MTM: Red: A Crayon’s Story
I love sharing all the various texts that I use in the classroom each week for every mentor text. It is so powerful when students
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Polluting a Fish for Earth Day (or any day really!)
For Earth Day, I had my students explore water pollution through the Freddie the Fish Activity. There are many variations of this on the internet,
Communicating with Students
The older I get, the more I feel out of touch sometimes with the children of this generation, even at third grade. Yes, some things
Forced Relationships
Forced relationships. Have you heard of these? Yes, I’m still talking about education concepts. No, I’m not talking about the relationships you are forced to
Foldable Frayer Model
Do you love the Frayer Model, but your kids are getting a bit bored with it? Why not mix things up a bit? Turn it
MTM: The Invisible Boy
This week, my mentor text is The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig. I don’t know about you, but it sure seems that each year I
MTM: Sam & Dave Dig a Hole
How many times have we thought to ourselves that we won’t give up until we get or find something spectacular? Many times, I’m thinking. My
Shaping Up with Text Complexity
When I was in school, chin-ups were the worst thing any physical education teacher could make me do. I hated them with a passion. My
MTM: Memoirs of a Hamster
I often hear that there is not a place for read alouds and picture books in upper elementary. I couldn’t disagree more. When I taught
Not Your Traditional Cause and Effect Chains
Cause and effect. The Cause: The students not understanding cause and effect. The Effect: The teacher banging her head against the wall. Don’t we all
Spicing Up Text Structure
Not too long ago, I was teaching nonfiction text structure to my students. In reality, it can get a bit boring, and I felt I
MTM: What If You Had Animal Hair?
This week’s Mentor Text Monday is with Sandra Markle’s book, What If You Had Animal Hair? What If You Had Animal Hair? is a nonfiction
Reading Month Fun!
March is reading month and we have so many fun activities going on at our school to engage our students into reading! Our school
MTM: Wilma Unlimited
Wilma Unlimited. What can I say?! I know when I do my mentor text posts each week, I talk about how powerful this book and
MTM: Each Kindness
My mentor text this week is Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson. The author of this story explores the importance of being kind to others.
High Flying Words | Teaching Word Knowledge
I’m really tired of snow (welcome to Michigan — snow almost year-round!) and I was dying for a way to liven up my classroom a
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Making Time for Science: Creating an Integrated Science Curriculum
March 20, 2023
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Science is a critical part of a well-rounded education, but with so many subjects to cover, and a huge focus on literacy, it can be
7 Tips for Mastering Word Problems
March 17, 2023
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I have a word problem for you: There was this girl who was given well over 100 math word problems in her lifetime. She learned
Help Your Students Better Understand Fractions with Different Denominators
March 17, 2023
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This post contains affiliate links In the world of fractions, numbers seem to have a split personality. You know, they get to represent part of
Teaching Perfect Partitioning: A How-To Guide
March 12, 2023
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Despite the many (many) math courses I took waaaay back at university, I had still managed to never encounter the word “partitioning” until my first
Engage Students with Picturesque Problem Solving
March 12, 2023
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When I mention picture books in the classroom, I’m sure your first thought is of a lower-elementary read-aloud. My kiddos always loved those days–relaxing in
12 Insider Ideas to Sensationalize Science
March 6, 2023
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The importance of science in our elementary classrooms cannot be overstated. It’s a vastly significant area we have to teach, but often gets pushed to
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