Get Teaching Tips and Effective Literacy Resources for the Primary Grades
Here at The WISE Owl our mission is to help young readers develop DECODING STRATEGIES FLUENCY WRITING SKILLS to flourish as skilled readers for life.
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teaching tips for primary teacher

Successive Blending: The Magic of Hands-On Decoding
Successive Blending can help new reader with decoding automaticity. Kindergarten is a magical time in a child’s life where the foundations for learning are laid, and curiosity is at its peak. I talked about the importance of blending, Phonological Awareness

Pocket Charts: 3 NEW Reasons for Using This “Old-Fashioned” Resource
Pocket Charts USED TO BE a staple in classrooms. In today’s rapidly advancing technological landscape, it’s easy to be swept away by the allure of digital tools and interactive screens, especially in educational settings. However, there’s something timeless and effective

Hibernating Animals and Bear Canβt Sleep: 13 Ways to Integrate Science
Hibernating Animals are fascinating to most people, but especially Kindergartners. As winter approaches and the days grow colder, many animals embark on a remarkable journey into hibernation. In this blog post, we will explore what hibernation is, why animals do

Learn about 4 square writing with a Lesson on me!
At its most basic, 4 square is a template for writing. It asks the student to move from topic (center box) to details (top to bottom, left to right). It can be differentiated and easily scaffolded.Β
If this sounds like something you can use, join my WISE Owl community to learn more. I’ll send you this resource to get you started.

Hi! I'm Cathy,
author of
The WISE Owl
Hello and Welcome to Cathy Collier’s The W.I.S.E. Owl. I am a Reading Specialist and Literacy Advocate for more than 30 years. BUT I was born to be a teacher. I am blessed with a very supportive husband and two grown boys. I am a teacher, talker, trainer, and passionate presenter. I’d love to talk about Reading and Writing for the Emergent Learner with your class, your school, your division, or your council. Invite me!