Welcome to my index blog page, where I share literacy ideas and teaching materials for upper elementary students. I create various resources to help educators teach multiple reading skills to their students.
My blog includes several series, such as “Teaching Types of Conflicts with Movie Trailers,” “Plot Structures,” “Making Connections,” “Story Elements,” and “Figurative Language.” These series make learning engaging and interactive. I also offer resources to teach literacy skills like vocabulary, comprehension, figurative language, and spelling.
Teaching literacy can be challenging, so I give away many free resources that educators can use in the classroom or at home. I want to provide educators with practical, easy-to-use tools to help their students become confident readers.
I hope my index blog page will inspire and motivate educators to use innovative teaching methods and help their students excel in their literacy skills.
Apr 14
Story mapping is a powerful strategy that helps students to deconstruct and visually arrange the elements of a novel or short story. Students can analyze important story elements such as characters, setting, plot, and theme using graphic organizers. Visual maps help students better understand literature and see how various story elements interrelate. Why Use Story …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=4018
Mar 10
Teaching students how to find a book’s theme can be rewarding and challenging. While some students grasp the concept quickly, others need more practice. With the right strategies and resources, you can make teaching themes more fun for your students! Lesson Handout Here are five tried-and-true methods for helping your students identify themes in literature. …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=383
Feb 17
Teaching points of view can be both challenging and exciting! It’s an important skill, and the Common Core covers it across grade levels. Understanding how a narrator’s perspective shapes a story helps students become more thoughtful readers. Quick Overview of Point of View Standards: 4th Grade: Compare and contrast first- and third-person narrations. 5th Grade: …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=7210
Feb 17
Students must understand perspective to grasp how stories are told and interpreted. While point of view identifies who narrates the story, perspective deals with the narrator’s interpretation of events and characters. This post shows practical ways to teach perspective using activities and resources. Lesson Handout This handout includes printables and instructions for all activities listed …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=439
Jan 13
Understanding character traits helps students comprehend literature and enhances their writing skills. When students can identify character traits and comprehend how these traits influence a story, they become better readers and writers. Defining Characters Before studying character traits, students should understand character development. Characters in stories are more than just their physical descriptions—they have personalities …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=427
Jan 06
Have you ever thought about how a story’s setting can dramatically change its direction? The setting can shape a character’s story, whether it’s the eerie, fog-covered streets of London or a vibrant summer camp. With these activities, your students will learn the power of the setting of a story in literature! The Importance of Setting …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=405
Aug 19
This blog post outlines comprehensive lesson plans I created for teaching sound devices to fourth and fifth-grade students. The lessons cover alliteration, rhyme, and onomatopoeia and are presented in PowerPoint format to facilitate engaging and structured teaching. The two PowerPoint lessons are nearly identical, with just one difference: the 4th-grade version includes rhyme slides, while …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=944
