One of the biggest issues I hear teachers struggling with is meeting all of their students' needs with such a wide range of ability levels. I hear you! You probably already know that conferring and working in small groups is the most organic and effective way to differentiate your instruction AND … [Read more...] about Getting Started with Writing Centers
Opinion and Informational Text Sets: Reading and Writing from One Text Set (+ a Freebie)
This past year I have been wrapping up a project that has been quite the labor of love: Monthly Text Sets. The monthly text sets solve a list of problems I consistently ran into when teaching 4th Grade ELA. But first, what are the monthly text sets? The monthly text sets are a set of nonfiction … [Read more...] about Opinion and Informational Text Sets: Reading and Writing from One Text Set (+ a Freebie)
MLK Day Opinion Writing
Hey there! If you haven't had the chance to try out the monthly text sets in your classroom, then now is the time. If you teach grades 3-5 and follow the Common Core Standards (or your state's version of that), then your students are probably expected to write in response to text on a regular basis. … [Read more...] about MLK Day Opinion Writing
How to Teach Informational Writing
You probably already know that I LOVE teaching writing. And you might think I'm crazy, but nonfiction writing might be my favorite type of writing. It's hard to call favorites, but truthfully - I find it the easiest (personally) than other types of writing. I think that might be because informative … [Read more...] about How to Teach Informational Writing
How to Use Small Group Writing Conferences
What do I do with my writers at all different levels? A few weeks back, I shared a blog post about Writing conferences. I think we can all agree how important Writing conferences are. We’d be hardpressed to find a teacher that DIDN’T think writing conferences are important. But I think what … [Read more...] about How to Use Small Group Writing Conferences
Help Narrative Story Writers Add Dialogue in 3 Easy Steps!
Help Narrative Story Writers Add Dialogue in 3 Easy Steps! You know how sometimes you look around the room at your narrative story writers and realize they all have some version of describing their favorite birthday at Disney World, their trip to Pennsylvania, or just a description of their BFF and … [Read more...] about Help Narrative Story Writers Add Dialogue in 3 Easy Steps!
