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 19
Discover the magic of words with our exciting prefix activities! Whether you’re aiming to boost your students’ vocabulary or readying them for advanced language skills, teaching prefixes is essential. With these interactive activities, digital tools, and free organizers, you’ll help your 4th, 5th, and 6th graders master prefixes in a fun and unforgettable way. Why …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=5999
May 12
Teaching suffixes doesn’t have to be dull. This post provides hands-on and digital materials, including organizers, puzzles, videos, anchor charts, Google Slides, and PowerPoints. These activities will help your upper elementary students expand their vocabulary, strengthen their decoding skills, and gain confidence when encountering new words. Lesson Handout And don’t forget, there’s a free handout …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=6006
May 05
Understanding root words can unlock the meaning of many unfamiliar words, allowing students to expand their vocabulary confidently. In this post, I’ll share some fun root word activities, including a free organizer and digital resource, to help 4th-6th graders master six important root words: vit/viv/bio, grad/gress, duc/duct, cur/curs/cours, pon/pose/posit, and man/manu. Students will find these …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=8577
Apr 14
Let’s be honest—getting students to truly understand a story can sometimes feel like asking them to explain the plot of a dream. (“There was this dog… and a time machine… and we were at school, but also on the moon?”) That’s where story mapping comes in. This trusty strategy helps students see how a story …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=4018
Mar 10
Let’s talk about theme. That elusive message lurking behind every story—the one we know is there, but students often treat like a secret code they forgot the cipher for. Some kids catch on quickly. Others? You’ll get responses like “The theme of Charlotte’s Web is… pigs can talk?” (Close, but no.) Thankfully, teaching theme doesn’t …
Permanent link to this article: https://bookunitsteacher.com/wp/?p=383
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. Standards Snapshot …
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
