Fun and Effective Grammar Lessons

When you ask your students what their favorite subject is, chances are slim-to-none that the first thing they'll say is grammar. Am I right? When teachers and students think of grammar lessons, they often think of workbooks, worksheets, and if they're lucky a video. (Remember the old Schoolhouse Rock videos like Conjunction Junction?) Well, you can definitely turn your students' opinions about grammar around. Taking long dragged out grammar lessons and turning them into engaging bite size pieces can turn their dread of grammar around quickly.

Spiral Review CAN Save Your Sanity

Let's talk Spiral Review. Have you ever taught a new concept or skill to your students, and a week or two later you're shaking your head wondering if it was just an illusion because just a few of them remember what to do? Yup, we've all been there more times than we care to share. Whether it's the steps to long division or the proper ways to use commas, students' retention of new skills can leave us feeling flustered and frustrated. The good news is that there's a way to conquer this selective amnesia. It's called Spiral Review!

According to the Institute of Educational Sciences (IES), providing students with a Spiraled Curriculum (also commonly referred to Spiraled Practice or Spiral Review) has shown to improve understanding and retention of information.

Easy Ways to Teach Grammar

Grammar can be a teacher's nemesis, can't it? As stated in my last post, "Why Spiral Review Can Save Your Sanity" (which discusses how and why spiral review works), sometimes it can be so frustrating to see students forget and not apply concepts we've already taught them through our grammar instruction. To add insult to injury, it can take so much precious time out of our already very restricted schedule. Many times we are given a 90 minute (or less) block to teach reading, writing, AND grammar, and we feel like something's got to give. Well, what if I told you that your grammar instruction could take LESS than an hour per week to implement, and that your students' mastery of grammar standards would improve significantly? It's totally possible, I promise. Let me guide you through this efficient method of teaching grammar.

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.