Whether you have been thrown into distance learning because of a worldwide emergency like the coronavirus, your school is transitioning to a 1:1 format or whether you have chosen to educate your children through homeschooling, these distance learning tips and resources will make your job easier!
Third grade is a pivotal year when it comes to reading instruction. It is the year that we focus less on “how to read” and we begin focusing more on “reading to learn.” Along with this change comes a push for students to be thinking at a higher level while reading. Teaching with paired reading passages is a great way to do this. With paired reading passages, students have the opportunity to work on thinking skills that they generally don’t get with a single passage. Paired passages are great opportunities for comparing author’s purpose, drawing conclusions, comparing & contrasting, and inferencing.
Learning to read is a process, a long process. I have found that there are two primary phases. From kindergarten through 2nd grade, students are ‘learning to read.’ From about 3rd grade forward, students move into a phase that I refer to as ‘reading to learn.’ Learning to think critically while reading is a goal of this second phase of reading instruction. Using paired passages is a great way to teach these important thinking skills.
When I was growing up my least favorite subject in school was spelling. Each week we had a new spelling list of 10 words, and each week we had to write each word 5 times and use it in a sentence. It seemed to be the same spelling activities, year after year. I wasn’t a bad speller, but I just couldn’t make myself get excited or even a little happy to sit down and write my words A.G.A.I.N.
If you’ve been around education for the last few years, you’ve likely heard the words “growth mindset” more than once. It’s a powerful tool that we can teach our students, one that has the potential of changing their future. But when there is so much to accomplish in a short day, how do we add one.more.thing to the schedule? Today I want to share 3 quick and easy ways to develop a growth mindset environment in your classroom.
It’s winter break and you are enjoying your well deserved time off from school. As much as you try to block it out, there is always that nagging little voice in your head that says “you’ve got to work on lesson plans!” Well, now you can silence that voice and plan a fun and engaging New Year’s Day with these NO PREP New Year’s activities for upper elementary students.
In the upper elementary classroom (3rd grade and up) teaching reading transitions from learning to read to reading to learn. The focus moves from sight words and phonics to reading comprehension and learning to think like a good reader. Close reading is a wonderful way to teach these important skills.
December is here and that brings so many thoughts and feelings. On one hand, I’m amazed that it is already December. On the other hand, December is a month unlike any other (except maybe the last month of school). The students are filled with energy and excitement about the approaching holidays and school break. I am focused on finishing the month strong while also trying to balance all that December brings (gift buying, decorating, parties, and so much more). These December activities for the classroom are a great way to focus the students and keep them learning while making life a little easier for the teacher too!
Task Cards are a great classroom activity loved by students and teachers alike. Most commonly used as a center activity, task cards are a wonderful way for students to practice a skill or concept on their own. But . . . there are many other ways to use task cards in the classroom. Today I am excited to share with you 5 new ways to use task cards in the classroom.
The four words no teacher wants to hear: “I’m done! Now what?” I don’t know about you, but those words make me shudder and I can feel the stress rise at the utterance of them. Why? Well, I want my students engaged and learning during class time. If they have finished our assignment, then they are taskless. And . . . I know that many students are still working. I want these students to have the time they need to thoughtfully complete the activity in an environment that is conducive to learning. And so there it is – the balancing act of early finishers.
Do you struggle to engage your students in reading comprehension practice? I’ve got you. Finding high-quality free reading comprehension worksheets can be hard. Reading comprehension doesn’t come naturally to all students. It’s up to us to challenge our more gift readers to grow while helping our struggling readers flourish alongside them. Keeping reading skills practice fresh and fun is half the battle! Today I’m sharing two FREE print and digital resources that will keep your students engaged while fine-tuning their reading comprehension skills! I promise that they will beg for more!
Bitmojis are so much fun to use in the classroom! Students can easily relate to them, and personalizing your whimsical avatar with emotions adds a fun effect. Choose a hair color, eye color, facial features, clothing, accessories, and more! Bitmoji will create a huge library of wacky stickers that you can use with your students. Use them to create posters, fun messages, feedback stickers for student work, digital story telling, presentations, comics, and so much more! Find out how to use them in the classroom!
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COPYRIGHT © 2021. Kim Miller.
