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How to Successfully Select CCSS Literacy Strands to Focus On

It can be overwhelming trying to figure out which Common Core State Standard literacy strands your students need the most work with. There are so many different places to...

Focus on a Standard; Describing Characters in a Story (RL.3.3)

If you happened to have read my last post you know I gave some tips and tricks for goal setting and professional planning. I mentioned this follow-up post would be sharing...

Sticking to a Plan: Planning and Preparing for Literacy and Learning Centers

If you’re like me, I learned how to plan lessons using a day-to-day, period-by-period schedule. Lessons were chunked into 40-50-minute segments on Monday through Friday...

Game

Rainbows & Rainclouds Phonics Game

Grades K–3

Kit

<em>Vocab Gal's Favorite Test Prep Resources</em> Kit image

Vocab Gal's Favorite Test Prep Resources Kit

Grades 3–12+

The Explanation Game Visible Thinking Routine; A Professional Development Series

In January, I began an ongoing monthly post describing a “thinking routine” Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding and Independence for All Learners

A Reading Activity to Include in Disability Units—Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

The New York Times Best Seller Fish in a Tree, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, is a book that students love, but every teacher should read also to remind us why we became teachers. ...

Back-to-School Elementary Activity: Book Jacket & Table of Contents

A fun way for you to get to know your elementary students better and help them get to know each other is by having them create a book jacket cover and table of contents about...

Encourage More Students to Read with Movie-Inspired Book Clubs!

The buttery popcorn, the delicious candy, the big screen... who doesn't love a movie? The answer used to be, “I don’t!”, when one of my favorite student literature circle...

Beyond the Foundational Four: Additional Content-Focused Centers for Mathematics and Science

As previously discussed, the four foundational centers (Teacher Led Center, Vocabulary, Reading Together and Writer’s Craft) are appropriate for any classroom. There are...

Using Webb's DOK and Bloom's Taxonomy During Teacher/Student Conferences and Small Group Work

In a previous post, I have shared how I incorporate the DOK and Revised Bloom's Taxonomy into my 'shared reading lesson plans' and my 'unit plans.' In this post, I will...

Classroom Library Organization Tips for K–5 Teachers

Last year I wrote a blog post about creating a classroom environment where students can be immersed in literacy experiences. One of the elements I briefly touched on as a...

Recharge and Refresh: 5 Ways Teachers Can Stay Motivated

July is the month that marks the middle of summer for many teachers. Last month school had just ended and next month school will begin again. Before you think about heading...

Beyond the Foundational Four: Additional Content-Focused Centers for English Language Arts and Social Studies