Hey there, amazing educators! Today, we’re diving into the world of structured reading blocks in upper elementary, and trust me, it’s a game-changer. Imagine a reading session that’s not just a routine but a carefully crafted journey that ignites a love for reading in your students. Buckle up because we’re about to explore the why and how of a 90-minute structured reading block. The Research Speaks: National Reading Panel and ReadingRockets.org Let’s start with the heavyweights in the literacy world – the National Reading Panel and ReadingRockets.org. These research giants emphasize the cru ..read more

Science of Reading isn’t just a K-2 phenomenon. If you’ve been here for a while, you know I believe this to my core. It’s the reason I spent countless of my own hours outside of school going to trainings, doing the research, so I could support my 4th graders and meet their needs! But I have been in many schools and many classrooms over the last two years, and one of the most consistent conversations is the lack of support for upper elementary educators in science of reading based instruction. Now don’t get me wrong, I wholeheartedly agree with early intervention and putting practices in ..read more

Looking for a fun and engaging way to get your students excited about reading while also building important literacy skills like listening, comprehension, and vocabulary? You might be thinking, “Really? Does an engaging resource even exist that covers all of these topics?” Well friend, I’m here to tell you I have the answer… Wordless Picture Books So, what skills do wordless picture books provide to students? Think about story elements and story structure. In a text with words, students are given what they need to know as well as how those situations/events came to be. With a wordless pic ..read more

As the school year is coming to a close, I wanted to share my four best tips on how I make wrapping up my classroom and getting a jump start on next year stress free…or at least less stressful A Helpful Student’s Task List: Write or type 20-30 tasks that students can help with on colorful paper. Cut them into strips and keep them handy the last week of school. Anytime you have downtime, early finishers, or random minutes in those chaotic last days, have students who want to help pull a strip and complete a job! Task ideas can include: clean out supply caddies, organize library bins, labe ..read more

Small groups are a must in my classroom as I have found they have so many benefits like helping students build confidence to speak up in a smaller, less intimidating atmosphere, and they allow me to have more 1-on-1 time with my students. However, I’ll admit, they weren’t always seamless and second nature. I’ve had to work and be creative to make them successful in my classroom, so I want to share with you my 5 best tips so you don’t have to go through the trial and error like I did! #1: Quality Over Quantity If you feel rushed and overwhelmed, so will your students, and then your small gro ..read more

When I can add a visual element to teaching ELA lessons, I have found how much faster my students absorb the lesson as the colors or objects just make things click! Opinion and persuasive writing is no different. I use a color-coded structure that gives a visual connection to each part of their writing and allows them to work on each skill in isolation before putting it all together. This method provides just enough structure to make sure students are truly grasping the process, but not so much that you are stifling their writing creativity. Check out my Rainbow Writing: Opinion and Persuas ..read more

Do you celebrate Earth Day in just one day or for a whole week/unit? I can never decide! Part of my indecisiveness is because of all these amazing Earth Day mentor texts I have come across over the years and can never pick just one or two to share with my students in a day, so naturally, we end up making a whole unit out of Earth Day and read many of these great books throughout the week.  Have you read any of these before or have other favorites? I’d love to hear from you in the comments! The Curious Garden by Peter Brown Fiction: Follow along with Liam (and try to spot him on eac ..read more

You’ve planned all year long, put in late nights and weekends, and now are probably in the midst of test prep and testing. By this point of the year, we all need to cut ourselves some slack yet reengage our students to finish out the school year strong, and these comprehensive novel studies are perfect for that! They are 4-5 week units that are FULLY PLANNED FOR YOU! Yes, you read that right, they.are.planned.for.you! A full range of ELA standards are covered in each with engaging hands-on activities to set your students up for success and excitement for a summer full of reading.  Befo ..read more

March Madness is a BIG deal in our household between the love for basketball between my husband and our three sons! So naturally, I have gotten really into it as well over the years and began to love sharing the excitement with my students, too! These 10 mentor texts have always helped me create a March Madness theme in my classroom, so I wanted to pass along my book recommendations, a breakdown of their ELA skills, and the strategies I teach through them. I use the first 6 books as whole group lessons, one for each day of the week (2 on Monday), and then use the last section in small group ..read more

If you would’ve told me in my first year teaching that a unit on the American Revolution would be one of my favorites all year I would not have believed you! But, then beautifully written authentic literature, hands-on lessons, and engaging nonfiction that created student empowerment became this unit… and here we are! Even one of my co-teachers told me a few years ago it was her favorite unit to support me teaching because SHE learned so much! So I wanted to share those amazing books that brought this unit to life, in hopes that you can choose a few to enrich your own American Revolution u ..read more