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Looking for a way to keep your students engaged while you're working at your small group table? One way I organize my classroom is by creating centers or workstations. The activities I choose for each center have similarities, but are different enough to not feel repetitive. Here's an example of what my students work on when they're in centers: Group 1: Context clues task cardsGroup 2: Reading selections/passages with questions that tackle various reading skillsGroup 3: Books/texts with graphic organizers to practice … [Read more...] about Reading Centers for Upper Grades

Test prep season is here! This topic is heavily debated. One side argues that teachers should just stick to teaching the curriculum versus teaching to a test. On the other hand, teachers are expected to show high scores on the state assessment or they will no longer be considered "highly effective." Can I be honest? I see both sides. No, we shouldn't toss our curriculum to the side, but we also need to think about the expectations we put on our teachers and students. Students are expected to pass or teachers are expected to get their … [Read more...] about Reading Test Prep: Controversial Yet Fun?

Did you know? November is Native American Heritage Month. I'm sharing my list of books that I use to celebrate Native American, or Indigenous, heritage. What is culture without food? I love Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard because it reminds us that food is everything. It's also a great book to teach similes. Flat like a pancake, Round like a ball. We are Grateful by Traci Sorell is a wonderful text about gratitude and Cherokee history. Be prepared to learn new words. It's also the winner of numerous awards. A must read! Bowwow … [Read more...] about Indigenous Books for Native American Heritage Month

What's your opinion on interactive notebooks or journals? Personally, I love using them with my upper grades students. They're a great way to teach a skill by encouraging students to come up with their own examples. Plus, students love cutting and gluing. I guide my students during the setup of their own notebooks by showing them mine first. Visuals are a great way to offer additional support, especially if you work with emergent bilinguals. I find that using the projector and Smartboard to show my students where to cut and glue is the most … [Read more...] about Interactive Notebooks in the Classroom

Nervous about going back to school through a computer screen? Are you scared because you don't know what to expect when you meet your students online for the first time? Same! In this blog post I'll share some tips and advice to help you navigate this unique school year. WHAT PROGRAMS AND SUPPLIES DO I USE FOR DISTANCE LEARNING? For student work, we use Google Classroom because it's super easy to assign work to each student. It's also easy for students to navigate. I tried to use other programs last year, but Google Classroom was by far the … [Read more...] about Tips and Advice for Distance Learning

Writing about reading is one of the best ways to blend the two subjects together. In my opinion, writing should be a huge part of your reading block. There are many ways to get started with reading responses that can be implemented as early as today. Remembering that they only work if you model what the expectation is for each activity and you stay consistent. So, keep reading to learn how three different types of reading responses have worked with my students! STICKY NOTES One way to encourage writing about reading is to give them sticky … [Read more...] about Reading Responses That Work