Close reading lessons are more effective when teachers use resources specifically designed for close reading practice. Learn how non-fiction seasonal close reading resources allow students to celebrate school holidays while practicing important reading skills.

Close reading helps students gain skills that will help them grow as complete learners. In this blog post, I’m sharing more about why close reading is so important for our students and practical ways teachers can incorporate close reading into our classrooms.

Task cards are incredibly versatile. In fact, they are so versatile that there are probably ways to use task cards you’re not familiar with. Let me share 10 ways to use task cards in your upper elementary classroom.

If you’re not already sold on using task cards in your classroom or if you would like to use them even more effectively, keep reading!

Today I’m going to dive into what task cards are and how they benefit you and your students.

We’ve talked about how students can only become stronger readers by reading. And we’ve talked about how providing students with choice builds enthusiasm for reading as well as reading stamina. And of course, we’ve talked about how traditional reading logs do little to support goals for student reading. See previous blog posts here, here, and here.

If you’ve read the blog posts linked above, you know why I developed a new kind of reading log. And you know what a difference it made with my students. My year-long editable reading logs are available in my TPT store. I have them available for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.

I wanted to walk you through how to use these reading logs. Click below to watch the video. I’ll also take you through the steps below.

Students don’t like traditional reading logs. Neither do parents. And, if we’re honest with ourselves, teachers don’t like them either. Learn what to use instead and how it revolutionized my classroom.

Have you ever told a student he couldn’t choose a particular book to read because it wasn’t the right level for him and seen the light go out of his eyes? I have. Learn what classroom practices kill students’ love of reading and what to do instead.

Teachers need a way to hold students accountable for getting their reading practice in. The result? Reading logs. For reading logs to be successful in your classroom, you need your students to get on board. Here’s how to accomplish that while also getting parents on board.

As reading teachers, one of our biggest goals is to instill a love of reading in our students while building comprehension skills. One of the best ways to accomplish both is by utilizing strategies such as Literature Circles or Book Clubs. While many people use the terms synonymously, they’re actually quite different. Which strategy is best for your Upper Elementary students? Let’s take a look at both.

On Read Across America Day, move the focus from Dr. Seuss Week to its intended purpose – encouraging students to celebrate reading. Rather than focusing on one author, it’s the perfect time to create a reading day for exploring diverse children’s literature from multiple writers. Here’s how I celebrated Read Across America in my upper elementary classroom in the simplest, but most effective way.