One of my favorite times every day is my read aloud time.  I read aloud picture books.  Articles.  Poems.  But my favorite of all is the novels I choose to share with my class.  I choose them for a variety of reasons...but I always like to keep in mind that read alouds are a powerful teaching tool where ALL students can have access to rich and meaningful texts--even if they are far above their reading level. ...

Do you ever get tired of the same old "teach then test" routine?? I know that I definitely do! And if we're tired of the same old routine, you have to imagine that our students are too! There are so many ways for students to demonstrate their learning. I recently created Math Menus that provide students with choice when it comes to showing what they have learned. While more formal assessments still play an important role, I think our students appreciate choosing their own methods to demonstrate their understanding of new concepts and skills. Here are some of my favorite choices for students: ...

Whether you call them literacy centers or literacy stations, big kids at the upper elementary level love center time and get so much out of it! How do literacy centers benefit kids? They add variety to learning and to the routine. They allow teachers to easily differentiate learning. They are a great way to help cover and reinforce all of the standards. They give students a place to practice important social skills, like collaboration, problem-solving, and communication. So how do you set up literacy centers and run them successfully? ...

Since writing is my jam, I have tried so many different writing strategies in my classroom over the years and found ones that truly work like a charm. I wouldn't teach writing without them. Each strategy sets the stage for effective writing. LEARN 5 TESTED WRITING STRATEGIES THAT WORK LIKE A CHARM! 1.  SCAFFOLD YOUR WRITER'S WORKSHOP LESSONS The writer's workshop lessons should be presented to students in a step-by-step progression. When lessons are planned out and in an order that makes sense for that type of writing, students' writing will undoubtedly improve. They will understand the writing process and see how a quality piece of writing starts from the beginning stages of prewriting to the end stage with a final copy. Learn from my mistakes. I used to teach different mini lessons, but until I focused on an order to take one piece of writing all the way through a series of mini lessons, I didn't see the same results. It may take a long time to finish...