Welcome to my blog index page featuring posts for upper elementary students who want to improve their writing skills. Teaching writing can be challenging, so I’ve compiled a range of posts to help you with your lessons.
My post categories include writing strategies, writing skills, capitalization and punctuation, narrative writing, teaching text structures with songs, teaching text structures, teaching persuasive techniques with commercials, and parts of speech. You’ll find ideas and free teaching materials to make your lessons more effective and engaging.
You can browse my posts by clicking on the images below or using the search bar on the right. You can also subscribe to my newsletter for updates on new posts and freebies. Whether you’re looking for tips on enhancing your students’ skills, making writing more fun and interactive, or integrating writing with other subjects, you’ll find something worthwhile on my blog.
I hope these posts will support your upper elementary students’ writing development and inspire them to become confident writers. Happy teaching!
Mar 09
In Part 2 of the series “Teaching the Persuasive Technique – Testimonial,” 2017 Super Bowl commercials are featured. Many stars came out to promote products. Actors, sports figures, and even Bill Nye the Science Guy promote products. With a 30-second spot costing $5 million, many companies went with big celebrities. Check out these materials for teaching …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=4158
Feb 23
Music has a way of telling stories, and many songs highlight challenges and the solutions that follow. In this post, we’ll explore songs your students can analyze for the problem-and-solution text structure, making reading skills both fun and memorable. A special thank-you goes out to Nancy Davis’s middle school music class, whose thoughtful song suggestions …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=4146
Feb 16
Cause and effect is one of the trickier text structures to teach, but songs make it stick. This post is part of my series on using music to teach text structures. While finding songs that clearly show cause-and-effect relationships took some digging, the results are worth it. From heartfelt ballads to humorous camp letters, these …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=4105
Feb 09
Sequencing doesn’t have to be dry, especially when students are listening to songs they love. This post is part of my ongoing series on using music to teach text structures. Last week, we explored compare and contrast. This week, we’re diving into sequencing. From historical ballads to personal biographies and story-driven lyrics, songs offer a …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=4130
Sep 15
Read definitions of the different text structures including examples and grab the free printables to make this Text Structures Anchor Chart. Text structures are the different organizational patterns nonfiction texts can be written. Which should you teach text structures? Teaching students the basic structures will greatly improve students’ abilities to analyze informational text. When students …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=3571
May 09
If your students are naming their essays things like “how to Train your dragon” or “Diary of a wimpy kid,” then yes—it’s time for a quick and cheerful intervention on writing titles correctly. Capitalizing and punctuating titles isn’t just about grammar… It’s about helping students present their ideas with polish and pride (and pass 5th …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=3103
May 05
Let’s be honest—teaching upper elementary students to spell tricky words is right up there with untangling headphone cords and getting glitter off your desk: not impossible, but definitely a challenge. That’s where mnemonic devices come in to save the day (and your sanity). Mnemonics are those clever little tricks that help students remember the spelling …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=3101
