While winter may not be the favorite season for most people, it definitely comes with very interesting topics to read about...extreme sports, Winter games, animal behavior in the winter, to name a few. For my students (in the south) we love all things snow. This post will share one of my favorite winter read alouds about snow and some free comprehension questions ... Read More
Browse the archives below for even more great ideas
FREE Reading Skills Feedback Bank for Grades 4-5
Giving students feedback is powerful to drive instruction and student learning. However, giving detailed feedback that both addresses mistakes or misconceptions AND helps move students to the next level can be time-consuming for teachers. This post will share a huge bank of ready-to-use feedback statements for the key reading skills taught in grades 4-5. Let's be ... Read More
Free Digital Exit Slips for Any Lesson
Checking students' understanding after completing a lesson is always important. And it's even more important during digital instruction. In this post, I am sharing free digital exit slips that work for any lesson and in any subject. I will also share some next steps and ideas for using the free digital exit slips. About the Digital Exit Slips Using exit slips allows ... Read More
Teaching Reading Virtually
Teaching reading in 4th and 5th grade can be so rewarding but also challenging. Teaching reading virtually can make that even more challenging. But, with the right strategies and resources, it can be done and done well. This post will share a breakdown of an example way to structure your weekly digital reading instruction, including ways that you can incorporate best ... Read More
Using Task Cards for Digital Reading Instruction
Using task cards for reading instruction is a great way to introduce, model, and teach reading skills and standards in less-threatening ways (compared to lengthy texts). They are also perfect for targeted re-teaching. But how can you maximize these benefits of task cards during digital reading instruction? Keep reading for some ideas and strategies for using task cards ... Read More
Free Digital Graphic Organizers for Grades 3-5
Graphic organizers are a great way to have students respond to texts in an organized way and can be a natural scaffold to move from simple to more complex essay or letter type responses. This post will share some free digital graphic organizers that you can use in your reading instruction. These are great to use the first weeks or months of school to help get your ... Read More
Free Accountability Recording Sheets for Google Forms
Multiple-choice practice is definitely "easy"...as far as grading goes. If you are using multiple-choice digital quizzes, such as Google Forms that are self-grading, they're even more time-saving. However, you do have to make sure that the results are authentic and that you are using these quizzes and assessments in the way they are intended, which ultimately is to drive ... Read More
Free Digital Progress Trackers for Google Form Practice
Google Forms are a great option for having your students practice skills digitally. They allow for self-grading AND you have the option to release student scores after each student submits their answers. The students love that instant feedback. But most Google Forms are not the most exciting or engaging practice opportunities (unless you add in those elements). One way to ... Read More
Free Digital Reading Interest Surveys
One of my favorite things as a teacher is getting to know my students as readers. One of our jobs as teachers is to engage even our most reluctant readers in books and texts that they enjoy. The first step to do that is to get to know your readers and one way to do that is by using reading interest surveys, But, the same old survey-style worksheets just don't seem to ... Read More
Free Assignment Checklists for Google Classroom
Keeping your students’ assignments organized each week can be easier said than done. Using these FREE assignment checklists for Google Classroom (with spots for reminders and messages) will hopefully make your life (and your students' and parents' lives) a little easier while teaching in a digital classroom. Using Assignment Checklists in Google Classroom™ Google ... Read More
Having Online Class Discussions with Google Classroom
Online discussion can be motivating and encouraging for many students! Whether it’s one-on-one discussion so students can ask a question privately, or small or large group discussion, you can keep those important academic and social emotional conversations happening outside of the traditional classroom setting. This post shares several ways to have online discussions with ... Read More
Viewing Responses in Google Forms
Google Forms are a great tool for digital learning and teaching! Not only does a Google Form collect all of your students’ responses and have the potential to grade responses instantly; it also takes the data and organizes it for you in multiple ways. This will help you with using the results and responses from Google Forms to drive your instruction. This post will look ... Read More