Engage

Scaffolding Argumentative Writing: One- to Five-Paragraph Essays

January 17, 2021

Argumentative writing in third, fourth, and fifth grades moves from one to five – or even six – paragraphs. Teaching specific structures and strategies scaffolds with ease. (more…)

Teaching the Five-Paragraph Essay with an Example

January 10, 2021

Brenda Kovich

Engage, English Language Arts, Learn

five-paragraph essay, fourth grade

No Comments

The five-paragraph essay provides a strong, well-structured text. What’s more? It’s easy to compose. All you need is a good organizer and an example. (more…)

Teaching Persuasive Writing – Organize, Elaborate, Improve!

January 3, 2021

Brenda Kovich

Engage, English Language Arts, Plan

fourth grade, opinion writing, persuasive writing, third grade

No Comments

Teaching persuasive writing to third or fourth graders? Begin with a simple graphic organizer. Then elaborate, improve word choice, add transitions, and vary sentences. Before you know it, kids writing…

Writing Constructed Response with Text Evidence – Hamburger Style!

December 28, 2020

Brenda Kovich

Engage, English Language Arts, Learn

fifth grade, finding main idea, fourth grade, informational text, summarizing, summarizing nonfiction, summarizing nonfiction text, third grade

No Comments

Constructed response is easy to teach with this hamburger craft. First, kids find text evidence. Second, they write it as detail sentences. Then they answer the question and write a…

Mystery Elements | Genre Study Vocabulary for Kids

December 14, 2020

Brenda Kovich

Engage, English Language Arts

elements of mystery, mystery elements, mystery genre stufy

No Comments

As with other genres, mystery elements include characters, setting, and plot. Let’s take a look at the vocabulary kids need to know. (more…)

Mystery Powders Lab for Kids – CSI in the Classroom

December 13, 2020

Brenda Kovich

Engage, Plan, Science

CSI for kids, mystery powders, teaching mysteries

No Comments

Try a mystery powders lab in your third, fourth, or fifth grade classroom. Your students will love it! You can use it as an activity in your mystery genre study,…

Teaching Deductive Reasoning – Logic Puzzles for Kids

December 6, 2020

Brenda Kovich

Engage, Math

deductive reasoning, logic puzzles, mystery activities

No Comments

Logic puzzles build deductive reasoning – and they’re fun! First, teach your kids how to eliminate possibilities. That way, they can uncover solutions. Then teach them to create their own…

Fingerprinting Activities for Kids – Detective Work & Art Projects

November 29, 2020

Brenda Kovich

Engage, English Language Arts, Science

fingerprinting, fingerprinting activities, fingerprints for kids, fun fingerprint projects

No Comments

Fingerprinting activities bring fun to the classroom! Kids love studying dactyloscopy, or the science of identifying fingerprints. Recording their own prints, analyzing others, and even some creative art projects will…

Invisible Ink Recipes for Kids | Classroom Detective Activities

November 22, 2020

Brenda Kovich

Engage, English Language Arts, Science

detective activities, invisible ink, mystery activities, spy activities for kids

No Comments

Add invisible ink to your mystery or detective unit. Kids love it! These tested recipes are fun and easy. (more…)

Cryptograms, Ciphers, and Secret Codes for Kids

November 15, 2020

Brenda Kovich

Engage, English Language Arts

ciphers, cryptograms, detective activities for kids, mystery, secret codes, spy codes for kids

No Comments

Secret codes make kids think like detectives. Add some cryptograms and ciphers to your mystery unit. (Or just do some for fun!) Your upper elementary students will love it. (more…)

Engage

Scaffolding Argumentative Writing: One- to Five-Paragraph Essays

Teaching the Five-Paragraph Essay with an Example

Teaching Persuasive Writing – Organize, Elaborate, Improve!

Writing Constructed Response with Text Evidence – Hamburger Style!

Mystery Elements | Genre Study Vocabulary for Kids

Mystery Powders Lab for Kids – CSI in the Classroom

Teaching Deductive Reasoning – Logic Puzzles for Kids

Fingerprinting Activities for Kids – Detective Work & Art Projects

Invisible Ink Recipes for Kids | Classroom Detective Activities

Cryptograms, Ciphers, and Secret Codes for Kids

Visit my Teachers pay Teachers store.

Brenda Kovich

Sign-Up for Updates

Site Links