Analyzing writing curriculums, planning writing workshop and teaching writing lessons can be overwhelming. You might think, how am I going to fit everything in and produce successful writers? Where do I start? What skills do they need? This post will share the 7 BASIC WRITING LESSONS that every teacher should teach! With this basic knowledge, students will be able to perform other writing assignments more effectively. The following skills are not only effective in upper elementary, they are often needed at the middle school level for review or the primary level for differentiation. So yes, every teacher should teach them! If you start with these 7 fundamental skills, it will set the expectations for your writing lessons and assignments throughout the year! Frequently Asked Questions What are the basic skills and what order should I teach them? Sentence Structure 1. Complete Sentences Lesson for complete sentences 2. Fragments Lesson for fragments 3. Run-ons Lesson for run-ons Paragraph Writing 4. Topic Sentences Lesson for topic sentences 5. Relevant Details Lesson for relevant details 6. Transition Words Lesson for transition words 7. Closing Sentences Lesson for closing sentences How much time should I dedicate to teaching these fundamental skills? I recommend one day for each skill. If you spend a whole writing block for each skill, students will benefit from the practice. How do I teach each skill? First: Start with an anchor chart explaining the skill. (See each lesson link above for effective anchor charts.) Second: Provide examples. Students can share examples too! Next: Students should take notes. I love using Interactive Writing Notebooks to take notes. Research supports the use of interactive notebooks through studies on multiple intelligences, the brain and note taking. Here are a few videos to Set Up Interactive Writing Notebooks. Click photo for the Upper Elementary Version. A Primary Version is also available. Then: Identify the skill. Provide practice sheets and task cards for students to practice identifying the skill in sentences and paragraphs. Last: Apply the skill. Students should have the opportunity to write their own sentence or paragraph to apply the particular skill. What if I can't fit the lesson in one writing block? If you can't extend the days to complete them, there are other ways to get the whole lesson in. You can put practice sheets or task cards in a center, or you can have students apply the skill for homework or morning work the next day. What if my students, some of my students, or absent students can't do interactive notebooks? Make a small anchor chart to put in their notebooks with the same information! If you don't have a printable poster, take a picture of the anchor chart you used in class and print them off! I hope you found this post helpful and your students become successful writers this year! Connect With Me! TPT Store Facebook Pinterest My Blog
I don't think I've ever used the expression it's raining cats and dogs, but I have told my students to "shake it off!" My middle schoolers LOVE pop music and think it's really cool to learn language through song lyrics. I decided to share what has been successful in my room by creating a product with the latest hits for you. Top Hits uses today's pop music to explore figurative language. Multi-Model Approach You may find it helpful for students to read the full song lyrics and watch music videos prior to using the cards. Be sure to preview videos for appropriateness and search edited lyrics as needed. I also wanted to let you know that my SLP Runner store is participating in the TpT SALE! I have lots of spring products and upper grade goodies similar to this freebie, but with added rubrics and data charting pages. Be sure to check out my bundles as they are heavily discounted for 28% off ALREADY discounted prices. Have Fun shopping and enjoy the freebie!
Lesson ideas and activities for listening skills practice and monitoring
Have you been looking for the perfect project based learning curriculum? If you've been on the lookout for a game-changing approach to captivate your upper elementary students and ignite a passion for learning, you're in for a treat! Buckle up as we dive into the world of project-based learning (PBL) – the secret sauce to turning mundane lessons into exciting adventures.
So you have 100 minutes, but how exactly do you plan and schedule your language arts block for the junior grades?
Do you think reading centers are only for the littles? Think again! Learn why you should be using upper elementary reading centers.
Build a deeper understanding (and love) of language that'll last a lifetime with worksheets that boost understanding, bolster vocabulary, and challenge kids with complex text.
Top online learning sties for upper elementary classrooms for in school or home or distant or remote learning. Websites for reading, language arts, math, science and art included.
An Upper Elementary Collaborative blog written by 13 teachers. Includes teaching ideas and resources for grades 3, 4, and 5.
