Guest Article by Jenna Dubrofsky (A.K.A. Miss Creativity)  Who knew that success could be found in a colored pencil? Three years ago I was online searching for fun, new, and HELPFUL products to use to teach editing in my classroom. I was a third year teacher at the time, but in my first year of
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Guest article by Debbie Clement A MONTH of poetry!!! A full month to celebrate the play of words, the lilt of language and consider my roots as a song writer — all at the same time! What is the distance between song writing and poetry? Songs are poems set to a melody!! As a singer-songwriter
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Changing up the topic choices each month in the writing center is an easy way to hold students’ interests and keep them engaged.  Instead of writing the ideas by hand or worrying about storing a poster that you have written the prompts on, print out this article.  Cut out the writing prompt section and glue
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Building a strong oral language base is just as important as building a strong knowledge of reading and writing.  In fact, for students with reading and writing challenges, oral language activities can be their time to shine.  Use the prompts below for inspiration and to get your students presenting about the things they love.

Graphic organizers are a staple of every elementary and middle school classroom.  The more in-depth students get with their writing and reading, the more important it is to provide them with tools to organize their thoughts and critical information.  If you are tired of using the same old organizers year after year, take a look
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It starts in early elementary school.  The breaking down of sentences and the discussion about parts of speech begin on those alphabet printed area rugs where kindergarteners spend their morning meeting and continue throughout high school.  For those little learners and the ESL/ELL students who are learning the language, it can be a challenging prospect. 
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Make vocabulary fun!  The easiest way for students to remember what words mean and how they are spelled is if they are actively engaged.  Try the ideas below to keep your students’ minds going as they build their vocabulary bank.

Journaling is a great way to get kids writing about the world around them. As some really good teachers know, using journals is also a great way to keep track of student progress and prompt creative thinking. Two of our favorite ideas for journal success come from Joy in Walnutport, PA and Jeanna in Houston,
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Are you ready for some new spelling and sight word activities for the new school year?  Break free of traditional ideas and try these three teacher-tested and approved activities below.  They are sure to increase students’ spelling and sight word retention, as well as, improve test scores!

Idea by Judy, 4th Grade Teacher, Atlantic Highlands, NJ To help my students grow their language and observation skills, I plan a walking trip around our school. As we walk, I offer students a camera and invite them to take turns snapping photos of interesting people, places, and things they observe. Each time a student
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