ANALYZE! SYNTHESIZE! APPLY! Do you sometimes wonder where to begin when you teach the English Language Arts Standards for Reading Literature and Reading Informational Text? Would you like a resource where students analyze the Middle School ELA Reading Standards, synthesize their meaning, and then apply what they’ve learned to authentic real-world literature and informational text?…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS Peace!
I tried to think of things to say about peace in this world. And then I realized that we need more of it. So, I decided to research quotes about peace, and they speak volumes. Here are a few… You cannot find peace by avoiding life. ~Virginia Woolf When the power of love overcomes the…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! Fathers!
Welcome! These individuals have been called many names: patriarch, father, dad, daddy, Sir, etc. And each name has a special meaning to the one who speaks it. And no matter how young or old we are, these names represent a firm foundation that can withstand anything. And on top of this firm foundation are layers…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! Mothers!
Welcome! According to the calendar, Mother’s Day has come and gone. Or has it? Yes, Mother’s Day has come and gone, but I’m not sure that mothers around the world would agree. As for me, I feel that each and everyday should be used to acknowledge mothers because they do so much, continuously. When Mother’s…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! The Go-Getter
Welcome! For those of you that haven’t read my Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! Post #1, I’d like to share a little information about this post. This post continues to “ROCK” FOR LITERACY!! This post is for people that love literacy. This is my second post about rocking for literacy. My focus here is to…
Punctuation Day 1
Happy Punctuation Day! September 24 has been declared as a celebration for good punctuation or the acknowledgement of… I wonder if individuals know how important correct punctuation is to literacy. It must have some importance, if it’s nationally celebrated. So, is this a big deal? Why, yes! It’s the difference between correctly or incorrectly interpreting…
Parts of Speech & Punctuation
What can we as educators say about students’ ability to use correct grammar and punctuation? Well, I’ve come to the realization that there exists a serious gap between what students should know and apply concerning correct grammar and punctuation and what they’re producing in the classroom during instruction. The art of writing, be it a sentence, paragraph,…
Why Blog?
Welcome! If you are looking for academic information and resources, you are in the correct place. This site shares curriculum, instruction, and assessment resources, strategies and techniques I’ve designed and have used in the brick-and-mortar and online classrooms. Whether you are a teacher or a parent, I hope that some of the topics and resources…
Teaching Vocabulary
I can’t figure this out!
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! A Season and Reason to Share!
Welcome! It’s not until we see a need that we begin to think about how we can help others. Imagine going a little farther than ‘giving’ to others and think about what strength it would take in ‘sharing’ with others. So, what’s the difference, you ask? Well, when you share, you give a part of…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! Gratitude!
Welcome! “Thank You!” you say with a smile. How do you feel when you say thank you? What are you really saying? During this time of year, we give thanks, we are thankful, and we show gratitude. But, what is gratitude? It is when you honestly let others know how they’ve helped you, and it’s…
3 Student Resources
“Leave tracks on the text that shows you’ve been there.” is something we often tell our students when we encourage them to annotate the text as they read. We model how and explain why they should annotate or text-mark as they read. But, for some reason they don’t. Some students have stated they really don’t…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! Fall Foliage!
Welcome! What can we say about the beautiful fall foliage that creeps in during the months of September and October? Next to spring, it’s the most awesome season of the year and its bounty full of color says so. We change gears and begin to store our summer attire, beach toys and barbeque fixings and…
Interactive Book Report Project
What a difference a project makes! This resource is a cumulative Interactive Book Report Project template for various types of book reports. This book report template is a one-stop place for students to access what they need to complete a cumulative book report. Teachers and students will find that these book reports are different from the…
Punctuation Day Flip Book 2
Happy Punctuation Day! September 24 has been declared as a celebration day for good punctuation or the acknowledgement of… I wonder if individuals know how important correct punctuation is to literacy? It must have some importance, if it’s nationally celebrated. So, is this a big deal? Why, yes! It’s the difference between correctly or incorrectly…
Current Event Research Project
Whatever happened to the days when students researched and shared information about ‘what’s happening’ around town, the state, the country, or the nation? These mini projects were called Current Events… A current event project allows students the opportunity to practice quite a few skills: researching-via newspaper/magazine or on-line, reading to analyze information, summarizing and presenting,…
Reading and Writing Activities with 6 Traits Posters (Let’s Go Camping!)
Students read a literary and informational paired set of passages and answer written response questions related to the topic of the paired passages. Reading And Writing Activities with 6 Traits Posters (Camping!) This resource includes: • 2 paired passages (one literary and one informational) • 24 writing response task cards with sample answer response cards…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! The Many Faces of Despair!
Welcome! My heart and thoughts go out to the families, towns, cities, and states who have felt the thrust of Mother Nature. It’s like a whirlwind at times. When we think the devastation has subsided enough to begin clean-up and repairs to our hearts and homes, another uncertainty comes storming around the bend. It can…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! Keep Smiling! Keep Shining!
Welcome! The joy I’ve had in painting and sharing these rocks prompted me to share the idea with a long-time friend of mine. I guess you can call her my BFF. Well anyways, she lives 4 hours from me and has a daughter that lives in the northwestern area of the Unites States. Her daughter…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! Break Bread, Together!
Welcome! During the month of August, Walmart shared a commercial that begins with people from all walks of life, young and old, from different neighborhoods and of different ethnicity. Each carrying a different chair from their home, their neighborhood, their business, on a motorcycle, a skateboard, down the street, across a rocky beach, over a…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! Back to School!
Welcome! It’s an anxious time of year. Not because of a birthday, holiday, or celebration. It’s because of that day at the end of May or early June when so many students are delighted that school has ended. Yet, after a couple of months of endless television, social media, theme parks, family reunions, and the…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! Bravo!
Welcome! As we nestle into the topic of how much people ROCK for literacy. I’d like to think about the many stories told by so many of our loved ones who are suffering or who have suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. They are our true warriors, our fighters. They have “ROCKED” FOR LITERACY!! Just to remind…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! Be Creative!
Welcome! For those of you that haven’t read my previous Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! posts, I’d like to share a little information about this ongoing shout out. This post is about “ROCKING” FOR LITERACY!! This post IS for people that love literacy, but it also can be for people who may not think of literacy as…
Writing Task Cards (Light the Way)
What’s the next step? Is sometimes the question we ask ourselves once we receive reading and writing data on students abilities. Where are they? What are they able to do? Sometimes it’s difficult to tell whether a student needs either remediation or extended/enrichment activities. If this is the case, allow students to show-what-they-know by assessing…
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS!!
Literacy Art by Iris ROCKS! Post #1 How does literacy “rock” for you? Do you love to read until the wee hours of the night? Do you go to the library to choose a novel to read for a few weeks during the summer months and you finish the book in a few days? Well,…
Reading Strategies Bookmarks
When students READ what should they do? Become one with the text. When students READ what should they do? Look ahead in the text. When students READ, what should they do? Think about the text. READ! LOOK! THINK! Lip-sincing doesn’t work. Saying the words without understanding their combined meaning, also doesn’t work. Students are expected to…
Citing Textual Evidence
To cite or not to cite, that IS the question some students have as they attempt to answer written response questions. Some students also have difficulty understanding how to cite textual evidence or what should be included when they cite from the text. Each year I explain the citing textual evidence process by sharing a…
Literacy Art by Iris 