The holiday seasons brings so much excitement to the classroom. From family traditions being shared to memories being made with classroom elf, there are so many moments to take in! One of my favorite things to do is read aloud and the holiday season is filled with wonderful Christmas read alouds for kids! I have […]
The holiday season is the perfect time to bring festive, hands-on learning into the classroom! A gingerbread man craft activity is a delightful way to engage our students while practicing writing conventions. This interactive project combines smiles and academics. That’s something we all want to see more of! Whether you use it as part of a writing […]
As the Thanksgiving holiday is near, it’s time for all things pumpkins, leaves, and turkeys! I don’t know about you, but as a child, I never once saw a real, live turkey in person unless my school took a field trip to a farm. I don’t think we ever did that. Turkeys are fascinating birds. […]
Teaching phonics skills like the hard C and soft C sounds can be a thrilling journey for young learners as they unlock more phonics skills. Just think–now the word “circle” makes sense! It can feel tricky to teach, so let’s dive into an explicit explanation of how to teach each of these phonics skills. I also will […]
From digraph activities to digraph worksheets to digraph games, you are sure to find something for your classroom! My friend recently shared this story: “My daughter has been grabbing easy chapter books from our home bookshelves. Last night, she came to me and said, “Mom, I can’t figure out this word. I said each sound, […]
Spending time to set up literacy centers in kindergarten truly helps build a solid literacy foundation. Literacy centers allow students to practice reading and writing skill at their own pace because they are easily differentiated. There are many options of how to run and set up literacy centers and I typically had 8 centers that […]
Most of us, as teachers, read aloud to our students. We love it! They love it! It’s a win! The science of reading research has shown us how children learn to read and the best practices for teaching reading. Reading aloud to kids is a powerful tool that aligns well with these evidence-based strategies. Today […]
Are you looking for engaging activities to help your growing readers understand the concept of comparing and contrasting characters in books? Look no further! In this blog post, we’ll explore some fun and creative activities to make this important literacy skill come alive in your classroom. Plus, I have a free download of an event […]
Creating and maintaining organized literacy centers can be the key to a smooth and productive classroom. For kindergarten and 1st grade teachers, having a system that helps students find what they need, stay focused, and follow clear directions is crucial. Let’s explore three simple tips for organizing literacy centers and keeping them manageable! *Amazon affiliate […]
When I was in the classroom, reading assessments looked like this: a large DRA box, a stack of running records that were to be carefully analyzed, leveled texts with lots of wear and tear, and maybe some checklists. But now that we know what we know, thanks to the science of reading research, we can […]
Introducing poetry to young learners can be an enjoyable and enriching experience. It fosters creativity, language development, and a love for writing. Sometimes, it can feel tricky to know where to begin when it comes to teaching poetry. With engaging activities and strategies for teaching poetry elements to our young writers, it doesn’t have to […]
We all know how important phonics instruction is. It is a pillar in the 5 pillars of reading, it’s integrated into Scarborough’s Reading Rope, and it is heavily supported by research when it comes to how the brain learns to read. Phonics instruction is both explicit and systematic, but that doesn’t equal boring! We need […]
As teachers, one of our primary goals is to equip our young learners with the foundational skills they need to become proficient readers. As we dig into the Science of Reading research more and more, we see this in Scarborough’s Reading Rope through the word recognition strands. Fluency, the ability to read smoothly and accurately […]
Teaching reading is truly a science. As we learn more about the Science of Reading research that is rising to the top, schools are beginning to adopt best teaching practices for teaching reading. We are better equipped to support kids in reading. But even with our knowledge base growing, one thing still remains–we still have […]
Sound walls are a great change that many teachers are making in their literacy classrooms. Why? Sound walls are a great visual for students of how phonemes and letters or letter patterns are used to write words. Giving each student a copy of their own sound wall is a valuable tool in the classroom. Let’s […]
Have you heard the chant “when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking”? It is commonly used to help teach vowel teams. I remember teaching my students this refrain during reading small groups. A few of my students were struggling with words like peach, read, and pie. I don’t remember where I […]
Planning a reading small group can feel like a big task. It is incredibly important, and there are many pieces to consider, but it doesn’t have to be hard! Having a science of reading small group lesson template at your fingertips makes everything easier! I have been there–the end of a long day, cleaning up […]
A Kindergarten schedule is always jam-packed. I know it felt this way in first grade, too, but it was just a different level of “jam-packed” in Kindergarten. Not only are you constantly teaching them how to do school, but you also have so many core curriculum pieces to squeeze in. Among them were kindergarten reading […]
