Written by guest blogger Cindy Koopmans I understand that stocking your classroom library with quality literature can be a challenge, especially if you are living on a teacher’s salary with no additional side hustle or supportive spouse and no one is offering to give you money to buy books. I’ve been in your shoes and here is how you solve …
Strategies and Tips to Motivate Reluctant Readers
Written by guest blogger Cindy Koopmans Reluctant readers don’t have to stay reluctant. They just need the right book to motivate and engage them. Choosing the “right for me” book is a critical piece of crafting a competent student reader. Honestly, so often as students they don’t even know what they don’t know! And who will explain all that to …
Back to School Books for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders
When looking for good books to read the first week of school for your upper elementary students, you will likely come across many suggestions that just aren’t that appropriate for a 4th or 5th grader. Many back to school books focus on emotions that are more geared towards younger students. Older students just aren’t as concerned about leaving their parents …
Wordless Picture Books for Upper Elementary Classrooms
Sometimes I recommend products using affiliate links. If you click through and buy, I may be compensated at no cost to you. Wordless books are an underused resource in upper elementary classrooms. There are so many ways to use them with your students to teach a variety of skills, from making predictions, to story elements, to writing dialogue. If you …
Teacher Favorites – The Best Nonfiction Book Series
Most upper elementary teachers I know could easily tell you their favorite fiction books to read aloud to students, but choosing a nonfiction book is harder. We just don’t read nonfiction or informative texts as much as we read fiction texts because it is harder to find engaging books. We lean on fiction books with positive themes and inspiring stories …
Teacher Favorites – The 10 Best Fiction Chapter Book Read Alouds
Sometimes I recommend products using affiliate links. If you click through and buy, I may be compensated at no cost to you. Fiction read alouds were essential to my education in elementary school. Almost 30 years later, I can still remember the chapter books that my 3rd grade teacher read aloud to my class. Those read alouds helped instill a …