Language arts teaching ideas – reading, writing, phonics, poetry and more!
Take this fun and cute idea to get your students reading at home! Set up an adopt-a-pet reading kit in your classroom to encourage kids to read. When it comes to wanting our students to love to read, we teachers will pretty much bend over backward. So, when we come across an idea that has …
Cute Adopt-a-Pet Reading Kit to Encourage Your Students to Read at Home Read More »
I know Dr. Seuss stuff typically gets used in February and March but really, why should we limit his awesome works to only one point in the school year? I can’t help but to look ahead to the beginning of the next year… new school, new classroom, new ways of doing most everything. One of …
Take your class’ first day of elf on a shelf adventures and turn them into a book. Here is a free class book cover and writing template. Students can write about the adventures and have a book to read for the rest of the year. Printable Class Book for Elf on the Shelf Fun Print …
Don’t get tangled up in grammar! Here is a second grade plural nouns game that is sure to light up your day. This Shining Plurals activity is a simple “blam” or “bang” card game with a Christmas light twist. Print it now so that when your students are hopped up on Christmas spirit and counting down …
Use fall themed riddles to engage primary students. Break out the inferring skills with these thinking cap-ready riddles. Created to help making inferences fun for kindergarten, first and second grade. There are 24 fall themed riddles that can be used in a variety of ways. This is a free download. Fall Riddles Free Download Introduce and …
Let spring into your classroom despite the weather with these 5 spring writing templates. Perfect for matching your ela standards, you’ve now got the perfect choice of backdrops for your writing lesson plans. Spring Writing You’ll find writing templates for exploring the five senses, including multiple steps in a prompt, and themed stationary. This list also …
Get reading fluency into your third grade classroom with a fun Valentine fry fluency phrases game. This free 18 page “bang” style game is designed to help third graders develop their fluency skills. It’s a fun way to learn how to read. Students will enjoy reading phrases fluently with fun red and pink monsters on …
Penguins are a popular topic in the primary grades. Using read alouds like Tacky the Penguin is a way to do cross-curricular teaching. Here are 7 quick resources to help expand your lesson plans using Tacky books. You’ll find a couple worksheets, an anchor chart, a Tacky craft and vocabulary. Tacky The Penguin Activities 1. Describing …
Students LOVE this spin and read digraphs game and it is a great progress monitoring tool to measure how many digraph words they can read. Use this reading game to practice reading words with digraphs in kindergarten or first grade. Spin & Read Directions: Students spin the spinner and then read a word from that …
Bookmarks are usually rectangles… but not this bookmark! It’s a clever, triangle-shaped bookmark that slides over the edge of the page to hold a young reader’s place. What first, third or fifth grader wouldn’t love creating their own during library time, to celebrate reading a new genre or during inside recess? Clever Page Corner Bookmark Template Create a bookmark where …
For many teachers, close reading now goes hand in hand with Common Core standards. Here is the breakdown of what is close reading, how you can use it with a passage of text using this free lesson plan and a picture tutorial that makes it simple. {yes, seriously} Close Reading Simplified Take away the main …
Make a simple book so students can write stories in their own bound and published book with this DIY project! Here’s how to bind your own writer’s workshop books. For this book binding project you’ll need: Glue Cardboard Craft Paper / Construction Paper Copy Paper Scissors Don’t you love the finished look? A book that feels and …
Teaching the writing process to kids is part of teaching how to write! Here are five free resources for teaching how to write using the writing process. With helpful resources and lots of practice, students learn that writing is not a destination, but a process and therefore a journey to be enjoyed! ‘How to Write’ …
Word walls are important to a primary classroom and often for upper elementary grades too. Here are free word wall alphabet cards. You’ll find owl themed word wall alphabet cards, polka dot alphabet cards and environmental print. Hopefully as you revamp your classroom you’ll find the perfect printable to go in your classroom. 1. Environmental …
Learning how to count syllables in words is a skill for kindergarten through third grade. Here are 8 syllables activities ready to print and use in a classroom. You’ll find a syllables counter activity like sorting syllables, Holiday vocabulary words and a syllable worksheet are all included. As always, the Teach Junkie English/Language Arts (ELA) section is growing in numbers …
Reading lots of non-fiction books comes along with Common Core territory. You’ll find that these non-fiction ideas wills help you cover common core standards in the primary grades in thematic units, guided reading and literacy centers. I’ve also found a great set of non-fiction text feature posters that should help your students better navigate non-fiction. …
When learning how to read students have to use their phonics skills. Here are 3 ela worksheets that help practice beginning sounds and digraph blends. A fun way to take these worksheets and turn them into a more interactive surface is to: laminate them for use with dry erase markers use magnetic letters in place …
Effectively teach how to have good manners in the classroom with a read aloud and a free printable packet for first through fifth grade. One of the biggest teach complaints I hear often is that many students don’t know what it means to have good manners. So, why not take some time at the beginning …
