Having I Can Statements prepped and ready-to-go can help make your lesson planning a little easier. This post shares ready-to-print 4th Grade Literacy I Can Statements using the common core standards, including a link to an editable version. Want 5th Grade Literacy I Can Statements? Click here! About the 4th Grade Literacy I Can Statements There is one page for ... Read More
Free I Can Statements – 5th Grade Literacy ELA
Breaking down complex or tricky standards into digestible "I Can" statements can be very helpful for students and teachers. This post will share free 5th grade I Can Statements for literacy, including ideas on how to use them in your classroom. Need 4th Grade Literacy I Can Statements? Click here! About the Literacy I Can Statements This free set of I Can ... Read More
Close Reading Strategies – Overcoming Common Challenges
Close reading became the new buzz word in education with the coming of the common core standards and new rigorous high-stakes testing. It is an extremely effective strategy at helping students reach higher levels of text analysis, however it can also be challenging to implement (as with any strategy that promotes struggle and critical analysis). On this post, we will ... Read More
Annotating Tips for Close Reading
Have you seen that popular meme where the student highlights two entire pages of a text? It cracks me up every time I see it. One reason that meme resonates with teachers is because it is a very real struggle. Each year, it seems I have some students who annotate like crazy. Or the opposite and the students don't pick up a pencil or annotating tool the entire time they ... Read More
Close Reading Tips and Strategies for Upper Elementary
Close reading is a great way to get students to dig in and analyze a text. Close reading, when done right, allows for rich discussion and reflection while growing your students as critical, analytical readers. On this post, I will share close reading tips and strategies to help you implement this reading strategy into your instruction. Close Reading Tips and ... Read More
Free 4th and 5th Grade Reading Sorts
Using sorts as part of instruction or practice is one of my (and my students') favorite reading activities. I feel like you can never have enough hands-on activities and they are honestly few and far between when it comes to upper elementary reading. This post will share some FREE reading sorts for 4th and 5th grade with ideas for implementing them in your ... Read More
Free Reading Review Mini-Booklets for 4th and 5th Grade
It seems like I am always on the hunt for new ways to review reading skills with my students. And especially ways that are engaging and don't involve reading a ton of lengthy passages or worse...stapled worksheets that don't excite or engage my students. One of my new favorite ways to review is through reading review mini-booklets. Keep reading to get all of the details ... Read More
End of Year Celebration Ideas and Activities (4th and 5th Graders)
Getting through those last few weeks of school can be challenging. Students are ready to be done and teachers are just as ready for a (much needed) break. Incorporating fun end of year celebration activities into those weeks can be a lifesaver (and work really as behavior incentives)! Here are a few of my favorite end of year celebration ideas that work really well with ... Read More
Solar Oven Project with Free Printables
The end of the year and making solar ovens seem to go hand and hand. The sun is shining, students are excited for summer break, and we need to pull out the stops to keep them engaged and learning. Enter...the solar oven project! This post will share the materials and directions to have your students make their own solar oven projects, including lots of free printables to ... Read More
Graduation Song Ideas for Elementary
Graduation season is upon us and with it comes the quest for graduation song ideas. From the sentimental to the upbeat, graduation songs for kids can cement memories and remind students of how much they’ve accomplished. Here are 20 popular graduation songs for elementary school ceremonies! For more ideas for graduation ceremonies for 5th graders, click here to see our ... Read More
Paper Clip STEM Challenge (Free Printables)
STEM challenges that involve few supplies and encourage lots of creativity are my favorite to incorporate into the classroom. This paper clip STEM challenge fits those characteristics perfectly! It also works well as an independent, partner, or team challenge. This post breaks down the steps for implementing this simple STEM activity into your classroom (with FREE ... Read More
End of Year Read Alouds for 3rd-5th Grade
Even upper elementary students love read alouds, and especially at the end of the year. The end of the year is a great time to read short picture books as most of the time your novels or class read alouds have been wrapped up. This post will share three of my favorite end of the year read alouds for 3rd-5th graders (with free printable activities). Note: Depending on ... Read More
