Reading & Writing Specialist Β· Miami, Florida

Turn passive reading into

✍🏻active thinking.

Teaching Children in Grades 5-8

How to Take Notes While They Read

It is ABSURD to make children believe that they have to remember everything they read.

It is LUDICROUS that ELA classes are ONLY reading fiction stories and novels.

It is CRAZY that science and social studies teachers are giving kids notes instead of teaching them HOW to take notes as they read.

It is INSANE that children are afraid to ask their teachers questions because they do not want to be reprimanded in front of the class.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. πŸ₯Ά

There are many reasons why your child is not learning important ELA skills like note-taking aka ANNOTATING in school.

And it's a shame. This one skill can TRANSFORM a child's academic life in an instant. 🫰🏻

Without it, kids become frustrated, withdrawn, angry, resentful, and spiral down.

I saw this way too many times in my 23 years in the classroom.

That is why I left the school system

and built

Back2Basics Learning Co.

Back2Basics Learning Co.

I no longer wanted to be part of the problem,

so I BECAME the solution.

Hi! My name is Vannesa Martinez

Architect of this Amazing, Ever-Evolving Academic Accelerator Community

I was a teacher for a very long time. 23 years to be exact. I started in 2001 after graduating from Florida International University. I worked in the elementary school setting for a good 15 years, but what I loved more than anything was my middle schoolers.

5th-8th grade was were my heart grew exponentially! πŸ’“πŸ’ž

You see, they were literally stuck in the middle and so were their parents! I heard things like "I just don't know what to do with him anymore!" or "He just doesn't care." and "Is he going to fail?"

No. They just have to learn the skills we all thought they had already mastered, that's all.

"So what do we do Mrs. Martinez?"

We meet them where they are. πŸ“πŸ—ΊοΈ

I worked feverishly to try to help my students because I wanted them to succeed so badly, so I spent months building and building and building and building

just for them. πŸ₯°

I created novel courses, writing courses. I learned how to build an online school. I learned to film, edit, upload. I changed platforms 3 times. I learned how to get in front of the camera even when I felt scared to do it.

πŸ€”Why am I telling you this?

Because there is nothing I wouldn't do to help my students (your child) succeed.

Now, what the heck is up with my obsession with annotating?

First of all, thank you for noticing! 🧐

It is a very healthy obsession, but an obsession none the less. I read all the time and if I don't have a pen with me, I go cray cray! And here are the reasons why....

#1

I I absolutely DO NOT remember ANYTHING I read if I don't annotate.

I literally read pages and chapters over 10 tiimes and when I annotate, I don't ever have to go back and reread ever again unless I really want to.

#2

If I have to go back and look for pieces of evidence, my guide words and "breadcrumb tracking method" is going to save my life.

#3

Annotating slows my reading down. I know kids don't like that, but it's by design.

When I annotate, I slow down long enough to really get to know the characters in a novel or the kind of structure the author is using in an essay.

#4

Annotating makes me a better reader AND writer because it makes me aware of the author's craft and structure so that when I write my own essays and stories, I have TONS of examples from texts I've already read and dissected, I mean annotated.

#5

MAJOR BONUS!!!

Annotating preps my students for high school.

We all know you want your baby to take AP classes and guess what they have to MASTER for those classes? Yup. Annotating.

You get it, right?

Annotating helps with TEST PREP.

Annotating helps with READING COMP.

Annotating helps with WRITING.

Annotating helps with

AP PREP / COLLEGE PREP.

It is a SKILL that is versatile and necessary to learn at a young age.

So now, how can we work together to make sure your son or daughter MASTERS this POWERFUL strategy?

Ahh, very simple. Let's talk over the phone!

I would LOVE to talk to you to see if I am the right fit for your child's academic journay and vice versa.

So, click here. πŸ‘‡πŸ»Choose a date and a time. And then prepare to get a call from me! Simple.