English Language Arts

I Spy, poetry, teaching poetry

Teaching poetry with I Spy books sparks kids’ imaginations. It’s fun, easy, and active. After a little instruction on verse, stanza, rhythm, and rhyme, students are ready to create their own I…

Crafting Better Paragraphs with the Hamburger Analogy

June 26, 2016

expository writing, hamburger analogy, paragraphs, sandwich analogy for writing, teaching paragraph writing, teaching paragraphs

Crafting better paragraphs can be fun and easy. Help kids remember the process with this new twist on the hamburger analogy. First, gather three or four closely related details. This is the meat of…

Enjoy Teaching Prose, Drama, and Poetry

June 18, 2016

literature, RL.3.5, RL.4.5, RL.5.5, teaching drama, teaching poetry, teaching prose

Teaching prose, drama, and poetry is quick and easy. Kids have seen these forms of literature before. They just need a little vocabulary, structure, and practice. (more…)

Enjoy Teaching Character Types – Literature Activities for Kids

June 12, 2016

archetypes, character types, RL.3.3, RL.4.3, RL.5.3, teaching character types

Teaching character types is so much fun. Your students will love discussing the good, the bad, and the ugly about each character in a story! (more…)

Enjoy Teaching Theme with Literature Activities for Kids

June 5, 2016

enjoy teaching theme, RL.3.2, RL.4.2, RL.5.2, teaching theme, theme

Teaching theme is not as hard as you think. Third graders locate the message, lesson, or moral of a story. By fourth grade, students are ready to link key details…

Teaching Summarizing with Reading Activities for Kids

May 29, 2016

RL.3.2, RL.4.2, RL.5.2, somebody wanted but then so, summarizing, summary, teaching summarizing, teaching summary

Teaching summarizing scaffolds from grades three to five. Third graders simply retell the story. Fourth graders summarize the details. Using the tried-and-true “somebody wanted but then so” makes it easier. By fifth…

Enjoy Teaching Kids to Answer Questions

May 22, 2016

answering questions, constructing responses, enjoy teaching kids to answer questions, RL.3.1, RL.4.1, RL.5.1, teaching kids to answer questions

A simple process can help you enjoy teaching kids to answer questions. Yes, it’s challenging. But your students can do it, and with success comes pride. Let’s take a look at…

Yes, You Can Enjoy Teaching Capitalization

May 7, 2016

capitalization, capitalization rules, enjoy teaching capitalization, teaching capitalization

Do you like teaching capitalization? No? Try this! Teach kids the big capitalization rule. Then spend some time with each little rule. Engage your students with thumbs-up and thumbs-down practice.…

Teaching Dialogue with Language Activities for Kids

April 30, 2016

dialogue, dialogue tags, enjoy teaching dialogue, quotation marks, teaching dialogue