ELA

How to Effectively Teach the 6 Different Syllable Types

Teaching syllables can be a tricky task. It requires planning, creativity, and an understanding of the various syllable types to engage students in learning what can often be considered a tedious topic. Whether your student is just starting out or further along in their reading journey, it’s important for all

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4 Steps to Successfully Teach Compare and Contrast

Are you looking for a fun, engaging way to teach your students to compare and contrast? This can be one of the most difficult, yet powerful topics to discuss in any classroom. Understanding how items are similar and different is essential for student success. Fortunately, there are plenty of creative

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Teaching Guided Reading in a Virtual Classroom

 I started this post back in July but I had to stop. I knew I wanted to help teachers plan for virtual reading groups. But, honestly, I still wasn’t sure exactly how it would all work. Now that I am teaching (both in person and virtually), I feel a little

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How to Effectively Increase Reading Comprehension

I am so excited to share with you “A Look Inside” Comprehension kits today.  These resources have transformed my teaching of reading. It has allowed me to effectively teach reading consistently across my whole group and small group lessons.  With the flexibility of the materials and options for differentiating, I

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10 of the Best Read Aloud Books for 2nd Grade

One of my daily goals is to read a quality picture book and a chapter from a chapter book to my 2nd graders.  It doesn’t always happen but I am successful about 80% of the time. I firmly believe reading to our students needs to happen every day (along with

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First Three Reading Lessons of the School Year

I am really excited to wrap up my “First Three” blog series with my first three reading lessons of the school year. If you missed my other posts, you can check them outhere. While I love teaching math and I definitely identify as a writer, teaching reading is also a

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Activities and Books for Teaching Fact and Opinion

Facts and Opinions I love having activities and books for teaching fact and opinions prepared and ready to teach! In this post, I’m sharing with you how I teach facts and opinions using mini-lessons and mentor texts. Out of all of the comprehension skills, I have found that teaching facts

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Vocabulary Activities to Use Right Away

Today, I’m sharing a few vocabulary activities to use right away in your classroom. Last summer I took a grad class all about vocabulary and comprehension instructional strategies. I remember being thrilled to have so many new ideas. I could not wait to try them ALL out. Then the first

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