Halloween Read Alouds

My students LOVE Halloween and I LOVE reading aloud to them, so here are a few of my favorite Halloween read alouds that are perfect for upper elementary students!

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.  

The Ugly Pumpkin

This is a Halloween/Thanksgiving twist on the classic fairy tale The Ugly Duckling. The Ugly Pumpkin waits all season long for someone to take him home for Halloween, but no one will. He doesn't look like the other pumpkins, so he sets off in search for a place where he will fit in.  Sure enough, he finds exactly where he belongs - BUT, it's not at all what he expected!

Teaching Ideas:

Themes: Loving yourself, fitting in

Grammar: 

Adjectives - this book is filled with great adjectives for your students to find including: ugly, bright, crispy, late, cruel, overrun, odd, and happy.

Adverbs - your students can find a plethora of adverbs including: plainly, early, when, alone, awhile, then, and finally.

Verbs - See if you can challenge your students to write some sentences using the verbs in the story: waiting, picked, looking, getting, tricked, laughed, rolled, and happened.

Writing: This book is an adaptation of a fairy tale, see if your students can write their own adaptation of The Ugly Ducking or the fairy tale of their choice.

Pumpkin Jack

If you are a Kindle Unlimited Member, you can get the Kindle version of this book for FREE here!

Tim carves a pumpkin that is fierce and funny.  A pumpkin like that deserves a name, and so he gives him one - Jack. Tim loves Jack so much that he keeps him "Long after the best trick-or-treat candy was eaten".  He keeps Jack until it begins to rot and Mom tells Tim to throw it out.  He takes it into the garden instead, and that is where the magic begins! He watches it throughout the year as it undergoes many changes until becoming his Jack'O'Lantern again. 

Teaching Ideas:

Themes: Loyalty, friendship

Grammar: 

Adjectives - fierce, first, funny, perfect, good, best, warm, magic, different, wrinkled, silly, bright, orange, brown, colder, flatter, cold, heavy, faded, crumpled, distant, thin, warm, hot, green, hidden, tired, new, tattered, pale, limp, wet, withered, unripe, bright, and generous.

Figurative Language - There are many examples of figurative language throughout the book:

"...the brown ghosts of last summer's plants"

"Flowers opened on the plant each morning, yellow stars that twisted shut forever in the afternoon."

"...searching for green pumpkins like hidden treasures."

"... the pumpkin plant seemed tired."

"The frozen plants seemed changed to pale blue glass."

Science: This book has a great science tie-in with the life cycle of a pumpkin.

Bone Soup

This fun little tale is a Halloween adaptation of the classic Stone Soup. Finnigin is infamous for his ravenous appetite.  Every where he goes he carries his eating stool, his eating spoon, and of course his gigantic eating mouth.  

When he happens upon a new town, all of the creatures there have been warned about his ravenous hunger, and they lock up all of their food.  Finnigin stirs up some delicious Bone Soup and tricks them all into sharing with him.

Teaching Ideas:

Themes: sharing

Vocabulary:  There are so many great vocabulary words in this book including: wits, ravenous, barren, impending, plague, locusts, panic, spare, cauldron, ceremoniously, splintered, ghoul, delicacy, stammered, fetched, stash, wistful, and longingly.

Punctuation: Many of the sentences include commas and quotation marks.  You might give students samples of these sentences without the punctuation and ask them to correct them.  You could also ask them to find the sentences and generate some punctuation rules for them.

Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich

If you are a Kindle Unlimited Member, you can get the Kindle version of this book for FREE here!

This book of poems is filled with monster size problems!  Frankenstein's cupboards are bare. The Creature from the Black Lagoon doesn't wait an hour before swimming and goes into the bog too soon.  The Phantom of the Opera has a song stuck in his head.  The witches have watchers. And, don't even get started on Dracula's hygiene issues!

If your students are fans of Shel Silverstein poetry, they will love these ones!

Teaching Ideas:

Writing: Have your students write their own Halloween poems.

Figurative Language - Can your students find the figurative language throuout the book?

Onomatopoeia

" Cack cack-a-doodle-a DOOOOOOOOO!"

Alliteration

" Fancy folk avoid his feet"

"the personality of plaid"

At the Old Haunted House

If you are a Kindle Unlimited Member, you can get the Kindle version of this book for FREE here!

