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.
May 20
One of the most essential skills for reading comprehension is using context clues, and incorporating context clues anchor charts can be especially effective. Context clues are words or sentences that help us determine the meaning of new or unfamiliar words. Using anchor charts can improve students’ vocabulary, help them understand the text better, and enhance …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=8580
May 06
Teaching students to draw conclusions can feel like handing them a secret decoder ring. Suddenly, they’re unraveling mysteries, decoding hidden messages, and piecing together the puzzle of meaning like literary detectives in training. This post shares a complete lesson plan to help upper elementary students connect clues, evaluate evidence, and draw logical conclusions from what …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=7243
Mar 25
Helping students understand the difference between making inferences, drawing conclusions, and predicting outcomes can feel like untangling a ball of yarn, but it’s a skill worth mastering. This post shares a comprehensive lesson plan to help 4th-6th-grade students master the art of making inferences. The lesson includes essential questions, vocabulary, engaging activities, and resources to …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=7239
Mar 04
Today’s students are swimming in information—from books and movies to podcasts and YouTube shorts. To truly understand what they’re seeing and reading, students need to make connections between different forms of media and the original text. Teaching RL.4.7 That’s where RL.4.7 steps in—like a bridge between books and screens. This standard focuses on helping students …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=17401
Feb 26
If you’ve ever read a student’s paragraph and thought, “Okay, but what is this even about?” — you are not alone. Main idea is one of the most important comprehension skills students need… but also one of the trickiest for them to master. So, how do we get students to move past vague answers like …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=718
Feb 05
Teaching poetry can feel intimidating— especially when words like iambic tetrameter start flying around. But rhythm and meter aren’t just for English majors. When taught with the right tools and a little creativity, these concepts can actually be fun—and even make your classroom sound like a (slightly more organized) poetry jam session. This is the …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=20848
Jan 29
Let’s be honest: if you’ve ever had a student say, “Pizza is the best vegetable,” you already know the line between fact and opinion is a little blurry in upper elementary. But now more than ever—between clickbait headlines, viral TikToks, and that one kid who swears sloths can outrun cheetahs—it’s crucial to teach students how …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=7365
