Blog - Your Thrifty Co-Teacher

St. Patrick’s Day Books for Upper Elementary Students

Picture books and read alouds are a great way to educate students on different holidays and St. Patrick's Day is a perfect day to share silly stories, funny limericks, and historical picture books. Here are a few St. Patrick's Day books for upper elementary students that you can read aloud this March. (This blog contains Amazon Affiliate links, which means that Amazon throws a few ... Read More about St. Patrick’s Day Books for Upper Elementary Students

Context Clues Activities for 4th & 5th Grade

Do you have students that regularly come up to you and ask you, "What does this word mean?" This happens to me every year. It usually happens with students who are reading text that is either "above" their reading level or is a non-fiction book that contains Tier 3 words. Teaching context clues and how to find them serves readers well. It increases their reading comprehension and cuts down on the ... Read More about Context Clues Activities for 4th & 5th Grade

ELA Valentine’s Day Activities for Upper Elementary

Besides Halloween, Valentine's Day is at the top of the list when it comes to kids' favorite holidays. Thinking about trading cards and candy gets them really excited the days leading up to the holiday. As teachers, we know 'if we can't beat them, join them' is the way to go. The best way to do this is to come up with Valentine's activities for upper elementary students that will not ... Read More about ELA Valentine’s Day Activities for Upper Elementary

Valentine’s Day Picture Books for Upper Elementary

Picture books and read alouds are a great way to bring a classroom community together, and Valentine's Day is a perfect day to share books about friendship, love, and kindness. Here are a few Valentine's Day books for upper elementary students that you can read aloud this February. (This blog contains Amazon Affiliate links, which means that Amazon throws a few pennies my way if you ... Read More about Valentine’s Day Picture Books for Upper Elementary

Possessive Nouns Activities for Upper Elementary

Do your upper elementary students seem to get confused on when and where to add the apostrophe to a possessive noun? Mastering possessive nous rules definitely takes a lot of practice. It involves first mastering plural nouns then becoming aware of where to add the apostrophe. Whoa! This is why offering a variety of possessive nouns activities is so beneficial. This post will give you several ... Read More about Possessive Nouns Activities for Upper Elementary

Opinion Writing Anchor Charts for Upper Elementary

Teaching new writers how to gather evidence and plan for text-based writing can be challenging. Transitioning them over to actually writing the essay where they must weave those ideas into a well developed and organized essay is just as big of a task. Below, are some ways you can use opinion writing anchor charts to give 4th and 5th grade students tangible examples of how to make their writing ... Read More about Opinion Writing Anchor Charts for Upper Elementary