Blog - Lessons By The Lake

Skip to content

sign up for exclusive freebies and coupons

Home
Blog
About
Shop Resources
Contact

Search for:

Handmade Items
Gift Ideas
Amazon Favs

Comprehension
Picture Books
Reading Centers

Handmade Items
Gift Ideas
Amazon Favs
Comprehension
Picture Books
Reading Centers

Reset all ×
Mentor Texts ×

Picture Books to Teach Activating Prior Knowledge

Picture Books to Teach Activating Prior Knowledge

Terrific Theme Mentor Texts

Terrific Theme Mentor Texts

A Mentor Text Definition- 4 Things to Consider When Picking The Perfect Reading Lesson Book

A Mentor Text Definition- 4 Things to Consider When Picking The Perfect Reading Lesson Book

Teaching Vocabulary Strategies With Awesome Mentor Texts

Teaching Vocabulary Strategies With Awesome Mentor Texts

The Best Picture Books for Teaching Determining Importance

The Best Picture Books for Teaching Determining Importance

Perfect Mentor Texts for Teaching Text Structure in Primary Grades

Perfect Mentor Texts for Teaching Text Structure in Primary Grades

Excellent Books for Teaching Text Features to Primary Grades

Excellent Books for Teaching Text Features to Primary Grades

Mentor Texts to Help Students Master Main Idea in Elementary School

Mentor Texts to Help Students Master Main Idea in Elementary School

Writing Mentor Texts With Incredible Board Books

Writing Mentor Texts With Incredible Board Books

Categories

Reset all ×
Mentor Texts ×

9 posts found

Post Categories

Classroom Community(22)
Classroom Management(15)
Classroom Set Up(13)
Comprehension Crew(38)
Comprehension Skills(33)
- Clarifying(0)
- Determining Importance(2)
- Evaluating(0)
- Inferences(2)
- Main Idea(5)
- Making Connections(1)
- Predicting(1)
- Questioning(1)
- Summarizing(0)
- Synthesizing(0)
- Text Features(8)
- Text Structure(4)
- Themes(2)
- Visualizing(0)
- Vocabulary(4)
Fairy Tales(1)
Holiday/ Themes(10)
- Back to School(4)
- Fall(0)
- Halloween(2)
- Hanukkah(2)
- Spring(1)
- Thanksgiving(0)
- Valentine's Day(1)
- Winter(0)
Literacy Instruction(82)
- Fiction(7)
- Interactive Read Alouds(12)
- Non-fiction(11)
- Reading Centers(12)
Math(12)
Mom Life(27)
Morning Meeting(26)
- Activity(2)
- Greeting(2)
- Routines(3)
- Sharing(1)
Picture Books(37)
- Board Books(10)
- Fairy Tales(2)
- Mentor Texts(9)
Responsive Classroom(29)
Social Emotional Learning(28)
Writing(8)

search

Search

Latest on Instagram

Say hello to March Reading Comprehension Fiction P

Say hello to March Reading Comprehension Fiction Passages – Spring Color By Comprehension! 🌸📚

Make reading fun and engaging this spring with 14 no-prep fiction passages featuring March-themed topics like baby animals, St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness, and rainbows!

🌈🍀 Each passage includes multiple-choice comprehension questions + a fun color-by-comprehension activity to keep students learning while they play!

Perfect for 2nd-4th grade teachers looking for test prep, literacy centers, morning work, or early finishers – all while saving time! ⏳

📥 Grab it now in my TPT store & watch your students’ comprehension skills bloom this spring! 🌼

#teachingresources #readingactivities #2ndgrade #secondgrade #teachersfollowteachers #teachergram #printables #homeschoolactivities

👩🏻‍🍳Character Trait TREAT!! Use this y

👩🏻‍🍳Character Trait TREAT!!

Use this yummy snack idea to go along with your next read aloud and character trait lesson!

🥨 give each character trait a snack food ingredient
🍫 whenever you see an example of that trait- add in that ingredient

Enjoy all of the traits and layers that make the character unique in a yummy snack!

#secondgrade #firstgrade #schoolsnacks #engagelearners #readinglessons #ela #readaloud #teachersfollowteachers #teachingreading #teachersofinstagram #3rdgrade #elementaryteacher

*FREEBIE* Are you working on character traits no

*FREEBIE*

Are you working on character traits now or soon?

This freebie connects the skill to Valentine’s Day AND brings the skill to life with a concrete connection.

Students can easily tell you how much they love their big brother or aunt but can they tell you WHY?! What TRAITS make them great and special?

As a mom I’d love my kids to bring this home for me! Kinda nervous/ curious what they’d say though

Comment below or message me for the link to the freebie!

#teacherfreebies #teachersfollowteachers #elementaryteacher #secondgrade #2ndgrade #charactertraits #ela #literacycenters #valentinesday #teachersofinstagram

Any other Nittany lions or pickle heads out there?

