When it comes to teacher hacks, I’m always on the hunt for new ones. Helper cards to remind students of directions? Yes! Treasure trash to motivate students to clean up? You bet. When I learned how to print on sticky notes, my life was changed. (I realize that’s a little dramatic, but I was so […]
When March rolls around in the classroom, most teachers feel one of two ways. Either very excited to be in the middle of the last semester of school or panicking that time is running out to teach all of the things. I always felt like there was never enough time to squeeze in everything to […]
For many of us, February can feel like a ‘blah’ month stuck in the middle of winter break and spring break. But I’m here to tell you that you can pack a ton of fun activities for your kindergarten, first, and second graders with all of the holidays in February. Think about it…Groundhog’s Day, President’s […]
Reader’s workshop is always a favorite time of the day. If you have been around here for long, you have heard me say before I LOVED the concept of it, but could never find my groove with it in the classroom. I loved the mini-lessons. There’s something special about being together as a class and […]
I am all about a great read aloud, but a read aloud about a subject that’s close to my heart? Even better! Using books about adoption can be mirrors and windows for our little learners: mirrors that show relatable stories and windows to give students a peek into something new. This is a powerful time […]
All three of my kids enjoy reading. This summer we have gone to the library several times and came home with a haul of books. Each time we come home, they immediately pick their favorite reading spot and are glued to their books. Sometimes I’m reading them aloud and other times the big kids are […]
When you hear the words “interactive read aloud”, what comes to mind? Many teachers think it’s just a great read aloud that students enjoy and have conversations about. While this is correct, there is so much more to an interactive read aloud! This powerful time of day allows us to not only connect with students […]
One of the reading comprehension strategies that I love teaching is making inferences. What I’ve learned from being in the classroom (and from my own kiddos) is that kids already make inferences all day long. We just have to bring this abstract idea into a more concrete concept that they can practice in reading. For […]
Have you ever read a book, turned the page and saw the picture, and thought “That’s not at all what I was picturing in my mind?” This has happened to me so many times! That’s visualizing. When you use the words in a story or book to make a picture in your mind, you are […]
One of my favorite times of the day in the classroom was when we had our interactive read aloud! I loved having my students close to me on the carpet, their eyes and minds focused on the book we were reading. I loved picking out a book with vivid pictures and characters I thought they […]
With the holidays near, I always found myself enjoying read alouds in the classroom more than ever. Even now, I find myself enjoying Christmas read alouds with my kids at home more often. There is just something warm, cozy, and inviting about enjoying a book together. Not to mention, all of the benefits and power […]
One thing that is sure to bring a smile to a kid’s face is an enjoyable read aloud. No matter the season and topic there are always great books we can use to build background knowledge, set the stage, and model attributes of good readers. During the fall, I always pull out my favorite Thanksgiving […]
Think about one of your favorite books – what kept you engaged to keep reading? If you’re like me, it’s likely that you wanted to find out what was going to happen next. I get invested in the characters, come up with what’s going to happen, and keep reading to find out. Sometimes I can’t […]
I search my students’ faces until I see it – that lightbulb moment when they’ve grasped another reading comprehension strategy. That moment when sweet “Jane” understood why making connections to our books help her grow as a reader. Simple making connections activities and strong read alouds helped her blossom as a reader. These are the […]
One of my favorite parts of the day in the classroom was interactive read alouds. When it comes to interactive virtual read alouds during distance learning, the benefits will still be the same. Students get to experience an engaging, rich text that is age-appropriate on their listening level. You get to model how to think […]
One of my favorite parts of the back to school season is picking out my interactive read alouds for the beginning of the year. I love getting to spend quality time modeling how to read and sharing how a good reader thinks. But most of all, I love the bits I learn about my students […]
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 […]
Balanced literacy is truly a passion of mine. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by amazing teachers who took me under their wings my first few years of teaching and really taught me how balanced literacy in kindergarten and first grade should look. I have had several questions about when to do guided reading and […]
