43...That's how many days until the first day of spring. At least it's 43 on the day I'm writing this post. By the time it's published, we'll be (hopefully) several days closer to that glorious transition from the life-sucking cold of winter into the life-giving warmth of spring. Don't get me wrong - I still get a thrill from hearing the phone ring and knowing that it means I get a "snow day." And, of course, the extra time to get everything done when usually I've only a few things crossed off … [Read more...]
Sally Camden - The wise teacher makes learning a joy.
Using Online Children’s Books as Mentor Texts
I am halfway through a 3-year reading/language arts training program at my school district. The training has been wonderful, but rebuilding our entire ELA curriculum from the ground up has been overwhelming. Fortunately, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My “big picture” understanding has also sharpened so I feel more […]
Nonfiction Summary Graphic Organizer with the 5 W’s Strategy
Teaching students how to summarize nonfiction text can be quite a challenge. Fortunately, with the use of some colored pencils and a handy nonfiction summary graphic organizer, my students were doing it with confidence…and yours can, too! Summarizing Power Writing a concise, yet descriptive summary is an important skill upper elementary students need to learn. […]