Tag: Reading

End of Year Reading and Math Activities for 4th and 5th Grade

End of Year Activities for Reading and Math

Can you believe it’s time to plan your end of year activities?!  We’re so close to those golden days of carefree fun and relaxation.  No more homework or tests–just long summer days full of possibility.  Until then, you need simple yet engaging activities to sustain the end of year classroom chaos.  Students have been soaking up new reading and math skills all year long, and now is a great time to review those skills before you say goodbye for summer.  Luckily, the End of Year Reading and Math Review Pack is the perfect resource to have students brush up on their skills!

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Using Reading Assessments to Guide Instruction in 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade

Using Reading Assessments to Guide Instruction

Before testing, teachers set a big goal for their students—mastering reading comprehension skills! Using reading assessments is one way to do this. Honestly, comprehending reading is a massive part of being a successful reader. However, this can put a ton of pressure on teachers as they try to ensure each student receives the individualized instruction they need before end-of-the-year testing. Since every student has a different reading comprehension level, Reading Quick Checks are here to help!

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This is a title graphic for a blog post with the title "How to Teach Making Inferences" across the top and a photograph of activity pages for making inferences below the title.

How to Teach Making Inferences

Teaching your students how to make inferences is essential to unlocking their reading potential. This challenging skill requires sharp critical thinking and the ability for readers to understand more than just what’s written on paper. Inferencing is a concept often referred to as “reading between the lines.” If you are having difficulty teaching this important lesson, here are some helpful tips. These 5 steps will take your students from struggling with inferencing skills to becoming masters!

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This is a blog post title graphic that says "5 Strategies for Teaching Nonfiction Text Features" with a photograph of a nonfiction text features activity for upper elementary grades.

Teaching Nonfiction Text Features – 5 Strategies That Work!

Nonfiction text features are essential to reading comprehension and help students better understand the topics they’re studying. Teaching nonfiction text features in the classroom is a great way to engage students, build their understanding, and improve their overall literacy skills.

In this blog post, we will explore five simple strategies teachers can use to teach nonfiction text features in the classroom. With these strategies, you will be able to provide your students with the knowledge and skills they need to interact effectively with any nonfiction material they encounter. Let’s get started!

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5 Quick Wins for Teaching Point of View

5 Quick Wins for Teaching Point of View

Students love to be detectives, right? Well, if you are teaching point of view in the upper elementary classroom, now is the perfect time to get your student’s magnifying glasses out! Here, I will show you some tips on how to engage your students in learning all about point of view.

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Figurative Language Teaching Idioms, Proverbs, and Adages

Teaching Figurative Language

Does the thought of teaching figurative language make you feel as sick as a dog? Teaching figurative language like idioms, adages, and proverbs can be daunting if you don’t have a plan in place before you get started. Using figurative language in everyday conversations is something we as adults take for granted, but our young learners haven’t acquired the skills necessary to use idioms, adages, and proverbs correctly just yet. We all know the proverb, “A friend in need is a friend indeed!”, and I’m here for you my friends! I am so excited to share my tips and tricks for teaching figurative language with you.

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Tips for Teaching Poetry with Free Poetry Vocabulary Game

My #1 Tip for Teaching Poetry in an Exciting Way!

Do you dread teaching poetry? I get it! I’ve been there! The concepts of poetry are oftentimes difficult for children to understand and that makes it challenging to teach. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. After years of teaching and practice, I’ve nailed down a few strategies for teaching poetry effectively in the classroom. They say practice makes perfect, right?

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Strategies for Teaching Main Idea and Supporting Details

Strategies for Teaching Main Idea and Supporting Details – FREE Main Idea Activities

Teaching main idea and supporting details to students isn’t all that easy. Many students struggle with the concept and the process. They get confused and caught up in all of the little details when reading through the text. Some even confuse summarizing a passage with finding the main idea. So, how can you as a teacher make sure that this doesn’t happen to your students? After many years of trial and error, I have the solution that has worked in my classroom time after time. I’m excited to share with you my strategies for teaching main idea and supporting details.

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March Ideas for 3rd, 4th, 5th Grade

March Activities for the Upper Elementary Classroom

There are so many amazing things about the month of March. It brings a close to the long, dark, cold months of winter. It’s filled with the hope of spring and new beginnings. But, it’s also that time of the year when the pressure of test prep really starts getting heavy. When students start dreaming of warmer days and counting down for spring break and summer. March is a pivotal month for sure! Let me help you sail through this month with these fun and engaging March activities that will keep your students focused, engaged, and working on important skills and concepts.

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Using Bloom's Taxonomy to Guide Instruction

The Ins and Outs of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy was created by educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues in 1956. It is a great tool to encourage higher-order thinking in the classroom. Teachers have used this as a framework for education for many years to guide their students to deeper levels of understanding and mastery. In recent years we have seen the inclusion of higher-level thinking skills in educational reform. These more rigorous standards and skill requirements make it imperative that we incorporate these skills into our classroom. Let’s dive right in and discuss what Bloom’s Taxonomy is and how we can use it to guide instruction.

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February Classroom Ideas for Upper Grades

February Activities for the Upper Elementary Classroom

Can you believe it’s already February? For a short month, there sure is a lot to do! This month has so many great things to celebrate: Valentine’s Day, Groundhog Day, Presidents Day, Black History Month, and much more! Here are some fun February activities your students are going to love.

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100th Day of School for Upper Grades

The 100th Day of School for Upper Grades

The 100th Day of School has become a school holiday in schools all around the world. What started as a celebration of 100 for primary grades has become something celebrated school-wide. However, it can be difficult trying to balance the schedule and rigorous standards of upper elementary with “fun” days like the 100th Day of School. Now you don’t have to! These 100th Day of School Ideas for Big Kids are perfect for both.

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January Ideas for Grades 3-5

January Activities that Will Jump Start Learning

Did you hear that? Listen again . . . It sounded like a corporate sigh of relief from teachers everywhere! After a long semester of learning and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it was like a giant exhale that said “phew . . . I made it!” As the holidays wind down and you start gearing up for the new year and the return to school, let’s focus on kick-starting that learning. These January activities for the upper elementary classroom are perfect for getting back into the groove after the holiday break.

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December Classroom Ideas for Upper Elementary

December Activities for the Upper Elementary Classroom

December in the classroom might be the shortest month of instructional days – but it just might be the hardest, too. Students are excited about the holidays and school break. Their thoughts are consumed with Christmas and gifts and travel and well . . . just about anything but school! And teachers are just as busy too! There are lessons to plan, students to engage, and a Christmas party to plan – and that is just at school. So let me help you fill your lesson plans with fun and engaging December activities that your students will love!

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November Ideas for the Upper Elementary Classroom

November Activities for Upper Elementary

I don’t know about you, but when someone says November I think of fall and Thanksgiving. Then a second later the bomb drops in my head – Christmas is right around the corner! My stress level goes up just a little as I think about all that has to be done in the next 2 months. One thing I learned over the years is that by getting lesson plans done early, I was able to focus my time outside of school on the holidays and getting ready for them. These November activities are a few of my favorite resources to help make that happen without sacrificing quality in the classroom!

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HI! I'M KIM!

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