Case Closed: Bringing Mystery-Themed Activities into Your ELA Classroom

I know it often feels like you just don’t have time to do all the things in your classroom. And it’s true, you don’t! But you do have plenty of time to choose a few things to do well. Today we’re going to talk about a few supplementary activities to include in your mystery unit and which skills are targeted through these purposeful additions. Hope you’re ready for some fresh ideas today, joyful readers, because I’m here to deliver.

continue reading

Solving the Reading Mystery: Integrating Anchor Texts with Student Choice

Like most other teachers, I was absolutely frightened when I was told I needed to run a choice reading unit. How will I keep track of everything? How do I manage a class full of students reading different books? These questions kept me up at night! I then realized that I was expected to do this alongside my regular curriculum and then my mind was REALLY blown. Thankfully, after years of trial and error, I got pretty good at it and it helped me realize why this is such a powerful practice. In today’s episode, I’m going to give you my best recommendations for anchor texts in the mystery genre and then I’m going to give you practical strategies I

continue reading

Unraveling the Mystery: Engaging Students with Sleuthing Stories

Mysteries continue to dominate best-selling book lists worldwide. Huge names like James Patterson, Stephen King, Riley Sager, Freida McFadden, and so many more are consistently seen leading the charts when it comes to book sales. Why do people love this genre so much and how can we leverage that enthusiasm in the classroom? Stay tuned for today’s episode! We’re going to dig into all things mystery and discover how you can use this genre to get your students excited about reading.

continue reading

Best Practices for Independent Reading: 3 Strategies to Enhance Any System

Hi there, joyful readers! When you start thinking about implementing independent reading, inevitably you’re going to have a lot of questions. I’m gathering 3 of my most frequently asked questions and addressing them in today’s episode to help you get started with implementing your own system. It doesn’t matter if you’re brand new to the practice or a seasoned veteran, this episode has helpful strategies no matter where you are on your journey. Let’s get to it.

continue reading

The Low-Down on Literature Circles: How One Dynamic Practice Can Transform Your Students into Joyful Readers

Today’s episode is very near and dear to my heart and I am so excited to begin this journey with you. I knew early in my teaching career that literature circles were going to be an important part of my practice. Watching the power of literature circles in molding lifelong readers was transformative for me. Lit circles aren’t new. Maybe you’ve heard of them, but have been too afraid to try them, or maybe you’re a seasoned pro and have been running lit circles for a long time. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, tune into today’s episode because I’m going to break down exactly why this practice belongs in your 21st century ELA classroom and how we’re

continue reading

Let’s Get on the Same Page: Key Independent Reading Terms Explained

Pop Quiz: What do you call the instructional practice where students self-select a book or choose from a list of pre-selected titles before reading it independently and completing some kind of assessment? Did you know that most of the people listening to this podcast right now probably have a different answer? We’re going to dive into this strange conundrum today. Stay tuned.

continue reading

Case Closed: Bringing Mystery-Themed Activities into Your ELA Classroom

I know it often feels like you just don’t have time to do all the things in your classroom. And it’s true, you don’t! But you do have plenty of time to choose a few things to do well. Today we’re going to talk about a few supplementary activities to include in your mystery unit and which skills are targeted through these purposeful additions. Hope you’re ready for some fresh ideas today, joyful readers, because I’m here to deliver.

continue reading

Solving the Reading Mystery: Integrating Anchor Texts with Student Choice

Like most other teachers, I was absolutely frightened when I was told I needed to run a choice reading unit. How will I keep track of everything? How do I manage a class full of students reading different books? These questions kept me up at night! I then realized that I was expected to do this alongside my regular curriculum and then my mind was REALLY blown. Thankfully, after years of trial and error, I got pretty good at it and it helped me realize why this is such a powerful practice. In today’s episode, I’m going to give you my best recommendations for anchor texts in the mystery genre and then I’m going to give you practical strategies I

continue reading

Unraveling the Mystery: Engaging Students with Sleuthing Stories

Mysteries continue to dominate best-selling book lists worldwide. Huge names like James Patterson, Stephen King, Riley Sager, Freida McFadden, and so many more are consistently seen leading the charts when it comes to book sales. Why do people love this genre so much and how can we leverage that enthusiasm in the classroom? Stay tuned for today’s episode! We’re going to dig into all things mystery and discover how you can use this genre to get your students excited about reading.

continue reading

Best Practices for Independent Reading: 3 Strategies to Enhance Any System

Hi there, joyful readers! When you start thinking about implementing independent reading, inevitably you’re going to have a lot of questions. I’m gathering 3 of my most frequently asked questions and addressing them in today’s episode to help you get started with implementing your own system. It doesn’t matter if you’re brand new to the practice or a seasoned veteran, this episode has helpful strategies no matter where you are on your journey. Let’s get to it.

continue reading

The Low-Down on Literature Circles: How One Dynamic Practice Can Transform Your Students into Joyful Readers

Today’s episode is very near and dear to my heart and I am so excited to begin this journey with you. I knew early in my teaching career that literature circles were going to be an important part of my practice. Watching the power of literature circles in molding lifelong readers was transformative for me. Lit circles aren’t new. Maybe you’ve heard of them, but have been too afraid to try them, or maybe you’re a seasoned pro and have been running lit circles for a long time. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, tune into today’s episode because I’m going to break down exactly why this practice belongs in your 21st century ELA classroom and how we’re

continue reading

Let’s Get on the Same Page: Key Independent Reading Terms Explained

Pop Quiz: What do you call the instructional practice where students self-select a book or choose from a list of pre-selected titles before reading it independently and completing some kind of assessment? Did you know that most of the people listening to this podcast right now probably have a different answer? We’re going to dive into this strange conundrum today. Stay tuned.

continue reading

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