Writing

I LOVE using Writing Journals with my students.  So much, that I am doing a blog series about Journal Ideas for Elementary Students!  Welcome to Part 1! Please note that this post does contain Amazon Affiliate links.  If you purchase anything from Amazon through these links I receive a small commission at no cost to you! Keep reading and don’t forget to grab your freebie! 5 Journal Ideas for Elementary Students! Creating Writing Journals To get started you will need some journal writing ideas of the type of journals that you want to create for or with your students.  There

Hello all!  Thanks so much for stopping by for another Book Talk Tuesday! This week’s Mentor Text is perfect for teaching How to Writing! This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon (if you would like to get your own copy of this book!).   How To Writing with How to Train a Train! This week I am talking about How to Train a Train by Jason Carter Eaton. This is a great book for introducing How To Writing and personification. Of course, if you want a train of your own, you will need to catch one.There are several methods of

I LOVE teaching my students to write poetry!  I love writing poetry myself. Haiku is my favorite type of poem to teach and to write! I would like to share with you just how I go about teaching this in my classroom and the books that I use to as Mentor Texts for teaching Haiku Writing! I have teamed up with some other amazing teachers from the Reading Crew to bring you this fun hop with great giveaways and freebies! This post contains affiliate links for Amazon.  If you purchase through my link I get a small commission with no cost to

  My writing center is the hub of my classroom!  It is everyone’s favorite spot!  Read on to find 4 fun and engaging writing center activities! Pssssstttt…keep reading, I think I see a freebie in your future! This post does contain affiliate links.  If you use the link I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support.     The writing center in my classroom is a combination of Paper Storage and Maker Space.  The kiddos get what they need or want, then find a spot in the room to do their writing or

  April is poetry month!  So over the next few weeks, my Mentor Text Monday posts will all be Mentor texts for teaching poetry! This post contains affiliate links for Amazon. By purchasing an item on the Amazon site using these links, I will receive a small commission on your purchase (with no extra cost to you). For more information about my Disclosure Policy, please visit this link!   I love teaching poetry! There is so much freedom in writing short bursts of texts, that don’t always have to follow the “rules”, or have strict rules so you have to be really creative

Ah, sight words.  They need to be taught, and retaught, then taught again.  It is so well worth the time when your kiddos are reading fluently, but not much fun to teach all the time.  I have a fun word work idea to share about something new I started in my classroom the other day. So far, so good! Fun Word Work Idea! So, this year we decided to forgo weekly spelling tests and focus more on Word Work.  We have five sight words a week, then focus on a chunk or chunks of those words for word work for

I really enjoy teaching writing a description to my second graders! I make it highly engaging with Secret Snacks, Beanie Babies, and technology! 1. Writing a Description of a Mystery Snack As a team, we start with each class choosing a “mystery” snack.  I do a whole mini-lesson about using our senses to write a description.  Then, they get their paper with the graphic organizer, and a snack, and go back to their seats to write.  Of course, they also get to eat their snack!  The next step is to come back together to write a detailed description of the snack that we shared.

Free Halloween Writing Project Hey there, teacher friend! Did you come here looking for a Fun October Poem and Writing Activity? Perhaps you’re looking for a great Halloween Writing Freebie?Either way, you are in luck! Each year about this time we read a poem called If a Giant Monster.  I am not sure who wrote the poem, but it is about inviting monsters in to have something to eat.  Of course, this lead to a discussion about what Monsters eat.  It got a little grisly, but we had some good giggles. We also talked about what monsters might pay with if they had “monster