MINDS IN BLOOM BLOG

holiday writing prompts for the classroom

20 Thanksgiving Writing Prompts

Need some Thanksgiving writing prompts? We gotcha covered! Thanksgiving is nearly here, and I know you want to keep your students thinking and writing till Turkey Day. Here are some fun Thanksgiving writing prompts that will do just that. Perfect for journals, writing centers, bell work, or discussion! Try some of these with your students! You may also want some Thanksgiving writing paper! We have

Goal setting is an important task for students of all ages and grades levels. Our guest blogger shares her thorough process for goal setting with her kindergarten students. She also shares a few tips about how she helps them set goals in reading and math, too.

Goal Setting Steps for Writing

Please welcome Jessica of Mrs. Plemons’ Kindergarten.  Today, she shares with us how she teaches her kindergarten class to set goals for improving their writing.  She included a free goal writing worksheet, as well.  Thanks, Jessica!   Hello! I am Jessica Plemons from Mrs. Plemons’ Kindergarten, and I am so excited to guest post here at Minds in Bloom.  Although I am  a kindergarten teacher,

Research project folders provide a simple way for students to gather and organize information that they research, as well as their sources for that information. Only a few supplies are needed, and the folders even lend to helping students quickly and easily writing rough drafts of their research papers!

Research Project Folders

Hi everyone! I’m Shanon of A Day in the Life of a Title I Teacher. I’m so excited to be a guest blogger here at Minds in Bloom. I love sharing ideas and collaborating with other educators. I am just starting my second year of teaching; I am the Title I Reading teacher at a small school in the Metro Atlanta area. Rachel, thank you for all of the amazing

self-publishing in the classroom

Self-Publishing With Your Class

I am so thrilled to host Susanna Westby from Whimsy Workshop! Her post will tell you exactly how to create a real book! Turns out it is easier and cheaper than I thought.   It’s an old stand-by activity in primary classrooms – the class book. If you’re a primary teacher, you’ve probably done this many times: all students contribute a page, staple it together

Do your students need practice expanding their sentences? Rachel Lynette created three sets of task cards to help you how to do just that! These Super Sentences Task Cards teach students how to make their sentences more descriptive and interesting to read.

Super Sentences Task Cards

Seriously, would you read this post if it started out like this? Students should write good sentences. They should use good words. They should write long sentences. Clearly, learning to expand sentences and choose more precise words is an important part of becoming a good writer. Not only that, but these skills are also part of the Language Common Core Standards. That is why I

We all have fast finishers in our classrooms. Why not give them an extra challenge with these autumn-themed ELA task cards? While these cover a range of ELA topics, they are not based on the Common Core State Standards. Rather, they are focused on encouraging your students to think critically and creatively.

Fall Fun for Fast Finishers!

Now that you have been in school for a few weeks (or in some parts of the country, longer), you have probably figured out who those fast finishers are in your class, and you might be looking for some activities to keep them challenged. Here is a free set of 20 autumn-themed, opened-ended task cards that will do the job quite nicely. Most of the activities are

Idioms Guest Post

Want some ideas for teaching idioms? Head on over to the PediaStaff blog where I am guest posting! I would be thrilled if you would consider leaving a comment while you are there.

Multiple meaning words can be a challenge to teach, especially for English language learners. But, they can be a lot of fun to teach, too! Check out these tips on how to teach multiple meaning words to your class.

Exploring Multiple Meaning Words – and a Freebie!

How cool is it that a duck can be a common water fowl or something you do to avoid being bashed in the head? Multiple meaning words, while somewhat confusing to those who are learning English, are also loads of fun. Not only that, but they are also part of the Common Core Standards across the grades from 1-12: L.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown

ideas for teaching homophones in the classroom

Ideas for Teaching Homophones plus a Freebie!

Eye love teaching homophones! Their are sew many fun activities, and as wee all no, it is an important skill four students two learn inn order too right correctly and meat Common Core Standards. Hear are sum ideas: NOTE: As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. Create Double Homophone Sentences My third graders had a ball with these. The challenge is to put both

What's a fun and engaging way to get your students to write? A top ten writing activity! These are often very appealing to students, because they like to rank things, and they can be used in lots of different ways. Click through to read this post with my suggestions for all of the different ways that you can use a top ten writing activity in your class.

Try a Top Ten Writing Activity

Have you tried having your students write top 10 lists yet? I love top 10 lists for several reasons: Use for Critical Thinking Top 10 lists require higher level thinking, as students must evaluate different options, weighing one against another to decide not only what to include but also the order of the items they do choose. You can also extend the activity by asking students to justify

Did you know that there is a right way to write? Many teachers and parents don't realize this. Our guest post from an occupational therapist discusses the right way to write and the writing, coloring, and painting utensils that you need to throw out or modify to teach students to hold those utensils correctly.

Teach Your Students the Right Way to Write

Guest blogger, Loren Shlaes is a registered pediatric occupational therapist and a regular contributor to the special needs blog at PediaStaff (where this post is also being published). This is the fourth in a series of posts from Loren about how to help students who may be challenged with attention, sensory, or other issues be successful in the classroom. Most likely, you have at least a few students with these

Spring Writing Prompts for students

20 Spring Writing Prompts

A prompt picker is included with the free Spring Writing Prompts Download! Need some Spring journal prompts for kids? We gotcha covered! Spring has sprung, and I know you want to keep your students thinking and writing while they’re feeling extra refreshed! Here are some fun Spring writing topics that will do just that, enhancing and developing their writing skills. Perfect for journals, writing centers,

St. Patrick's Day Writing Prompts

20 Fun St. Patrick’s Day Writing Prompts

Need some St. Patrick’s Day writing prompts? We gotcha covered! St. Patrick’s Day is nearly here, and I know you want to keep your students thinking and writing while they’re feeling extra lucky! Here are some fun March writing prompts that will do just that. Perfect for journals, writing centers, bell work, or discussion! Try some of these with your students! Have you heard about

fun writing prompt ideas for my classroom

20 Fun Dr. Seuss Themed Writing Prompts!

This prompt picker is included with the free Dr. Seuss download! Need some Dr. Seuss themed writing prompts? Whether you’re studying Dr. Seuss or just looking for something fun for your students to write about, these fun writing prompts might be just the thing you need! Perfect for journals, writing centers, bell work, or discussions! Try some of these with your students! You may also

Valentine's Mystery Read Aloud

20 Great Valentine’s Day Writing Prompts

Here are some interesting writing prompts to try with your students this week: Write about a person that you love. What makes this person special? We often say that we “love” something. For example, “I love chocolate.” What is the difference between loving a person and loving a thing or activity? Do you think that animals feel love? Do you think a dog can feel

A pensee poem is a fun poem used to described a particular subject. Each line is comprised of a certain count of syllables. Challenge your students with this free pensee poem. Click through to download it now!

Free Pensee Poem Activity

Kitten Soft and fluffy Meows until I pet her There on my favorite pillow Purring with contentment. A pensee poem is a 5-line, non-rhyming patterned poem that is both fun and easy to create! Like many other poem patterns, it is a great opportunity to practice syllables. Here is the pattern for writing a pensee: Line 1: Subject (2 syllables) Line 2: Description (4 syllables) Line

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