One topic I look forward to teaching during ELA each year is figurative language. It is such a fun concept that my students always seem to enjoy. Even though it is enjoyable, the different types of figurative language can be tricky for students to keep straight, especially students who are English Language Learners. This post will share a free set of figurative language ... Read More
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Free Presidents’ Day Reading Activities (4th & 5th Grade)
Those winter months can be long and cold, so I look for any opportunity to mix things up in my classroom. Celebrating holidays can often add a little extra and engage students in reading. Presidents' Day provides a great opportunity to teach some history, while also changing up the daily routine just enough to get a little extra engagement from students. This post shares ... Read More
Morphology Word of the Day Activity (Free Templates)
Are you wanting an activity that will boost your 4th and 5th grade students' vocabulary and morphology skills? Having a morphology word of the day routine is a great way to engage students and increase morphology and vocabulary skills. Read more about this morphology activity and grab free templates on this post. Morphology of the Day Routine There are many ways to ... Read More
Teaching Students to Restate the Question (with Freebies)
I remember being shocked (and more than a little frustrated) when I realized my fifth graders couldn’t restate questions in complete sentences... even simple questions. On the spot, I had to pivot my lesson. If your students struggle with restating questions, this post will share the tips and strategies I have learned and put in place that helped my students. Tip #1: ... Read More
Free Groundhog Day Activities (4th & 5th Grade Reading)
During those first few months following the holidays, teachers and students can find themselves stuck in the winter blues. When February 2nd rolls around, I am always excited to implement a few easy-to-use activities for Groundhog Day to spice things up a bit in the classroom. This post will share free Groundhog Day activities for reading skills and comprehension. ... Read More
Using Word Matrix Activities to Increase Vocabulary (Free Posters)
Teachers know that vocabulary is an important part of reading and language comprehension but teaching vocabulary can be a challenge. One tool that teachers can use to increase student vocabulary is word matrix activities. This post will go into more detail about what word matrixes (matrices) are, activities you can do with them, and free teaching posters to help you get ... Read More
Using a Morphology Wall in Grades 4-5
Word walls for upper elementary? Try a morphology wall! Morphology walls are a great tool for teaching and reviewing prefixes, suffixes, bases, and roots. By using a "Morphology Wall" in your classroom, you can help your students better understand how words are put together and how to use that knowledge to determine the meaning of unknown words. This post will share ... Read More
Free Prefix, Suffix, and Roots Posters (Morphology Posters)
In order to become strong readers (and writers), students need to understand the meaning of words. Breaking words down into prefixes, suffixes, and roots/bases is a great way to help students understand how words are put together and what they mean. These free morphology posters (printable and digital!) will help your students (and you!) remember the most common prefixes, ... Read More
Decoding Multisyllabic Words in Grades 4-5
The ability to decode multisyllabic words in reading is (to me) equivalent to knowing basic multiplication and division facts. Multisyllabic words make up the foundation of many texts our students read, just like multiplication and division facts are embedded in so many grade level skills. And just like with basic math facts, our students need strategies for tackling ... Read More
Teaching Morphology in Grades 4-5 (with Free Resources)
Confession: I used to spend a week teaching affixes (prefixes and suffixes) and then another couple of weeks teaching roots. I’d assess and we'd move on to my next language/grammar standard. Sure, I may have spiraled them through grammar review and even mentioned them implicitly if it came up in texts we were reading. But I didn’t explicitly plan for morphology ... Read More
Free Veterans Day Reading Activities
Are you looking for a way to celebrate Veterans Day in your classroom? Do you want to teach students about the significance of honoring the day and recognizing the people it celebrates? In this post, I am sharing a free set of Veterans Day reading activities that will combine reading instruction and teaching the importance of Veterans Day. About the Veterans Day ... Read More
Decoding Multisyllabic Words: Using Syllable Types (Free Posters)
There are two specific core memories I have from my teaching career when I needed syllable type instruction to help my students with decoding multisyllabic words...and I didn't know it. During my first teaching observation, I presented a student with the word "udder." He said he couldn't read it because it had two ds. I had no idea what to do to guide him. Now, I ... Read More