Today we are going to learn about... blah... blah... blah. Once students hear the words today we are going to learning about, a majority of them hear nothing but the blah...blah...blah. That is why it's important to try to hook them before the lesson begins. Peak their interest, allow them to think, get them talking, and engage them in what they will be learning about. Guess the Topic This is one of my favorite! Before introducing the new topic, give students a collection of words related to the lesson. Allow them to guess the topic they are about to learn about. Play a Game That's right, play a game BEFORE you begin the lesson. When choosing a game choose a game that activates students' prior knowledge. For example, before beginning multiplying by multi-digit numbers we played a cooperative learning game called Ask-n-Switch to review the basic multiplication facts. Giving Scenarios Highlight lesson objectives by giving students scenarios that require them to draw conclusions. I like to use this activity when introducing problem/solution, cause/effect, inferences, and drawing conclusions. I give students a scenario either verbal or a picture prompt similar to below. Without telling them what they will be learning they respond. After responses have been discussed they are amazed at how much they know. After responding to the picture/prompt below, students realized that they make inferences every single day! Present a Challenge I do this one A LOT in math. Present students with a challenge. For example, when introducing division I bring in gum. I tell students how many pieces of gum I have, and it is their job to figure out how many pieces of gum each of them will get. It's real life. It's hands one, and it lays a foundation for what they will be learning. Scavenger Hunt Provide students with clues about what they will be learning. The clues can be actual objects or pictures of what they will be learning about. You may have an out of this world lesson planned, but unless students are excited or engaged in what they will be learning, success isn't imminent. Try hooking them BEFORE the lesson! Teaching With Simplicity Pinterest Facebook Instagram Teachers Pay Teachers
If Montezuma had an Instagram account, what would he say when Cortez arrived in 1519? My fourth graders have some ideas. We are finishing our study of the conquests of the Inca and Aztec empires and have been reading about … Continue reading →
It's been a while since I've posted a project - it always seems to be that I'll have a couple of weeks where we are "in process", then sudd...
"Today, we're going to write an autobiography in class. Okay, I want you to take ten minutes and brainstorm as much as you can about your life then write a one page paper. You will start with an introduction, and the body of your paper will be in chronological order, beginning with your earlier childhood and evolving into who you are, and who you want to become. You must have a catchy ending as well. Got it? Good! You may begin." (As I stare upon overwhelmed, confused, and stressed fifth graders...) Hmm... What did I do wrong? What I said made COMPLETE sense to me! Let's take a step back and evaluate my approach. Do you think that this approach will produce amazing autobiographies? Or will it be a jumbled mess? I'm opting for the second. Why? BECAUSE I saw it happen! I have been teaching since 2007...not including my subbing time, and time spent in college. I have come to find, like many of us do, that the success in a lesson can single-handedly depend upon our approach and introduction to a topic. No, I didn't start my lesson on writing autobiographies like this. :) I may have done these things in bits and pieces, but they were spread out and with explanations and examples. I start with reading an autobiography. We started with our basal reader, and the story of William Joyce Scrapbook. This story is all about this author/illustrator and how his life evolved into one that celebrates creativity, as well as how he gets inspired for new projects. To do something well, it helps for our students to SEE and/or LISTEN to a finished product. I always provide a visual aid and classroom discussion on how to approach the task. I LOVE anchor charts! Here's the one that I created for this project: I love to make my anchor charts bright and fun to look at. I believe that it engages my students, and almost lures them into reading them top to bottom. I also provide a structure. I like something tangible that they can write on. I gave my students this print out to engage their thoughts. The size of the blocks allowed them to focus on the most important details. You can grab a copy of this worksheet HERE. Don't get me wrong, we love to do messy brainstorming sessions, where we spend a great deal of time making notes, organizing our thoughts, and creating webs that guide our work. They are a wonderfully messy, yet organized way of pulling details out of us. Oxymoron?...maybe...but that works, too! This works really well for introductions and conclusions. If your students are anything like mine, this is where they struggle. I get the same, "Hi! My name is John Doe. I am writing about myself, so sit back, relax, and learn all about me!" BORING. I have a bulletin board that is dedicated to "Bold Beginnings," "Mighty Middles," and "Exciting Endings." I'm sure you've seen them...they look like this: I put these babies to work! They really ARE great conversation starters. I think it's SO important to SHARE what we have created with one another. We provide constructive criticism on what we liked, or ways that we could improve something that we hear. It's a form of friendly competition in my classroom. Who can create the boldest beginning, or the most exciting ending? I'm also the type of teacher that says..."Eh...not