Now, I have no idea where she got this; as creative as my dear friend Deanna was, she probably came up with this herself. In any case, I used this idea all 14 years I taught middle school and have even used it with the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade reading/language arts students I have taught- all with success! This activity has been tweaked to death and I recently gave it a massive face lift! Click on the picture below to see the listing for this packet in my TPT store. Write to Inform Prompt from the packet I absolutely love using this activity as the beginning of the year. The Perfect Gift is a beginning of the year writing activity that promotes self-reflection, goal setting, and can be used as an assessment of writing skills. In fact, I used it as a beginning of the year writing assessment before we were required to administer a specific, county-wide one. Students are asked to write what a perfect gift would be for them to have a successful year. The gift is to be an abstract noun such as bravery, patience, kindness, responsibility, joy, honesty, creativity, self-control, self-confidence, humor etc. Since I am now teaching in a Christian school, prayer and faithfulness also appear on the list. The first day I bring in a huge gift-wrapped box that always gets the students' attention and is used as my "hook". Students get so excited when I tell them that I have a gift for them and they start guessing what it could be. Imagine their shock when I throw the present on the floor! This is my intro into abstract nouns... I pass the box around so they can shake it, just to make sure it is empty! We discuss concrete and abstract nouns and the way I teach these is to tell them that if they can place the item in the box, then it is most likely a concrete noun. Mini-poster/anchor chart This activity involves the whole writing process and gives me a glimpse not only of students' writing strengths and needs, but also tells me about who they are: their personality, fears, learning styles, and needs. Students write about the gift, what it is, why they want/need it, and how it will help them. At the end they design a cover page or can use the gift box template to decorate and use as a topper for their published piece. By the end of the first week of school, I always feel like I have learned so much about my students from a social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual perspective. And usually I learn something new about myself too! I keep the gift box visible in the classroom the entire year. Students revisit this writing at the end of each marking period and reflect on whether they have "received" their gift yet. This is how I introduce them to goal setting during the first marking period. Check it out and let me know what you think and whether you and your students would benefit! Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 Have a blessed week!
Teaching the meanings of prefixes and suffixes is undoubtedly a skill that needs to be scaffolded over multiple grade levels. When I taught second grade, my main goal was to teach students how a prefix or a suffix affected the meaning of a word. We started with five basic prefixes and six basic suffixes. (Check out this affix blog post at my personal blog if you want to view my anchor chart, or read about my favorite way to introduce prefixes and suffixes to younger students.) Then, with each passing grade level, a few more prefixes and suffixes are added to the list. When I work with 4th and 5th grade students, I like to use concept circles to provide an opportunity for students to analyze affixed words in a more challenging way. (If you're interested in using these with your own upper elementary students, don't miss the free student worksheet version near the end of this blog post!) This activity involves four steps: Students read the four words written inside the concept circle, and determine which one does not belong. Students draw a line through the misfit word. Students determine the meaning of the affix used in the other three words. They write the meaning in the innermost circle. Students think of another word that uses the featured affix. They replace the word they crossed out in Step #1 with their new word. In the outside rim, students write the meaning of each word. Here are a few photos of some concept circles I have done with students: Click on the image below to download this packet of concept circles for FREE! It contains the three large concept circles picture above, 5 students worksheets like the one pictured below, and blank versions so you can create your own concept circles! Also, if you're looking for additional resources for teaching about prefixes and/or suffixes, feel free to check out some of the bundles in my TpT store! (Just click on an image to check one out!) Thanks for stopping by today! FREE Newsletter! Blog TpT Store Instagram Facebook Pinterest My YouTube Video
I am feeling really lucky this year. I have the kind of class that tries everything you throw at them, and does it with gusto. Like when one of my students who visits our ESL teacher came back to class with a little notebook and explained that he was trying to find awesome and interesting […]
Engage students while teaching them the difference between physical and chemical changes by integrating these 5 experiments into your unit.
