School and the City

Here we go, back to school, via distance learning! Are you still expected to do reading small groups, or should we say virtual guided reading? This is going to be tricky, y'all. I've been brainstorming, and I have some tips for you. My Favorite eBooks If you don't have an Epic account yet, make one NOW. I am not affiliated with Epic in any way, but I do love it - almost as much as my students do. Epic is free for teachers, and also free for students to use during the school day. Whether you are face-to-face or distance learning, your kids will LOVE Epic. Epic has a wide range of eBooks of all kinds: picture books, chapter books, fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, trendy books and classics... the options are endless. These ebooks will be perfect for use during virtual guided reading groups. Search by topic, genre, or even guided reading level! Simply share your screen when meeting live with students, that way you can all "share...

It's hard to make grammar fun or engaging. I totally get it. I'd love to share a few of my favorites with you! 1. Picture Books, of Course First off, I LOVE the Words are CATegorical books , and my students do too. image via Amazon They've actually been on my wish list for years, but I don't own any hard copies. Many of these books can be found on Epic, so I typically read the eBook with my class. The books' topics align perfectly with 2nd - 4th grade standards (which are super similar as they just build upon one another.) My kids giggle at the illustrations, which makes the texts memorable for them. 2. Scavenger Hunt A go-to, no-prep activity that I often use for grammar practice is what I call a "scavenger hunt." It's nothing fancier, and the name probably makes it sound more fun than it is - ha! Essentially, I have my students grab books from their book boxes and find examples of the ...

I've already written all about my spelling bins that my students use to independently practice their spelling words. My students love the spelling bins, but sometimes they prefer working with their classmates.  Spelling lists and spelling groups are hard enough to organize and implement without having to also keep up with specific games for every list or sort. These versatile activities are fun, engaging, and effective - and they can be used with ANY spelling list! Students practice all aspects of word study while working on these activities: spelling patterns, pattern generalization, and word meaning. The rules are simple, thus students can play independently once the game is taught. I have three options for you that I've been using in my own classroom for about 6 years (!!!) now: 1. Word Master This game is designed to be VERSATILE and EFFECTIVE. Word study or spelling groups are hard enough to organize without having to keep up with different game...

Spring has sprung, and  a new season means new text features passages! First, let me tell you about how I teach text features in my classroom.  I love cutting up an old book, magazine, or Scholastic news to make an anchor chart. It's a great way to teach text features in context and make the concept a little less abstract.  Hand motions! Lots of hand motions. Whole brain teaching strategies help vocabulary stick.  See the full video here .  Revisit constantly. Every time you see a text feature, point it out, and discuss how it can help you with comprehension.  Three words: text features passages!  Learn more: I love using text features passages as practice and assessment. I originally created these products for my own classroom. I needed a way to assess my students’ understanding of text features other than by observation, and I wanted the assessment to tie in to our science and social studies curriculum...

I'm so excited, because April is HERE! It's my favorite month because... 1. spring break (duh) 2. my birthday 💁🏼 3. NATIONAL POETRY MONTH! I love using  poetry books  to teach my students poetry. I recently updated my poetry books to meet the needs of my third grade classroom: Use this book as a tool to teach your students poetry! Types of poems included: acrostic bio shape 5 senses haiku personification cinquain diamante (synonym and antonym) This product includes an example, a scaffolded prompt (You Try It!), and a blank space (Write Your Own) for EACH type of poem.  You can print 8.5 x 11 size books, or choose the format suitable for the mini books found in the Target Dollar Spot - sooo cute!  You can purchase the poetry book  here . Use it year after year for fun with your students! *                  *     ...

So I heard you love Ivan as much as I do... ! We finished reading last week, but my students weren’t ready to let go yet! I love completing these activities after I finish reading The One and Only Ivan to my class. I don’t tell them that it is based on a true story until after we finish the novel. The surprise makes the content even more captivating and engaging! Ivan was actually adopted by Zoo Atlanta - where we live! - which makes my kids go crazy with excitement! We spent 3 days using these resources. Day one was for researching, day two was spent comparing and contrasting, and on the last day, students chose a newspaper prompt and wrote their articles. Of course, it’s totally up to you how you wish to use these resources. I like to give my students plenty of time to research on their own using QR codes linked to kid-appropriate news articles and videos.  . You may want to copy the “Field Notes” or "Observations" pages double-sided depending on how much time ...

I receive a lot of questions about how I run my literacy block. At my school, our schedule is blocked out, but I have freedom to arrange my own blocks (if that makes sense). So my literacy block is 9:40 - 11:15, and this is what I've decided to do with it: We start right away with our minilesson. Students are fresh from recess and eat their snacks while I read and model strategies. From there, students move into their Daily 5 rotations. (Our school using CAFE & Daily 5, but I don't have time to rotate students through 5 stations daily, so I make sure some aspects of Daily 5 are integrated throughout the day!) I keep this as simple as possible. I occasionally change it up, but rarely! I have a chart in my room so students know exactly what their options are for each rotation. During this time, I pull small groups. You may notice I do not include myself as a rotation. I do this in order to provide flexibility for myself. Sometimes, I don't need to ...

I was very lucky to get a Donors Choose project funded recently. I titled my project "Diverse Books for Diverse Readers," which I totally copied from my friend Erin over at The Elementary Darling ! Erin created a list using suggestions from Vera, who has tons of suggestions over on her blog, The Tutu Teacher . Make sure to check out their posts, and see the list below of books I scored for my classroom! Paiute Princess: The Story of Sarah Winnemucca The Girl Who Could Dance in Outer Space: An Inspirational Tale About Mae Jemison (The Girls Who Could) Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe Going Places King for a Day Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker  The Water Princess I Got the Rhythm Beautiful Daniel Finds a Poem  Ron's Big Mission She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History It's Back To School We Go!: First Day Stories from Around The World I Am Enough A Piece of Home Hidden Figures:...

Yesterday I posted an Instagram story about how I recorded myself reading one of our social studies readers to turn it into an option for my "Listen to Reading" Daily 5 center. I wanted to give my students more options during that station time, and I am always trying to integrate social studies and science into our literacy block!  I received so many questions about how I did it, so here's a detailed post to show you just how EASY it is!  I plan to make these for all of my social studies and science readers, but the options are truly endless. You can do this with any books or book sets that you have on hand in your classroom.  I used the Voice Memos app on my iPhone to record the book. It was very easy to trim and alter if needed, and the quality is good! Best of all, it's an app that's already on your iPhone so it's totally free! I recorded the entire book, then I recorded individual chapters, just to give my students options.  ...