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If you’re new to focus walls in upper elementary, think of them as a designated area where you’ll display key information and resources to support student learning.
Classroom

Tips for Using Focus Walls in Upper Elementary

Are you required to display learning objectives or focus walls in your classroom? Many schools now require focus walls in…
READ POST Tips for Using Focus Walls in Upper Elementary
Research shows that reading fluency is a direct indicator of comprehension success. One of my go-to ways to practice fluency is with fluency picture books!
Book Recommendations | Fluency | Literacy | Novels & Picture Books | Picture Books

 7 Favorite fluency picture books

You may have started hearing more and more about the science of reading, which is a body of research about…
READ POST  7 Favorite fluency picture books
Register for 8 weeks of FREE professional development. The weekly tips will leave you better prepared to teach 8 key upper elementary reading and math skills.
Back to School | Classroom | Free

8 Weeks of Free Professional Development

I am so excited to share eight weeks of FREE professional development resources with you!​ These weekly tips will leave…
READ POST 8 Weeks of Free Professional Development
Make planning your next novel study easy with these 4th grade novel study books! These books will entertain and ignite a passion for reading.
Book Recommendations | Literacy | Novel Study | Novels & Picture Books

4th grade novel study books

We’re continuing our novel study series by looking at the best 4th grade novel study books. In case you missed…
READ POST 4th grade novel study books
Make planning your next novel study easy with these 3rd grade novel study books! I've also included my favorite accountability tips!
Book Recommendations | Literacy | Novel Study | Novels & Picture Books

3rd Grade Novel Study Books

Most teachers have a passion for stockpiling at least two things: school supplies and books! I cannot resist browsing new…
READ POST 3rd Grade Novel Study Books
Learn six strategies for increasing critical thinking through word problems and error analysis. Also includes several FREE resources to improve critical thinking.
Math | Free

6 Strategies for Increasing Critical Thinking with Problem Solving

For many teachers, problem-solving feels synonymous with word problems, but it is so much more. That’s why I’m sharing my…
READ POST 6 Strategies for Increasing Critical Thinking with Problem Solving
This free character education lesson is perfect for building relationships and conversation skills during morning meeting.
Morning Meeting | Back to School | Building Community | Classroom | Free | Seasonal

Free Character Education Lesson for Morning Meeting

We often take the ability to have meaningful conversations for granted, but this is actually an important character education skill…
READ POST Free Character Education Lesson for Morning Meeting
Using picture books with intermediate students is extremely useful. Learn tips to incorporate a variety of books into your instruction.
Literacy

Tips for Using Picture Books with Intermediate Students

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Picture books are one of the greatest tools we can use…
READ POST Tips for Using Picture Books with Intermediate Students
These sweet school-themed books are the perfect tools for this back to school reading lesson that introduces comparing texts and characters.
Literacy | Back to School | Book Recommendations | Picture Books | Seasonal

Back to School Reading Lesson

As a teacher, the beginning of a new school year is an exciting and busy time. One of the most…
READ POST Back to School Reading Lesson
You can use this FREE resource to help cover all of key standards when teaching point of view and perspective in upper elementary.
Reading Skills | Anchor Charts | Free | Literacy | Literacy Anchor Charts

The Complete Guide to Teaching Point of View and Perspective

Acquiring strong comprehension skills and utilizing those skills in a way that supports reading is critical for students’ reading success….
READ POST The Complete Guide to Teaching Point of View and Perspective
These upper elementary picture books are perfect for teaching complex academic topics when used as mentor texts to read and reread for specific skills.
Book Recommendations | Literacy

My Favorite Upper Elementary Picture Books At Your Fingertips

It is no secret how much I love picture books. Yes, even in upper elementary and even for teaching complex…
READ POST My Favorite Upper Elementary Picture Books At Your Fingertips
These tips will help you minimize missing assignments and develop a time-saving system for organizing student work in upper elementary.
Classroom Organization | Back to School | Classroom | Seasonal

Tips for Organizing Student Work

Whether you’re a new teacher or have many years of experience, odds are you still find yourself trying to find…
READ POST Tips for Organizing Student Work

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hey there!

I’m Mary

Welcome to my blog! I started blogging in 2011 and have amassed hundreds of posts full of engaging, research-based, and classroom-tested teaching ideas. Enjoy exploring!

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Let’s talk MORNING MEETING! ❤️❤️ Do you Let’s talk MORNING MEETING! ❤️❤️ Do you have a favorite book you use during it?! It’s my favorite time of day, and my students know they are almost always going to hear an excellent picture book during our time together. 

💖 Swipe to see 8 of the books I’m using to start the year!

I use these books to help teach crucial social and personal skills and develop a classroom community and teamwork! 

