Stellar Teacher Podcast: A Podcast for Upper Elementary Teachers

Schools are full of engaging activities, creative lesson plans, procedures and routines, and assessments to assess mastery. And while all of those items are important, there’s one thing that’s missing in classrooms, and that is being silly. While teachers want students to have fun, being silly tends to be overlooked. But we’re here to change that. One of my favorite children’s authors, Mike Bender, stopped by to share how his new book, The Most Serious Fart, helps bring silliness into the classroom.Grab a copy of Mike's book The Most Serious Fart here!Check out my Free Literacy Workshop. For more information, click here. Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode165

We’ve spent the last three weeks discussing why sentences are important to a student’s reading and writing skills and activities to implement. So, even if you’re ready to focus on sentences more, where are you finding the time? I’ve got the answer for you! I’m sharing 7 ways that you can incorporate more sentence level work into your instructional day without changing up your schedule.Get my Weekly Sentence Writing Routine free sample here! And get the paid TPT resource here.Check out my Free Literacy Workshop. For more information, click here. Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode164

Explore the benefits of sentence deconstruction for students, including improved literacy skills. Learn practical strategies to incorporate sentence deconstruction into the classroom. Discover how to integrate sentence deconstruction throughout the instructional day and the importance of dedicating time to this practice.

Our role as literacy teachers is to grow our students as skilled readers and writers, and one of the most powerful ways to achieve this is through sentence writing. This is the second week in our four-part series on sentence writing, so be sure to check out last week’s episode, Episode 161, to get a more foundational outlook on developing sentences. But now, students need to build on their foundation with more detailed writing. So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing 3 simple strategies that help students write detailed sentences that expand their writing.Get my Weekly Sentence Writing Routine free sample here! And get the paid TPT resource here.Check out my Free Literacy Workshop. For more information, click here. Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode162

When students are in upper elementary, we often assume that they’re ready for more complex literacy skills, and therefore, we have higher expectations of them. However, that theory is completely false. I know when I was in the classroom, I thought that having my students write 5 paragraph essays was a sign they were excelling in writing. But what my students really needed was more foundational work. Today’s episode is the first of a four-week series on sentences, where I’m sharing 5 reasons why spending more time on sentence-level instruction benefits your students. Get my Weekly Sentence Writing Routine free sample here! And get the paid TPT resource here.Check out my Free Literacy Workshop. For more information, click here. Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode161

The school day can feel long for kids, especially being expected to focus and pay attention while sitting at their desks. One way to get students refocused while also incorporating learning is through movement. Getting students engaged and moving amongst your classroom benefits students in so many ways while also providing an aspect of fun. In today’s episode, I’m sharing 4 specific movement routines for you to incorporate in your upper elementary classrooms. Check out my Free Literacy Workshop. For more information, click here. Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode160

When I was in the classroom, grammar was not something that I particularly enjoyed teaching, or even thought I taught well for that matter. Then, after a few years, I realized I was making some major mistakes with my grammar instruction, student practice, and application. Once I made a few key changes, it not only improved my students’ grammar skills, but their writing as well. In today’s episode, I’m sharing what you need to avoid doing and what to do instead regarding grammar with student writing. Get my Weekly Sentence Writing Routine free sample here! And get the paid TPT resource here.Check out my Free Literacy Workshop. For more information, click here. Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode159

In elementary school, having a solid foundation of word knowledge skills is essential as students move throughout the grades. But one word study topic that’s on a lot of lower elementary teachers’ minds, but not so much for upper elementary teachers, is syllabication. With what seems like a simple concept, it actually correlates to bigger literacy skills. So in today’s episode, I’m sharing 3 reasons why you should prioritize teaching syllabication in elementary classrooms this school year.Download my Syllable Types: Lesson Plans document here!Check out my Free Literacy Workshop. For more information, click here. Sign up for my FREE private podcast, the Confident Writer Systems Series, here!Join us in the Stellar Literacy Collective Membership: stellarteacher.com/join To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode158

In this back to school episode, the podcast discusses the three essential literacy lessons for a successful year. They explore the five building blocks of literacy and the importance of generating student buy-in. Creating a strong reading community and incorporating discussions and writing into literacy lessons are also discussed. The episode concludes with key lessons for a successful year in literacy.

This podcast explores three tips to maximize read aloud sessions, including the importance of reading different genres, activating background knowledge, focusing on vocabulary, and promoting comprehension. It also encourages a love for reading, creating a routine, and prioritizing reading for fun.