Practical Elementary Resources

Teach reading comprehension for 2nd-grade nonfiction reading while boosting background knowledge of Properties of Matter, Earth's Systems, and Plants and Habitats. This nonfiction reading passage bundle targets specific reading comprehension skills: author's purpose, citing text evidence, main idea, cause & effect, and nonfiction comprehension. The bundle includes 5 sets of task cards, each with 30 cards. Each set of task cards is organized by science topic. There are 3 topics in total: Matt

This is a growing bundle for the "What am I?" math puzzle series. The puzzle series is designed to support both math vocabulary and critical thinking. Each set of puzzles includes 27 task cards. Students use the clues on the card to find the mystery number / shape.

Are your students struggling to write a clear paragraph? Do they confuse opinions and reasons? Do they put explanations and facts in a strange order? This 2nd-grade opinion writing unit teaches students how to write clear, structured opinion paragraphs with one strong reason and well-developed explanations. Through sorting, connecting, and organizing activities, students understand each part that builds a strong opinion paragraph. This unit is now part of a 2nd-grade opinion paragraph bundle

First graders struggling with word problems? This Grade 1 math mini unit is designed to help students build strong number sense through counting, grouping, and part–part–whole relationships within 20. Inspired by my own son’s love of vehicles, this mini unit features common vehicles and locations. Activities move intentionally from concrete counting to visual models, number bonds, and word problems for addition and subtraction within 20. This unit focuses on developing number sense through th

Main Idea Made Clear (Grades 2–3): A Visual-to-Text ApproachTeaching main idea can be challenging when students jump to small details or struggle to see how ideas connect. I designed this resource to help my own students build conceptual understanding of main idea and incorporate it into their reading and writing. Students learn that: The main idea connects details Details support a bigger idea Main idea can be found in pictures, sentences, and paragraphs Activities are scaffolded to move f

Are your students learning to check addition and subtraction equations using ten frames? This ten frame error analysis 1st-grade math center helps students develop fact fluency, use math vocabulary, and practice addition and subtraction within 10.With vocabulary and math talk cards included, these error analysis cards help students understand and use key math vocabulary: addend, difference, total, and sum. This not only helps develop their understanding of addition and subtraction, but also buil

Target addition and subtraction within 20 using these number line error analysis math cards. Perfect for a math center, these task cards help students practice addition and subtraction within 20 using a number line. These task cards are designed for 1st-grade math practice, and feature large, visible number lines and clear jumps. They help students develop math sense, skip count, develop fact fluency within 20, and use mathematical reasoning. The task cards all feature an equation and a number l

Help students write structured, clear opinion paragraphs with an opinion, reason, and explanation in order. These opinion paragraph task cards are designed to help 2nd-grade students evaluate model text. They show two opinion paragraphs, and ask students to decide which paragraph is stronger. As they do, students build their understanding of the structure of a good opinion paragraph. To evaluate the model opinion paragraphs, students use the Opinion Paragraph Checklist. With sentence starters

Are your students struggling with the vocabulary load of 2D shapes and their attributes? These What am I task cards provide a fun way for students to use their knowledge of 2D shape attributes, such as sides and angles, as well as real-world examples, to determine the mystery 2D shape.These task cards are designed to supplement a 1st or 2nd-grade geometry unit. They help scaffold specific 2nd-grade math vocabulary by integrating math vocabulary practice with geometry puzzles. This makes the puzz

Integrate science and reading with these targeted text evidence cards. These 2nd-grade text evidence cards are designed to help students practice citing textual evidence in informational text. As students complete the cards, they read the passage, look at the question, and choose the sentence that shows evidence. The cards are integrated with 2nd-grade science. As students build their ability to cite evidence, they also build background knowledge in NGSS-aligned science topics: Matter, Plants

Looking for a 3rd-grade multiplication math center that scaffolds math vocabulary? These Who Am I multiplication task cards target vocabulary such as products and factors, while reinforcing 3rd-grade multiplication. Fun and engaging, they require students to use multiplication facts, equal groups, and multiplication-specific math vocabulary to find the answer. This resource is designed to make math vocabulary useful (in a way students care about!) and help students use terms such as product, fac

Are your students struggling to identify the author's purpose? These 2nd-grade author's purpose task cards help students practice reading to identify the author's purpose. The cards feature short science-themed passages aligned to NGSS topics for 2nd grade. As students read the short passages, they decide whether the text was written to inform, persuade, or entertain. While reading, they build science background knowledge and reading comprehension. The cards are organized into 3 topics and 2 di

Students struggling with main idea? These 2nd Grade nonfiction science task cards are designed to give targeted practice to second graders learning to find the main idea in nonfiction passages. Featuring 30 short reading passages, these cards help students identify the main idea, differentiate between the main idea and supporting details, and build background on 2nd-grade NGSS-aligned science topics. Passages are organized into three topics: Matter, Plants & Habitats, and Earth's Systems. Each

Columns, rows, and arrays are so difficult for my 2nd graders! Even though there are similarities to ten frames, the use of new math vocabulary, as well as the connection to early multiplication, makes arrays a tricky topic for a lot of 2nd-grade students. Especially my ESL ones. These 2nd-grade array math puzzles help students use the new math vocabulary in a way that is engaging. Designed in part for my ESL learners, the task cards feature a vocabulary card that reminds students what a row a

Are your students struggling to use math vocabulary? These ESL-friendly place value to 1,000 task cards help students use math vocabulary, engage in critical thinking, and put their knowledge of place value to use! Each card is simply designed. It has four place value clues, using the student's knowledge of digits, hundreds, tens, and ones. A clue may require the child to find the sum, a difference, or identify where hundreds, tens, and ones go in a three-digit number. With a vocabulary card, i

Are you trying to integrate more SEL? Help students build emotional vocabulary, empathy, and reading comprehension. These feelings and emotions task cards are designed to help 1st-grade students expand their emotional vocabulary, engage in empathy, and boost oral language through discussion. Students solve the cards by listening to or reading short, realistic scenarios. They use both the text and visual cues to identify which emotion the character is feeling. These task cards are designed to s

Students struggling with nonfiction text comprehension? Are they having difficulty finding important details and referencing the text to find an answer? These nonfiction reading comprehension task cards are designed to help 2nd-grade students boost their comprehension of informational text. Through repeated practice, students engage in referencing the text, rereading for important details, and referencing the text to find an answer to a multiple-choice question. The cards are designed to suppo

Are your students having difficulty with cause and effect? So many of our 2nd graders do! These task cards deliberately target cause-and-effect reading skills. Students read nonfiction science passages and identify a cause or effect detailed in the text. As students practice with the cards, they boost both their reading comprehension and background knowledge in 2nd-grade science topics. Since the cards feature science topics they are doing (or will be doing!) in class, they are engaging and mo

Build scientific vocabulary and background knowledge with these main-idea task cards. As students transition to third-grade reading, many struggle to identify the main idea of a nonfiction paragraph. It doesn't help that main idea itself can become a series of dry, repetitive series of practice sessions for many of our students, especially our ESL ones. I built these task cards for those students. With differentiated difficulty levels, introductions to core scientific vocabulary, and engaging p

Teach 2nd-grade opinion paragraph writing in an engaging, hands-on way! These puzzles help 2nd-grade students understand the structure and order in an opinion paragraph. They are now part of a 2nd-grade opinion paragraph writing bundle. These 2nd-grade opinion paragraph puzzles help students understand sequencing and order in an opinion paragraph. With multiple exposures to structured opinion paragraphs, students learn the structure of an opinion paragraph. By separating the tasks of writing an