The March Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by Stacey and Ruth at Two Writing Teachers Our state testing is over, but those testing experiences still seem to linger in my kids' imaginations. Last week, many of my students chose to write their Friday Slice Read More......

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts Nonfiction Monday is hosted by Perogies and Gyoza Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet is writer/illustrator Andrea Chen's masterful collection of Read More......

Poetry Friday is hosted by Ed DeCaria at Think Kid ,Think ! It's that time of year again - the last five weeks of school, and things are both speeding up (trying to fit in everything I can) and slowing down (let's go outside and play - it's much to nice Read More......

I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the lookout for a great inspirational video to show my kids, and I have found a few good ones this year. Recently, I’ve been looking into some good sites for independent films that I can show to my students, which Read More......

The March Slice of Life Challenge is hosted by Stacey and Ruth at Two Writing Teachers For the most part, our dog Sophie leads a very quiet, sedate life - she has her walks, chases a stick or ball here or there, cuddles on the sofa at any given chance, Read More......

On April 24th I announced a surprise that I'd be posting on my blog. Unfortunately, there is a delay and the surprise won't be announced until the beginning of June. Stay tuned! Hey! It's that time of year when kids believe they're on summer vacation Read More......

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts Nonfiction Monday is hosted by Julie at Instantly Interruptible We've been deep into the persuasive essay recently, and are now moving into literary essays. I don't know Read More......

This time of year always brings changes in our building - people announce retirements, new jobs, new opportunities, assignments change, and new people arrive for interviews. And, in my little corner of sixth grade, change is afoot as well. One of my colleagues Read More......

I’ve been so lucky to find wonderful bloggers, teachers and writers who are willing to add their ideas to Lessons From The Middle. This post is by Laura, from 123Contact Form and she’s sharing some info on how you can use quizzes in your classroom. We Read More......

Poetry Friday is hosted by Anastasia at Booktalking As I drive here and there, especially now that Spring has finally arrived, I have started to take note of all the Adirondack chairs that have sprouted up in odd places across the lawns of suburban New Read More......

I just have a quick post this evening. We got some VERY good news at my school this week. After MUCH work, and many hours we found out that we will be receiving an Indigo Love of Reading Grant for $84 000 over the next three years. Yahoo!!!!! That’s $84 Read More......

The Tuesday Slice of Life writing community is hosted by Stacey and Ruth at Two Writing Teachers A day in the life of state testing (or, how to survive a day of state testing)- day one, with three to go: 1. Students arrive extra early for mints, a pep Read More......

Just in case you haven’t heard… TeachersPayTeachers is having their annual Teacher Appreciation Sale today and tomorrow, May 7-8. I’ll be having a sale in my TPT Store as well! Many people find that this is the sale that they like the most! The year’s Read More......

There is an app for that... I n January of this year we feature d a fantastic app devel oper named iTooch Elementary. You can view the full re view here and also see some excerpts below. iTooch was one of our mos t viewed posts this year and I ha ve heard Read More......

Looking to create an awesome web form for your class? Forms are easy as 1-2-3 with 123ContactForm 123ContactForm I've been an avid user of web-sharing documents and web forms and surveys since I began teaching. Whether creating a form for my students, Read More......

Heads up: Be sure to see all of today's post...hint, hint. Visit MyBinding Blog! Dry erase pocket folders are great for a multitude of things. And, thanks to MyBinding, I have them!!! They are fantastic tools to have for getting students' blood flowing Read More......

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Jen and Kellee At Teach Mentor Texts Nonfiction Monday is hosted by Annastasia Suen at Booktalking David Adler's Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad is both a wonderful biography of Tubman, as well Read More......

HI EVERYONE!! It's coming! It's coming! TpT's next two-day sale is May 7-8 (beginning at 12:01 EDT on Tuesday morning and ending at midnight in Hawaii on Wednesday night). I love the sales because it's a time when I can give back! I have many free downloads Read More......

News Flash, Friends! Teacher Appreciation Week! It's a Week Long Sale at my Teacher's Notebook Shop! Running from May 4th to May 10th, you'll find numerous resources for language arts...reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar items of many sorts. Tons Read More......

Web 2.0 Tools in Education Series Mindmapping and Brainstorming Tools: A Quick Guide A mind map is a visual representation in which a person or group is able to share, store, and reference their thinking. In education, we typically begin teaching mind-mapping Read More......