Students of all ages love stories, and reading aloud to kids is a great way to engage them in discussion about how they understand and interpret the text.

Welcome to episode 21 of the Upper Elementary Simplified podcast.  In this episode, host Danna Rodebush discusses back to school read aloud books and gives a list of 10 recommended books for upper elementary students.

Connect with Danna:

• Teacher Tech Studio Website
• Upper Elementary Simplified Website
• Join the FREE Facebook Group for Upper Elementary Teachers

You knew August would come, and that summer wouldn't last forever. So here you are thinking about first week of school activities.

Welcome to episode 20 of the Upper Elementary Simplified podcast.  In this episode, host Danna Rodebush provides 20 first week of school activities to add to your lesson plans.

Connect with Danna:

• Teacher Tech Studio Website
• Upper Elementary Simplified Website
• Join the FREE Facebook Group for Upper Elementary Teachers

Have you ever walked into a classroom and the teacher is sitting at a table with a small group of students and all of the other students are working independently or with small groups and everyone is on task?

How can you make this happen in your classroom?

Welcome to episode 19 of the Upper Elementary Simplified podcast.  In this episode, host Danna Rodebush discusses 7 tips for creating effective small group instruction for the upper elementary classroom.

Connect with Danna:

• Teacher Tech Studio Website
• Upper Elementary Simplified Website
• Join the FREE Facebook Group for Upper Elementary Teachers

H is for hands on activities.

How much more exciting would math class have been when you were a student if your teacher had planned all types of fun hands on math center activities, games, and projects?

Welcome to episode 18 of the Upper Elementary Simplified podcast.  In this episode, host Danna Rodebush finishes the 4 part series about math workshop in the upper elementary classroom. 

Connect with Danna:

• Teacher Tech Studio Website
• Upper Elementary Simplified Website
• Join the FREE Facebook Group for Upper Elementary Teachers

Are you using novel studies in your upper elementary classroom?

Upper elementary novel studies are a great way to introduce students to literature and provide endless opportunities to teach all of your reading standards.

Welcome to episode 17 of the Upper Elementary Simplified podcast.  In this episode, host Danna Rodebush discusses 5 questions you may have about upper elementary novel studies.

Connect with Danna:

• Teacher Tech Studio Website
• Upper Elementary Simplified Website
• Join the FREE Facebook Group for Upper Elementary Teachers

T is for Teacher Time, or Table Time.

Believe it or not, upper elementary students LOVE to work directly with their teacher.

This is a prominent aspect of their school day routine that they really do look forward to and enjoy doing.

When you call a small group of students to a table or to a special spot on the carpet to work with you closely on a particular math skill, they feel special and they get the much needed attention that so many of them are seeking.

Welcome to episode 16 of the Upper Elementary Simplified podcast.  In this episode, host Danna Rodebush continues with part 3 of the 4 part series about math workshop in the upper elementary classroom.

Check out the Cheerful Math Conference

Connect with Danna:

• Teacher Tech Studio Website
• Upper Elementary Simplified Website
• Join the FREE Facebook Group for Upper Elementary Teachers

When students memorize a definition for a vocabulary test and never use, read, or hear the word in context, does the word really have any meaning to them?

Students with a good memory will do great on a vocabulary test if it is full of matching words to definitions, but those same students will struggle to comprehend a text when these higher level vocabulary words are being used and they are not familiar with seeing them within a real situation, also known as context.

Welcome to episode 15 of the Upper Elementary Simplified podcast.  In this episode, host Danna Rodebush discusses the importance of teaching vocabulary in context.

Connect with Danna:

• Teacher Tech Studio Website
• Upper Elementary Simplified Website
• Join the FREE Facebook Group for Upper Elementary Teachers

A is for at your seat practice.

Students need independent time during math to keep themselves accountable for learning and practicing math skills.

But what should students be working on independently during the at your seat rotation?

Welcome to episode 14 of the Upper Elementary Simplified podcast.  In this episode, host Danna Rodebush continues with the second part of a 4 part series about the M.A.T.H. system of math workshop in the upper elementary classroom.

Danna also discusses the Cheerful Math Conference happening July 20 - 23rd.  Find details ABOUT THE CONFERENCE HERE.

Enter the Summer Challenge: upperelementarysimplified.com/summerchallenge

Connect with Danna:

• Teacher Tech Studio Website
• Upper Elementary Simplified Website
• Join the FREE Facebook Group for Upper Elementary Teachers

Readers benefit from using reading strategies as they work to comprehend a piece of text, whether the text is fiction or nonfiction.

Picture books are a great way to teach reading comprehension strategies to your upper elementary students.

Welcome to episode 13 of the Upper Elementary Simplified podcast.  In this episode, host Danna Rodebush discusses lesson ideas for how to teach 7 comprehension strategies using picture book read alouds.

Danna also discusses the summer challenge that is going on throughout the month of June.  Find details ABOUT THE SUMMER CHALLENGE HERE.

Enter the Summer Challenge: upperelementarysimplified.com/summerchallenge

Check out the FREE Reading Comprehension Strategies Guide!

Connect with Danna:

• Teacher Tech Studio Website
• Upper Elementary Simplified Website
• Join the FREE Facebook Group for Upper Elementary Teachers

M is for math fact practice.

So why is math fact practice its own designated rotation in math workshop?

Because it is super important for students to regularly practice and work towards mastery of their basic math facts!

When students are given the opportunity to practice with math facts during their regular math time they will naturally develop fluency with those facts.

 Welcome to episode 12 of the Upper Elementary Simplified podcast.  In this episode, host Danna Rodebush begins a 4 part series about the M.A.T.H. system of math workshop in the upper elementary classroom.

Danna also discusses the Cheerful Math Conference happening July 20 - 23rd.  Find details ABOUT THE CONFERENCE HERE.

Check out Math Facts Simplified

Connect with Danna:

• Teacher Tech Studio Website
• Upper Elementary Simplified Website
• Join the FREE Facebook Group for Upper Elementary Teachers