Friends, I am SO excited to talk all things READING today.  One of my greatest educational pursuits is to help grow lifelong readers.  Beyond the walls of our classroom, I want my students to reach for a book when they're curious or bored or lonely or content.I always share with students ... Read More about Fostering a Love of Reading in Upper Elementary

I used to dread narrative writing units. There.  I said it.  Ha! It always felt like the genre of writing that was quick to veer off course, leaving me feeling like I was attempting to nail Jell-O to a tree. I would feel defeated as a teacher and I felt disappointed in ... Read More about Narrative Writing in Upper Elementary

Well, we are about 13 weeks into the 2020-2021 school year and for us, 12 have been in-person, face to face.  Our first week was virtual and then we jumped into a hybrid situation of two groups per day.I'm going to preface this with the following statement: Every district, city, and area is ... Read More about Teaching Face to Face in 2020

Last week, we returned to school... virtually.  We spent our first week together through Google Meets and while I was filled with worry about it, the week turned out to be amazing! Obviously, we had to make some modifications and think outside the box a bit but we made it work.  I ... Read More about Back to School… Virtually

I am so excited to share all things WRITING today! Because I've taught several different grades, I come to fifth grade knowing a bit more of the progression students have experienced as writers.  We have Lucy Calkin's Units of Study available to us, and I also have been trained in Step Up to ... Read More about Writing in Fifth Grade

Today, let's talk about all things MATH!  Specifically speaking, math scheduling in our fifth grade classroom. I'll start out with honesty: As a student in school, I struggled terribly with math.  I had to WORK for a B and nothing came "easy" in the area of mathematics.  It ... Read More about Our Upper Elementary Math Schedule