These figurative language teaching tips are just what your 3rd, 4th 5th and6th grade students need to understand similes, metaphors, idioms & more!

Engaging vocabulary activities that don't require any prep? Yes please!

Follow this step-by-step lesson plan to teach your students how

Follow this step-by-step lesson plan to teach your students how

Analyzing writing curriculums, planning writing workshop and teaching writing lessons can be overwhelming. You might think, how am I going to fit everything in and produce successful writers? Where do I start? What skills do they need? This post will share the 7 BASIC WRITING LESSONS that every teacher should teach! With this basic knowledge, students will be able to perform other writing assignments more effectively. The following skills are not only effective in upper elementary, they are often needed at the middle school level for review or the primary level for differentiation. So yes, every teacher should teach them! If you start with these 7 fundamental skills, it will set the expectations for your writing lessons and assignments throughout the year! Frequently Asked Questions What are the basic skills and what order should I teach them? Sentence Structure 1. Complete Sentences Lesson for complete sentences 2. Fragments Lesson for fragments 3. Run-ons Lesson for run-ons Paragraph Writing 4. Topic Sentences Lesson for topic sentences 5. Relevant Details Lesson for relevant details 6. Transition Words Lesson for transition words 7. Closing Sentences Lesson for closing sentences How much time should I dedicate to teaching these fundamental skills? I recommend one day for each skill. If you spend a whole writing block for each skill, students will benefit from the practice. How do I teach each skill? First: Start with an anchor chart explaining the skill. (See each lesson link above for effective anchor charts.) Second: Provide examples. Students can share examples too! Next: Students should take notes. I love using Interactive Writing Notebooks to take notes. Research supports the use of interactive notebooks through studies on multiple intelligences, the brain and note taking. Here are a few videos to Set Up Interactive Writing Notebooks. Click photo for the Upper Elementary Version. A Primary Version is also available. Then: Identify the skill. Provide practice sheets and task cards for students to practice identifying the skill in sentences and paragraphs. Last: Apply the skill. Students should have the opportunity to write their own sentence or paragraph to apply the particular skill. What if I can't fit the lesson in one writing block? If you can't extend the days to complete them, there are other ways to get the whole lesson in. You can put practice sheets or task cards in a center, or you can have students apply the skill for homework or morning work the next day. What if my students, some of my students, or absent students can't do interactive notebooks? Make a small anchor chart to put in their notebooks with the same information! If you don't have a printable poster, take a picture of the anchor chart you used in class and print them off! I hope you found this post helpful and your students become successful writers this year! Connect With Me! TPT Store Facebook Pinterest My Blog

Every day I am given 100 minutes of uninterrupted language arts time in my schedule. In that time I must plan out how to get everything done. My goal is to

Use these creative assignments and activities for teaching students to locate, analyze, and evaluate the use of figurative language in text.

One of the things I do every year that really makes a difference in my students' learning is having them use notebooks to store notes, examples, work, and

Kids will have fun practicing English grammar with these fun, engaging, and hands-on langauge arts games and printables for K-6th graders.

How many metaphors can you find in this poem? In this language arts worksheet, your child learns to spot metaphors.

A detailed outline of the lessons I use to teach figurative language, with a free flipbook to use in your own classroom!

Don’t let adding descriptive words, like better word choice synonyms, in narrative, expository, and informational compositions be tricky for your students! This skill can become MUCH easier for them with these Synonym Charts that include 40 commonly used words. Students will quickly begin writing more descriptively by placing these interesting words right at their fingertips! Let “said” truly be “dead” this time!  Revising will be much simpler for your students when they use these charts for stronger word choice and creating vivid writing for their audience to read! PLUS, these charts give confidence to those struggling writers who just can’t think of the right word! They can also use the included thesaurus booklet to increase depth and creativity in their vocabulary and word selection when writing. They can even personalize this booklet by adding other words they use or have found! Here's what you'll get: 40 Commonly Used Words- Mini Size  40 Commonly Used Words- Full Size  Thesaurus Booklet  Digital Option: Mini Size  Digital Option: Full Size  *Digital Options are compatible with Google Slides and can also be exported into PowerPoint format. *All come in BOTH color and black/white options. Your students will be encouraged to explore and experiment with a broad range of words and expressions in their writing. These Synonym Charts will empower them to choose the most appropriate words to convey their thoughts effectively, ultimately elevating the quality of their writing. Foster their vocabulary growth, writing quality, and language development all while helping your students become more proficient writers! Charts come in a size perfect for student notebooks (can fit 4 to a page) or to place on a binder ring! They can also be used in the standard paper size for classroom/small group display! Printing the Thesaurus Booklet is also a wonderful option for students to have their own Thesaurus on them at all times. Prep is SIMPLE... Just pick the size of the chart and print! OR quickly assign the digital version in Google Classroom or any other platform you use! 40 Commonly Used Words with 12-14 Synonyms: Said, shouted good, bad, nice, mean, cool, tired, happy, sad, excited, scared, mad, laughed, pretty, ugly, little, big, fast, slow, looked, like, funny, fun, a lot, smart, hot, cold, angry, boring, interesting, cry, easy, hard, important, quiet, loud, smelly, walk, and run. TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dana B. says, "This resource is perfect for small groups when we work on stretching our words and creating mind pictures in writing! Each group was given a smaller booklet that they could utilize whenever needed!" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hayley P. says, "These little books are amazing! My 2nd graders love finding words that can spice up their writing and make them sound like bigger kids, they say. Each has one in their ela folder." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Jennifer P. says, "I LOVE this resource- students who are tempted to use the same boring words over and over can refer to their own personal resource booklet and find something better to bolster their writing. Best of all, they can do it INDEPENDENTLY! Thank you so much for this resource!" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Flippin’ for Fourth Grade Fun says, "My kids loved this resource when we learned about using synonyms within our writing instead of repeating the same word over and over. Once students understood the concept, they enjoyed filling out their own pages which we copied and shared with the class." You may also like… → Writing Process Charts → Writing Hooks & Conclusions Charts → Show Don’t Tell Charts Copyright © The Literacy Dive Permission to copy for single classroom use only. Please purchase additional licenses if you intend to share this product.

