I Like Children's Book, and I Know It...

This is a fun link up about favorite children's books brought to you by Primary Polka Dots...get ready to create an even longer wishlist for new classroom books as you click through the different posts!

I can remember listening to my 4th grade teacher read Shoebag to my class. As she read, I could envision the characters and all of the events that took place throughout the book. I, along with most of my classmates, fell in love with Shoebag, a cockroach as he endured the trials of becoming human for a period of time. The book is hilarious, but the spoiled little girl that he lives with also learns a great life-lesson at the end of the book.

One of the things that students always enjoy about the book is discovering how cockroaches get their "names". I won't spoil it for those of you who have never read this book.

A few years back, I was fortunate that my school's librarian decided to purge our school's copy of the book (which was in pretty good condition!). She knew it was my favorite and was sure to give it to me! It is sitting on my book shelf right now, just awaiting me to open it back up and share it with my 4th grade students!


One of my all time favorite authors is Gordan Korman. His books are geared toward upper elementary grades. Some of his books make up series, while others are stand alone books.

His writing style lends itself well toward accelerated students because of the level of vocabulary he uses. With each Gordan   Korman book that I have used, I always try to emphasis the new vocabulary that students encounter.

Although I haven't read all of his books (I'm far from it!), some of my favorites are:
*The Dive Series
*39 Clues
*Swindle
*The Island Series
*The Everest Series

One of my favorite illustrators is Patricia Polacco.
I know, I know. She's most known for her books, not her pictures. This is why she's my favorite! Her books are phenomenal and link so wonderfully with different points in history. I adore the way she tells her stories with emotion that draws the readers in and makes you love the characters!When I read Thank You, Mr. Falker for the first time, I cried like a baby! Pink and Say is the perfect addition to any Civil War unit. (btw, I cried during that one too! Sweet MoMo Bay!) And, of course, I treasure EmmaKate because that is my middle child's name (& I love the creativity
that is sparked from the story!). All of her illustrations go perfectly with both of these stories as well.

The Late, Great Dick Hart is an older novel that one of my favorite colleagues of all time introduced me to a few years before she retired. As with a lot of novels, it can cover several standards at once. I wouldn't recommend reading this book with below 5th grade because it is about two friends. One of the friends die, and the other one learns to deal with his death throughout the remainder of the book. The students LOVE the book, and it is a fabulous read aloud

Thanks for stopping by!

Elaine, Teaching Lane

It's a TpT Sale!

Hey y'all! As most of you might know, there's about to be a MEGA TpT Sale! You guys will be able to score items for up to 28% off of the original price! I don't know about you, but I absolutely LOVE a good sale! Before you ready your wishlist and push the "purchase" button, I want to tell you about a few of my favorite products in my own store.

Like all teachers, this is the time of the year where I am searching high and low to find some of the "best" activities for my students to complete during those first few days. You know exactly what I'm talking about; time fillers, introductory activities, procedure lessons, etc. Here's a few of my favorites from Teaching Lane:

 Who doesn't LOVE a bundle? That's right! You can usually save money by purchasing a bundle! This Back to School Bundle is sure to save you a lot of money! It includes 7 activities (6 of them are sold separately in my store). These activities are sure to be exactly what you need to get your school year off to a great start!

 Raise your hand if you like to teach procedures... Yep, me either! These Back to School Procedure Task Cards are just what the doctor ordered! They help you reinforce your procedures through the use of movement. The students will be engaged as they role play, explain, and help each other complete certain tasks that are sure to drive your specific classroom procedures home! Take a look!


If you need some "new" for your Open House/Meet the Teacher night, look no further! This packet has 28 different forms just for you, your students, and their parents! It includes everything from a parent sheet to give you info about their child to a students seating request slip! There's even a list of tips and ideas for how you can use the different forms that are included!

 This set comes with three different activities that are sure to engage your students during your Roaring 20's unit! The task cards are the perfect way to review, and the best part is that they have QR codes on them, so they are self-checking! When I used them in my personal classroom, I placed them around the classroom and let the students walk around to answer them. They were quiet as mice during the activity! The Cloze Paragraph can be used as a review or quiz. This is a versatile pack that you should check out!


This activity is a differentiated. You can use all three or just pick the activity that you need for your particular students in order to help teach them the Bill of Rights. This product can be used individually or in groups. The best part? It makes a nice display once it is completed! Who doesn't like to kill two birds with one stone?!







This product was LOVED in my 5th grade classroom last year! I have had several people purchase this product and leave feedback as well. It will be the perfect addition to your Civil War Unit. The task cards can be used as a review, quiz, etc. An answer key is included as well.

 This is one of my newer products. I can't wait to try it out in my own classroom, and I look forward to creating more centers just like this one! This is a self-checking center because students choose their answer by marking it with a paper clip or clothes pin. Once they are finished with the card, they can simply flip it over to see if their answers are correct or not. Easy, right? This product includes 10 different cards! This is a wonderful way to expose your students to new vocabulary.

 This product is very similar to a few others in my store in that it is a puzzle format. I used the Synonym Puzzle Center last year in my classroom, and the students were more than engaged! I was amazed at how hard they worked to complete each puzzle! This product comes with five puzzles. Be sure to check out my store to find more products like this one! I have Orders of Operations, Synonyms, and Equivalent Fractions. More are coming soon!

Click HERE to view the Whole Numbers Puzzle.



This product is similar to the Clip and Check Center above; however, it is in a different format, AND it is differentiated! If you are responsible for teaching similes and metaphors, this is the product for you! Students simply read the sentence, decide if it is a simile, metaphor, or neither (on the higher level), then flip over to check their answers! An idea sheet is also included to help you take this center a step further for your higher achievers!

I hope this quick product overview of some of my favorites has helped you find just what you're looking for to use in your classroom this school year! As always, if you have any questions, or suggestions, please leave a comment or email me at selainewhite5@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by!

Elaine, Teaching Lane