Today I’m going to share some story elements posters and comprehension strategy posters with you all. I posted about the Comprehension Strategy posters a while back over at my little blog, but since then I’ve added a few additional strategy posters and some multi-cultural clip art. Woo hoo! I use these posters when introducing each …
Free Comprehension Strategy Posters and Story Element Posters Read More »
One of my sweet Kindergarten students put in a request for a Dinosaur Sight Word game. He’s been dying for me to make him one, and I couldn’t turn him down. So I made a dinosaur reading sight words game and it’s a free download. Come on over to my blog to get it. This …
Hey peeps! I am getting ready to introduce vowel teams to my first grade kiddos this week. Here’s a song we’ll be using to practice the vowel digraphs (vowel teams). I’ve got a free copy for you and matching vowel team flash cards for these vowel digraphs: ai, ay, ee, ea, ie, oa, oe, ui, ue …
Looking for a simple printable reading log to track at-home reading? Look no further. This free reading log is ready to download and print. Track the titles of books that your students are reading at home. Parents and students can fill out the title of books read in the widest column. One of my favorite features …
Do you have students that forget to capitalize the beginning of their sentences? Leave off punctuation? Have no spaces between words? You’re not alone. It can be a fun challenge to teach young writers in kindergarten and first grade. As a kindergarten teacher, I have made writing chants and checklists to help beginning writers remember things like …
The writing center is always changing in my classroom. My students LOVE going there to write words, simple sentences, lists, letters and more! I created these themed posters for my writing center and you can download them for free too. I created a whole bunch of themes that will carry you throughout the year. But …
Here is a quick bulletin board idea to wrap up your Dr. Seuss unit using the book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” Students will write about what they want to be when they grow up on hot air balloons – which are super simple to make. These turned out SO cute! Let me share how …
Are you looking to start a preschool or daycare to earn some extra money, this summer? As a former preschool teacher, I would like to share some great tips that have helped me while teaching little ones. Some preschoolers don’t yet know how to read or write their names, so it is really important for …
I’ve found it really helpful to do guided reading “snapshots” throughout the year. My students are assessed using running records, tests from our reading programs, and other informal assessments. However, sometimes I just want a quick assessment that’s performance-based and easy to use. Sometimes I feel like I don’t get enough real information from reading …
If you’ve been following my blog, you probably figured out that I love using writing rubrics! Today I want to share what a writing rubric is, why I like using them and share links to 3Â free writing rubrics you can use. What is a writing rubric? I think of a rubric as a performance scoring …
Here are three free game board games that you can use in your classroom. These work well with phonics skills or math facts. I have had different experiences throughout my teaching career. I spent my first 3 years as a reading teacher for struggling students K-5. I’ve also been a Differentiated Instruction coach and Team Leader. My experiences …
3 Free Game Boards to Make Your Own Center Activities Read More »
I recently posted a copy of my daily schedule in kindergarten along with some things my kinders do on a weekly basis. Plus I have a copy of our alphabet chart for you too. It’s a freebie! Here is the outline of my daily schedule I’ll outline my daily schedule for you but describe it …
My Kindergarten Daily Schedule and a Free Alphabet Chart Read More »
The first center I ever introduced to my students oh so many years ago was Sticker Story. This is not my original idea and I can’t remember for the life of me where I first heard of it. But I do know that my students LOVE to do the Sticker Story literacy center. I love …
Sticker Story Writing – A Free, Year Long Literacy Center Activity Read More »
Make independent reading time fun with flashlights. Here is a quick and fun independent reading time each week by bringing out flashlights. Students read with flashlights around the room in cozy spots in a darkened classroom. The change in atmosphere and quiet setting is just the right touch to make reading independently have a novel …
Teaching beginning readers how to decode CVC words successfully plays an important role in developing reading fluency. Here is a free printable CVC word sort with a surfing theme that will allow students to self-correct with the use of scanning a QR code. Real and Silly Word Sort Real/Silly Word Sort Directions Pick a card and …
Real and Silly Word Sort Activity {with QR Codes} Read More »
Have you ever wanted a fun and easy way to keep track of accuracy, fluency and comprehension goals for your students? What about needing reminders to help students stay focused on their goals? Let me introduce you to Allie Accuracy Alligator, Cody Comprehension Cub and Fran Fluency Fish… they can help you and be your …
Guided Reading Goal Setting Bookmarks {printable} Read More »
Create a fun frog craft and writing project. Here is a free frog craftivity that makes a fun interactive bulletin board display. Students will connect with a (affiliate) read aloud book, “Leap Back Home to Me” and write about where they would leapfrog to. This simple cut and paste craft pops with a 3D curly …
If you’re working on cause and effect activities during your ELA (English Language Arts) block, then consider these free activities and worksheets. These are worksheets and creative ideas for students in first grade, second grade or third grade to match a cause with the most-reasonable effect. Help your students connect the dots in the relationship between …
12 Easy Cause and Effect Activities and Worksheets Read More »