exactly what I'm looking for here. Let's try this!" I tell my kiddos that it takes great practice and care in creating a perfect paper. The first copy, the second copy, and possibly even the third, fourth, and fifth copy may need to be tweaked a bit. I stress that we... And that it's okay! ************************************************************ I want to take a minute to talk about the actual assignment I gave to my students. I LOVE a good at-home project to get our parents to sit down with their kiddos to work on something together. This works for the most part. I know...I know...there are students who just don't have a great home life. I'm blessed with students this year, who even in a broken home, have someone that is willing to pitch in and make the most of what it is that they are to do. You use common sense and assign these assignments based on the needs of your students. So, I started with a letter describing that we were reading an autobiography in class and that the students were working on writing their very own. I sent that home, along with a skin-colored piece of construction paper and directions for making a crafty student model to accompany their writings. I'm never quite sure how these assignments will turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results! I loved seeing how students viewed themselves. Have a look! These are just a couple that came back. Have a look at our hallway... So cute! Overall, this lesson was a great success! I would be lying if I said that our grammar was 100% perfect, but that's certainly something that we're working on...and that's OKAY! The point is that we are writing. We are working through the writing process and becoming more alert of our mistakes, as well as recognizing when we should celebrate our creativity! What about you?? What have you done lately in your classroom to help promote the writing process? I'd love to hear how you make your students better writers! Let's talk in the comments below! Take a peek at what else I'm up to... Bloglovin' Facebook Pinterest TpT My Blog
These 6th Grade “I Can” Checklists are designed to easily track standards taught in the classroom. This is another free “I Can” Common Core resource from The Curriculum Corner. Add these 6th grade I Can
Top online learning sties for upper elementary classrooms for in school or home or distant or remote learning. Websites for reading, language arts, math, science and art included.
My goal is also to offer ideas to new teachers, tips that work for me, and offer Free Upper Elementary Resources
Teaching theme is not an easy task! Not only do students need to have a strong comprehension of the story's elements (like plot, setting, and characters), but they also have to be able to make inferences to find the author's message, since most themes are not overtly stated by the author. So, what are some of my favorite activities for helping kids understand theme? I'll list a number of them here. 1. Make an Anchor Chart Anchor charts are a great way to make learning visual and to have a record that kids can refer to when they need a bit of extra support. Theme may be defined in a number of ways. To me, the theme is the author's message or what he/she wants the reader to take away/learn from the story. It is a BIG idea, with a real-world or universal concern and can be applied to anyone. Besides talking about what a theme is, you'll also want to go over what it isn't. For example, some kids confuse the main idea of the story with its theme. To help students understand the difference, it's helpful to use stories that everyone in the class knows, like previous read alouds or classic stories like The Three Little Pigs. You can take each story and discuss the main idea (what the story was mostly about - specific to the story) vs. the theme (the lesson the author wants the reader to know - not specific to the story), to contrast the two ideas. The second area of confusion for some kids is that the theme is not specific to the characters in the story. In the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, for example. The theme would not be that...A little mouse named Chrysanthemum learned to accept the uniqueness of her name. The theme would be larger than the book and would be something like...It's important to accept oneself. Also, you'll want to explain to your students that often times, a book has multiple themes and there are several answers which work equally well to describe a book's theme. Since theme is very subjective, I tell students that I will accept any answer, as long as they have the text evidence to prove it. For example, in the book, Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, one might argue that the theme is about friendship, another might say family, or even courage, or kindness. Any one of these themes would be right, and counted as such, since they each fit the story and could be supported by text evidence. 2. Use Pixar Shorts to Practice Theme Besides the sheer enjoyment which comes from watching these mini-films, your students can learn a lot about reading concepts from these. They're great for ELL students or for struggling readers, and for all readers really since the text complexity piece is removed. You can find these clips on YouTube, but you'll want to make sure to preview them first, so you're more familiar with the plot and are able to focus on theme questions. Here are some of my favorite Pixar Shorts for teaching theme: Piper Partly Cloudy Lava Boundin' 3. Use Mentor Texts Mentor texts are one of my go-to teaching tools as picture books are able to portray examples of just about any reading concept you need to teach. One thing I like to do when using mentor texts for theme, is to vary the types of questions I ask. Rather than always saying What is the theme?, I might ask... What is the deeper meaning of this story? After reading this book, what do you think matters to this author? Which idea from the story do you think might stay with you? What did the author want people to learn from this story?... Once kids answer, you might say, Ah...so that's the theme! Some of my current mentor text favorites for theme include the following: Ish by Peter H. Reynolds I Wish I Were a Butterfly by James Howe Journey by Aaron Becker (a wordless book) Beautiful Oops by Barry Saltzberg The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Pete and Pickles by Berkeley Breathed If you're looking for more titles, I have a FREE Mentor Text List for Literature which includes a page on theme which you can download from my TpT store. 