Multi-part or multi-step word problems has to be one of — if not THE — most challenging parts of the year. I’ve found that saving multi-step word problems for the very end of the year or right before testing is the least efficient way to teach this tricky skill. Instead, students need instruction on multi-step […]
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Reading assessments can have a tremendous impact on the upper elementary classroom. However, it’s imperative to understand what assessments we’re giving and the purpose of those assessments. Otherwise, we fall into the trap of over-assessing, which is when we assess for the sake of assessing. This post shares some of the most common forms of
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The Teaching American government doesn’t have to be boring or overly complicated. Government is an abstract concept, and many students have a difficult time making connections to the concepts. The vocabulary is also difficult for upper elementary students. Fortunately, there are many ways to make this unit meaningful AND fun for students,. Teaching Government Through
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Math fluency plays a critical role in the upper elementary classroom, and I hope to share some of my favorite strategies with you. No matter what state you teach in, more than likely math fluency is mentioned somewhere in your standards. However, before beginning a blog post on math fact fluency, it’s essential to fully
These number sense routines can be a game-changer for your students. Last year, I wrote a blog post solely dedicated to teaching number sense. That post shares a more general overview of what number sense is and why it’s important. This post moves directly into ways to improve students’ number sense. I’ve shared some of
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Novel studies are the perfect addition to any elementary classroom. I LOVE children’s literature. I love picture books and chapter books, and I’m always torn on which I should use for my mini lessons and small group lessons. When I originally created my reading units, all of the mini lessons were based on picture books, and
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Over the past few weeks, I have immersed myself into learning more about 3 act math tasks. I have spent hours reading Robert Kaplinsky, Graham Fletcher, and others to develop my understanding of these tasks. I plan to write an extensive blog post sharing what I’ve learned and ways you can use these tasks, and
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Anyone who has spent time teaching math has experienced assigning students a word problem and watching them “solve” the problem without even thinking about which operation(s) to use, why they should use that operation, or the meaning of the problem. When I first noticed this, I began teaching key words, and they worked. Usually. However,
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I don’t know that it’s possible to overstate the importance of empathy in the classroom. It is pure joy for me to watch children who are naturally empathetic work with their classmates. I watch them carefully weigh their words and actions as they think about how those words and actions will make their classmates feel.
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This Christmas escape room activity is so much for students and teachers! I love any and all Christmas related activities. I also love escape lessons in the classroom, so I decided to combine two of my favorite things to create a Christmas Escape Room activity that is perfect for upper elementary students. This is not
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