Within your classroom, you’ll have a wide variety of student abilities, strengths, and struggles. One of those varieties will be the speed in which a child can finish their work. A strategy you can use for this is to offer early finisher activities for the students who finish quickly. This will help prevent interruptions in ... Read more The post Organizing Early Finisher Activities and Fast Finisher Stations appeared first on Elementary Nest ..read more

When it comes to teaching story elements, choosing the right read aloud books can make all the difference in the classroom. These story elements books will provide clear samples of character, setting, and events in a way that’s easy for students to understand and enjoy. Whether you’re looking to introduce these concepts to your kindergarteners ... Read more The post Read Aloud Books – Best Story Elements Books for Kids appeared first on Elementary Nest ..read more

In today’s blog post we will talk about incorporating speaking and listening skills in your elementary classroom! Finding time to focus on these crucial skills can be challenging amidst a packed curriculum. That’s why I’m here to share three easy and effective times to seamlessly integrate speaking and listening activities into your daily schedule. Whether it’s during your morning meeting, transition times, or the end of the day, I’ve got you covered with practical tips and engaging ideas. So, let’s get started and discover how to make the most of these golden opportunities to foster communic ..read more

Hello teachers! Welcome to today’s blog post, where we will dive into the fascinating world of fractions, tailored specifically for 1st and 2nd-grade classrooms. Fractions may seem daunting at first, but fear not! We’re here to guide you through partitioning, understanding shares, and mastering fractions in a fun and engaging way. In this post, we’ll explore various tools and resources to introduce the skills effectively, including digital games, anchor charts, and printable activities. So, let’s dive in! Digital Games for Fractions With fractions, practice is going to be key. Students will ..read more

This isn’t the first time we’ve discussed using the current season as a way to make your ELA content more engaging. Adding the element of a current event, seasonal topic, specific interests, etc., can bring your normal ELA content a new life. Even if you’ve taught Text Features before, this will make it new and fresh! So, today I am going to talk about teaching nonfiction text features during the spring season. Anchor Charts with a Spring Focus First, when teaching any new content, I will always recommend creating anchor charts. For this theme, simply create or display an anchor chart that s ..read more

Hello Teachers! As you know, March is Women’s History Month! If you are looking for ways to incorporate Women’s History in your lesson plans, you have come to the right place. Today, I am going to talk about how to use biographies to celebrate Women’s History in your elementary classrooms! Biography Instruction Firstly, before we start, if this is your first biography unit for the year, you will want to introduce biographies and their elements. I have an entire blog post on teaching biographies here. Women’s History Mentor Texts & Read Alouds You will definitely want to grab a selection ..read more

Welcome to a comprehensive guide to my Standards-Based ELA units. Today, I am going to go into detail about how to effectively implement one of my complete ELA units and get your students to skill mastery with just one resource. Specifically, we will discuss the RL.9 units which teach students to compare and contrast in fiction texts. Additionally, we’ll explore the structure of the Compare-and-Contrast Unit, discuss suggested setups for your reading block, and dive into effective lesson plans. We’ll also examine the supporting resources within the ELA unit and talk about how to utilize asses ..read more

Editing is an essential skill in writing, necessary for polishing a piece to make it readable and engaging. But, it is also important for students to understand editing for everyday writing. For elementary teachers and homeschooling parents, teaching young learners the craft of editing can be as challenging as it is crucial. Yet, with the right tools and strategies, editing can be a creative and rewarding experience for students. This blog post will take a look at using anchor charts, checklists, worksheets, and other activities to teach sentence editing effectively. Anchor Charts for Editing ..read more

Context clues are vital tools that help students determine and decipher the meanings of unfamiliar words when reading. As an elementary English Language Arts teacher, one of the best ways to teach context clues to your students is by using anchor charts. These visual aids provide a clear and concise representation of new concepts, making them easier for students to grasp. In this blog post, we’ll discuss three must-have anchor charts that are perfect for teaching context clues in your classroom. #1: How-To Anchor Chart This anchor chart is an excellent introduction to context clues. It helps ..read more

Science isn’t just a subject to teach—it’s a way of thinking and exploring the world around us. Integrating science into your elementary classroom doesn’t have to be an extra task; it can become an exciting part of your everyday curriculum. Here, we’ll explore creative and effective ways to seamlessly infuse science into your instruction, fostering curiosity and critical thinking among your students. Use Cross-Curricular Connections Firstly, you can incorporate science into other subjects like reading, writing, and math. Use scientific concepts to teach measurement, data analysis, and critic ..read more