I am super intentional with how I use these books to support our personal and classroom goals, so this year, we’re developing specific, research-based lessons to go along with them. 

💥 Drop a comment below, and I’ll send you a link to MORE morning meeting book lists and these lessons! ❤️
This is your reminder that your notebook entries d This is your reminder that your notebook entries don’t need to be elaborate, but you should be teaching your students to form compound sentences. 😉 Swipe to see some of my favorite (but easy to implement) coordinating conjunction lessons!

✍️Notebooks: When I taught coordinating conjunctions, my students made their own notes pages in their writing journals. I printed out my coordinating conjunctions task cards in mini format (16 to a page!) to glue in as examples. The entire left side is covered in task cards for practice. 

✍️Anchor Chart: Can you fill in the blanks?! Here’s the shell I use when teaching the lesson. 

✍️Activity: Students use sentence strips and elbow noodles to form compound sentences. Always a hit!
Adding this to my MUST-DO lessons from here on out Adding this to my MUST-DO lessons from here on out! 💖 We read One Word for Kids, and each of my students determined what their word for the year would be. We talked about how their words can apply to situations both at home and at school and how they will serve as a guide for each student throughout the year. 

As a reminder of their word (and because Taylor Swift is still on my mind 😍), each student made a bracelet with their word. They LOVED this, and I’ve loved seeing them wearing their bracelets as a reminder of their goal for the year. 

Want a link to the book and the beads I used? Drop a comment below, and I’ll send it your way. ❤️💖
Are you teaching place value right now? Me too! 🤗 That means it’s time for my most popular math project EVER! 🕵️‍♂️ Save this post and drop the word “YES” below, and I’ll send you a link!

✨ Each student gets a TOP SECRET folder (I fold large construction paper in half and glue the label on!), and we play Mission Impossible Music. I bought a “confidential” stamp years ago, and I DRAMATICALLY stamp each completed page with it. Then, students track their progress with fingerprints on the tracking chart. Add some inexpensive magnifying glasses… the engagement is truly off the charts! 

I designed Place Value Detectives to challenge your students, engage them in real-life scenarios, and ignite their passion for math! It’s an excellent challenge that your kids will love. I promise! With over 12,000 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews and years of my own classroom testing and refining, Place Value Detectives is a tried and true resource for enriching your place value unit! 🔍 

🕵️‍♀️ Place Value Detectives features:

🔍 8 Detective Tasks for Students to Complete
🔍 Differentiated versions for students in grades 3-5
🔍 DIGITAL, PRINTABLE, and LESS-TEXT options
🔍  NO Prep! Just print, go, and watch them GROW! 🌱

What Skills Are Covered in This Place Value Math Project?
🔍 Place Value
🔍 Expanded Form
🔍 Standard Form
🔍 Word Form
🔍 Rounding
🔍 Comparing
Important weekend conversations here… Am I datin Important weekend conversations here… Am I dating myself by putting little dots on the tips of all my letters, or is this still a thing? 🫣 Obviously, keep following me for all the latest (or not) anchor chart trends. 😂😂 #anchorcharts #pleasesayitsstillathing
No tomato throwing!! 🍅 🛑 Everyone has to do No tomato throwing!! 🍅 🛑 Everyone has to do what works for them, but I’m so glad I made this shift years ago. 

How about you? How have you changed and adjusted any specific procedures or expectations since you started teaching? 🤔 

I used to firmly believe that in order to really attend to learning, this is how kids had to function. Oh, how wrong I was!! 

A lot has changed in my classroom over the last 15 years, and although this takes time to set expectations and isn’t something that will work for everyone, wobble stools and standing and fidgets work for me and my students. ❤️
This is your annual reminder about these three mus This is your annual reminder about these three must-do math mini-lessons to start your year! 🧮 Each lesson takes just 5-10 minutes but make an impact all year long! 

💭 Comment the word MATH, and I’ll send you a link to a whole list of precise math vocabulary terms I use and my blog post about teaching error analysis! 

1️⃣ I always teach my students the importance of using precise vocabulary during math. It helps so much with conceptual understanding, math vocab, and math talks. 

2️⃣ We use a lot of error analysis, and I always prefer that my students identify their own errors in work…. A quick lesson about conceptual vs. computational errors helps students understand why and how mistakes happen and how to fix them. 

3️⃣ Teaching the difference between an Equation and an Expression is a quick lesson, but super impactful for understanding language of the discipline. Throw in Number Sentence, too!
Is anyone else implementing success stickers this Is anyone else implementing success stickers this year? 🥹 It’s such a small thing, but so impactful. I have learned SO much about my students and even though they only get one sticker per week, they share successes with me alllll week long. ❤️❤️
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