Recent Posts
Teaching Nonfiction Paragraph Structure Using The Important Book.
The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown is hands-down the best writing mentor text to teach young writers how to organize a nonfiction paragraph. It is the perfect picture book to show students how to include a topic sentence, details to describe the main idea, […]
Sweet Christmas Ornaments for Kids
Tis’ the season to bust out the glue gun! Trust me, you won’t get “burned” with these Christmas ornaments. You might get a little glitter in your hair though! TeeHee. This. This Christmas ornament has been in my life since I was in first grade! […]
Nonfiction Reindeer Craft
This! My kids LOVED this simple reindeer craft! With the holidays approaching, it is a difficult task keeping our students engaged when all they want to think about is the arrival of Santa and wonder what the elf will do next… In a desperate attempt […]
4 Thanksgiving Activities for the Classroom
These Thanksgiving activities have become a tradition in my classroom. Year after year, I include them in my lesson plans because they help my students understand why we must give thanks for all that we have. My favorite, by far is the Thanksgiving Story Mix. […]
A Print Rich Classroom Environment
In an effort to raise phonemic awareness, teachers are presented with the challenge of providing their students with a print rich environment that will provide their students with a variety of opportunities to see, read and most importantly interact with written words. How do we […]
Filing: The Dreaded Task
What teacher has time to file? Have I got a simple solution for you! You know that “To File”pile on your teacher’s desk filled with loose papers and thematic unit files that you still need to put away? …. and you probably won’t get to […]
End of the Year Treasures
By the end of the school year, both you and your students are winding down after having worked hard to meet grade level standards. But now what? If you are looking for end of the year activities that will keep your students happily engaged … […]
Reading Partners Go Together: Effective Transitions During Reader’s Workshop
The Dilemma: Do you get as frustrated as I do when you send off your Reading Partners with an “Off you go!” and instead of diving right into a good book together, you overhear this: “But you chose the book last time!” “It’s my turn […]
Beginning or End of the Year Class Writing Project: The Important Book
If you are looking for a way to celebrate friendships either at the beginning of the year or during your end of the year activities, this class project is just what you are looking for! The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown is an ideal […]
Be a Smart Cookie! A Differentiated Sight Word Fluency System
Are you looking for a method to Improve sight Word Fluency while using differentiated sight word lists? I know what is holding you back…it’s work. I won’t lie and say that it was easy coming up with this system. It took me a few years. […]