One of the most important and basic early literacy skills for our little readers is mastering concepts about print. This is the “knowledge of print awareness and book handling skills.” For many students, this comes natural, but for the other half, it does not. I see this in my own child who we adopted. While […]
Word work, or word study, is an important part of the balanced literacy approach to teaching reading. This is the time for the teacher to provide explicit, direct, and systematic teaching instruction on the foundation of the English language. This is not a big chunk of our day, but it’s a part of our day […]
Beginning literacy stations can seem like an overwhelming task. I’ll never forget when someone gave me my first professional development book about them. I was a new teacher, eager to try new things and do whatever I needed to make it work. After all, how in the world would I pull guided reading groups if I […]
Teaching and structuring a guided reading lesson can seem overwhelming at first. I know that when I sat with my kids for the first time, though I had seen a great model, I was so worried about fitting it all in. I wasn’t sure if I was even teaching what I should. I felt like […]
92 words. 100 words. It doesn’t matter which list you use – Dolch, Fry’s, or your own. Mastering sight words is a key factor in reading success with little learners. That makes progress monitoring for sight words important. But the task of tracking it all can seem so daunting. How do you keep students motivated? […]
Technology is simply a way of life in the classroom these days. When I first started teaching, I felt so lucky to have an interactive whiteboard in my classroom, especially a mounted one. Now, only a short 8 years later, apps for elementary teachers are a must-have. Along with interactive whiteboards are tablets these days. With tablets […]
Loving to read is not something that comes naturally to all children. Sometimes they love to get lost in a book, make connections, predict what will happen next and other times children just want to look at the pictures and be done. I can even see that in both of my own children. My son […]
Shared reading is a valuable part of the balanced literacy approach. You may be wondering what it is or how it’s different than a read aloud. Because it takes up such a small amount of time, it often is left out. But I am here to tell you that the 15 minutes spent on shared […]
Just the thought of getting started with guided reading small groups can be overwhelming. I know that was the case for me when I started teaching. You have to create a space for it You have to gather reading tools. Then, you have to create groups and write effective lessons. It’s a lot! One area […]
Science was, hands down, a favorite time in my class for all of my students year after year! We were not only able to explore fun topics, but we were able to get our hands dirty and carry the topic throughout the day as we learned reading and writing skills. And let’s be honest–with everything […]
Sight words are an important part of teaching little learners to read. As more research has become easily available to teachers, we now know that sight words and high-frequency words are different. You can read more about that here. No matter what, though, when it comes to making high-frequency words turn to sight words and […]
I talked a little last week about how much I loved using anchor charts in the classroom. We would use them time and time again to “anchor our learning”. From introducing topics, to exploring more about topics, recording our learning, and being referenced later—they were always a part of our classroom environment. Today I want to highlight […]
Interactive writing is one of the many elements of a balanced literacy model. There are SO many benefits to doing interactive writing with your kiddos! They learn alongside you! They feel proud of their work and feel like an author! They have confidence because they are successful with your scaffolding! Everyone observes the writing process! […]
‘Tis the season for some gingerbread activities! I know when December rolled around, I was always so excited because the students were eager to learn through some new engaging units–Gingerbread, Reindeer, and Christmas Around the World were some of our favorites! I always loved teaching thematically, but here’s the deal: I had to be able […]
Fall is definitely here and that means it’s time to hit the ground running with more fun thematic lessons. No matter where you are in your curriculum, learning about relevant topics will always increase your classroom engagement. In the fall, I like to fill our lessons with Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and turkey activities! There are […]
One thing I have learned over the years is that no matter the child, drawing on a relevant, engaging topic that brings excitement benefits our learning environment. Depending on the time of year, it can be life cycles, animals, insects, or even pumpkins. The fall is so fun and is a great time to bring […]
Mornings can be hectic sometimes in the classroom. Students arriving late, you are trying to gather homework, making sure everyone is okay and has what they need for the day, taking attendance, and sometimes even finding breakfast for a sweet little one. Gosh, it can just be tough sometimes! BUT, even with all of that, […]
Fall is right around the corner. That means pumpkin spice lattes, apples, and college football! Usually by the third week of school, we are ready to move from back-to-school themed books to apples. My students always enjoy apple activities as I integrate our reading and science time. Here are a few of my favorite apple […]
