Text structure is something my students always seemed to struggle with. We would practice and practice and they still wouldn't understand. I finally came to the conclusion that it wasn't the text they were confused about as much as it was the vocabulary. I quickly realized we just need a little more hands on practice to be able to make it stick in a way that would be memorable for the ... Read More about Text Structure Activities Students Will Love
Test Prep Fun Your Students Will Love
Test prep is something I used to dread. I felt so much pressure from admin and myself for my students to do well. So, I would give students packets of practice test questions to practice over and over again. I would look out at them and see a glazed over look in their eyes. I did it because I didn't know any better. I thought to test prep was to practice the test over and over again. I hated it. ... Read More about Test Prep Fun Your Students Will Love
Teaching Figurative Language with Picture Books
Figurative language can sometimes be really confusing for students. This is especially true if English is not their first language. My students struggle every year with figurative language. Over the years, I introduced and practiced figurative language with them in many different ways. It's actually one of my FAVORITE things to teach because you can incorporate songs and music, and picture books! ... Read More about Teaching Figurative Language with Picture Books
Halloween Activities that Teach
Halloween can be a crazy day for teachers in the classroom. In all of the excitement of the day, students are bound to be a little extra. Keeping them focused on learning can be a huge challenge. In this post, I will share some activities that I do with my students to make sure that it is not a lost day. I used to just skip over holidays in the classroom since we needed to stay on pace to cover ... Read More about Halloween Activities that Teach
Early Finishers in the Upper Elementary Classroom
Early finishers...I don't recall being taught about them in college but the struggle of what exactly to have them work on is REAL. Teacher Struggles with Early Finishers When I first started teaching, I would just have them read if they finished something early. Seemed easy enough. But some students don't enjoy reading (*gasp* I know) and I didn't want them to hate it more by having to do it ... Read More about Early Finishers in the Upper Elementary Classroom
