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Fractions | Free | Math

Our Latest Fraction Projects!

In all of our spare time in between testing, we have been doing a few fun fraction projects that I thought I would share. The first one was to review adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators.  Most of my…
READ POST Our Latest Fraction Projects!
Tips for getting started with error analysis in upper elementary, a great math strategy that deepens math understanding.
Math | Classroom | Critical Thinking | Free | Multiplication

Error Analysis for Enrichment and Critical Thinking

This year, working with a wide variety of students, many needing either extra help or extra enrichment and extensions, I have been doing a lot of reading about all different levels of need.  One of my absolute FAVORITE ideas for…
READ POST Error Analysis for Enrichment and Critical Thinking
Fraction Anchor Chart
Anchor Charts | Fractions | Math | Math Anchor Charts

Adding & Subtracting Fractions

Now that we are done with geometry, we have moved on to fractions.  Oh, fractions!  Kids come in with the preconceived notion that fractions are Big and Bad and Scary and Hard and Mean.  I feel like it’s my job…
READ POST Adding & Subtracting Fractions
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Literacy | Using Pictures to Teach

Tell Me a Story Tuesday

Welcome back for another installment of Tell Me a Story Tuesday! Today, we did a BIG review of some reading skills with our picture.  It’s almost state testing time, so I wanted to incorporate as much as I could.  We…
READ POST Tell Me a Story Tuesday
CommonCoreReadingProject
Literacy | Novel Study | Novel Study | Novels & Picture Books

This Quarter’s Novel Project!

We just finished reading the classic novel From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwieler.  The kids enjoyed it, but I think they enjoyed their final projects more than the actual novel!  We tied several common core standards…
READ POST This Quarter’s Novel Project!
Literal2BVs.2BInferential2BUsing2BPictures 9
Anchor Charts | Literacy | Literacy Anchor Charts | Reading Skills | Task Cards | Using Pictures to Teach

Literal Vs. Inferential Thinking

Last week, we focused on inference and cause and effect.  My kids did well with it, but I wanted to make sure my kids understood the difference between literal and inferential questions and observations. So this week, we focused on…
READ POST Literal Vs. Inferential Thinking
photo 137
Anchor Charts | Comprehension | Literacy | Literacy Anchor Charts

Answering Comprehension Questions

Just a little drive-by posting with an anchor chart that we came up with to remind ourselves of the expectations for answering comprehension questions from our novels.  We go over this like crazy at the beginning of the year, but…
READ POST Answering Comprehension Questions
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Anchor Charts | Literacy | Literacy Anchor Charts | Using Pictures to Teach

Tell Me a Story Tuesday

I am super excited about this new feature on my blog…my sweet hubby helped me name it, and his idea was “Tell Me a Story Tuesday.”  And so it is… Here is my vision… In many of my task card…
READ POST Tell Me a Story Tuesday
Valentines Compliment Bags
Holidays | Classroom | Seasonal | Teacher Ideas

Valentine’s Day Compliment Bags

When I was student teaching, I had the most FABULOUS co-teacher.  She had so many great ideas, and this Valentine’s Day Compliment Bag activity is one that I have clung to each and every year. It is so inclusive, brings…
READ POST Valentine’s Day Compliment Bags
Download a free pre-reading task cards mini-set for novel study in upper elementary. These are great for activating schema and getting students ready to read.
Free | Literacy | Novel Study | Novel Study | Novels & Picture Books | Task Cards

Free Pre-Reading Task Cards

It’s been a busy, busy week here in Colorado (I feel like that is always how I begin my posts). I do identifications for students in the talented and gifted program at my school, and preliminary test scores came in…
READ POST Free Pre-Reading Task Cards
Anchor charts, notebooks, and activities for teaching angles in upper elementary. Includes task cards, games, and more too!
Geometry & Measurement | Anchor Charts | Math | Math Anchor Charts | Task Cards

Teaching Angles, Angles, Angles!

We finished up angles the other day, and I thought I would share the teaching angles anchor chart we used and a couple of activities we did.  This particular group is a group of 4th grade Talented and Gifted kids,…
READ POST Teaching Angles, Angles, Angles!
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Literacy

‘-dge and -ge Word Ending Intervention (and Freebie) & A Newsletter Surprise!

Where has the time gone!? I have a whole list of blog posts ready to go, but we have been so busy in school with all kinds of fun things that I have also been busy creating new resources to…
READ POST ‘-dge and -ge Word Ending Intervention (and Freebie) & A Newsletter Surprise!

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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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🍂👻 The leaves are changing, so it’s the perfect ti 🍂👻 The leaves are changing, so it’s the perfect time to share THREE of my FAVORITE fall picture book lessons, and they are PACKED with meaningful reading comprehension skills and can be adapted for a huge range of grade levels. These are tried and true lessons that I’ve used in my classroom and absolutely LOVE! 🧡

🍂 Comment below, and I’ll send you the links to more info about all three lessons, including the FREE printable for the Leaf Peeps.

