Teaching main idea can be tricky, especially when students can tell you what a passage is about but struggle to explain what the author wants them to understand about that topic. When I taught main idea in my upper elementary classroom, I found that students needed more than a definition
With April and springtime comes National Poetry Month! While poetry is wonderful to teach anytime throughout the year, spring is a great time to focus on poetry. The season’s beauty can offer our students much inspiration for writing poetry. Read about these seven spring poetry writing activities for simple and
Biographies can be a great resource to use in your upper elementary classroom. Whether you are using them in reading, history, or science, using biographies in upper elementary can be beneficial to your students. Biographies written for children have changed over the years. Today, there are many wonderfully written and
In upper elementary reading classrooms, reading comprehension is at the center of our focus. Helping our students master comprehension is a complex task, and one tool that can greatly help is graphic organizers. What are some ways to use graphic organizers to improve reading comprehension when reading fiction? There are
Would you like free reading fiction graphic organizers? If you know me, you know that graphic organizers are my jam. I just love a good set of graphic organizers, and I have spent years creating and perfecting hundreds of different types of graphic organizers that help students comprehend what they
Tall tales are stories that include extreme exaggerations and characters who solve problems in unbelievable ways. These characters usually seem much larger than life. Unfortunately, tall tales often get overlooked in upper elementary. Why then is using this genre and teaching tall tales in upper elementary a good idea? Why
If you teach reading, then you are already well aware that teaching reading comprehension is very complex. Teaching reading comprehension is much like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece represents strategies and skills that are important to the entire picture. In upper elementary, part of those important pieces include
Are you searching for effective vocabulary instruction for your upper elementary students? Vocabulary instruction has a profound impact on a student’s ability to comprehend. Research has long shown the importance of effective vocabulary instruction in upper elementary classrooms. By understanding and utilizing best practices, teachers can help students increase their
Teaching character analysis in upper elementary is one powerful way to help our students improve their reading comprehension. When students understand the motivations, conflicts, and traits of the characters in a story, they can gain a deeper understanding of the plot, themes, and overall meaning of the text. Character analysis
There are many benefits when students write about reading. Write about reading activities can help students improve reading skills and comprehension. Write about reading activities can also help the teacher understand the student’s level of comprehension, and it can hold students accountable for their reading. There are many ways to
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