The annual Christmas Book Countdown is on! This countdown is near and dear to my heart and to the hearts of many other parents and teachers out there. With this tradition, you celebrate the countdown to Christmas by reading a Christmas book each night. You can do a full countdown starting on the first of […] The post Christmas Book Countdown Family Tradition {Plus Book Recs and a FREE Tag!} appeared first on Amy Lemons ..read more

Turn those Christmas lists into a full-fledged letter writing lesson! Learning how to write a letter is an essential skill with social impact. While students may or may not always know what to talk about when writing a letter to a friend or family member, you can bet they’ll have no issue thinking of things […] The post A Fun Letter Writing Lesson Using Santa Letters appeared first on Amy Lemons ..read more

Coins are treasures in the eyes of children! They are shiny and fun to collect, and they know we use them to purchase the things we want — even if they don’t understand the value just yet. The great thing about this is we can rely on this innate interest when it’s time to teach […] The post 5 Easy Ways to Teach Counting Coins appeared first on Amy Lemons ..read more

Finding the right books that accurately depict the reading comprehension skills you’re teaching your students can come as a task. One that you may not have the time to complete. Instead, you can rely on tried and true recommendations to ensure you are hitting your targets. With Turkey season falling during a vital time for […] The post 5 Reading Comprehension Skills to Target with Turkey Books appeared first on Amy Lemons ..read more

I’ll give you your first tip to teach nonfiction text features to your students: teach them why nonfiction text features matter first. Nonfiction text features provide context, organization, and visual aids that enhance the readers’ understanding of the text. The goal of teaching students to identify nonfiction text features is to help them use those […] The post How to Teach Nonfiction Text Features {with a chant and FREE activity!} appeared first on Amy Lemons ..read more

There’s no one more bored or curious than a student who has finished their classroom assignment before everyone else. You may hear something similar to, “I’m done. Now, what?” The “now what” is what I want to tackle today. Implementing a system for your early finisher activities will give your students the answer to that […] The post 5 Tips for Implementing Early Finisher Activities with a FREEBIE appeared first on Amy Lemons ..read more

If you put 20 adults into a room, you are sure to encounter a myriad of differences in thoughts, opinions, and behaviors. So, imagine having 20 bright-eyed students in your classroom ready to learn essential math skills. Do you think they can all problem-solve in the same way? The answer is…of course not! While our […] The post Three Essential Addition Strategies to Teach Your Students appeared first on Amy Lemons ..read more

Books are anchors for any lesson. Math, reading, science, history. Any subject is best introduced with the use of a compelling story or work of nonfiction. However, books can do more than teach and support academic skills. They also help us learn about ourselves and other people.  Many teachers face challenges when it comes to […] The post How to Pick the Best Classroom Books for Your Students appeared first on Amy Lemons ..read more

So many teachers assume that there’s no way to incorporate fun themes and still meet the rigor required for comprehension skills in the classroom. Well, I am here as a testament to say that they are so wrong. You can still tackle important skills in any subject while incorporating seasonal themes. Best of all, they […] The post 5 Creative Monster Activities for Elementary Students appeared first on Amy Lemons ..read more

Teaching writing is hard. It’s hard because you have to find a way to show and encourage students to move past the surface level. Kids tend to be very cut-and-dry or all over the place in their writing, so you may struggle with teaching them how to add more relevant details to their personal narrative […] The post How to Teach Personal Narrative Writing to Students in a Creative Way appeared first on Amy Lemons ..read more