Stellar Teacher Podcast: A Podcast for Upper Elementary Teachers

After a long break, there’s bound to be some challenges that arise when students return. Before break, your students were in a routine and had good stamina for independent reading. But now, it’s almost like starting from the beginning all over again. To help your students regain their momentum towards independent reading, I’m sharing 5 tips to implement during your reading block.Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode114

It’s our job to provide instruction to students on a variety of skills and strategies to use outside of the classroom. But it’s something special when we can do something inside the classroom that translates to an authentic experience in real life. One way to do that is through the implementation of book clubs. I’m known as a “serial book club starter”, which explains why I’m sharing tips on how to establish student independence with book clubs. Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode113

You’ve hit the halfway mark in the school year, so it’s a great time to reevaluate your literacy routines and take this opportunity to revamp your ideas. One way to do that is through your reading response activities. While students read independently, the goal is for them to think about what they’re reading, which is exactly what reading response activities do. So if you’re looking for fresh and new reading response ideas that will energize independent reading time, today’s episode will do just that!Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode112

The weeks between now and winter break can be long for both teachers and students, and a time when students tend to lose focus and need more engagement. One way to regain their attention is to incorporate movement into your instructional day. In Episode 53, I shared 4 ways to incorporate movement into your literacy block, so in a way, this is part 2 of that episode. In today’s episode, I’m sharing 4 additional ways to incorporate movement into any part of your instructional day!Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode111

With the new year just around the corner, we often think of this time as a fresh start and a new beginning to something that is ending. But what if we applied that same logic to every ending that occurred in our lives? After reading the children’s book The End Is Just The Beginning, you will start doing just that. Giving us more insight, I have the author of that book, Mike Bender, to help discuss how to create a positive perspective on any ending.Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode110

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and being grateful and thankful, I first, am so grateful for each of my listeners on this podcast. Y’all are amazing and the reason why I get to do what I’m doing. And secondly, this time of year provides a great opportunity to reflect and evaluate your professional and personal happiness. So we’re going to take a short break from our regular literacy discussions, and focus on how to take control of your professional and personal happiness during stressful seasons of life.Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode109

We’ve talked about this idea of trying to fit all these different skills into your literacy block, but with what time? It’s so difficult to designate time specifically for certain skills when you have so much to cover. So what if I told you focusing on the skill of fluency doesn’t have to take up extra time and it can be organically streamlined throughout all parts of your day? Game changer! In today’s episode, my special guest, Aylin Claahsen, is sharing powerful and practical tips to increase student reading fluency.Check out Aylin's Fluency Course here!Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode108

I don’t know about you, but one of the things that was difficult for me to teach to my students was writing. The act of writing causes many challenges for students, but unfortunately, it’s a skill that’s necessary in academics. And why most people just associate writing during literacy or ELA class, in reality, writing is transferable to all subject areas.Since we know writing isn’t used when just talking about literacy concepts, having students practice and develop their writing skills needs to be incorporated in other content areas throughout the day. While this might be difficult for some to grasp and put into action, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! In today’s episode, I’m sharing 5 different ideas on how you can incorporate high impact writing activities into any content area.Download our Sentence Writing Routine Resource here!Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode107

In the spirit of Halloween, I’ve got a treat for you today! If you’re like me, you think the same thing at the beginning of every single school year: I’m going to rock my classroom management this year! And while you might start with good intentions, it never seems to go the way you thought it would. Not to mention, holidays and other exciting events are starting to take place, which can disrupt the flow and management of your classroom. If this sounds like you, or you just need to tweak a few management techniques in your classroom, this episode is for you! On today’s episode, Dr. Lori Friesen is sharing her top smart and simple classroom management hacks for these ever changing seasons. Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipDon't forget to download Dr. Lori's Ultimate Classroom Management Checklist Freebie here!To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode106

I know I’ve said it many times before, but one of the things I love is connecting and interacting with my listeners, community at Stellar Teacher, and anyone on social media. I strive to bring you relevant content that will help you become a more effective literacy teacher. One of those ways is through the questions I get asked, which is how this three-week series started. This is our last episode in our series about writing about reading, which focuses on how to incorporate writing about reading during small groups. Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode105

Getting started is always the hardest part of any task. However, that task is so much easier to begin if we’re motivated and have a tool to get us started. This same concept applies to students and writing. As literacy teachers, you know that students struggle getting their ideas on paper formatting it in the correct way. Today’s episode is going to help with just that! In our second episode in our writing about reading mini series, I’m going to share 4 response frames that you can use when assigning a written response.Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode104

One of the things I love most about what I do is interacting with the listeners within the Stellar Teacher community and helping teachers. Therefore, both of those things sparked this next mini series on the podcast. Throughout the summer and especially as school has begun, I’ve received a lot of questions in the area of writing about reading. With so much demand on this topic, we are kicking off a three week mini series on this topic in hopes to tackle your questions and provide you with information and resources you can implement in your classroom. We are starting the series off with today’s episode, which discusses 5 tips that help students improve in the area of writing about reading.Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode103

"I’m a failure." Unfortunately, this is a common saying amongst ourselves as teachers and adults, along with our students. But is anyone really a failure? Absolutely not! YOU are not a failure, but you might be experiencing failure, which is a part of the human experience. So how do we change the way we view failure and share that with our students? In today’s episode, I have guest Andrea Burns who discusses ways to reframe a students’ thinking of failure using her new book Failure Friday.Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode102

If you know me well, you know I love a good literacy routine! Mostly because they’re quick, purposeful, and greatly improve students’ literacy skills over time. What’s not to like?! I’m super excited because I’ve spent the better part of a year developing my new literacy routine, which I know you’re going to love. So in today’s episode, I’m going to share my high impact literacy routine on sentence structure and how it improves students’ reading and writing skills.Download our Sentence Writing Routine Resource here!Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode101

Now, we are continuing our two part mini series about lesson planning. Last week, I discussed the mindset shift that needs to take place in order to tackle writing lessons, which is the first step before moving on to practical tips regarding your lesson planning system. So in today’s episode, I’m sharing 5 tips for creating a personalized lesson planning system.Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membershipTo check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode100

Here’s a question for you. Do you know how much time it takes for you to do all of your lesson planning for the week? And then, if you know how much time you’re spending, how do you feel about that number? For most of us, we’re either spending too much time or more time than we’d like to be spending. Therefore, I’m doing a two part mini series all about lesson planning. Particularly in this episode, I’m sharing 3 mindset shifts teachers should make regarding lesson planning. Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membership To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode99

How many times have you woken up sick or wanted to take a day off work, but thought it’s easier to go in than make sub plans. I’m raising my hand really high! Unfortunately, this is a common thought and action amongst teachers that needs to be changed. Here to help me give you solutions and better opportunities to take a day off is Kelsey Sorenson. On today’s episode, we’re discussing how to feel empowered and prepared when taking a sick day. Download Kelsey's Sub Planning Starter Kit Freebie here! Join us in the Stellar Teacher Reading Membership: stellarteacher.com/membership To check out all of the resources from this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.stellarteacher.com/episode98