Congratulations to the winners of the Teaching Made Practical 2022 Haiku Contest!Thanks to all who participated! I enjoyed reading through all of the thoughtful haiku so much, that I decided to host a limerick contest in the spring of 2023! You can make sure you are notified of any upcoming contests by signing up to my newsletter. You can do …
Winter provides a unique opportunity in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classrooms – a chance to celebrate all things cold. The winter activity ideas below cover a range of topics and can be used to help you easily spice up your winter lesson plans. Snowmen, polar bears, penguins, sled dogs, read alouds, snowball fights, and more. There are winter reading, …
Brave Irene is an interesting story of a young girl that braves a blizzard in order to make sure the duchess has her dress in time for the ball. The vocabulary and figurative language that the author William Steig uses is vivid and captivating. It lends itself to a variety of different reading activities to do along with reading the …
Snowmen at Night is a fun winter read aloud that draws out the imaginative side of kids. The text in this snowman book is not complicated, so it is often used for younger grade levels. However, the whimsy in this story appeals to readers of all ages, and the activity ideas below are geared towards 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade …
Need some Thanksgiving ideas for reading, writing, science, or simply something fun to do before the break with your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade elementary classroom? Check out the Thanksgiving activity ideas below!Reading Activities for the Week Before Thanksgiving Break1. Compare Canadian Thanksgiving with Thanksgiving in the United StatesInstead of having your students focus solely on American Thanksgiving and its …
Jon M Muth’s version of Stone Soup is a fun folk tale that describes how monks tricked a village into making stone soup and finding happiness. The villagers have a feast together at the end, making it a great book to read aloud around Thanksgiving, especially if you are looking for read alouds and activities for a school or classroom …
Whether you have a monster themed classroom, are looking for fun ways to celebrate Halloween, or just want to spice up your reading and writing lessons, the ideas below will help inspire you. Find 9 easy literacy activity ideas for your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade monster themed lesson plans.1. Read with Monster FingersThis is one of my favorite easy …
The contest is now closed. Winners are in the process of being chosen, and will be announced by December 1st. Teaching Made Practical is having its first ever poetry writing contest! It’s easy…have your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students write their own original haiku, and submit it for it a chance for them to win! 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place …
Haiku poems are short, making this form of poetry great for introducing 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students to poetry. Sometimes poetry can be overwhelming, but the list of haiku books for kids below is perfect for a non-scary introduction. This form of poetry is about using precise language to describe a brief moment in time or an insightful observation. …
Looking for some fun, engaging monster books to read aloud to your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students for Halloweeen? Or maybe you have a monster themed classroom, or are doing a monster unit with your upper elementary class. Whatever has led you on a search for monster read-alouds, you will find a book that works for your students below! …