Teaching POV soon? These mini lessons will make a great addition to any lesson plan! Spoiler alert: includes a commercial that will get your students thinking.

Are you searching for engaging 4th grade myView Literacy activities that inspire and empower your students? Free? PDF? Are you looking to foster independent

Need a simple way to teach context clues? Check out these 3 interactive anchor charts that are perfect for any elementary classroom! Add these lessons and activities to your Language, Reading Literature, and Reading Informational lesson plans to help your students master context clues.

I used to find it the most difficult to teach kids how to expand on their writing. I could help them organize and structure the order that things should go in, but it was difficult for me to pull additional details out of them…without just telling them what would sound better. So, as I do so often

Engaging vocabulary review Ideas & activities that can be used with K-5 students! Five fun & collaborative vocabulary instruction ideas.

This figurative language foldable is a great introduction.Visit us!!

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Time to teach figurative language? It may sound daunting, but there is a SIMPLE and fun way to engage students on this topic!

Are you looking for a fun way to reinforce teaching similes to students? Making simile monsters is always a huge hit! Students will create a fictitious monster and use similes to describe the 5 senses about their monsters. To hook students, I love to read the text Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood (affiliate […]

Are your students struggling with theme? No worries - here are 3 games/centers specifically designed to give students the theme practice they need without boring them with long passages.

I love teaching figurative language! It can be a really fun way to encourage students to make their writing come alive. It also makes the writing process

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This figurative language foldable is a great introduction.Visit us!!

Find powerful point of view teaching activities and ideas including strong books and anchor charts to strengthen students' understanding.

Learn how teaching context clues with nonsense words just makes sense! Help support reading skills in your 1st & 2nd graders today!

The figurative language anchor chart shared in this blog post includes a cooperative activity. Visit this post to download the FREE materials and replicate this interactive lesson in your upper elementary classroom!

The figurative language anchor chart shared in this blog post includes a cooperative activity. Visit this post to download the FREE materials and replicate this interactive lesson in your upper elementary classroom!

If Montezuma had an Instagram account, what would he say when Cortez arrived in…

Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to our V.I.P. exclusive newsletter for SECRET SALES and FREE printables. Note: This blog post contains resources from our TpT store and our Amazon Associate store. --------------------------------------------- The Five W's Song ♫♪♫ Make sure you watch this video to the end to see the brief appearance of "How." So cute! You can't go wrong with the Electric Company! Solve the Mystery! I guarantee your students will be singing this one ALL DAY! Show this video to the students. Why? Because it is so stinkin' cute! Practice summarizing who, what, when, why , where and how. Summarizing Online Games Free Summarizing Lessons FREE Summarizing Sampler This summarizing bundle of activities will save you time and money: Descriptive Writing & Making Predictions Task Cards Fact and Opinion Task Cards Reading Response Journal Reading Strategies Nonfiction Text No Prep Worksheets -------------------------------------------- You may also like this poster from our Amazon Associate store: Teacher Created Resources Summarizing Chart --------------------------------------------- Click HERE to view our Teachers Pay Teachers Promoting Success store. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter for SECRET SALES and FREE printables. Click HERE to follow us on Instagram. Click HERE to follow us on Pinterest. Shelly Anton is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. ** This means there are Amazon affiliate links in these blog posts. This does not mean you pay a dime more when you purchase a product through the link. It just means I am trying to save you valuable teacher time by making it easier for you to find great resources for your students, and I earn a few cents for my research and time. Thank you for all you do for kids!

Find out how to use these free grammar posters in your classroom. From parts of speech, to comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs!

The importance of teaching idioms cannot be underestimated. As English teachers, we both have begun nearly every year of our teaching careers by teaching and reviewing some of the most commonly used idioms. It may not seem that important on the surface, but in reality, if students don’t know that “it’s raining cats and dogs” means that […]

Learning new words is like adding to your writing toolbox.