Reading in the Mountains - Teachers Pay Teachers

📘 Tuesday Classroom Find

Help students navigate Esperanza Rising with a resource they can keep right inside their novel!

These tri-fold literary analysis bookmarks give students quick access to important characters, vocabulary, themes, symbols, settings, and other literary elements as they read.

📚 A practical companion for novel studies, guided reading, independent reading, or small groups in grades 4–6.

👉 Check it out here:

Esperanza Rising Tri-Fold Bookmarks | 4th 5th 6th Grade ELA Lit Novel Guides Help students navigate Esperanza Rising with these printable Literary Analysis Bookmarks! This resource includes two tri-fold bookmark pages that are stacked and glued in the center to create a sturdy bookmark and novel guide students can use from the first chapter to the last. Instead of flipping t...

📚 Monday Strategy: Plot Puzzle

After a chapter, write 5–6 important events on separate index cards and mix them up. In pairs, students put the events in the correct order.

Then add a challenge: remove one card and have students identify what’s missing and why it matters.

✨ A quick way to practice sequencing, recall, and understanding how events connect.

📌 Saturday Save Idea: Build a 5-Minute Activity Jar

Those random 5–10 minutes at the end of class can be hard to fill. Make a grab-and-go activity jar now and use it all year!

Write quick ELA tasks on slips of paper:

📚 Summarize today’s reading in exactly 10 words.
✏️ Write one question you would ask a character.
🔎 Find one important detail and explain why it matters.
🎨 Sketch a symbol from the text and label its meaning.
💭 Write one prediction about what could happen next.
📝 Choose the most important event from today’s reading and defend your choice.

Put them in a cup, jar, or envelope near your teaching area. When you unexpectedly have a few minutes left, pull one out and students can respond on notebook paper or a sticky note.

✨ Save this now and you’ll always have a meaningful activity ready when a lesson ends early!

📘 Tuesday Classroom Find

Working on phonemic awareness and beginning spelling skills? These blank Elkonin Boxes give students a simple, hands-on way to segment words, identify individual sounds, and connect sounds to letters.

They’re easy to use with your own word lists, making them a flexible, no-prep tool for literacy centers, small groups, intervention, or independent practice.

✨ A simple printable you can use again and again in K–1!

👉 Check it out here:

Elkonin Boxes Blank | Sound Spelling | K - 1st Grade | Printable Resource Experience the best of both worlds in phonemic awareness with our Elkonin Sound Boxes - Dots with a Slide! Designed for educators and TPT sellers, this resource combines tactile engagement with directional guidance to enhance phonemic manipulation, blending, reading, phonics, and spelling skills. Di...

📚 Monday Strategy: Character Evidence Board

Give each group a character’s name on a piece of chart paper. Students add sticky notes with actions, words, thoughts, and choices that reveal something about that character.

Once finished, groups use their evidence to write one statement describing the character.

✨ A hands-on way to move students from simply describing characters to supporting their ideas with evidence.

📌 Saturday Save Idea: The “Fast Finisher Folder”

One simple classroom tool that can save you time all year? Create a folder of activities students can grab when they finish early.

Fill it with:

📚 Independent reading responses
✏️ Creative writing prompts
🧩 Vocabulary activities
🎨 Text-based coloring or reflection activities

Having these ready means fewer interruptions, smoother transitions, and more meaningful work time for students.

Save this idea now and build your folder a little at a time—you’ll be glad you did when those extra minutes pop up!

💬 What’s your favorite activity to keep on hand for early finishers?

📘 Tuesday Classroom Find

Looking for a simple way to keep students engaged while reviewing Of Mice and Men?

These section-based word search puzzles give students a chance to revisit important vocabulary, key details, and ideas from the novel while strengthening their understanding of the text.

Each activity is organized by section, making it easy to use throughout your unit for review, independent work, or a quick reading extension. Students get meaningful practice without feeling like they’re completing another traditional worksheet.

📚 Great for:

* Novel study activities
* Vocabulary review
* Reading extensions
* Early finishers
* Sub plans

👉 Check it out here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Of-Mice-and-Men-Wordsearch-Puzzles-Section-Reviews-10th-11th-Grade-ELA-15949482

💬 Do your students enjoy reviewing a novel more with puzzles, writing, or hands-on activities?

Of Mice and Men Wordsearch Puzzles | Section Reviews | 10th 11th Grade ELA Make reviewing each section of Of Mice and Men engaging and effortless with this set of 6 word search puzzles-one for every section of the novel! This resource includes 72 total vocabulary words carefully selected to reflect key characters, settings, and themes, helping students stay focused on impo...

📚 Monday Strategy: The Sticky Note Snapshot

Looking for a quick way to get students actively thinking while they read?

Try this simple sticky note strategy:

1️⃣ Give students a few sticky notes while reading.

2️⃣ Ask them to mark:
📌 Something important they noticed
📌 A question they have
📌 A connection they made
📌 A moment they want to discuss

3️⃣ Use their sticky notes for partner conversations, small groups, or whole-class discussions.

✨ This takes only a few minutes but helps students become more active readers and creates natural discussion points.

A simple strategy you can use with any novel, short story, or article!

📌 Saturday Save Idea: The “Emergency Lesson Folder”

One small thing that can save you during a busy school week? Create an emergency folder with activities you can grab at a moment’s notice.

Add a few go-to resources like:

📚 A short reading activity
✏️ A meaningful writing prompt
🧩 A review game or puzzle
🎨 A creative extension activity

Keep a digital folder or printed binder ready for those unexpected schedule changes, early finishers, or days when you need a backup plan.

Your future self will thank you! 🙌

💬 What’s one thing you always keep in your emergency teacher folder?

📘 Tuesday Classroom Find

Looking for a creative way to wrap up your The Giver unit while helping students think deeply about the novel?

This hands-on Community Quilt Project gives students the opportunity to work together to represent important ideas from the text through symbolism, color choices, quotes, and written analysis. Instead of a traditional end-of-unit assignment, students create a visual project that shows their understanding of the themes and society in the novel. (Teachers Pay Teachers⁠)

Students collaborate in small groups to design quilt squares, explain their choices, and connect their artwork back to the text. It’s an engaging way to combine literary analysis, creativity, and teamwork. (Teachers Pay Teachers⁠)

🎨 Great for:

* End-of-unit projects
* Novel study extensions
* Small group activities
* Arts integration
* Alternative assessments

👉 Check it out here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Giver-Community-Quilt-Project-Small-Group-2-Day-Lesson-Plans-Arts-Unit-15923293

💬 Do your students enjoy showing what they know through creative projects or traditional writing assignments more?

The Giver Community Quilt Project | Small Group 2 Day Lesson Plans Arts Unit Engage your middle school students with this hands-on The Giver project that combines symbolism, text evidence, and collaborative learning into one meaningful ELA activity. This The Giver project is designed as a creative alternative to a traditional essay, allowing students to analyze theme, symbol...