I LOVE pairing picture books that share similar themes, and I’ve come up with MANY different paired sets. It’s research-based and gives students opportunities to compare characters, analyze how different authors develop similar ideas, and make connections across texts—all while keeping fun, seasonal themes with authentic texts!

Here are the three lessons I’ve been LOVING over the past few years:

🍁 The Leaf Peeps: We read four adorable leaf-themed books and compare their topics, themes, and important life lessons. These books pair together extraordinarily well and work well anytime between now and Thanksgiving. BONUS: I have a FREE lesson guide and reflection for this one!

👻 Gustavo’s World: You can use any combo of these books, and the kids just love them. We explore character traits, character change, and theme with these sweet spooky stories. Then students create their own characters (with Play-Doh!) and imagine a new book for the collection!

🎃 Stand Out: We pair Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden, Beatrice Likes the Dark, and The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt to explore what it means to stand out and embrace our differences. The discussions are SO good, and the lessons behind the books are so impactful!

These are the kinds of lessons I always LOVE most. Simple to prep, rich in discussion, and full of opportunities for students to think deeply about what they’re reading AND grow as little human beings. 💗
Picture books are one of my FAVORITE ways to teach Picture books are one of my FAVORITE ways to teach character development skills in upper elementary, and these are some of the very, very BEST! 📚❤️

Every week (and sometimes more often), I use a carefully selected picture book to help my students explore some big personal growth concepts! I incorporate books about everything from managing big emotions and navigating friendships to embracing differences, building confidence, and working through challenges. 🫶 

I love how a single picture book can lead to some of the most meaningful conversations we have all week!

I’ve rounded up several of my favorites, along with a specific learning objective for each one, so you can see exactly how I use them in my classroom.

And YES, picture books absolutely belong in upper elementary classrooms! 🥰

Which of these have you read with your students? Any favorites I need to add to my collection?
Can I tell you about one of my FAVORITE types of n Can I tell you about one of my FAVORITE types of novels to teach (I mean, if you know me, you know they are ALL my favorite, but this type is a ✨ students ✨ favorite — and not just while you’re teaching poetry)!📚🩷

🥁 Novels in verse! If you haven’t tried teaching one with your upper elementary kiddos yet, this is your sign.

I’ve found they’re the perfect way to get my readers to actually SLOW DOWN and pay close attention to the text — what’s said and what’s left unsaid. When there are only a handful of words on a page, every single word has a job to do. A line break changes everything. A word sitting all by itself on the page? Figurative phrases that tell more than an entire paragraph alone could? There’s a reason the author made every single choice. 

🌟 And for teaching inference? Oh my goodness. So much is left unsaid in these books. Truly, so much. My students have to piece together what a character is feeling from tiny details, and the conversations we have are AMAZING.

I just put together a whole blog post with everything I love about teaching them, my favorite titles for grades 4, 5, and 6+, and a giant list of annotation ideas you can use right away. 🎉 Comment below, and I’ll send the info your way!
Book beads ➡️ Book Lanyards ⭐️ No matter which one Book beads ➡️ Book Lanyards ⭐️ No matter which one you choose, your kids are going to love this reading celebration!! 🥰 

Comment below, and I’ll send you all the info or both options!
❇️ I have a few must-have anchor charts in my clas ❇️ I have a few must-have anchor charts in my classroom each year, and these are two of them! 🚨 BUT, I don’t just hang them up and go. It’s so important to spend time teaching my students how to use the prompts in their reading responses, how to develop their questions using each prompt, and discussing how to answer each type of prompt. 

Once students are familiar with how to use the prompts, they are able to have so much ownership over their reading response while also thinking critically about the book or chapter being discussed!

🎉🎉Comment below, and I’ll send you a link to three free sets of reading response resources and my favorite reading response task cards!
You won’t ever catch me in an ELA teaching positio You won’t ever catch me in an ELA teaching position where I’m not teaching word parts. 🩷💚 I believe wholeheartedly in the value of teaching morphology, especially in the upper grades! 

Comment below, and I’ll send you info on ALL my resources, including an entire FREE starter kit for teaching your students the basics of prefixes and suffixes!
🎉We start every math class the same: I read just a 🎉We start every math class the same: I read just a few of these mental math cards orally, step by step, and when I’m done, I count down from three silently using my fingers. When my students see a closed fist, they share their answers in unison. It’s so quick, simple, and low stakes for kids. They increase in complexity throughout the year, and I’ve seen massive gains in my students’ mental math abilities.

Comment below, and I’ll send you the info! ❤️❤️
Podcasts in the classroom are SO fun while still b Podcasts in the classroom are SO fun while still being academically worthwhile! 👏 🎙️ I designed them to address listening and reading comprehension skills in an engaging, relevant format. Each one comes with show notes and assignments and covers topics ranging from sports and science and tales and more! 🥰 Comment below, and I’ll send you all the info.
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