The rhyming text of this book makes it so fun to read!  At the old haunted house there are all kinds of creatures: a big ma monster and her wee monsters two, a scrawny black cat and her wee kittens three, a green pa goblin and his wee goblins four, and even more!

Writing: Have you

Teaching Ideas:

Writing: This would make such a great mentor text for writing all sorts of things.  Have your students use the same model to write a story book, or to teach about a non-fiction topic.

What are your favorite Halloween Books to Read Aloud?  Share with us in the comments!

Keeping Up With Parent Communication Using ClassTag

Do you ever struggle to communicate with your students' parents?  I know I definitely have!  It is so important that we make it a priority to communicate with parents positively and frequently BEFORE a major problem happens.  But, the big question - how do we do that without it being a major hassle when our plates are already overflowing?

Enter ClassTag!  This awesome parent communication app is completely FREE to use, is super easy to set up, translates in over 50 languages, delivers messages to parents via their personal preference (sms, email, or paper), and allows teachers to communicate about school supplies, back to school info, volunteering, activities, assemblies, and more!

This is a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.

Some Benefits I LOVE:

1. Office Hours

You can set up office hours in ClassTag.  You get to specify the hours that you will be available to respond to your messages.  Parents can still send messages whenever it's convenient for them, but, you will only get push notifications during your office hours.  This is so important when you are trying to juggle the work/home life balance!

2.  Rewards

Activities on the app earn you points that can be redeemed for rewards for your classroom.

3. Class Supply Lists

You can create supply lists for your families to reference.  The best part is that they have made it super easy with ready created supply lists.  Just delete or add anything that you need included. You can even update this list throughout the year.  You know, like in January when everything needs to be replaced!


4. Communicate With One or All Parents

Using the app, you can choose to communicate with an individual parent (for a behavior issue or to give a compliment) or for the whole class (for upcoming events or announcements).


5. Parent Teacher Conferences

Scheduling parent teacher conferences is a breeze with the app!  You can schedule the times that you are available, and parents can sign-up for available times right on the app!

6. Even More Rewards!

I already mentioned that teachers can earn rewards for their classroom just by communicating with parents, but... ClassTag has added another opportunity for teachers to gain resources they need in their classroom!  They have joined the #clearthelists movement started by teacher, Courtney Jones.

ClassTag is going to clear the list of one lucky teacher every day for the entire school year!  You can find out how to take part here.

If you haven't signed up for ClassTag - click here to get signed up for FREE right now!

I would love to hear all the ways that you use ClassTag to communicate with parents!  Please share in the comments below!

 I would love to hear from you! ❤️

Have a question? Idea for a resource you might find helpful?

Be so kind and leave a comment below.

5 Fun Back To School Activities, Icebreakers, and Community Building Games

If you are a teacher prepping for the first few weeks of school and are looking for fun back-to-school games for your students to learn more about each other and how to work together, I've got you covered!

The best part is that you can use many of these same games and strategies throughout the year for learning and practicing content, so it helps to introduce them in an easy and non-threatening way!

1. Getting to Know You Heads Together

Place students into small groups of 4-5.  Have students take turns answering questions about themselves.  Use a timer to give them 30 - 45 seconds to respond.  Then have each of the groups share out their answers.  You may ask them to pick one or share the one that was most common in their group.

After the first round (which should only have one question to enable them to get started comfortably), help them learn how to keep track of time and to listen to what their classmates have said.  Repeat other rounds over the next few days, or have students share the same things with different peers.  Here are some sample questions:

• What is a movie or a book you have seen or read lately that you really liked? Why?
• What two words describe you? Why?
• If you became the principal, what is one thing you would change about this school if you could?
• If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?

2. Stand Up If It Is True For You

Many times students are embarrassed to participate in classroom activities because they think that no one else thinks like they do.  This is a fun way to help them see how much they have in common with their classmates.

Read one question at a time, and have the students stand up if the statement or question is true for them.  You can enhance this activity by having students meet with the people who stood up for a certain question or statement to share their answers in more detail.  Here are some sample questions:

Stand up if you:

• Were born inside/outside the United States.

• Were born in this state.

• Have a sibling.

• Play a sport.

• Have ridden a horse.

