What better way to engage learners in the summer than sharks! They are funny (Baby Shark), sneaky (Finding Nemo) and Scary (Shark Week). Add sharks to the summer mix and it's already fun. Read Alouds If you start with a…
Magic Squares combines word building and fun. AND I have to say: I think these are fun! Magic Squares Word Building Activities Word Building isn't new...we all know students who can manipulate letters and sounds are building a solid foundation…
Stencil Center is probably one of the easiest centers. It is a process/product center and it is easily set up, maintained and practiced. Want a quick center with minimum input and maximum output? This is it. Stencil Centers: Quick and…
Who would have thought we'd be here? Teaching our youngest readers as much as we can through digital means wasn't in the college curriculum or in my backpack full of teaching tricks. BUT, we have to do it. Do the…
Maps and Globes are typical social studies skills, but we need to make sure these standards are not taught in isolation. Integrating the standards is vital. At my previous K-2 school, we had half-day kindergarten. That's right...3 hours to get…
We need to make sure students know how to write AND they need a writing rubric to support it. The Big 3 is an easy and effective writing rubric. I have debated and drafted and debated and drafted and tried…
I actually had someone tell me early readers didn't need to know about cause and effect because "it was too hard to bring it to their level." I, respectfully, disagree. It's not necessarily about the skill, it's about the approach.…
Do you need an intervention for students struggling with spelling words confidently? This is it. Stoplight writing is something students can hang on to. Teaching emergent readers to write can be far more complicated than you think. Writing words involves,…
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man. A man who decided to help lead a nation into change. Here are ideas for sharing about his legacy with our students. A year ago a participated in a blog about teaching about…
All early learners need to have intentional cvc lessons and activities to make sure they can develop into proficient readers and writers. Let’s start 2020 off with a bang. What else could be more of a bang than making sure…
Our school system doesn't start school until after Labor Day...so February is crazy with 100th Day, Valentine's Day, and Presidents' Day. Here are 100 ideas for the 100th day. Ok...I don't have 100 ideas, but here are few. 1. 100th…
This silly r-controlled poem is one for the turkeys. Students will giggle as they discover r-controlled vowels throughout this poem. Control at Thanksgiving? Thank goodness I'm not talking about Thanksgiving dinner...or pumpkin pie. There simply isn't much control when it…