Correlative conjunctions... they are fairly easy for students to recognize, but they aren't always the easiest sentences to write! In fact, when it was time to teach a grammar lesson on correlative conjunctions, I must admit how surprised I was to run across three rules that go along with writing sentences with correlative conjunctions. When I teach students about correlative conjunctions, I begin by having students identify correlative conjunctions within sentences, and then I challenge them to write sentences with correlative conjunctions that are grammatically correct. THREE RULES Rule #1: The two elements that correlative conjunctions connect should be balanced. For example... UNBALANCED : When Tayla's purse was stolen, she lost not only her money , but also she lost her cell phone . (The words "she lost" in the second phrase makes this unbalanced.) BALANCED :  When Tayla's purse was stolen, she lost not only her money , but also her cell phon...
        Teachers know that having a rich vocabulary is an asset to students as readers and as writers. We know that students who are avid readers, tend to have more advanced vocabularies than those who don't and that vocabulary acquisition is a wonderful side effect of reading quality books.          One of our jobs as teachers is to not only encourage our students to love reading but to provide instruction and activities which promote vocabulary development.          Since students need repeated exposure (experts say 8 - 12 times!) for words to be able to be understood and used successfully, students need lots and lots of practice interacting with words. Variety is key, as the more fresh and the more fun we can make it, the greater the engagement.         Here are 23 vocabulary activities you can use with your students to help reinforce vocabulary. Most activities may be played as a whole class, in small groups, or for center times. 1. Roll the Dice Students choose a...
It is very important that teachers take the time during the first weeks of school to begin to establish a  community of respect. It's very tempting to simply tell students to open up their math book and start working. Please don't do that. Instead, take the time to get to know each other. Take the time to discuss what are your expectations and allow students to share what are their hopes/goals for the year. I always tell my students that we will be a family, because we will be learning and growing together for an entire year. The first few weeks of school are full of you teaching and students practicing rules and routines. I find that students remember lessons that books teach better than when I just talk about the rules. Below is a list of 7 books that I believe will help you and your students start the year off on the right foot. > Library Lion  by Michelle Knudsen My daughter checked out this book from her school library, and she kept talking about how she loved t...
Who loves summer time? I know I do and I'm sure your kids do too. The end of the school is a signal that summer is about to begin. And the end of the year is typically as busy as the beginning.  There's Field Day, Awards Day, end of year testing,  field trips, and more! However, summer time also means that the possibility of summer loss. If you are a teacher you know that summer loss is real and it's important that our kids continue to practice math in a fun yet meaningful way. BUT with everything that is going on, who has time to gather a list of math websites for your kids to work on during the summer? (Raises Hand).....I've compiled 6 websites for you to send your kids to or send home to parents. As I searched through many different websites, there were 3 main things that I looked for:              1.  The website was free             2. The website provided a variety of fun math practice for students in grades                   Kin...
When summer hits will you be ready? Eventually every child will say those wonderfully melodic words “I’m bored” as a tiny violin plays in the background. It's the age old dilemma of finding that fine line between enough work and letting a kid have a summer. You want them to do some, but not too much. We can’t have kids working out of textbooks all summer long because a) that is a fight we will lose and b) it’s boring for kids. The key is to give kids options. They need lots of options. Sadly, we don’t always have the time, so think about setting up long form projects for them. Below are some of my favorite activities that my own kids have spent the last few summers working on. They don’t do these all day every day, but they're always something they can fall back on. These also work best for upper elementary kids because of the level of independence it takes. Write a Wish List Encourage your kids or students to write a long list of things they want to accompli...
                         Finding the main idea is one of the most challenging reading strategies to teach. On the surface, it doesn't seem that hard... I mean, we're just asking students to find what the passage is mostly about.          But when faced with the task, kids not only have to comprehend the passage, but they have to figure out which information is the most important, without getting sidetracked in the details.         Main idea is one of those concepts which needs to be revisited over and over. Even though upper grade students have been introduced to the main idea, they still need so much practice, especially as the text complexity is increased.           I've found that for the main idea (as with any difficult concept really) it's always good to use a variety of tools and activities in order to reach as many kids in our classrooms as possible. Here are some strategies which I've found to be effective. 1. Start with an Anch...