Hollie Griffith Teaching

Hollie Griffith Teaching Educational Resources for the Elementary Teacher

One thing I've learned...Character isn't built during one morning meeting.It's built through everyday choices.Helping a ...
09/27/2026

One thing I've learned...

Character isn't built during one morning meeting.

It's built through everyday choices.

Helping a classmate.

Telling the truth.

Owning a mistake.

Trying one more time when something feels hard.

That's why I love weaving character into reading instruction.

These passages give students meaningful practice with text evidence while introducing character traits they can actually understand, discuss, and apply in their own lives.

Reading with purpose.

Character with purpose.

That's a win-win.

Comment "gratitude" or "self control" or "determination" or "compassion" and I'll send it your way

LinkDM *331*

This one is SUCH a good read it... then do it.Kids can read all about why pinecones open and close...Then put a dry pine...
09/27/2026

This one is SUCH a good read it... then do it.

Kids can read all about why pinecones open and close...

Then put a dry pinecone in water and WATCH it happen.

The scales slowly close.

Take it back out, let it dry, and they open again.

Simple science. Reading comprehension. Text evidence.

And something they’re going to remember way longer than another passage they read and put away.

Comment "pinecone" and I’ll send you the link.

LinkDM *350*

October is the BEST month to get kids excited about nonfiction reading!Pop Rocks. Spider webs. Glow sticks. Sour candy. ...
09/27/2026

October is the BEST month to get kids excited about nonfiction reading!

Pop Rocks. Spider webs. Glow sticks. Sour candy. Slime. Monsters.

There are so many things kids are already curious about... so why not use that curiosity to get them reading?

These NEW Prove It passages give students high-interest nonfiction text AND require them to go back into the passage to find and underline the evidence for every answer.

Read it.

Find it.

PROVE IT!

Then take the learning a little further...

Read about Pop Rocks... then TASTE THEM and listen to the popping sounds. Read about spider webs... then head outside for a web hunt. Read about glow sticks... then test them in warm and cold water. Read about monsters... then create your own with play dough!

Because reading comprehension is even better when we can turn it into an experience.

Comment "October" or "halloween" and I’ll send you the link!

LinkDM *353*

Teaching the four types of sentences can feel pretty boring.Statement. Question. Command. Exclamation.Students can memor...
09/27/2026

Teaching the four types of sentences can feel pretty boring.

Statement. Question. Command. Exclamation.

Students can memorize the names... but I want them to actually understand how each one is used.

So we turn it into a spider.

Students write their own examples of each type of sentence on the legs, then put it all together to create their spider.

It’s simple practice, but they’re reading, writing, and applying the skill instead of just circling answers on another worksheet.

And a whole classroom full of sentence spiders makes a pretty fun fall display!

Comment "spider sentences" and I’ll send you the link.

LinkDM *352*

One thing I've learned over the years is this: students hear words like integrity, perseverance, empathy, and gratitude ...
09/27/2026

One thing I've learned over the years is this: students hear words like integrity, perseverance, empathy, and gratitude all the time, but that doesn't necessarily mean they truly understand what those qualities mean or what they look like in everyday life.

After all, how can we expect students to show self-control if we've never explicitly taught them what self-control looks like?

How can we expect them to cooperate with a group, show empathy toward a classmate, or demonstrate integrity if we've never taken the time to teach those qualities?

These passages give us a natural way to explicitly teach them through meaningful definitions, real-life examples, and situations students can relate to.

And at the same time, students are reading, making inferences, connecting ideas, thinking about an author's message, and supporting their answers with text evidence.

Read about gratitude, kindness, responsibility, and respect...

Then challenge students to recognize those character traits in their own lives and put them into action.

Read it. Live it. Reflect on it.

And FINALLY... I have a Grades 3–5 version!

Comment "character" and I'll send you the link!

LinkDM *335*

Main idea and details practice... but make it October.Read about Pop Rocks... then TASTE them.Read about spider webs... ...
09/26/2026

Main idea and details practice... but make it October.

Read about Pop Rocks... then TASTE them.

Read about spider webs... then head outside and look for one.

Learn how glow sticks work... then bend one and watch it glow.

Read about candy corn... obviously we’re tasting that too.

Same simple reading routine. A little October fun added in.

Comment "pop rocks" or "spider webs" or "glow sticks" or " candy corn" and I’ll send you the link.

LinkDM *349*

Bone Soup is one of my favorite October read alouds!It’s a fun, spooky version of a familiar folktale, but underneath al...
09/26/2026

Bone Soup is one of my favorite October read alouds!

It’s a fun, spooky version of a familiar folktale, but underneath all of that Halloween fun is such a great story about sharing, working together, and not jumping to conclusions.

And it is PERFECT for practicing retelling.

After we read, students work together on a retelling story walk, practice retelling with partners, and then create their own cauldron to show the setting, problem, solution, and important events from the story.

But of course... we have to make our own Bone Soup too.

Pretzels. Popcorn. Marshmallows. M&M’s. Candy corn. Toss it all into a big bowl and our Bone Soup is ready!

A read aloud, meaningful comprehension practice, a craft AND a snack.

October reading instruction should always be this much fun.

Comment "bone soup" and I’ll send you the link.
LinkDM *330*

One thing I learned pretty quickly in the classroom... if I could connect our reading skill to something my students wer...
09/26/2026

One thing I learned pretty quickly in the classroom... if I could connect our reading skill to something my students were already excited about, I had them.

And in October, spiders will do it every time.

Instead of another reading comprehension worksheet, we read I’m Trying to Love Spiders, learned some pretty fascinating facts about spiders, and then made our own spider snacks.

Afterward, students used their spiders to practice the difference between facts and opinions.

They were reading.
They were writing.
They were learning.
And they thought we were just having fun.

That was always my favorite kind of lesson.

Comment "spiders" and I’ll send you the link.

LinkDM *330*

Hands down, one of the most impactful resources I used in my classroom.I used these Decoding Drills every single day dur...
09/26/2026

Hands down, one of the most impactful resources I used in my classroom.

I used these Decoding Drills every single day during small groups.

After teaching a phonics pattern, we’d use the matching drill as a warm-up the next day.

Students move from words → silly words → sentences → a short story.

Same routine. One targeted phonics skill. Lots of repetition.

And that repetition is where the magic happens.

Beginning readers start recognizing patterns faster. Their reading becomes smoother. And you can literally see their confidence grow.

Simple. Structured. Completely no prep.

Comment "decoding drills" and I’ll send you the link.

LinkDM *199*

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