“Scoop It” Fluency Phrasing Task Cards are geared toward elementary-level students. They’re easy to use and perfect for the classroom! They can be used in many ways and are helpful for introducing, reviewing, practicing, and assessing fluency phrasing with your students. These task card sets can be sent home for practice, used as a center, incorporated into Daily Five, or used in small groups. Directions… View Post
Practicing oral reading fluency throughout the summer is a great way for children to further develop reading skills and prevent summer regression. Fluency is the glue that holds together oral reading and comprehension. Without fluency, students may have a difficult time understanding the text they are reading. It is the path to comprehension and is a key foundational skill for… View Post
I’ve always been fascinated by circuses, especially traditional ones from the late 1800’s that traveled by circus train from city to city, bringing along tents, animals, and performers. Maybe it was my obsession with Dumbo growing up (I loved anything Disney!), or the recent novels I’ve read, but I’ve been intrigued and wanting to learn more! After recently reading Water for Elephants and The Night Circus (great… View Post
Spring is finally showing its colors around here. I see daffodils in my garden and tulips about to bloom. I’m going to ignore the fact that they had snow on them two days ago (really, Mother Nature?!), as the weather went back down into the 30’s. I guess that’s “spring” in WNY though. To celebrate the sprinkling of spring days that we’ve… View Post
In an effort to encourage students to use text-based evidence in their written responses this year, the third grade team in my building started using the B.R.E.A.K. writing strategy. Kudos to my colleague Jill, from Differentiated Drake, who came up with this acronym and strategy. She has some wonderful classroom posters and materials to reinforce this awesome writing strategy, and it has helped our students tremendously!… View Post
