Category: Reading

Laura Candler shares 6 reasons why fall is the best time to introduce poetry! If you start teaching poetry now, you'll reap the benefits all year long!

Laura Candler shares 6 reasons why fall is the best time to introduce poetry! If you start teaching poetry now, you’ll reap the benefits all

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Favorite Read Alouds for November

November is a great month for reading aloud! Here are a few of my favorite books for Thanksgiving and Veteran’s Day. These short picture books

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Free Halloween Word Work – Seek & Spell Fun!

How much time do you spend each week on spelling instruction? If you’re an upper elementary teacher, the answer is probably “not enough.” While you

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Five Looks on a Book is a simple and fun activity that offers a fun twist on the traditional book report. Students name five adjectives that describe their book and then write one supporting detail for each adjective. Freebie in the post!

Looking for a fun twist on book reports? Check out the “Five Looks on a Book” strategy described in this post, and download this free

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Book Character Day – Fun and Educational!

Is there a school district anywhere that still allows traditional Halloween activities? Most elementary students love to dress up on Halloween, but many schools no

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Help your students improve their reading fluency and reading comprehension with this partner activity for graphing oral reading fluency. Free Oral Reading Fluency packet included in this post!

Fluent readers sound more expressive when they read aloud, and they also comprehend the text far better than those who are not as fluent. This

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12 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers

I think I must have been born with a book in my hand! My parents told me that from the moment I learned to read,

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Christmas Paper Chain Connections Craftivity

Free Paper Chain Connections Craftivity from Laura Candler. This holiday literacy activity is a fun way to teach kids how to make connections while reading!

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Note-taking Foldable Freebie

How can you transform almost any assignment into an adventure? Use foldables! Foldables are so much fun to make, and when students create their own,

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Bio Poems for President’s Day

Presidents Day is celebrated in February, so it’s the perfect time to have your students write President Bio Poems. This lesson is also a great

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Seasonal lessons are perfect for the weeks leading up to the winter holidays. Those days can be chaotic, so it’s important to plan lessons that

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Julia Cook's books are great reading aloud during class meetings to spark discussions about bullying, getting along with others, grief, and friendship problems.

Raising academic standards is certainly a worthy goal, but sometimes it can have unintended consequences. To find time to teach the rigorous reading and math

Read More »

Category: Reading

Favorite Read Alouds for November

Favorite Read Alouds for November

November is a great month for reading aloud! Here are a few of my favorite books for Thanksgiving and Veteran’s Day. These short picture books are perfect for upper elementary students and work well with many fall-related activities. If you need ready-to-use lessons, activities, and printables to go with these

Read More »
Free Halloween Word Work – Seek & Spell Fun!

Free Halloween Word Work – Seek & Spell Fun!

How much time do you spend each week on spelling instruction? If you’re an upper elementary teacher, the answer is probably “not enough.” While you might recognize the importance of phonemic awareness and phonics lessons, there’s just not enough time for true spelling instruction in the upper grades. This is

Read More »
Five Looks on a Book is a simple and fun activity that offers a fun twist on the traditional book report. Students name five adjectives that describe their book and then write one supporting detail for each adjective. Freebie in the post!

Fun Twist on Book Reports!

Looking for a fun twist on book reports? Check out the “Five Looks on a Book” strategy described in this post, and download this free graphic organizer to use with the lesson!

Read More »
Book Character Day – Fun and Educational!

Book Character Day – Fun and Educational!

Is there a school district anywhere that still allows traditional Halloween activities? Most elementary students love to dress up on Halloween, but many schools no longer allow Halloween parties and activities. However, there’s fun and educational way to sneak in a dress-up activity if you can get it approved! Host

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Help your students improve their reading fluency and reading comprehension with this partner activity for graphing oral reading fluency. Free Oral Reading Fluency packet included in this post!

How to Track Oral Reading Fluency

Fluent readers sound more expressive when they read aloud, and they also comprehend the text far better than those who are not as fluent. This makes perfect sense when you consider how much energy a reader wastes when he or she has to slowly decode every word in a passage.

Read More »
12 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers

12 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers

I think I must have been born with a book in my hand! My parents told me that from the moment I learned to read, I would read everything in sight, from cereal boxes to billboards. When I began reading books, there was no stopping me! I even begged them

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Note-taking Foldable Freebie

Note-taking Foldable Freebie for Informational Text

How can you transform almost any assignment into an adventure? Use foldables! Foldables are so much fun to make, and when students create their own, they seem to take more pride in their work. One type of foldable that’s super easy to use is a four-flap foldable for taking notes.

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Bio Poems for President’s Day

Bio Poems for President’s Day

Presidents Day is celebrated in February, so it’s the perfect time to have your students write President Bio Poems. This lesson is also a great way to sneak a little research and creative writing into your social studies curriculum!

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December Activities Your Kids Will Love!

Seasonal lessons are perfect for the weeks leading up to the winter holidays. Those days can be chaotic, so it’s important to plan lessons that are both meaningful and fun. Kids are more likely to stay on task when they are actively engaged in learning, and that’s definitely true in

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Julia Cook's books are great reading aloud during class meetings to spark discussions about bullying, getting along with others, grief, and friendship problems.

Cook Up a Caring Classroom with Books by Julia Cook

Raising academic standards is certainly a worthy goal, but sometimes it can have unintended consequences. To find time to teach the rigorous reading and math Common Core standards, many schools are cutting back on physical education, the arts, and life-skill lessons. Yet we need to remember that we aren’t teaching

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