4. Use Posters with Themes to Chart Book Themes I like to choose 8 - 10 common themes and place posters of them in the classroom. These are included in my Theme unit but you could easily make them yourself if you'd like. After we finish a class novel, a read aloud, or a mentor text as part of a mini-lesson, I like to have the kids discuss the theme of the book. Once we decide on the theme, I place a miniaturized copy of the book's cover (about 3 x 3 inches or so) under the correct theme poster. You can also make the posters more interactive by allowing kids to write titles of books they have recently read on sticky notes, under the posters as well. 5. Use Songs to Practice Finding the Theme I love to add music to the classroom whenever possible. Not only does it add instant motivation for some kids, but it is also just good for them in so many ways. There are lots of songs you can use to teach theme, from current pop songs to oldies, rap songs, and country songs. While all of these work well, I especially enjoy using Disney songs. Disney songs are easily recognized for some kids, have catchy, fun tunes, and have lyrics that need no censoring (yay!). You can easily find the lyrics online to project on a smartboard or document projector, and the song clips may be found on YouTube, Here are some of my favorite Disney songs which work well for theme: Hakuna Matata from Lion King Just Keep Swimming from Finding Dory Reflection from Mulan Let it Go from Frozen Something There from Beauty and the Beast A Whole New World from Aladdin 6. Introduce Short Texts Using Task Cards Using task cards for theme gives your students a great deal of practice in a short period of time, which makes them a perfect way to begin to practice finding the theme using text. I love the fact that students can read multiple task card stories and practice finding the theme 20 - 30 times, in the time it might take to read a story and find the theme once. You can do task cards as a center activity, to play Scoot, or as a whole class scavenger hunt. One thing I like to do for the scavenger hunt is to make sure everyone has a partner and to pair stronger readers with struggling readers. 7. Add Some Writing After students have worked on theme for a week or two, I like to have students create their own short stories which show a strong theme, without directly stating it. This changes each student's role from a theme finder, to a theme creator and gives students insight into how authors create a situation that allows a theme to unfold. When I introduce this project, we refer back to the task cards we just completed, as an example of story length and rich content. In a matter of 2 - 3 paragraphs, students learn that they can include enough information to let our readers know our message. After students are finished creating these short stories, it's fun to share them in some way, to give more theme practice. Sometimes I have students meet in small groups to share out, with group members guessing the theme. Other years, I leave a stack on my desk and grab several if we have a few minutes. Either the students or I read the short story out loud, and the class discusses the theme. 8. Move to Passages, Short Stories, and Novels. Once we have scaffolded a great foundation for the understanding of theme, there comes a point where kids have to move on to text which is more challenging. I like to use page-long passages which I have created, before using short stories, and ultimately novels. If you're looking for some ready made materials to help you teach theme, here's a packet I love to use which works well for 4th and 5th Graders. Click here to read more about the Theme unit. Want some more teaching ideas and activities to teach theme? Click here to read Teaching Themes in Literature. If you like this post, make sure to share it with a teacher friend! Thanks so much for stopping by! For more ideas and strategies focused on upper elementary, be sure to sign up for The Teacher Next Door's free email newsletter! Bonus, you'll also gain access to my FREE Resource Library which contains exclusive upper elementary freebies that you won't find anywhere else! I'd love to connect with you! The Teacher Next Door's Website Pinterest Facebook Instagram TpT Store
