Reading Strategy: Teaching Students to Use Visualization

A couple of years ago, the parents of one of my fifth grade students sat across the table from me and explained to me that their child had difficulty with the concept of visualization.  She had a hard time visualizing characters, settings, and events in books as she read. When I later spoke to that student and inquired about this, she explain to me that she didn't see the pictures or movies in her mind like teachers always told her she should. At that moment, I realized that sometimes we do not teach this reading skill explicitly because we take it for granted that readers can automatically do this as they read (especially in the upper grades). So today, I thought I would discuss what visualization is, as well as share some ideas and resources that can be used in the classroom to explicitly teach visualization to students.

2 Easy-to-Make Paper Booklets in the Classroom

Multi-page booklets are extremely handy in the classroom. They are great for many activities including organizing research or publishing finished work. However, the costs can quickly add up when you purchase these types of booklets at stores.  Here are a couple of thrifty, easy-to-make, multiple page booklets that will save you not only money, but time in the classroom. The only materials you need to make these booklets are paper and a pair of scissors.

Stores That Offer (Easy, No Fuss) Teacher Discounts

There are quite a few companies who show their appreciation to teachers by providing them with discounts on their everyday purchases. (Thank you, teacher-loving companies. 😍) While there are more than those listed in this post which offer teacher discounts, I have highlighted the easiest ones to implement because we know how busy teaching life is, and it's just as important to be thrifty with your time as it is with your money.

Great Back to School Read Alouds for Upper Elementary

Using read alouds with your upper elementary school students at the start of the school year can be extremely powerful. Read alouds are an engaging way to help build community and set expectations for the rest of the school year.  In this post, you will discover a few books with different messages that can help spark meaningful conversations between you and your students, and help set the tone for the year.

Teacher Discount: Free Admission to Attractions

Whether you are traveling around the states, or having a staycation near your home, there are several museums and attractions that offer FREE admission to teachers. Below I have included a list of places offering free admission to teachers as confirmed on their websites. Their terms and conditions are included in this post as well as a link to their page. So what are you waiting for? Gather your teacher friends and head on out for some FREE experiences. 😀

How to Best Teach Character Traits in Upper Elementary

Teaching students about character traits beyond the standard 'kind and mean' can be challenging, especially in the upper grades where not only are students expected to identify specific character traits, but also discuss how events in the story change the character, and how the character impacts the plot.  The good news is that providing them with scaffolds and a variety of examples can really impact their knowledge of character traits.

HERE ARE A FEW TIPS TO USE WHEN TEACHING CHARACTER TRAITS:

6 Ways Page Protectors Make Life Easier in the Classroom

Page protectors are a great reusable resource that can help you keep things in your classroom organized, as well as helping you save from making an abundance of copies.

Here are 6 different ways you can use page protectors in your classroom:

1.  Pockets in a Binder

Page protectors make perfect pockets inside of binders. You can use them to add collections of various things including notes from parents inside a parent communication binder. This allows you to quickly sort and file them in case you need to go back to any in the future.