Writing

Fun and Easy Substitute Teacher Lesson Plans for Writing

Hey there! Looking for some Substitute Teacher Lesson Plans for Writing? I have some fun ideas that will keep your students writing even when you have a Substitute Teacher. This post does contain an Amazon Affiliate link. If you purchase anything through this link I will receive a small commission at no cost to you! Thank you! Substitute Teacher Lesson Plans for Writing: Pick a Prompt Leaving lesson plans for a substitute teacher is always a challenge. So, I started leaving these fun Picture Writing Prompts with Choices for my substitute teachers, and my students always looked forward to writing

Image of sticker stories. Text: Fun and easy way to improve creative writing skills: Sticker Stories!

The Fun and Easy Way to Improve Creative Writing Skills: Sticker Stories!

Creative writing skills are powerful tools that allow students to explore their imagination, improve their communication skills, and develop a love for storytelling. Read on to discover ways that using Sticker Stories in your classroom can help your student to improve their creative writing skills! This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links to some super fun stickers you could use in your classroom. If you purchase anything through these links, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you! Many students struggle to find inspiration or structure their ideas effectively. “Sticker Stories” are a fun and engaging way

Blog Post Cover: Shows children dressed up for halloween. Text: Writing Center Refresh October!

Inspire Creativity: Refresh Your Classroom Writing Centers This October

Keeping your classroom writing centers fresh is a great way to keep your students engaged in writing! This post has some great writing centers for October! This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. If you purchase anything through these links I will receive a small commission at no cost to you! Thanks! You can find my September Writing Centers Refresh Post HERE! Writing Center or Writing Centers Whether you have a permanent classroom writing center, or you switch out your writing centers periodically the ideas in this post can keep your writing center(s) refreshed, up-to-date, and creative! I loved having a

Image of a teacher and student being silly. Text: Writing Center Refresh: Silly September!

Easy Classroom Writing Center Refresh for a Silly September!

A million years ago when I was a brand new baby larva teacher, I wanted to do all the things! I set up a writing center in my classroom. Then, the students used the heck out of it for 2 weeks, then never looked at it again. I had put everything that I had for writing in that center, and my students lost interest. Wah, wah! I learned that refreshing my writing center every so often piqued my students’ interest again! So, I started doing a monthly writing center refresh! In this first post of my new blog series, I

Image of boy writing with narrative writing graphic organizers in the background. Text: How to Teach Narrative Writing with Fun Writing Graphic Organizers.

How to Teach Narrative Writing with 3 Fun Writing Graphic Organizers

Narrative writing was always my favorite type of writing to teach. The stories that my students came up with were AMAZING! The problem was, they always lacked organization, they would leave important parts out! They would have a great lead, but there was no problem in the story. Or, they had a problem, but no solution. Fortunately, I created something that helped us tremendously! Graphic Organizers! In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of using graphic organizers in the classroom and show you how to leverage them to improve your students’ narrative writing abilities. From types of organizers to

Cover Image of hands folding a piece of paper into a mini-book. Text: How to Make Fun and Easy Mini-books for Your Classroom Writing Center.

How to Make Mini-Books for Your Classroom Writing Center! Fun and Easy!

How to make mini-books is a question I get quite often! What is it about a mini-book that makes it so appealing? Students see one and want to fill it with pictures and writing! So a win-win situation: You get your students to write more, and your students get a mini-book! So, read on to find some fun ways to make mini-books with or without a mini-book template! How to Fold One-Page Mini-Books There are several different ways you can fold 1 piece of paper into a mini-book that doesn’t require any staples! You can use blank copier paper or

Image of a copy box with a sign saying "Writing Center" taped to the side. Text: How to Set Up and Awesome Classroom Writing Center!

How to Set up an Awesome Classroom Writing Center. Simple and Fun!

When I was a little one, I loved anything to do with paper. Cutting, gluing, folding. My poor mom always had tons of paper creations. Somehow they always magically disappeared, unless they could be hung on the refrigerator, then they generally became part of the fridge museum. There are probably a few still there now! That being said, my favorite (and the students’ favorite) part of my classroom was always the classroom writing center! It doesn’t have to be anything big or elaborate! Here are some simple classroom writing center setups that are simple and effective, and will be a

Image of Water Slides with title: Tips for Preventing "Summer Slide". Preventing summer learning loss.

