Oct 20
Every November, I like to take a little time with my students to pause and honor the sacrifices of veterans. Veterans Day is an important holiday, but it can also feel tricky to teach in elementary classrooms. The good news? There are lots of ways to connect Veterans Day to reading, writing, and critical thinking …
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Oct 13
Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that sneaks up on teachers – just when you’ve finally found your groove in the school year, boom! You’re planning turkey crafts and writing prompts. If you’re looking for activities that are more than “color a cornucopia,” I’ve got you covered. These ideas mix literacy, critical thinking, and a …
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Oct 06
If there’s one topic that instantly gets upper elementary students talking, it’s superheroes. Instead of battling their obsession (we all remember the Great Spider-Man Drawing Phase of September), why not harness it for learning? These superhero writing activities turn capes, villains, and secret identities into creative writing gold. I’ve pulled together five of my favorite …
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Sep 28
Persuading students to write can sometimes feel like convincing your dog to take a bath. You offer snacks, encouragement, maybe a pleading tone… and they still look at you like, “Are you serious?” Luckily, switching up writing prompts can work wonders. When students get excited about what they’re writing, their pencils (and imaginations) start to …
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Sep 22
Have you ever noticed that newspaper articles don’t waste time with suspense? They hit you with the most important facts right away. Boom—who, what, when, where, why, and how—all in the first few lines. That’s not laziness; it’s strategy. It’s called the Inverted Pyramid, and it’s the writing style journalists have been using for over …
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Sep 15
Getting students to write with purpose, voice, and a clear sense of audience can be challenging. That’s where the RAFT writing strategy comes in. It’s your secret weapon for turning “What do I write?” into “I’ve got this!” Lesson Handout This handout includes all the RAFT examples in student-ready format. Just print and teach. Get …
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Sep 08
This is the third post in my series on teaching persuasive techniques (sometimes called propaganda devices). In this lesson, we’ll focus on loaded terms—words designed to stir emotions—and explore how they’re used in commercials to influence an audience. To make the lesson even more practical, I’ve also included a short video on using analogies in argument …
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