English Language Arts

fingerprinting, invisible ink, mystery activities, mystery unit, observation games for kids, secret codes

Mystery activities = fun! Let your kids think like detectives. They’ll love cracking codes, experimenting with invisible ink, fingerprinting, observation games, and more! At home or in the classroom, mystery activities…

Enjoy Teaching Mystery Novels – Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade Kids

May 7, 2017

mystery novel, mystery novel study, mystery unit, The 39 Clues, The Maze of Bones, The Westing Game

Enjoy teaching mystery novels to your intermediate grade students! Mysteries involve many characters and complex plots. Therefore, kids must pay attention to detail, make connections, and infer. These intricate books boost kids’…

How to Modernize Novel Studies with Google Sites

January 22, 2017

Digital Classroom, English Language Arts

Google Sites, Little House in the Big Woods, novel studies

Digital novel studies give kids audio-visual experiences that paper and pencil just can’t provide. Take your students on a five-minute virtual field trip. Show a photo to illustrate a concept. Let…

Martin Luther King Junior Resources for Teachers

December 29, 2016

Martin Luther King Jr., Martin Luther King Junior, Martin Luther King Junior Resources for Kids, Teaching Martin Luther King Junior

Martin Luther King Junior resources are here! Engage your intermediate-grade students with text, activities, video, audio, and crafts. (more…)

Teaching Possessive Nouns in Three Days

October 23, 2016

plural possessive nouns, singular possessive nouns, teaching possessive nouns

Teaching possessive nouns can be a train wreck. But have no fear! Your third, fourth, and fifth grade students can learn this tricky skill in just three days. (more…)

Halloween Reading – The Headless Horseman

October 9, 2016

Halloween Reading, Headless Horseman, literature, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Let the Headless Horseman gallop into your classroom. His eerie presence will send chills down students’ spines. Who is this creepy character? Why does he show up in folklore around…

Halloween Writing – Carving Pumpkins

October 2, 2016

Halloween writing can be a snap! Just ask kids to write about carving pumpkins. Soon they’ll be planning and penning the step-by-step process. This writing activity works well for third and…

Fall Foliage Interdisciplinary Teaching Ideas

September 11, 2016

autumn colors, autumn leaves, changing leaf colors, fall foliage, fall leaves, interdisciplinary teaching, leaf chromatography

Engage, English Language Arts, Math, Science

Fall foliage sets the stage for some great interdisciplinary teaching. Plan a full day or sprinkle activities through the season. Grab your students’ attention with a colorful leaf chromatography experiment. Continue with…

Fables First – Beginning Narrative Writing

August 28, 2016

fables, narrative writing, writing fables