A Smarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 3rd grade ELA practice test workbook for teachers, with a pretest, skill practice for all 24 standards, mixed review and 2 full-length practice tests. Answer key included, so test prep is ready to go.
A Smarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 5th grade ELA practice test workbook for teachers, with a pretest, skill practice for all 24 standards, mixed review and 2 full-length practice tests. Answer key included, so test prep is ready to go.
This Fairy Tales Planning Page Worksheet gives 3rd graders one page to plan a story: a title line plus Setting, Hero, Helper, Problem and Ending boxes, so writing day starts with ideas already on paper.
A Smarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 4th grade ELA practice test workbook for teachers, with a pretest, skill practice for all 24 standards, mixed review and 2 full-length practice tests. Answer key included, so test prep is ready to go.
A NJSLA-A 5th grade ELA practice test workbook for teachers, with a pretest, skill practice for all 20 standards, mixed review and 2 full-length practice tests. Answer key included, so test prep is ready to go.
A NJSLA-A 4th grade ELA practice test workbook for teachers, with a pretest, skill practice for all 20 standards, mixed review and 2 full-length practice tests. Answer key included, so test prep is ready to go.
Every great piece starts messy
The writing process teaches kids that writers work in steps: prewrite, draft, revise, edit and publish. Young writers start by drawing and talking about their ideas, then label pictures and write simple sentences. By upper elementary, kids plan with organizers, write longer drafts, revise for stronger words and better organization, and edit for grammar and spelling. At every age, the big lesson is the same: a first draft is just the beginning.
These moves work at any grade level. Just adjust how much kids write at each step.
Give kids a planning page that fits the kind of writing: a story map for stories, a web for informational writing. Familiar stories like fairy tales make a great first plan. Kids with a plan write longer and more focused drafts.
Why it works: going from real objects to pictures to symbols is a core recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
Try it withFairy Tales Planning Page WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Put a short, plain paragraph on the board and revise it together. Ask "Where can we add a detail? Is there a stronger word?" Cross out and add right on the board. Seeing a draft get better shows kids what revising really looks like.
Why it works: handing over the work step by step, from teacher to student, is one of the most widely used teaching frameworks (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Try it withSmarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 3rd Grade ELA Practice Test WorkbookTest PrepOpen it →Have kids put a draft away for a day or two before revising. Coming back with fresh eyes, they spot what's missing much more easily. Keep a writing folder for each student so older drafts are always ready.
Why it works: spreading practice out over days is one of the two most effective study methods in a major research review (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withSmarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 5th Grade ELA Practice Test WorkbookWorkbooksOpen it →Help kids see writing as something to share and enjoy.
Test PrepCelebrate finished pieces with a class reading party, complete with snacks and a "red carpet" author entrance.
Open Smarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 4th Grade ELA Practice Test Workbook →
Test PrepKids get a dull sentence and give it a makeover with better verbs and vivid details.
Open New Jersey NJSLA-A 5th Grade ELA Practice Test Workbook →
Test PrepRoll picture dice to get a character, setting and problem, then plan a quick story together.
Open New Jersey NJSLA-A 4th Grade ELA Practice Test Workbook →Teacher favorites right now: Smarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 3rd Grade ELA Practice Test Workbook, Smarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 5th Grade ELA Practice Test Workbook and Fairy Tales Planning Page Worksheet.
Prewrite (plan), draft, revise, edit and publish. Writers plan their ideas, write a first draft, improve the content, fix mistakes and share a final copy.
Kids start in kindergarten by drawing, talking and labeling their ideas. Each year they add more to each step, and by 3rd to 5th grade they use the full process on their own.
It breaks writing into manageable steps, so kids don't feel they have to get it perfect the first time. It also teaches them that good writing comes from revising.
Give them one clear job, like adding two details or changing three boring words. Colored pens for revisions make the changes visible and show kids their thinking.
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