Well, things got even more interesting as my work with fractions unfolded on day 2! For those of you who read my first fraction post, I discussed how we used paper folding to get our fraction concepts unit "launched", and we ran out of time to finish the investigation before digging into some fraction misconceptions. I gave them another 25 minutes today to work on folding their different ... Read the Post
Fraction Folding–discovery learning
Today we kicked off our fraction unit, and I think I am going to really try to do a lot of blogging about it over the next few weeks--because I will be immersed in it AND because it is such a critical component of the Common Core for intermediate grades. I think it is vital that we dialogue about ways to help students build their understanding of fractions, so I invite you to share along with me ... Read the Post
Getting Ready for Independent Reading, Library Organization, and More!
Today is my day to blog over at Upper Elementary Snapshots, and I hope you'll stop by to check out today's post about classroom library organization and more! Just click the image above to visit! ... Read the Post
What Makes a Great Read Aloud?
As we move into the start of a new school year, of of my FAVORITE things to think about is what books I will be sharing as read alouds with my students. Although I have a few "must reads" that I do every year, I am always on the hunt for new ones as well. When thinking about what makes a really outstanding read aloud, I asked people on my Facebook page to chime in their THEIR ideas about ... Read the Post
3 Best Books about Teaching Reading!
Today is my day to post over on Upper Elementary Snapshots, and I hope you'll stop by to check out my post about 3 "must read" books...just click the image below to take you there! I'd love to hear what you think...and watch tomorrow for my Monday Made It post--with a brand new multiplication resource that has taken me the better part of a year to finish! WHEW! ... Read the Post
“Me as a Reader”…a reading goal project
Every year I love to help my students really reflect on themselves as readers--and I strive to help them understand that reading is more than just getting the words right...as we start the year I really try to help them understand all the different factors that impact the ability to read and make sense of texts... reading "behaviors" such as book selection and focus accuracy and fluency ... Read the Post
Classroom Library Organization 101!
It's time for another monthly "Bright Ideas" link up and I thought I'd kick off the summer series with something I spent years developing and might give some ideas to others as to how to organize your classroom library. Now this became a necessity for me once my addiction to books became too ridiculous to hide anymore. As my library grew and grew, I needed a way for students (and me!) to ... Read the Post