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.
Feb 17
Teaching point of view can feel a bit like jumping into a choose-your-own-adventure book. Which narrator are we following? Who’s telling the story? Is it you, me, or someone with omniscient powers? With the Common Core weaving it across multiple grade levels, it’s a must-teach skill—and dare we say, a fun one too. Teaching point …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=7210
Feb 17
Let’s face it—perspective and point of view walk into your classroom hand in hand…and immediately start causing confusion. Your students think they’re twins. They are not. Let’s face it—“perspective” can be one of those slippery ELA terms that makes kids (and sometimes teachers) go, “Wait, didn’t we just cover this with point of view?” Not …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=439
Jan 13
Teaching character traits in upper elementary can feel a little like trying to explain why your dog needs a Halloween costume — confusing at first, but oh‑so rewarding when it finally clicks. Once students realize that traits aren’t just random adjectives but the driving force behind a character’s choices, relationships, and growth, their reading comprehension …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=427
Jan 06
Let’s talk about the setting of a story—you know, that part of the story students like to summarize as “It takes place in a house.” But setting is so much more than where and when a story happens. It’s the engine behind the plot, the mood-setter, the character-shaper. In some stories, the setting deserves its …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=405
Dec 16
Using animated shorts to teach character traits can be a powerful way to engage students in storytelling and character analysis. One fantastic example is the Pixar-produced short film Geri’s Game. This entertaining and content-rich animation provides valuable opportunities for students to explore character traits in depth. Conveniently embedded below, the film is easily incorporated into …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=5618
Dec 09
If you want to add high-interest activities to your lessons, use animated shorts to teach problems and solutions. Animated shorts provide a captivating way to engage students in understanding and identifying problems and solutions within a narrative. This post focuses on using the animated short “Taking the Plunge” to teach problems and solutions. Handouts for …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=5620
Nov 11
Introducing students to the concept of cause and effect can be both challenging and rewarding. Animated shorts offer a unique and engaging way to explore this literary concept. This lesson plan uses the animated short film “Feast” to teach cause and effect. The post also provides a list of interesting animated shorts for additional practice. …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=5619
