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articles to motivate, educate & differentiate
HUGE LIST OF ENGAGING READING RESPONSE ACTIVITIES BASED ON LEARNING STYLES
In terms of writing, this may be where many parents find themselves really butting heads with their students. Many kids don’t see the point of writing outside of school, or... Read More
Huge List of Easy Ways to Avoid the Summer Slide
When most people hear the term summer slide, their heads probably fill with images of water parks or lazy days at the playground. The term conjures up far more stressful... Read More
Mentor Text to Celebrate Diversity in the Classroom!
There’s a beautiful and vast amount of human diversity on this planet, but not everyone understands how to recognize differences and similarities in a kind way. Within these texts, students... Read More
Building Friendships in the Classroom Using Lyrics
Make new friends, But keep the old, One is silver and the other gold. In the 1970s, thousands of Girl Scouts and Brownies would link arms, stand in friendship circles... Read More
20 Mentor Texts that Reveal the Power of Positive Thinking
“You do not find the happy life. YOU MAKE IT.” – Camilla Eyring Kimball Deadlines, bills, relationships, work, and loss are only a few of the common stressors that we... Read More
How to use Lyrics for Conflict Resolution
Google ‘The gangs fight in the street, West Side Story’ and you’ll see 7 ‘gangsters’ dancing their way into battle. With their nice sweaters and gym shoes, they do twists... Read More
5 EASY WAYS TO TEACH ACADEMIC VOCABULARY FOR MASTERY
You’ve made the important and necessary decision to spend some time on direct instruction for academic vocabulary. If you hadn’t made that decision, allow us to convince you with this... Read More
Long List of Song Lyrics For Classroom Management
Everybody clap your hands…clap, clap, clap, clap. Have you ever tried a lyric to get your students’ attention? Developing rules and routines is one thing. Finding ways to implement them... Read More
3 Reasons Why You Should Teach Academic Vocabulary
Vocabulary instruction is something that many teachers struggle to include in their busy schedules. Best practices require many repetitions and exposures to new words for students to actually acquire them... Read More
Top 20 Lyrical Mentor Text To Teach Literacy – You got the beat!
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you… Because I’m happy Clap along if... Read More
Earth Day Mentor Text – Learn How To Restore Our Earth
Earth Day, April 22—- NOT canceled! Just because we’ve been socially distancing from each other this past year doesn’t mean we should do that when it comes to the Earth. ... Read More
A Collection of Mentor Texts Ideal for Teaching Poetry Elements
“Keep A Poem In Your Pocket” In her first two stanzas, Beatrice Schenk de Regniers writes: Keep a poem in your pocket And a picture in your head And you’ll... Read More
The Best Ways to Prepare Students for Standardized Tests
Taking tests is anxiety-provoking for many people including our students. Standardized tests or state assessments seem to increase the stress around a situation with which some students (and teachers) already... Read More
Amazing Books and Collections for Women’s History
“The work of today is the history of tomorrow and we are its makers.” Juliette Gordon Low ——– ‘No’ was a word Amelia Earhart wouldn’t accept. In fact, after hearing... Read More
Top 12 Mentor Text Used To Teach Different Types of Poetry
O Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore art thou Romeo? Well… perhaps Romeo, Romeo isn’t thy cup of tea-omeo! Maybe you’re more of an Amanda Gorman kind of poetry enthusiast. With her rhythmic... Read More
12 Cinderella Stories from Around the World
“A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.” What comes to mind when you read these magical words? A pumpkin transformed into a carriage? A servant girl’s small foot fitting... Read More
Effective Mentor Texts to Help Students See Proper Punctuation
Let’s Eat Grandma! What??! So, so sorry, dear reader. Please pardon my mistake. I wasn’t actually suggesting we eat kind, loveable, sweet grandma! I just meant to say that it... Read More
Amazing Mentor Text to Teach Character Traits
Teaching character traits and character development is so much easier using mentor text! In rich literature, authors craft their stories so we can feel like we know the characters. They... Read More