Any other Nittany lions or pickle heads out there??

Connections are one of the most basic and meaningful aspects of reading!

🙋🏻‍♀️ Ever start reading (or talking) and your students hands shoot up because something you said reminds them of their cousins birthday party or what their neighbor ate for a snack last week?

Kids brains are constantly seeking connections to help them build understanding of the world around them. You can focus their connections for specific purposes.

Connor from my Comprehension Crew pack specializes in helping kids do that! You can try his lessons for FREE! Comment and I’ll send you the link.

One way to use connections is to share a little about yourself like I did in this video! So throughout the read aloud I can mention how things relate to me or how they make me feel.

This is a text to SELF connection.
I’ll chat about the other two types soon so make sure you’re following @lessonsbythelake

Feel like you don’t have any books about yourself? Type in ____ (your favorite food) picture book in a search engine- start exploring you’ll LOVE what you find!

#buildingrelationships #classroomcommunity #teachingreading #literacylesson #readaloud #teachergram #teacherinspiration

B is for BALANCE! ⚖️ Just like we strive for

B is for BALANCE! ⚖️

Just like we strive for balance in all areas of our lives, your read alouds should be balanced. Genres, character type, theme, setting, etc. change it up! Make every reading experience a new adventure.

There should be books that have
🧠 high level vocabulary
🧠 layers of story lines
🧠 character arcs and development
🧠 complex themes

AND books that have

⭐️ silly rhymes
⭐️ easy to understand messages
⭐️ fun characters
⭐️ simple events

We want our read aloud to be thought provoking, and ENJOYABLE. Every time you open a book you are influencing your students’ relationship/ opinion of reading.

The “simpler” books might be just what your students need to practice implementing those reading strategies you’ve been teaching!

My #comprehensioncrew actually encourages this!!

⬇️ Do you favor one type of book more than the other? Tell me below!

The books included in this reel are
🛠️ Rosie Revere Engineer- this exciting tale of imagination and perseverance follows Rosie as she learns that her inventions failing is just part of the wonder of creating!
🦖 Tiny T-Rex and the Impossible Hug- follows the story of Tiny and how he overcomes his short arms to be able to hug and comfort his friend in need.

Follow @lessonsbythelake for more reading tips and inspiration!

#teachergram #educationmatters #igteachers #teachersoftpt #teacherlife #primaryteachers

Join me as we explore the ABCs of read alouds! I’ll be sharing tips, tricks, and ideas as well as a ton of picture book ideas along the way.

First up- A is for AUTHOR ✏️

💭Do you read the author’s name when you read the title? Do you think it should be read aloud? Why? Tell me below!

📚Let’s talk about authors- do you ever love how a book is written and the experience you have reading it? Look into the author! They might have a TON more books (that could not show up on your regularly checked lists) that could be a perfect fit for your classroom and lesson.

📚A favorite of mine (and my kids) is Julia Donaldson. She has tons of books of varying topics and themes! I’ll discuss these below ⬇️

📚Doing an author study can lead to students comparing and contrasting and finding connections between the stories and writing style.

📖Another reason to talk about the author is to explore the art of writing!

📖 There are so many opportunities to point it what you’re teaching in WRITING while reading to your students!

📖 You could inspire future authors by showcasing what it means to be an author each time you enjoy a book!

THE BOOKS IN THIS VIDEO- comment “book links” if you want me to send you the links.
⭐️The Gruffalo and The Gruffaloa Child- pure rhyming and story telling gold! Follow the little brown mouse through the forest as he tells the tale of this terrible creature, the gruffalo, and tricks all the animals.
⭐️ A Gold Star for Zog- follow the training of Zog as he takes dragon lessons and finds his true purpose in helping others!
⭐️ A Snail and A The Whale- watch how the tiny snail’s size doesn’t stop him from being a BIG help to the whale! A cute story of friendship!

Don’t forget to tell me below- do you read the author’s name aloud with the title??

Follow @lessonsbythelake for more ABCs of read alouds! 💕

#abcsofreadalouds #secondgrade #teachersfollowteachers #teachingreading #ela #readaloud #firstgrade #teachersofinstagram #elementaryteacher #readingstrategies #literacy

🍂 No-Prep November Fiction Reading Passages! 🍁Looking for fun, engaging activities for your students this November? These 14 NO PREP fall-themed fiction reading passages are perfect for captivating young learners! With multiple-choice comprehension questions and coloring activity, it’s a great activity to use for centers or extra practice. 🍂✏️

Comment November below to get the link in your inbox!

#readingactivities #teachingcomprehension #secondgrade #teachersfollowteachers #ela #readingcenters

Follow on Instagram

© 2025 Becky Ashley • Becca Paro Design Co.

A Little About Me
Blog
Cart
Checkout
Comprehension
Contact
Home
My account
Picture Books
Reading Centers
Shop
Wishlist

Search for: