With today's instant access to curriculum, resources, and pictures on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, it's almost easy for me to become overwhelmed and even insecure about my own classroom instruction. This blog post shares the ins and outs of reading workshop, guided
Increase Reading Engagement With Book Talks
Book talks are an amazing way for you and your students to share books you love with each other and increase reading engagement. Book talks are informal presentations designed to inspire others to read a book you enjoyed.
The purpose of a book talk is to "sell" a book.
Reading Workshop Novel Study Edition
I cannot tell you how much I value and appreciate all of your comments, emails, questions, and messages! I read and try to reply to everything. Last summer, I began receiving messages about my Reading Workshop Units, because I had unknowingly created a bit of a problem. The units
Top 10 Favorite Chapter Books for Upper Elementary
I was hesitant to write this blog post on my top ten favorite chapter books to read aloud, because I know that we are all very passionate about our favorite chapter books. I know that without a doubt I've left some amazing books out...maybe I should make a top 50 list! For this
Tournament of Books
A few years ago, I absolutely fell in love with The Brown Bag Teacher's March Madness Tournament of Books. I thought it was the best idea ever, and I really wanted to try it! Unfortunately, it was one of those ideas that I loved, pinned, and then completely forgot about. This
Reading Workshop Resources
Over the years, I've made countless things for my classroom, and few (if any) resources have made a greater impact on my planning and instruction than my Reading Workshop units. These units have been a game changer for me, and from the feedback I've received from other teachers,
Spring Literacy Activities for the Classroom
I think the days between now and the end of the school year are, by far, the most difficult days of the school year. Teachers are tired; students are tired; the pressure of testing is mounting, and we're all starting to see summer break on the horizon. Despite the challenges, I
Making Inferences
One of my favorite ways to introduce making inferences is through wordless picture books. They are a great first step toward this challenging skill, because it's something students do on a daily basis. My students don't necessarily realize that they are making inferences as they
Opinion Writing Lessons
Opinion writing can be such a fun writing genre for students and teachers! In this post I share some of my favorite opinion writing lessons and activities.
I typically begin my opinion writing unit immediately after my informational writing unit, which you can read more about
Informational Writing – Getting Started
When I first started teaching, informational writing was one of my least favorite units to teach. I could spend months on narratives, but I would have been happy to skip informational writing altogether. I think part of my problem was that I misinterpreted my writing workshop
