ELA & Social Studies Articles

In America, Black History Month serves as an excellent time to study the many historical contributions and accomplishments of notable African Americans. It’s especially important that our little learners understand the history as they grow older since our youngest citizens will one day be in charge. Whether you’re a teacher or a parent, read this article to learn more about the importance of celebrating Black History Month with kids, and find ways to honor it both at home and in the classroom! 

For kids, learning to read can be a stressful task, but sometimes teaching kids to read can be just as big of an undertaking for parents and teachers alike! If you’re struggling with supporting your little learners as they learn to read independently, you’re not alone! This article will help you to discover how to use reading levels to choose the right texts for your child. Then, learn how to create your own home or classroom library to support kids no matter their current reading level! 

As teachers or even parents, when we think about utilizing games in learning, most of us think of objective subjects with clear answers, like math or science. In preschool and kindergarten, kids might play games using sight words or phonics. But for older children who already know the basics of reading, how can games possibly enrich reading comprehension when questions are text-dependent? The answer requires a bit of creative thinking, but we’re here to tell you that it can be done! Read this article to discover the benefits of using games for reading, how to use them effectively, and to try out the best reading games to play in class!

As parents, most of us remember learning to write in cursive, most likely in the 2nd grade. But if you didn’t already know, most school districts around the country removed this skill from the curriculum from around the time the Common Core Initiative came to the fore. Thanks to advances in technology, handwriting has been all but replaced by typing, with keyboarding classes becoming the norm. Even so, learning how to write in cursive can still offer a plethora of learning benefits that shouldn’t be ignored. Keep reading to discover the importance of cursive writing and a find a few activities to start!

Whether we realize it or not, literacy learning takes place before babies can even talk! Before kids ever step foot into school, they are absorbing communication skills and forming the foundations for reading and writing. That’s why it’s so important to start early to reinforce the skills your child is already taking in. This article hones in on the literacy skills to work on in each age or stage and offers you 15 fabulous alphabet games for kids! 

Sometimes despite our best efforts as parents, our children face difficulty when it comes to learning. While no parent wants to learn that their child has a reading difficulty or disability, it’s critical to seek intervention as early as possible to maximize opportunities for success. This article discusses the signs of common reading problems, and offers you concrete ways to help struggling readers grow! 

Teaching kids is a huge job, since reading is one of the most critical skills students must learn in the early elementary years. Though the idea of such a big task might seem daunting, a guided reading program can be the ticket to literacy success in your school or at-home classroom. This article takes an in-depth look at guided reading and gives any teacher or parent ways to implement and support such a system effectively. 

Teaching kids about diversity can seem like an overwhelming task! Shouldn’t kids learn about racism and prejudice as they grow older? Though it’s natural to want to protect innocent children from the horrors of our world, we must remember that the overall goal is to raise socially aware, caring, and empathetic individuals. This article focuses on teaching kids about diversity and tolerance and offers way to address this tricky subject with early learners. 

On your last road trip, did your family use a map? If you’re like most families today, chances are you used an app like Google Maps. With today’s high-tech GPS technology, it’s tempting to think that kids no longer need to learn how to read a map. But that couldn’t be further from the truth! Because kids develop important spatial reasoning skills while learning to read maps, map skills for elementary kids is just as important as ever. This article shares all you need to know about map skills, including 5 fun activities and games to share with your child! 

As parents, it’s easy to get lost in the daily routine, helping kids with homework and pushing them to achieve their potential every day. But learning all the math and science available won’t make kids productive and contributing members of society. That’s why it’s critically important to instill within our kids a sense of civics and community. This article takes a look at teaching citizenship to elementary students, and will give you 6 great ideas to use with your child.