Where creativity & learning collide.
Do you know what some of the big differences are between guided reading levels in kindergarten and early first grade guided reading levels like level F? Hint: If you have my FREE Guided Reading Resource Cards, you might already know! Here are some of the big differences when students are moving to level f: increasedMore
Grab this new book and FREEBIE to share as you are teaching kindness in the classroom. You are on the other side of your classroom. “STOP!”, you hear someone yell. “Don’t do that!”, they continue. You look to see one child bothering another and while you now have a very upset child, you scramble toMore
Does your classroom Valentine’s Day party sneak up on you? I always knew it was coming, but somehow, I still felt unprepared. This was especially true when I didn’t have a room mom to help me plan it all. Besides the party planning, I was usually knee-deep with everything from helping struggling readers to workingMore
“How do I keep my kindergarten students in independent reading center for the whole time?” is one question I get asked often about literacy centers. Trust me when I tell you that you aren’t alone if you feel like this center is equivalent to herding wild cats. Keeping five and six-year-olds in an independent readingMore
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 aMore
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 trackMore
One of my favorite science topics to teach is the weather unit. Because weather is all around us, it’s fun and easily observable for our young scientists. But, here’s the problem I used to run in to: there are so many different directions you can take when it comes to teaching all about weather, notMore
These writer’s workshop tips will take your time from frazzled to smooth! I can’t wait to share them with you! One of my favorite thing about writer’s workshop is seeing that lightbulb moment click for my young writers. You know the one – when a student who has been struggling with something finally gets it.More
Subitizing is a big word for such a simple concept. Funny how that happens! Much like reading, students need a solid foundation in number fluency. Subitizing activities are a great way to help students do just that! As a result of not learning how to subitize, students might have difficulty with spatial reasoning, understanding additionMore
How does teaching Christmas around the world make you feel? Does it make you overwhelmed with the thought of researching a bunch of different countries’ cultures and traditions? I know I was always so busy this time of year that it was hard to teach these things in a meaningful way. I wanted to comeMore
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 asMore
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 youMore
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 IMore
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 madeMore
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 soMore
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 toMore
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 metMore
How do you feel about teaching force and motion? It was always a favorite of mine to implement. I loved leading students through a variety of force and motion activities that they loved and engaged them. But, at one point I stopped to wonder if what I was doing was just fun or actually taughtMore