How to Prevent Summer Learning Loss: 5+ Tips for Beating Summer Slide

Summer is the best, isn’t it? Except for the dreaded “Summer Slide” or Summer Learning Loss. Read on for some tips to prevent summer learning loss! (This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you! Thanks so much!) Prevent Summer Learning Loss Tip 1: Read! Encourage your child (or students) to read over the summer! Many libraries host summer reading programs where children can earn prizes for summer reading! Our local library also has an amazing app that lets you check out and read books digitally.

Why Teach Prewriting to Elementary Students? 5 Prewriting Strategies to Improve Student Writing

I love teaching writing! One thing that I don’t love about teaching writing is when my students would say “But, I don’t know what to write about!” and then they would spend their independent writing time…. well… not writing. One thing that I have taught my students that really helped with eliminating the dreaded phrase was Pre-Writing! Prewriting is an essential part of the writing process, and teaching it to elementary students can have a significant impact on their writing skills. I would like to share with you 5 prewriting strategies to improve student writing. Prewriting Strategies #1: Talk About

Text: Mini-Books in your classroom writing center. Image of cute little girl looking surprised at her own writing.

Kids LOVE Making Mini-Books! Why You Should Add Them to Your Classroom Writing Center

Do you have a classroom writing center? It was the only “permanent” center that I had in my classroom. It really was the most popular spot in my classroom! I spent time each month finding new and interesting ways to keep it fresh. My students LOVED writing and they LOVED the writing center. By providing fun writing materials my students could let their creativity run wild! Mini-Books are the perfect addition to your classroom writing center! Mini-Books are Fun! Blank Mini books are a great way to engage students in creative writing and storytelling. When you have a mini-book you

Text: Playful Poetry Lesson Plan - Free-Verse Image of a girl and teacher writing together.

How to Write a Poem: Fun Free-Verse Poetry Lesson Plan for Kids

Poetry Lesson Plan Free-Verse Freebie Poetry Lesson Plans are fun! Okay, so I am no Shakespeare or Amanda Gorman, but I love writing poetry and teaching students to write poetry too! Read on to see how I teach Free-Verse Poetry Writing! This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase anything through these links I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no cost to you! Thank you! Free-Verse Mini Lesson Plan I always favored the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model if you have read any of my other writing mini-lesson posts. In a nutshell: I do (teacher

Text: Playful Writing Mini-Lessons - List Writing. Image shows a child making and alphabet list

Playful Mini-Lessons: Make a List Writing Prompts for Students

List Writing Prompts were always a hit in my classroom! Who doesn’t love a good list? Most students have some experience with list making, either they have seen a list, helped write a list, or have written their own list (Christmas anyone?). Lists are fun to write, especially when the topic is a little silly! This post does contain some affiliate links for Amazon. If you purchase anything through these links, I will get a small commission from Amazon at no cost to you! Thanks so much! Mini-Lesson for List Writing Prompts I like using the Gradual Release of Responsibility

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Writing

Fun and Easy Substitute Teacher Lesson Plans for Writing

The Fun and Easy Way to Improve Creative Writing Skills: Sticker Stories!

Inspire Creativity: Refresh Your Classroom Writing Centers This October

Easy Classroom Writing Center Refresh for a Silly September!

How to Teach Narrative Writing with 3 Fun Writing Graphic Organizers

How to Make Mini-Books for Your Classroom Writing Center! Fun and Easy!

How to Set up an Awesome Classroom Writing Center. Simple and Fun!

How to Prevent Summer Learning Loss: 5+ Tips for Beating Summer Slide

Why Teach Prewriting to Elementary Students? 5 Prewriting Strategies to Improve Student Writing

Kids LOVE Making Mini-Books! Why You Should Add Them to Your Classroom Writing Center

How to Write a Poem: Fun Free-Verse Poetry Lesson Plan for Kids

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