Teaching theme is not an easy task! Not only do students need to have a strong comprehension of the story's elements (like plot, setting, and characters), but they also have to be able to make inferences to find the author's message, since most themes are not overtly stated by the author. So, what are some of my favorite activities for helping kids understand theme? I'll list a number of them here. 1. Make an Anchor Chart Anchor charts are a great way to make learning visual and to have a record that kids can refer to when they need a bit of extra support. Theme may be defined in a number of ways. To me, the theme is the author's message or what he/she wants the reader to take away/learn from the story. It is a BIG idea, with a real-world or universal concern and can be applied to anyone. Besides talking about what a theme is, you'll also want to go over what it isn't. For example, some kids confuse the main idea of the story with its theme. To help students understand the difference, it's helpful to use stories that everyone in the class knows, like previous read alouds or classic stories like The Three Little Pigs. You can take each story and discuss the main idea (what the story was mostly about - specific to the story) vs. the theme (the lesson the author wants the reader to know - not specific to the story), to contrast the two ideas. The second area of confusion for some kids is that the theme is not specific to the characters in the story. In the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, for example. The theme would not be that...A little mouse named Chrysanthemum learned to accept the uniqueness of her name. The theme would be larger than the book and would be something like...It's important to accept oneself. Also, you'll want to explain to your students that often times, a book has multiple themes and there are several answers which work equally well to describe a book's theme. Since theme is very subjective, I tell students that I will accept any answer, as long as they have the text evidence to prove it. For example, in the book, Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, one might argue that the theme is about friendship, another might say family, or even courage, or kindness. Any one of these themes would be right, and counted as such, since they each fit the story and could be supported by text evidence. 2. Use Pixar Shorts to Practice Theme Besides the sheer enjoyment which comes from watching these mini-films, your students can learn a lot about reading concepts from these. They're great for ELL students or for struggling readers, and for all readers really since the text complexity piece is removed. You can find these clips on YouTube, but you'll want to make sure to preview them first, so you're more familiar with the plot and are able to focus on theme questions. Here are some of my favorite Pixar Shorts for teaching theme: Piper Partly Cloudy Lava Boundin' 3. Use Mentor Texts Mentor texts are one of my go-to teaching tools as picture books are able to portray examples of just about any reading concept you need to teach. One thing I like to do when using mentor texts for theme, is to vary the types of questions I ask. Rather than always saying What is the theme?, I might ask... What is the deeper meaning of this story? After reading this book, what do you think matters to this author? Which idea from the story do you think might stay with you? What did the author want people to learn from this story?... Once kids answer, you might say, Ah...so that's the theme! Some of my current mentor text favorites for theme include the following: Ish by Peter H. Reynolds I Wish I Were a Butterfly by James Howe Journey by Aaron Becker (a wordless book) Beautiful Oops by Barry Saltzberg The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Pete and Pickles by Berkeley Breathed If you're looking for more titles, I have a FREE Mentor Text List for Literature which includes a page on theme which you can download from my TpT store. 4. Use Posters with Themes to Chart Book Themes I like to choose 8 - 10 common themes and place posters of them in the classroom. These are included in my Theme unit but you could easily make them yourself if you'd like. After we finish a class novel, a read aloud, or a mentor text as part of a mini-lesson, I like to have the kids discuss the theme of the book. Once we decide on the theme, I place a miniaturized copy of the book's cover (about 3 x 3 inches or so) under the correct theme poster. You can also make the posters more interactive by allowing kids to write titles of books they have recently read on sticky notes, under the posters as well. 5. Use Songs to Practice Finding the Theme I love to add music to the classroom whenever possible. Not only does it add instant motivation for some kids, but it is also just good for them in so many ways. There are lots of songs you can use to teach theme, from current pop songs to oldies, rap songs, and country songs. While all of these work well, I especially enjoy using Disney songs. Disney songs are easily recognized for some kids, have catchy, fun tunes, and have lyrics that need no censoring (yay!). You can easily find the lyrics online to project on a smartboard or document projector, and the song clips may be found on YouTube, Here are some of my favorite Disney songs which work well for theme: Hakuna Matata from Lion King Just Keep Swimming from Finding Dory Reflection from Mulan Let it Go from Frozen Something There from Beauty and the Beast A Whole New World from Aladdin 6. Introduce Short Texts Using Task Cards Using task cards for theme gives your students a great deal of practice in a short period of time, which makes them a perfect way to begin to practice finding the theme using text. I love the fact that students can read multiple task card stories and practice finding the theme 20 - 30 times, in the time it might take to read a story and find the theme once. You can do task cards as a center activity, to play Scoot, or as a whole class scavenger hunt. One thing I like to do for the scavenger hunt is to make sure everyone has a partner and to pair stronger readers with struggling readers. 