I use what I call Props with a Purpose when I want to engage my students in the lesson. I use many ‘ hands-on’ props to elicit discussion, frames to help kids focus on details and question cards to help them dig deeper. It is amazing to see my students use these props for collaborative group discussions. We use ‘ My Turn Cards ‘ each participant can have a turn to speak and share. Once the kids are trained to use props like these, the lesson becomes more interactive and exciting; of course even more challenging. You need to try it. It’s time to see it and share it!!!  There are bookmarks for reading, writing, comprehension, and discussion starters. I also include bookmarks for factual, informational and comparison paragraph writing as well.   Check Props with a Purpose in my store for more ideas. You will like it for sure! All can be found at www.visualccl.com