Using read alouds in my classroom is right up there with math centers on my list of favorite classroom activities. And I LOVE integrating holidays into my read alouds. Today, I want to share with you my favorite Halloween read alouds suitable for upper elementary classrooms. To read more about implementing read alouds in your classroom and the benefits, click ... Read More
Read Alouds in Upper Elementary
One of my favorite times of the day is sharing a read aloud with my students. In today's post, I want to share some reasons why upper elementary students should still be read to, what you can read to them, tips for managing read alouds, and how to use read alouds in upper elementary classrooms to help the students master the standards. Why are read alouds in upper ... Read More
Back to School Read Alouds for Upper Elementary {FREE Printables}
I am a huge fan of using read alouds to teach skills and strategies. And I also love using specific read alouds at the beginning of the school year to build community and set expectations. In this post, I want to share six of my favorite back to school read alouds (with free printables and digital activities) for upper elementary grades. This post includes affiliate ... Read More
Using The Gardener to Teach the Influence of Point of View RL.5.6 (Spring Mentor Text)
For my reading instruction, I use a lot of mentor texts to teach key reading skills. This makes the skill authentic and relevant, and it helps students see the connection between the skill and real reading. Also, mentor texts are fun to read, and even my fifth graders love being read to. Today I want to share a Spring mentor text that is always great for teaching the ... Read More
Spring Read Alouds for Upper Elementary
One of the best parts about teaching upper elementary students is taking picture books and using them as mentor texts for reading instruction. I love when my students come to our community area (a giant rug) and we listen to and discuss a short, engaging picture book. Click here to see all of my mentor texts and picture books for 4th and 5th grade. I also love taking ... Read More
St. Patrick’s Day Activities for Upper Elementary
St. Patrick's Day is not a big holiday but it is one of my favorites. I love all the themes that come with this holiday: sneaky leprechauns, pots of gold, and luck galore. This makes it perfect for themed math centers and fun writing prompts. I want to share with you my favorite St. Patrick's Day activities for upper elementary students that are engaging and aligned with ... Read More
Christmas Read Alouds for Upper Elementary {Free Activities}
One of my favorite parts of teaching has always been when I read aloud to my students. It doesn't matter that they are fifth graders and many have the "too cool for school" attitude, they still love to be read to on a regular basis. And I love reading to them. I have so many read alouds that I love, but I wanted to share my favorite Christmas read alouds for upper ... Read More
The Widow’s Broom: A Halloween Read Aloud for Upper Grades
Most students love reading super scary stories during October, and I must admit that I have given in and read some "school-approved" scary stories. However, I recently found this really great book, The Widow's Broom by Chris Van Allsburg. This book fits right into the Halloween season but also has some powerful lessons to teach the students about bullying and acceptance. ... Read More
My Favorite Read Aloud: The Sweetest Fig {Lots of Freebies}
This post contains an Amazon affiliate link if you decide you want to purchase the book mentioned in this post. One of my favorite parts of being a teacher is reading books aloud to my students. Even though I teach fifth grade, my students still love to be read to. I even bring them to the carpet and we read and discuss the book just like a book club. It is definitely ... Read More
Using Wonder to Teach All the Common Core Literature Standards
The summer of 2014, I read Wonder by R.J. Palacio and fell in love. I immediately knew I wanted this to be my first read aloud of the year. Not only are the messages and themes in this book fabulous for children today, but the book literally allows you to teach all the Common Core Literature Standards with this book! Seriously....Read on to find out how. This post ... Read More
Reading Is Thinking: Using Thinkmarks with Reading Strategies
Teaching readers who struggle to construct meaning during reading is a challenge. It is a challenge for the students because they struggle connecting to and getting immersed in books. Teachers are challenged with making complex texts comprehensible and engaging, while teaching grade-level reading skills. One way that I help with this is to teach my students to mark their ... Read More
