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School and the City

Ideas and Resources for Your Elementary Classroom

My Literacy Block

I receive a lot of questions about how I run my literacy block. At my school, our schedule is blocked out, but I have freedom to arrange my own blocks (if that makes sense). So my literacy block is 9:40 - 11:15, and this is what I've decided to do with it: We start right away with our minilesson. Students are fresh from recess and eat their snacks while I read and model strategies. From there, ... Read More about My Literacy Block

Thanksgiving Reading Freebie: Text Features

I am SO thankful for you, so I thought I'd share a freebie with you that I hope will be useful in your classroom!My text features products are some of my absolute favorites.I originally created them my own classroom. I needed a way to assess my students’ understanding of text features other than by observation, and I wanted the assessment to tie in curriculum and relevant content. Thus, this ... Read More about Thanksgiving Reading Freebie: Text Features

Why I Hold Student-Led Conferences

At the end of the first quarter, teachers at my school are expected to hold conferences with each child's parents. This is the third year that I have chosen to do student-led conferences, and I don't plan on ever turning back! Let me tell you why: It takes a LOT of pressure off of me. Students do a lot of the preparation and the spotlight is on them.  Students take responsibility for their ... Read More about Why I Hold Student-Led Conferences

Writing Conferences

I'm really trying to be better about holding writing conferences this year.These simple questions have completely changed the quality of my writing conferences:🔹 What did you write about? Why?🔹 What was the easiest part of your writing process?🔹 What was the most challenging part?I've found students to be very open and honest. It's helped me build relationships and obtain valuable insight. It ... Read More about Writing Conferences

DIY: Interactive Bulletin Board

My Curriculum Night was just a few weeks ago, and I wanted to find something to keep parents busy while they waited in the hallway. I decided to bring my students' writing to LIFE by recording themselves reading it! Here's a detailed tutorial to show you just how EASY it is!     I used the Voice Memos app on my iPhone to record students reading aloud. It was very easy to trim and alter if needed, ... Read More about DIY: Interactive Bulletin Board

Opening a New Classroom After the Start of the Year

On a recent Instagram story, I mentioned that we earned a new unit for our 3rd grade team. I'm not sure how common this is, but you all had lots of questions for me! I had 25 students in my class, which is the state maximum for first, second, and third grades. However, we had to wait for the ten day attendance count and allotment funding to come through before hiring a new teacher. We were so ... Read More about Opening a New Classroom After the Start of the Year