When I first started teaching, informational writing was one of my least favorite units to teach. I could spend months on narratives but would have been happy to skip informational writing altogether. Part of my problem was that I misinterpreted writing workshop training and was under the impression that students should just start writing. I’d […]
Informational Writing Lessons Read More »
As an upper elementary teacher, student independence is extremely important to me. When my students are “stuck” or struggle, I don’t want to be the first option for my students. Instead, I try to give my students strategies and tools to problem solve and foster essential independence. This has nothing to do with me not
Scaffolding Student Independence Read More »
Phonics activities are not just for young students-they’re for older students too. Every year I have a couple students who need a little {sometimes a lot} of extra work on phonics. This can be quite a challenge, because that isn’t something I teach in a whole group lesson. This instruction is completed in reading group
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I’ve always struggled to make addition and subtraction of large numbers fun. I can teach it, but it’s not all that exciting. It is difficult to make three digit addition and subtraction, with regrouping, fun for third graders. One of my goals was to create addition and subtraction worksheets that were rigorous yet engaging for
No Prep Addition & Subtraction Read More »
This post is quite a bit different from my typical blog post. This summer I’ve had the opportunity to talk with several teachers (new and experienced) who were new to third grade, and I wanted to create a blog post that condenses some of my favorite tips, posts, and products. I know that changing grade
New to Third Grade Read More »
I don’t always include literacy stations in reading workshop, but when I do, I make the activities purposeful and authentic. Anyone catch the reference? In the spirit of full disclosure, there are years when due to scheduling requirements I can’t fit in literacy stations. Those are hard years, but I’ve learned to adapt. How I Incorporate Literacy
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Introducing paragraphs is never easy, especially at the beginning of the year. I always struggle at the beginning of the year with determining how long to spend teaching rules, procedures, and various classroom management lessons. These management lessons are essential for a smooth school year. I’ve tried to skip some of these lessons in the
Introducing Paragraphs Read More »
It’s no secret that vocabulary is a major predictor for student success. Unfortunately, academic vocabulary has always been one of my students’ greatest challenges. Academic vocabulary words are the words that are traditionally used in academic text, which are words that are not common in everyday reading. These words are important because they help students
Social Studies and Science Vocabulary Read More »
State and federal mandates and high stakes testing have made teaching elementary science and social studies a battle for time in the classroom. This battle has resulted in minimizing social studies and science instruction to focus on tested areas. While I agree that the content area topics should be reinforced and integrated into students’ tested
Teaching Elementary Science and Social Studies Read More »
It’s not a lot of fun to pack up your classroom. There is no tired like teacher tired, especially at the beginning and end of the school year. The beginning of the year is hard, but it’s new, fun, and fresh. By the end of the school year, we’re not only physically tired, but we’re
5 Tips to Pack Up Your Classroom Read More »
