Teaching using novels is great, but how can you actually assess their comprehension skills? Here are seven ways I’ve used in my upper elementary classroom. Keep students on track during a novel study with these different ideas for assessing comprehension.
Make sure you read to the end for something you can use today! Start with Character Traits as Vocabulary Inferring character traits is one of the skills I love to start the year with. Fourth graders usually have some prior experience, which is helpful. The bonus is that it’s a
This post may contain some affiliate links, which means if you click on one of the links and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. You will never incur a fee or charge for this. Reading is my thing. Two things my students learn about me quickly- I love
Understanding the genre of a text is important to determining how to analyze it. You wouldn’t breakdown a fiction text the same way as a nonfiction text, nor would you analyze a mystery text like a science fiction novel. These genre activities will help with introducing genre and reviewing it
Science has always been my weakest subject. So when I first heard about the “science of reading,” I was skeptical, because a) anything involving science is usually harder for me to understand and b) trendy educational movements never last. Lucky Me I had the opportunity to take the LETRS course,
Five must have tools for small group reading instruction in upper elementary.
Why are choice boards such a big deal? I’ve shared before about how providing students with options helps with classroom management. It not only gives the students a sense of control, but it also provides major buy-in for completing each activity. Knowing they don’t need to do everything can also
The beginning of teaching setting is just having students figure out the time and place of a story. By upper elementary grades (especially 4th and 5th), we’re ready for the deep dive into analyzing the role of the setting and how it affects the story. Historical fiction is the best
Combining subjects is a great way to gain more instruction time and help students to have a deeper understanding about a topic. It’s also going beyond just written response paragraphs to text based questions. If you have a limited time for teaching each subject, this integrated approach to reading &
Building a reading classroom community can be a challenge. These ten ideas will help you create a positive reading environment in your upper elementary classroom.
The first FIVE days of lesson plans for the beginning of the year.Visual, clickable resource grid.Free & delivered to your inbox. 
