One of my favorite units to teach is my historical fiction unit. I love it for SO many reasons! Historical fiction is a new genre for many elementary students, so they get super excited! There are SO many great comprehension strategies to teach as you read. Fortunately, there are TONS of amazing books to share with students--from picture books to chapter books. I love being able to ... Read the Post
Stellaluna: Combining Fiction and Informational Texts
One thing is for certain--teachers do not have enough time to teach every standard, especially the way we truly want to. When possible, we need to "double dip" and create lessons that tackle multiple targets! One way I do that is with a few lessons related to research, informational texts, and the book Stellaluna. Fiction and Nonfiction Together? Yup! In the fall, we talk both about ... Read the Post
FIsh in a Tree: Using Your Read Aloud as a Mentor Text
I don't know about you, but one of my favorite times every day is my read aloud time. I read aloud picture books. Articles. Poems. But my favorite of all is the novels I choose to share with my class. "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt is one of the best. I choose different texts for a variety of reasons...but I always like to keep in mind that read alouds are a powerful teaching tool ... Read the Post
Responding to Reading Character Prompts: Gradual Release Model
I often hear teachers stressing out about how they can get everything they need ready for all their book groups, standards-based grading, and so on. Sometimes I think we work WAY too hard--and I always work to try to do best quality instruction without driving myself into the ground. We focus on characters throughout the school year. The easiest way I do this is that I have a bank of resources ... Read the Post
Introduction to Poetry Lessons
Interested in hearing about some of my introduction to poetry lessons? Poetry doesn't have to be scary or intimidating at all. It also doesn't have to be "cute" or silly. Intrigued? Read on! When I grew up, poetry was all about rhymes, and rules, and patterns. I remember writing couplets. And cinquains. And all sorts of other "rule" poems where the pattern was more important than the ... Read the Post
Text Evidence and Tracking Our Thoughts: How Many Days to America
Yesterday we kicked off our immigration unit with an A-MAZING visit from a 90 year old woman who had immigrated from Germany back in the mid 20's. She was a sharp as a tack--and her story was so interesting. I hope I can remember so many things when I am her age! I can barely remember to put two shoes on now and I am half her age! This unit is one of my favorites . . . ... Read the Post