Feeling like you're stuck in a rut with your writing activities? This fun combo makes for great practices with lots of laughter! Students come up with silly sentences using spinners, then illustrate & share with a telephone pictionary game! Check out this post for instructions and FREE resources!
Are you interested in getting your upper elementary students to spell more words correctly, understand the meaning behind more words and read more words independently? If so....then code based instruction must continue in the classroom. What is code based instruction?? This is when students are taught phonics skills in an explicit and specific sequence. Research tells us, code based instruction is the most effective way to teach students to read and spell. If a student is taught using this approach they will have the skills needed to apply learned patterns when spelling or encountering the unknown word in text. According to international literacy expert and co-author of LETRS, Dr. Carol Tolman, orthographic learning should continue beyond phonics concepts into morphology and etymology. Morphology is the study of morphemes. Morphemes are units of meaning in language (i.e. prefixes, suffixes and root words). Etymology is study of the historical development of words (i.e. identifying if the morpheme is of Greek, Latin or Anglo Saxon origin). Typically instruction on morphemes and etymology would happen at the end of third grade progressing into middle school and beyond, although younger students can easily learn basic morphemes. Dr. Tolman uses the hourglass figure below to clearly illustrate the multiple layers of direct instruction teachers should provide, progressing from phonological skills all the way into etymology. The video is about 20 minutes in length, but well worth the watch if you want to learn more about all of the layers. There is a sort of natural progression of instruction with morphemes. You will notice the progression goes from easier to understand to more difficult concepts that require background knowledge. One might first start with Anglo Saxon and Latin compounds which are free morphemes. A free morpheme is a morpheme that can stand alone and have meaning (i.e. dog and house alone mean one thing, but combined make doghouse, which means something else). Compounds are a great introduction to illustrate word chunks are meaningful. Next, one might progress to inflectional morphemes. Inflectional morphemes change what a word does, but doesn't change its meaning (i.e. ing, ed, etc.). Then, one might progress to irregular past tense plurals (i.e. catches, catch and caught). After that, one might teach common prefixes (un, re, pre, etc.) and then move to less common prefixes (macro, mono, fore, etc.) Next, one might instruct on derivational suffixes, which are suffixes that make a word change a grammar class. For example this means a word can go from being a noun (ex: pore) to being an adjective (ex: porous) by adding a derivational suffix (in this cause -ous). Finally one might teach Greek and Latin roots. Greek roots are not as common as Latin roots and are more scientific and technical. After a prefix, suffix or root word is explicitly taught there needs to be multiple exposures and chances to engage with the learned morpheme. Some great ways to further explore taught morphemes are by creating word webs, thinking of a visual or action that represents the morpheme, word hunts, graphic organizers, cloze activities or playing games. Ready to better instruct on morphology? Prefix, suffix and root word graphic organizers are a great way to deepen understanding of morphemes! Send me morphology graphic organizers!! We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered By ConvertKit > Bottom line--the more students understand about the structure of words, the better they will be at reading them independently, understanding their meaning and how to correctly spell.
Add these 6 angle activities to teach acute, right, straight, and obtuse angles to prepare your students to identify different types of angles.
Looking for some fun subject and predicate activities you can use with upper elementary students? Find engaging activities and lessons.
I always look forward to teaching figurative language in my classroom, and idioms in particular. Students get such a kick (note the idiom here) talking about and learning new idioms and we really enjoy doing some fun activities to help kids build a stronger language base. In this post by The Teacher Next Door, you'll read about seven different activities that reinforce idioms and have worked well in the classroom:
October 12, 2013 Fourth and fifth grade students are reviewing "rhythm" (the short and long patterns of the beat) in music class...
Teamwork in the classroom is essential in order to have a high functioning and welcoming environment for students. Check out three easy ways to build teamwork with your students.
Using cipher codes is a great way to get reluctant students to write. Grab the 4 free codes to get students started creating secret messages.
