What do you say when your kindergarten parents ask for reading tips? Do you struggle to offer them concrete, practical activities to do at home? I sure did! Until I got my little secret weapon ready, I found myself digging through files and grabbing charts and flashcards to send home with students who needed a […]
Let’s chat about teaching sight words – how many do you have to teach this year? Most primary grade teachers have to teach 40-100 words per year. That can be overwhelming. Not only do we have to introduce the words, but students need to practice frequently and read them regularly while teachers need to track […]
This time of year can be hectic. Between the celebrations, grades due, and sugared-up students, I know it can be hard to write lesson plans and include meaningful activities. So I wanted to put together an ultimate list of holiday resources that are perfect for kindergarten, first, and second grade to make lesson planning as […]
You guys asked for it, and its finally here – Guided Reading Level K. Just like the kindergarten and first grade guided reading kits, this one has everything you need to successfully implement guided reading to advance the readers in your classroom. What I love about these kits is that no matter how experienced you […]
We spend a lot of time at the guided reading table coaching our students through growing their reading skills. Many times we get to the end, check for comprehension, and it seems like the little reader has no idea what they read. They are struggling with comprehension. Where am I going wrong? What am I […]
We all have been there. We get to the end of a guided reading lesson, check for comprehension, and then it’s time to do a quick write. We realize we didn’t quite plan ahead because, goodness, we rarely get this far in the lesson without the timer going off. But not today! Today we made […]
Do you have students who struggle with reading comprehension? We know our young readers need a toolbox of reading strategies to help them comprehend texts, but it’s hard to not get lost in the seemingly complicated lessons to teach them. One great strategy to help students become better readers is questioning. But, there are so […]
With only 20 minutes to implement a guided reading lesson, how can we make it the best and most successful for students on level e? How can we make the most of the time we have? We create and follow a strong lesson plan for guided reading level e that provides our readers opportunities to […]
What do meatballs, butterflies, and cowboys have in common? Not much unless you are teaching compound words to your students this week. This topic can be so fun to teach because of the many different ways you can approach it. Whenever possible, I try to make sure all types of learners’ needs can be met […]
I remember during my first year of teaching, I worked so hard to get all of my students on grade level for reading. In guided reading, we did phonics practice, sight word work, hands-on word work, and running records. All of the right things. When I got to the testing, I realized I had some […]
You have crafted the perfect guided reading lesson plan. You gather all of the materials and lay them out neatly. But, the next thing you know, the first group’s time is already up and you barely made it halfway through. Fitting it all in can be tough! There are multiple components of a guided reading […]
Motivating students to master sight words plays a large part in helping them learn the words, but how can we do that without reinventing the wheel? Before I figured out a simple and easy way to practice words and make fun sight word games, I constantly searched for the latest and greatest to practice. Scouring […]
Kindergarten teachers know that the beginning of the year brings in a variety of students with different skill levels. Some know their letters and sounds, some can read, and some can barely identify the letters in their own names. One thing all of these students can benefit from is practicing name activities. Why Should Students […]
I sat at my guided reading table with a student who couldn’t comprehend the text he just read. He had a high correct words per minute score and a high accuracy percentage – what was I missing? Focusing on fluency in guided reading. He read too fast to even understand what happened in the book. […]
Setting up a listening station is made simple with these steps! Literacy stations are a BIG part of the day for kindergarten and first grade classrooms. Time and time again, I had kids who loved this part of our day. Some people walked in our classroom and may have felt like it was a zoo, […]
Have you been there, at the table- staring at a blank lesson plan template for level C guided reading, frantically searching for how to write a lesson, or flipping through the same book over and over again, hoping a teaching point will jump out at you? I sure have! Since then, I’ve spent time researching, […]
Amazon affiliate links are used below at no cost to you. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase through one of my links, which helps to support the blog. We were sitting at my guided reading table for the hundredth time. We had been working on the same sight words in guided […]
Guided reading – how do those words make you feel? I’ve talked to so many teachers who would love to try it out, but don’t know how to get started. I’ve talked to some teachers who are doing it, but aren’t totally sure if they are doing it correctly. I get it! It can be […]