• Have ever broken a bone or needed stitches?

• Have a blue toothbrush.

3. Find Someone In The Class Who

Give students a list of descriptions (for example: who went to visit a relative during summer vacation or who has no brothers or sisters) and have students try to find a student who fits that description.

Students will walk around the room trying to find a student who fits that description.  When they find one, that student should write their name on the paper. The student will then move on to another student with the hope that that person will meet one of the other characteristics on their list.  The goal is to meet and talk to as many people as possible within the time limit to put one name by each of the characteristics.  I usually give students about 10 minutes to complete this activity.

4. Two Truths and a Lie

Ask students to write down three statements about themselves, two that are truthful and one that is a lie.  The rest of the class takes turns trying to decide which one is a lie.  You could also do this as a small group activity.

5. Who's In My Circles?

This is an activity that allows students to know their classmates better by having each one add their names to others' topic "circles" of loves, likes, and dislikes.

Have students draw three circles like the picture above.  They can add the one thing that they love, that they like and that they dislike.  Topics can include things like food, hobbies, sports, or books or movies they have read or seen.

The other students walk around adding their names to the circle's section that they agree with.

I use pre-made circles placed in sheet protectors because I use this activity throughout the year.

You can find all of these games and a few more in my Back to School Collaboration Activities here.

 I would love to hear from you! ❤️

Have a question? An idea for a resource you might find helpful?

Be so kind as to leave a comment below.

The Best Back-to-School Blog Posts

Back to School Season is fast approaching!  I know, I know, I'm trying to avoid thinking about it too, but it is so much easier if we are prepared ahead of time!

I have plenty of things to share with you the next few weeks to help make Back to School a little easier!  Today I am sharing a collection of blog posts from some of my teaching friends that will set you up for back-to-school success. There's something for everyone PreK - middle school! So without further ado, here are a few of my favorite teacher blog posts (labeled by grade) to help set you up for success in the coming school year!

K - 6th Grade

Start the School Year Off Right! will help you get ready for the busy season.  My friend, Melissa Bonito from Peas in a Pod offers some great tips and tricks to help set the stage for a smooth school year. You won't want to miss her top 5 back to school tips, and how she goes about teaching classroom procedures!  That's ALWAYS the tricky part!

2nd - 5th Grade

I am all about building student relationships and I have shared compliments with my students right on the door so it is the first thing they see each day for several years during Valentine's Day.  My students LOVE it and so many of yours do as well!  This year, I decided to implement this idea EVERY month.  My first month I will share why My Students Are Amazing, on adorable apple templates.  Hint**There's a freebie in this post so you can do this with your students as well!

K - Middle School

In Organize & Transform Your Classroom, Suzy Memeo from StudentSavvy offers some awesome tips for creating a space that makes you happy! Since our classrooms are truly our homes away from home, this is SO IMPORTANT! She will guide you as you come up with your plan, locate the problem areas in your classroom, and tackle them. Her classroom designs are a must see!

Prek - 3rd Grade

The BEST way to improve student reading performance is to make sure that they are reading!  Read all about creating a life long love for reading within each of our students in My Favorite Way to Increase Reading Engagement by Paula Beckerman from Paula's Primary Classroom. She says, "After 25 years of teaching early childhood, I haven't found any magic tricks that always work for everyone, each child is unique after all!  There is, however, something that has served me incredibly well, year after year." Find out what it is HERE!  Also, you should check out her Facebook page where she shares so many other great tips and strategies for primary teachers (and parents of students in this age range as well)!  On a random side note, her Australian accent is adorable!

1st - 8th Grade

Classroom Management - It will either be the case of you sinking or swimming during the school year!  If you don't accomplish anything else during the first weeks of school but to have control of your class, then you have done a good job! Read more about how Kathleen Guleksen, from A Plus Kids, does just that!

Thanks for checking out the list of our favorite back-to-school posts. We'd love to hear your tips for a smooth year in the comments below!

And... before you go, make sure to visit my Giveaways page to enter our weekly giveaway to win a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card!

My Students Are Amazing Back to School Door Decoration

Every Valentine's Day, I decorate my classroom door with Reasons Why I Love My Class.  My class is always so excited to read each of the new reasons as I post a new one each day.  I shared this freebie, so that your students could enjoy them as much as mine did.  Several of you asked for me to make them for ALL of the months.  So, that is what I am working on now!  Here is the classroom door display for September (Back to School Apples)!