Singular and plural nouns are first introduced in kindergarten and first grade, but if you are an upper elementary teacher, you know that plural nouns can pose challenges for many 4th and 5th grade writers. Reviewing the plural nouns rules and referring back to them throughout the year is not just important, it’s necessary. ... Read More about Singular and Plural Nouns Activities for Upper Elementary
Bobby, Danny, Jenny, Molly and Sally went to the fun fair in summer. From this game you can find out what they enjoyed the most, how many tokens they paid for it and finally what they won playing coconut shy. Look at the clues, fill in the tables, then write full sentences using the solution. To solve this logic game put an ´X´ where there is a relation and ´-´ where there isn´t. Hope you and your ss like it. There are flashcards to this topic as well. Hugs, Zsuzsapszi - ESL worksheets
Helping your upper elementary students understand the many different types of word problems is the first step toward helping them succeed!
Teaching the meanings of prefixes and suffixes is undoubtedly a skill that needs to be scaffolded over multiple grade levels. When I taught second grade, my main goal was to teach students how a prefix or a suffix affected the meaning of a word. We started with five basic prefixes and six basic suffixes. (Check out this affix blog post at my personal blog if you want to view my anchor chart, or read about my favorite way to introduce prefixes and suffixes to younger students.) Then, with each passing grade level, a few more prefixes and suffixes are added to the list. When I work with 4th and 5th grade students, I like to use concept circles to provide an opportunity for students to analyze affixed words in a more challenging way. (If you're interested in using these with your own upper elementary students, don't miss the free student worksheet version near the end of this blog post!) This activity involves four steps: Students read the four words written inside the concept circle, and determine which one does not belong. Students draw a line through the misfit word. Students determine the meaning of the affix used in the other three words. They write the meaning in the innermost circle. Students think of another word that uses the featured affix. They replace the word they crossed out in Step #1 with their new word. In the outside rim, students write the meaning of each word. Here are a few photos of some concept circles I have done with students: Click on the image below to download this packet of concept circles for FREE! It contains the three large concept circles picture above, 5 students worksheets like the one pictured below, and blank versions so you can create your own concept circles! Also, if you're looking for additional resources for teaching about prefixes and/or suffixes, feel free to check out some of the bundles in my TpT store! (Just click on an image to check one out!) Thanks for stopping by today! FREE Newsletter! Blog TpT Store Instagram Facebook Pinterest My YouTube Video
Our principal has really been encouraging us to add more writing into our daily lesson plans. "They should be writing all day long" he tells us. The research is there to back him up. I bumped into this Roll and Retell page from Fun In First on Pinterest awhile back and finally figured out how to add it to our learning day. I printed and laminated four copies of the Roll and Retell page to hand out to each of my four table groups. After a round of Daily 5 I handed them out. I also gave each table one die. Each student at the table took turns rolling the die and then answering the question based on the number they rolled. They each used the individual book they were reading to answer the questions. I felt like it would be a great advertisement for new books for each child to read when they were done with the one they were working on. I also knew it would be great oral practice BEFORE they started writing. Once they had a chance to talk about what they were going to write, I set the timer for 5 minutes and let them write. Then we shared our responses. Here are a few of their responses. I had so much success with this activity with my students, that I created versions that cover the standards for 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades. There are 6 different Roll and Respond Sheets that cover all of the Second Grade ELA Common Core Standards for both literary and informational text. There are 5 different Roll and Respond Sheets that cover all of the Third Grade ELA Common Core Standards for both literary and informational text. There are 7 different Roll and Respond Sheets that cover all of the Fourth Grade ELA Common Core Standards for both literary and informational text. Before you go, head on over to our giveaway page to enter our current giveaway! Every week one lucky winner gets a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card! Dr. Susan Hall, literacy leader and founder of 95 Percent Group, mentions this Roll and Retell Activity as a Reading Comprehension Game that Students Will Want to Play Over and Over! Check it out for the other ideas there as well! What have you tried in your classroom lately? Link up with Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried It Tuesday and share! This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog. All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love. I would love to hear from you! ❤️ Have a question? Idea for a resource you might find helpful? Be so kind and leave a comment below.
