Teaching for Understanding “If I had a nickel …” is the overused phrase I fight the temptation to say out loud when teachers tell me that they just taught something and their students don’t remember. What actually comes out is usually along the lines of “don’t take it personally. Your students are not out to […]
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Finding Theme in Fictional Texts
Prerequisite Learning The first step to finding an implicit theme in a fictional text is for students to gain a solid understanding of story elements. The students should be able to discuss the characters, setting, problem, and solution. Truth is, fictional stories are more about who is affected by what is happening than about what […]
Guided Reading where Everyone Reads
Why every student should read their own book The number one reason that Guided Reading is a successful way to boost students’ independent reading levels is because each student is reading and rereading the bulk of the time. If they are waiting for their turn to read, we’ve lost all that time they could have […]
Activate Prior Learning with a RAN Chart
What is a RAN chart? For me, the RAN chart is the answer to “But the KWL chart doesn’t work in my class!” RAN stands for Reading and Analyzing Nonfiction (credit: Tony Stead). I have always struggled with the KWL chart for a few reasons. I like the concept, but when I asked the students […]
How to Use Mentor Texts in Writing
Simply put, mentor texts are texts that serve as mentors, or guides, for reading and writing instructions. In writing, these texts will serve as an example of a strategy, craft, or convention that students can study in order to emulate in their own writing. In reading, these texts can be reread multiple times to discuss […]
Reading Strategy: Find the Main Idea
Importance The main idea is the central, or most important, idea in a paragraph or passage. Arguably, being able to identify the main idea is the most important skill for students when reading nonfiction, but it doesn’t stop there! Finding the main idea is only the first step in summarizing a text, and so being […]
Generic Asynchronous Sites for Elementary
We are actually face-to-face! It is really exciting that, after a year and a half, we can welcome students back in the classroom! That being said, we have parents who have chosen to remain virtual and some students who have to quarantine from time to time. Since these students will not get a WHOLE DAY […]
Prepping for Workshop Model: Classroom Design
For me, the weeks leading up to an in-service week are the most exciting and the most overwhelming. I am eager to meet my students and make my classroom come alive, but I also know there’s a lot of “boring” work I should be creating as well. For a Workshop Model classroom, there is quite […]