7. Add Some Writing After students have worked on theme for a week or two, I like to have students create their own short stories which show a strong theme, without directly stating it. This changes each student's role from a theme finder, to a theme creator and gives students insight into how authors create a situation that allows a theme to unfold. When I introduce this project, we refer back to the task cards we just completed, as an example of story length and rich content. In a matter of 2 - 3 paragraphs, students learn that they can include enough information to let our readers know our message. After students are finished creating these short stories, it's fun to share them in some way, to give more theme practice. Sometimes I have students meet in small groups to share out, with group members guessing the theme. Other years, I leave a stack on my desk and grab several if we have a few minutes. Either the students or I read the short story out loud, and the class discusses the theme. 8. Move to Passages, Short Stories, and Novels. Once we have scaffolded a great foundation for the understanding of theme, there comes a point where kids have to move on to text which is more challenging. I like to use page-long passages which I have created, before using short stories, and ultimately novels. If you're looking for some ready made materials to help you teach theme, here's a packet I love to use which works well for 4th and 5th Graders. Click here to read more about the Theme unit. Want some more teaching ideas and activities to teach theme? Click here to read Teaching Themes in Literature. If you like this post, make sure to share it with a teacher friend! Thanks so much for stopping by! For more ideas and strategies focused on upper elementary, be sure to sign up for The Teacher Next Door's free email newsletter! Bonus, you'll also gain access to my FREE Resource Library which contains exclusive upper elementary freebies that you won't find anywhere else! I'd love to connect with you! The Teacher Next Door's Website Pinterest Facebook Instagram TpT Store
Developing comprehension skills is a complex task. Find ideas for teaching story elements that will help your students with comprehension skills.
Teaching with Biographies and Ben Franklin With all of the fabulous biographies available today for children, teaching about and with biographies can be such fun for your students. It hasn't always been this way. When I was a little girl (many, many years ago...) I remember biographies being boring, fact-filled chapter books. They were definitely not the books that I chose when I went to the library. The only biographies I remember reading were those assigned to me by my teachers. Today's biographies for children are very different. Biographies for children are now colorful picture books full of interesting information that grab the reader's attention and are enjoyable to read. I recently gathered a variety of biographies for my students on Benjamin Franklin. My school library has several wonderful biographies about Mr. Franklin. We combined learning about the characteristics of biographies with learning more about this U.S. founding father. Some great biographies about Benjamin Franklin include: Ben Franklin His Wit and Wisdom by Alan Schroeder Who Was Ben Franklin? by Dennis Fradin Now and Ben by Gene Barretta Although all of these books are excellent, I chose to begin by using How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer. Before we read this book, I had the students to do a variation of an ABC brainstorm activity. With ABC brainstorm, students write what they know about a given topic using each letter of the alphabet. Instead of ABC's, we did a BEN brainstorm. Students wrote one fact about Ben Franklin with each of the 3 letters: "B", "E", and "N". (3 facts are much faster to write than 26.) I discovered that many of my students knew very little of Ben Franklin or thought he was one of our presidents. After we discussed our prior knowledge, we then discussed characteristics of biographies. My sweet teacher friend next door has this adorable biography anchor chart that she let me share. After reviewing the characteristics of a biography, we read and discussed How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning. My students really enjoyed this colorful and interesting biography. Next, students used their Chromebooks to read an online book about Ben Franklin. This book is actually part of a paid website that my school system has purchased called myOn. It was a fun graphic biography that my students enjoyed, but if you do not have access to this website, another great choice is this page from Mr. Nussbaum. The students then used the information they learned from both resources to complete a graphic organizer. This biography graphic organizer can be found in my store in a packet containing four graphic organizers for your students to use as templates as they research and write about a person. Choose the graphic organizer that is perfect for your whole class, assign different graphic organizers for different groups of students, or choose specific organizers to differentiate the needs of your students. Use the graphic organizer alone, or as a writing template for the writing page essay paper. A grading rubric is also included if you choose to use this as an assessment. Click here or the picture below to purchase. Finally, we watched a 90 second video that recapped the information we had learned about Benjamin Franklin. This short video can be found here. If you are looking for a fun lesson to use with biographies, I hope you may want to try these activities out with your students. I know my kiddos had a lot of fun and learned a lot about Benjamin Franklin and biographies. Have a blessed day! Check out my blog: Teaching Fourth Visit my TpT Store Find me on Instagram Follow me on Facebook Follow me on Pinterest
teaching ideas, upper elementary classroom ideas, reading ideas,resources for the upper elementary classroom, teaching grammar, graphic organizers
This post shares my top five strategies for developing number sense in third, fourth, and fifth grade students.
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.
