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line study anchor chart
Geometry & Measurement | Free | Math

Line Study: Take 2!

I posted several months ago about geometry study.  This standard is coming around again with another group of students, and this time I have revamped it a little bit.  I have the line study cards ready for them, using the…
READ POST Line Study: Take 2!
Classroom | Classroom Pictures

Classroom Pictures

Check out the new link at the top of my page for pictures of my classroom and previous classrooms! I have also added a link to pictures of every anchor chart I post on the blog. More coming soon!  If…
READ POST Classroom Pictures
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Literacy | Anchor Charts | Literacy Anchor Charts

Hard and Soft C and G Sounds

In one of my intervention groups, we are working on hard and soft “c” and “g” sounds.  When I was teaching in third grade, we did this yearly as a spelling rule. We began with Hard & Soft C and…
READ POST Hard and Soft C and G Sounds
129619295496597637 Hbcobmut c
Free | Literacy | Reading Skills | Task Cards

Visualizing & A Freebie

In one of my intervention groups, we are working on the skill of visualizing as a reading strategy.  These are 3rd and 4th graders that I’m working with, so at this point, they are reading more advanced text and focusing…
READ POST Visualizing & A Freebie
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Christmas | Free | Holidays | Seasonal

Winter Wonderland Reading Incentive!

It’s that time of year… lots of teacher are winding down and getting ready for the long awaited winter break.  Unfortunately, so are the kids.  My first year teaching, I remember being shell shocked looking at my progress monitoring data…
READ POST Winter Wonderland Reading Incentive!
Functions2BPatterns2BAnchor2BChart
Anchor Charts | Geometry & Measurement | Graphs and Data | Math | Math Anchor Charts | Task Cards

Patterns & Coordinate Graphing

We are finishing up our patterns and coordinate graphing unit!  My kids had so much fun with this one, especially coming up with their own patterns.  They love to really push the limits and think outside the box when creating…
READ POST Patterns & Coordinate Graphing
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Anchor Charts | Comprehension | Literacy | Literacy Anchor Charts

Theme & Evidence Anchor Charts

I am working on a blog post that should publish tomorrow about coordinate graphing and patterning, but I thought I would share two of my recent anchor charts that don’t really have a place anywhere else. The first one is…
READ POST Theme & Evidence Anchor Charts
organization1
Literacy | Math | Task Cards

Task Card Corner

**Check out my NEW blog totally dedicated to task cards!* I have been working on my Task Card Corner, and I’m so excited to finally share it with “the world.”  I’m so pleased with how it turned out, and my…
READ POST Task Card Corner
Upper elementary anchor charts, reference books, practice activities, projects, and task cards for teaching context clues.
Literacy | Anchor Charts | Comprehension | Literacy Anchor Charts | Reading Skills | Task Cards

Teaching Context Clues

I think that, right along with teaching inference, teaching context clues is one of the most crucially important skills that we teach as educators.  It is also one of the more tricky skills that students are faced with, so I…
READ POST Teaching Context Clues
Help upper elementary students learn to identify nonfiction main ideas using authentic texts.
Literacy | Free | Informational Texts | Reading Skills

Nonfiction Main Idea

Are you looking for a new an exciting way to have your students work on identifying main idea in nonfiction texts?  This is a super low-prep activity that I’ve had great success with for years! Have extra Time for Kids…
READ POST Nonfiction Main Idea
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Decimals | Math | Multiplication

Multiplying Decimals Freebie Find!

I had a sub (we actually call them guest teachers now!) yesterday morning while I was busy collaborating with some other teachers in the district for a Daily 5 training we are leading.  As I was planning for my math…
READ POST Multiplying Decimals Freebie Find!
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Anchor Charts | Classroom | Intervention | Literacy Anchor Charts

Teaching Syllable Segmentation

In my 3rd and 4th grade decoding and encoding intervention groups, we have been working on syllable segmentation. I had a major internal conflict on whether or not to teach it as part of an intervention group, and in the…
READ POST Teaching Syllable Segmentation

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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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🍂👻 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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