One of the best ways to introduce 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students to nonfiction text structures is by providing them with plenty of examples. Instead of starting with paragraph length or longer examples, consider starting with sentence examples. If students are not able to distinguish between the different text structures when they are in sentence form, then practicing with …
Enemy Pie is a sweet story of friendship where a boy finds out that his enemy is not really an enemy after all, but a friend. This theme of friendship makes it a great book to read aloud at the beginning of the school year to help you set a positive classroom culture in your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade …
3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers read a LOT of books and texts together, and assessing student comprehension is an important part of that. But completing the same comprehension activities can be boring, predictable, and un-rigorous. Below, find 8 reading comprehension activities that can be used with any book, fiction or nonfiction. And most of them are no prep …
You can never have too many nonfiction text structure resources! This skill is incredibly difficult for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students to understand because there are so many different things they have to understand in order to be successful with it. Students need all the practice they can get. 🙂 This no prep freebie (a printable pdf) can help …
In the course of a school year, you will (hopefully) read countless books to and with your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. Check out these questions and activity ideas that you can use before, during, and after reading a text with your class.Before Reading / Pre Reading Questions and ActivitiesThere are several no prep strategies you can use before …
Looking for some affordable and meaningful end of year gifts for your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students? The 8 ideas below are sure to get your creative juices flowing and help you find the perfect gift – whether you are looking for something personalized, something fun, or something easy!1. The Meaningful Gift of Kind Words and ComplimentsEveryone likes hearing …
Wordless books are often overlooked in 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade classrooms, and understandably so. We need our students to be reading as much as possible, so taking the time to have students “read” wordless books can feel like a waste of a lesson. However, wordless books can be used effectively in upper elementary to practice a variety …
A Black History Month Research Project is a great way to help your students learn more about and celebrate the impact African Americans have made to the United States. It’s also a good way to help students learn about obstacles African Americans have had to face in this country. But having 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students conduct research and …
Christmas in the upper elementary classroom often means making Christmas ornaments, watching Polar Express, or throwing a holiday party. However, there are many ways to celebrate Christmas that also allow for student learning. The low prep Christmas ELA activities listed below are ways ways to integrate literacy while at the same time celebrating Christmas.1. Sing Christmas Songs Together (The Entire …
Turkeys. Family. Feasts. History. Thankfulness. Pumpkins. Thanksgiving covers so many different themes, and so the best Thanksgiving books for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students also cover a wide variety of topics and themes. Below, find a list of Thanksgiving books that will engage your upper elementary students. While not every facet of Thanksgiving is covered in the list, there …