This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love. 

I made a sign that said My Students Are Awesome.  Then I printed an apple template on several pieces of card stock and cut them out (I printed on red, yellow, and green card stock since those are the colors of apples).  I wrote various reasons why my class is amazing including:

They are smart.

They are kind.

They always try their best.

On the first day of school, I will hang up the My Students Are Awesome sign and the first apple.  Each day of the month I will hang up a new apple.

In addition to the My Students Are Awesome signs, I also created grade specific signs as well (K- 6th are included in the freebie).  Here is the 4th Graders are Awesome sign:

I also have two different font choices available to best suit your students!

I have made a freebie for you just in case you wanted to try this project out with your own students.  You can download it here.  

Here are the other monthly versions that are already completed.  Check back for new postings each month!

February

March

April

If you decide to do this project, I would love to see pictures!  Please email me at kellys3ps@sbcglobal.net or tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter!

And... before you go, make sure to visit my Giveaways page to enter our weekly giveaway to win a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card!

 I would love to hear from you! ❤️

Have a question? Idea for a resource you might find helpful?

Be so kind and leave a comment below.

Classroom Management Tips Every Teacher Can Use

As any teacher knows, effective classroom management is the key when it comes to getting your students to learn.  I am always on the lookout for new classroom management techniques, even when we have guest speakers, such as author, Gary Hogg, who came to teach us how to be better writers.  After all, if a person is able to manage 300+ students during an assembly, they must have a few tricks up their sleeve!  here are a few classroom management tips I picked up during his visit that any teacher can use!

1. Use Catch-Phrases and Visual Aids

In addition to teaching the students about writing, Gary also gave them important life lessons about managing distractions, putting effort in your work, and more. As you can see in the picture above, Gary Hogg had posters of a variety of different catch phrases that he used to teach a certain point about behavior and work ethic.   

He would tell the students a story using the catch phrase several times. Each time he said the catch phrase, he gestured towards the poster with that phrase.  The students caught onto these phrases quickly, and began implementing them almost immediately.  

I have been able to use these posters to reinforce the catch phrases in our classroom.  

2. Manage Your Distractions

One of the biggest problems in teaching has got to be distractions!  I know you have been there, in the thick of teaching a lesson when you notice that one of your students is playing with something and not paying attention at all!

Well, Gary Hogg has obviously been there too, because he had a catch phrase a poster for this one!  Manage your Distractions!

The very first thing that he told the students was to put their pencils underneath their notebooks so that they wouldn't be distracted while he was teaching them.  So simple, yet effective!  The students weren't playing with the pencils, or going on ahead before directions were given!  This is definitely an idea that I have kept going in the classroom and it has been a game changer!

He also told them that distractions happen in twos - when you become distracted, you distract someone else.  He said, "It will distract me and it will distract the person next to you."

You can watch this video of Gary telling a story about a student managing their distractions.

3. Playing Your Brave Card

We all have those students who just don't participate in lessons.  Gary had a phrase for that one too!  Play Your Brave Card!

As he went through one of the activities during our writing workshop, he said to the students, "Some of you have not raised your hand, are you playing your brave card?"  Hands immediately shot up!

 Gary Hogg talks about Playing Your Brave Card in this video below.

4. Encourage Students to Do Their Best - Be Amazing, Not Annoying

We all have students who don't put forth their best effort!  It's disheartening to see a student who you know can do amazing things just barely even try.  Gary offered the students this advice:

He told the students, "You are amazing but sometimes you let distractions get a hold of you!"  He told them that sometimes when they did their school work, they didn't put forth all of the effort that they could have. He said, "There is not a teacher on Earth that can make you feel smart, if you do not do the work!"

"Be Impressive, Not Lazy!"  He told them!

Would you use any of these classroom management tips?  Leave a comment below to let me know if you would or if you try any of them!

If you want to find more about Gary Hogg, check out his website and his YouTube page!

And... before you go, make sure to visit my Giveaways page to enter our weekly giveaway to win a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card!

 I would love to hear from you! ❤️

Have a question? Idea for a resource you might find helpful?

Be so kind and leave a comment below.