One of the staples of the beginning of the year is spending a little time introducing genre. This post provides you with five days of activities that will
Find some great tips, strategies, and resources for implementing Daily 5 into an upper elementary or middle school classroom!
Since I typically leave my three bulletin boards up for the entire year, I decided to use PowerPoint to create my letters. See the steps below and
Science of Reading Word Work Fun - Printable Decoding Activity for Upper Grade Readers! Morpheme Word Ladders are the perfect supplement to systematic and explicit decoding instruction at the morphology level. In these word chains, students substitute, add and delete morphemes (prefixes, suffixes, roots and base words) to build new words, as they observe first-hand how multisyllabic words are constructed. These engaging morpheme ladder activity pages are easy to prep and easy to use. Just PRINT & GO! Each Morpheme Ladder comes in 3 differentiated versions: Level 1 with 4 steps per ladder Level 2 with 8 steps per ladder (new!) Intervention Star Level with 3 steps per ladder. USE FOR: word work centers challenge fun early finishers whole class & small group guided practice spring review summer fun THIS PRINT-AND-GO RESOURCE INCLUDES: 150 Morpheme Ladder word work pages, differentiated: •50 Level 1 student pages •50 Level 2 student pages •50 STAR Level (INTERVENTION) student pages Answer Pages - Levels 1, 2 & 3 Recording Page MANIPULATIVE CARDS FOR STAR LEVEL - TO MAKE THE WORDS. NEED BEGINNING LEVEL Morpheme Ladders? Check Out MORPHEME LADDERS BEGINNING LEVEL © Laura Hurley Reading by Heart FOLLOW FOR MORE
Teach your students Greek and Latin roots using a fun and interactive card game! This resource includes 2 decks of cards and covers 120 different Greek and Latin roots. You will love the flexibility this resource offers; it can be used with any vocabulary program and is easily differentiated to meet the unique needs of your students!
The list below contains the books I have used over the years for teaching figurative language. Some of them are designed to teach about figurative language and some of them are books with figurative language woven naturally into the poem or story. Just recently, we shared how we used one of these books to do a text ... Read More about Books with Figurative Language
Time Fillers for Your Classroom
We've been learning about the parts of speech in the most fun ways. A parts of speech printable and flip book, writing our own mad libs, and more.
Bell ringers are the perfect way to engage your students from the moment they get out their materials at the start of ELA class.
There are so many ways to use math task cards in upper elementary and middle school. This game uses math task cards with a bit of a twist!
In this post, I share my teaching strategies for reading comprehension in my upper elementary classroom. These effective reading strategies are easy to implement and they have been great for helping my students become better readers. Plus you can grab some FREE reading worksheets below! *This post contains affiliate links to Amazon for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying
Embrace your students’ excitement about Halloween with these Halloween activities for grades 4-5, including math, science, and reading! Freebies included!
I have used the reading workshop model for about 8 years now. It has changed a lot over the years! One thing that has stayed the same is the ‘Respond to Text’ station. This is a time where students get to write about their reading. The station stays the same all year, but the activities in the station change. Below is a list of activities you can add to your ‘Respond to Text’ station at the beginning of the year. 1. Bookmark Book Report At the beginning of the year, some students struggle to finish chapter books. I find that this bookmark book report helps them stay engaged in their reading. The students keep track of the pages they read, and complete activities as they read their book. There is a fiction and nonfiction version available for download. 2. Text Structures Tri-fold Students can use this trifold to ‘hunt’ for different text structures. Just put a basket of nonfiction books at the station and you are set! It’s a great way to get them reading nonfiction books. 3. Choice Board Students get to choose what activities they’d like to complete. This is great because it can be used for the story of the week (if you follow a basal) or the chapter book they are currently reading. You can have the students glue this page inside their reading notebook, or have them staple their responses to this sheet and turn in. Download the Printables: Click here to download the bookmark book report. Click here to download the text structures trifold and choice board. Add editing tasks to your reading workshop block! Math Resources: 1st Grade Tri-Folds 2nd Grade Tri-Folds 3rd Grade Tri-Folds 4th Grade Tri-Folds 5th Grade Tri-Folds Thanks for reading! I hope you will find these printable helpful :) Visit my blog @ Learning With Mrs S. Visit my TPT Store Follow me on Pinterest! Follow me on Instagram! Follow me on Facebook :)
Three fun ways to respond to reading to improve reading comprehension
