Every character has more to say than nice.

A free checklist for studying unique characters in picture books and mentor texts.

✦ A go-to list of character trait words, way past "nice" and "mean."

✦ Guiding questions to pull traits straight from picture books and mentor texts.

✦ A format you can reuse anytime you need a strong mentor text lesson.

What lands in your inbox (every once in a while)

Short, warm, and always worth reading. Just useful stuff when I actually have something worth sending.

Literacy tips & strategies that work

Reading, writing, or executive functioning tips you can use in your classroom tomorrow.

Book suggestions worth your time

Mentor texts, read-alouds, and classroom favorites for upper elementary and middle school.

A little classroom sanity

Classroom management ideas and honest thoughts on teaching 5th grade and up.

Sound like your classroom?

✦ You're teaching reading, writing, and trying to help kids manage their own materials and time, all before lunch.

✦ You've got a filing cabinet (or Google Drive) full of resources, but nothing that actually ties reading skills, writing skills, and executive functioning together.

✦ You want ideas that are actually helpful, not repurposed jargon dressed up as a new strategy.

Hi, I'm Lisa. I've been teaching since 2004.

I'm a fifth grade teacher who loves helping busy educators find creative reading and writing ideas, practical classroom supports, and engaging activities that make teaching a little easier. I'm especially passionate about supporting neurodiverse learners, students who struggle with executive functioning skills, and struggling, disengaged readers.

Ready to make character analysis easier?

Get the free printable checklist for studying characters in picture books and mentor texts.