The figurative language anchor chart shared in this blog post includes a cooperative activity. Visit this post to download the FREE materials and replicate this interactive lesson in your upper elementary classroom!
Are you looking to elevate your Ecosystems and Biomes unit? This 4th or 5th grade project based learning unit for ecosystems incorporates science, nonfiction reading, research, writing, and the arts! Read to find out how I organized the research project, what our launch activity was, the driving que
Lesson plans and resources for busy teachers.
Root words, Suffixes/Prefixes Bell Ringers are the perfect and super quick way to teach your middle school students this important ELA skill.
Looking for writing activities that build skills for WIDA ACCESS? This ESL writing resource for grades 3-6 prepares intermediate and advanced students for the skills needed on the WIDA ACCESS writing assessment, and beyond. Lesson plans included! What's Included: 7 Writing Language Format Key Word Anchor Charts (plus header for display) Student Notebook Reference Pages Lesson Plans Lesson Plan Supplemental Resources Familiarize your students with the various language formats and prepare for the annual ELL writing assessment. Language Formats/Lessons Include: Compare and Contrast (2 lessons) Sequence Explain Opinion Persuade Analyze (2 lessons) Describe Not an ESL teacher? These writing resources support and build writing skills for ALL learners! Take a closer peek at the preview above. This resource provides supplemental materials that target both writing and language skills. Prepare English Learners (grades 3-6) for the various formats found in the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs Writing Assessments. The Lesson Plans included are mini-introductory/review lessons and are not all-encompassing units. Click here for Writing with English Learners in Primary Grades Additional Resources to Support ELLs: Language Goals for English Learners Learning Targets Interactive Bulletin Board Graphic Organizers for Fiction & Nonfiction Prefixes, Suffixes and Root Words Vocabulary Booklet for Any Topic Parts of Speech Word Wall Idiom of the Week Display and Activities Build a Sentence - A Speaking and Writing Activity Reading Word Wall Cards with Visuals Discussion Cards (a variety of topics available) Restate the Question Resources to Support Newcomers: Vocabulary Workbook Bundle Vocabulary Cards and Sorts Bundle Monthly Themed Vocabulary Year Long Bundle Word Wall Headers Bundle (variety of colors available) Vocabulary Mini-Office Retelling Practice Terms of Use: Purchasing this resource provides the purchaser with one user license and the permission to use in a single classroom. To share, additional licenses, school licenses and district licenses are available at a discounted rate. Posting any portion of this resource online, such as a classroom website or a shared school server, is not allowed. All Rights Reserved - 2018 © Kristen Vibas @ A Walk in the Chalk
My name is Kaleigh Richards, I am an Upper Elementary Teacher at a Montessori charter school in Reno, Nevada. I have been teaching at this level/in this school for 5 years. I teach 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. I have 34 students. Our school is tuition-free for all students in elementary and middle school. We are a Montesso
Are you teaching students to identify the four types of sentences? Check out this blog post. It contains multiple activities that you can use in your upper elementary classroom! Check out the types of sentences anchor chart and download the FREE worksheet and interactive notebook foldable!
Hi everyone! Welcome to the next stop on the Bunny Trail. (and if you missed the other stops this week, click on the bunny below to go to the beginning!) This post will be short and sweet, as today is moving day in my household (yay!!!) and my keyboard is packed away (thank goodness for touch screens!) I have a fun little math page for you today. It is a "secret code" page, where the students use order of operations to solve the puzzle. My students always enjoy these, and I thought yours might too. So here you go! I told you, uncharacteristically short and sweet ;) And now on to your next stop, Kim at Finding Joy in 6th Grade. Notice how the button is purple? It matches Kim's blog perfectly! Oh, and for those of you who saw this earlier but were directed to an unfound page...you can thank the touch screen for that mistake ;)
Helping your upper elementary students understand the many different types of word problems is the first step toward helping them succeed!
Check out these ten ideas to add to your adjective lessons including PowerPoints, songs, games, activities, and suggested books.
