Latest Reading Posts from the Blog

How to Promote a Love of Poetry in Upper Elementary
It seems like every reading curriculum I’ve used over the years never has enough “meat” to the poetry unit. Some curriculums didn’t even include poetry

How Using Question Stems Changed the Way I Teach Reading
Each school year, it seems like more and more gets added to my school day, but the time I have to teach stays the same.

Graphic Organizers: 5 Simple Tips That Can Improve Student Learning
There’s a reason why graphic organizers are popular from elementary school through college! These simple but powerful sheets of paper allow students to actively participate

4 Super Simple Ways to Effectively Use Anchor Charts to Teach Reading Skills
If you’re here, there’s about a 99.5% chance that you’ve used anchor charts in your classroom. Anchor Charts have had a revolution over the last

Using Task Cards to Boost Reading Comprehension
Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard a teacher say, “I need more for my students to do. We just never have enough to fill

Fun and Effective Nonfiction Text Feature Activities
“Nonfiction Text Features” at first glance may may not sound super exciting, but it’s such a fun reading concept to teach! It’s not a phrase

Choosing “Just Right” Books in Upper Elementary
The topic of “just right” books has become big in recent years. A quick search of Pinterest or Google will bring up a plethora of

What are Strategy Groups in Reading and How Best to Use Them
In the world of teaching reading, there are certain staples that have been around forever, that teachers pretty universally agree are valuable and worthwhile. Guided

How to Make the Most of Reading Assessments
Does your school or district require you to do reading assessments a certain number of times per year? I’ve heard of teachers who are required

Effective Alternatives to Round Robin Reading to Promote Oral Reading Fluency
For better or worse, there are certain things in the world of education that seem to stick around no matter what. An apple for the

Why Reading Centers Are More Important Than Ever in the Upper Elementary Classroom
With the ever-changing landscape of the upper elementary in-person (and virtual) classroom over the past few years, reading centers are more important than ever! After

Do These Puzzle Pieces Fit? Using Text Evidence to Make Inferences
Making inferences is a super important skill for both 4th and 5th graders. Luckily, the process for making an inference is simple. Just take some