Spring reading activities bring a fresh and vibrant energy to our classrooms, offering a fantastic opportunity to rejuvenate our lesson plans, particularly in the area of reading comprehension. Today, I want to share a creative approach that not only boosts spring reading comprehension but also brings a burst of excitement into our classrooms: a Spring Escape Room designed specifically for upper elementary students. Are you looking for an engaging reading escape room that can refresh your reading lesson plans? CLICK the image or button below! Get it Now Table of Contents Why Spring Reading w ..read more

By Rissa Hanneken, Marissa Despins, Rachel Deroche, and Rach Jamison – UPDATED MARCH 20, 2024 Are you searching for engaging Earth Day activities to captivate your upper elementary students? In this post, I’m sharing a collection of engaging and educational activities designed by some of my talented teacher-author friends. Each activity is crafted to celebrate Earth Day and instill a deeper understanding and appreciation for our planet in young learners. These resources, ranging from outdoor learning activities to engaging reading materials, are ideal for elevating your les ..read more

By Rissa Hanneken, Updated March 18, 2024 Earth Day reading comprehension is a fantastic way to get third graders hooked on finding the main idea in what they’re reading. As they start tackling more complicated texts, understanding the main idea becomes super important. Earth Day themes are not just super interesting, but they also get kids curious about our planet. The tricky part is making the whole “main idea” thing easy for young minds to grasp. Are you looking for an engaging Earth Day text that you can use to teach the main idea? CLICK the image or button below! Shop TpT Table of Conten ..read more

By Rissa Hanneken, Marissa Despins, Rachel Deroche, and Rach Jamison – UPDATED February 21, 2024 Let’s talk about the mid-year slump when you feel a little desperate for new and fresh lesson plan ideas. We’ve all been there. Your students aren’t as engaged in your lessons as they were before the holidays. It’s harder and harder to come up with lesson ideas. That’s why I’m excited to bring you a variety of ideas from some very creative teachers that are not about filling time but reigniting student engagement! Table of Contents Math Game Shows Blooket Make Learning Grammar ..read more

By Rissa Hanneken In today’s post, I’m focusing on reading strategies for Social Studies, an important area as we navigate the journey with upper elementary students transitioning from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” This transition can be particularly challenging when dealing with complex texts like those found in Social Studies content. We’ve all been there, in front of our eager young readers, guiding them through dense texts filled with facts and difficult concepts. So, what’s the key to making this process a bit easier? It’s about leveraging effective reading strategies to aid i ..read more

By Rissa Hanneken, Updated January 29, 2024 Let’s talk about some great close reading tips for the upper elementary classroom, where juggling these strategies often feels like a balancing act. We all know how important these techniques are for our students, but it’s not always easy to fit them into our lessons, especially with students at so many different reading levels. I’m excited to share some effective close reading tips with you. These strategies have really helped make close reading more understandable and fun for my students. Table of Contents Close Reading Tips: The Art of Annotatio ..read more

By Rissa Hanneken, Marissa Despins, Rachel Deroche, Marianna Monheim, Tanya Marshall and Rach Jamison – UPDATED January 1, 2023 Today, I’m excited to share some winter reading activities from a group of amazing upper elementary teacher-authors. They’re sharing their top strategies to enhance your winter reading plans for upper elementary. I’m confident you’ll discover some fresh and effective approaches to try out! Table of Contents Winter Reading Escape Room Non-Fiction Quick Reads Close Reading Tips and Tricks Informational Text Choice Boards Enchanting Reads and Creati ..read more

By Rissa Hanneken Teaching themes in literature can often feel like trying to solve a mystery, especially in upper elementary grades. We’ve all been there, standing in front of our class, trying to get our students to see beyond who did what in a story and dive into why it matters. It’s like pulling teeth sometimes to get them to distinguish between the main idea and the theme, which we know are worlds apart! So, how do we crack this code? In today’s post, I’m sharing three strategies for teaching themes that have worked in my classroom. Are you looking for an engaging reading activity focusin ..read more

By Rissa Hanneken Updated December 4, 2023 Let’s explore the importance of integrating fun reading activities into our 3rd-grade classrooms. In a world where screens often win over pages, finding ways to make reading enjoyable and engaging for our young learners is more crucial than ever. As educators, we’re tasked with the vital role of not only teaching reading skills but also instilling a lifelong love for reading. This is no small feat, especially when competing with the instant gratification of digital media. However, we can turn the tide by infusing our reading lessons with creativity, i ..read more

By Rissa Hanneken Updated November 20, 2023 Understanding the plot of a story is like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. Each part is vital, and once students grasp how they interlock, they see the whole beautiful picture. Now, if you’re a 4th-grade teacher, guiding your students through this literary journey can be both fun and challenging. Today, I’m excited to share three tried-and-true tips to help your students grasp the plot of a story a little bit easier. Are you looking for a complete reading comprehension resource that focuses on the plot of a story? CLICK the image or button below! S ..read more