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 […]
The beginning of the school year can seem like a whirl! But in the midst of the chaos, my favorite thing to do is to get to know my students through reading when we get back to school. Not only does it grab their attention, but I love to help them fall in love with […]
I don’t know about you, but there just never seems to be enough time in my teaching day! I always over plan and have more that I want to teach than time allows. Specifically, I’m thinking about my ELAR block of time. It seems that every day I need to fit in… –Phonics –Read Aloud –Shared Reading […]
When you open your guided reading binder, what do you see? Are your lesson plans and student data forms easily accessible? Do you know which students need a running record today? Do you have all the resources you need at your fingertips? I know I got tired of disheveled papers falling out, losing track of […]
Earth Day is just around the corner! April 22 to be exact! It is the perfect time for Earth Day activities and to discuss what we can do to help save the earth and be better citizens in our communities. We talk about the importance of recycling, reducing our waste, and reusing things over and […]
I love, love, love teaching reading comprehension skills through read alouds! If you hang around here often, I’m sure you have read that before. Our interactive read aloud time is a part of our day that I never push to the side. Not only do I always enjoy it, but this is when I teach […]
When it comes to teaching phonics explicitly and systematically, as research proves is best, it took practice for me. It didn’t come naturally because I wasn’t taught that way and honestly, I don’t remember much of that instruction from college. It took work. I had to search for fun, engaging ways to introduce the concepts […]
I’ll never forget my first year of teaching when I had no idea what to do during that time of the day. I was blessed with an amazing principal who saw my need for some help in that area. Our district had a lady who came into my classroom once a week for 6 weeks […]
Beginning letter sounds and fine motor skills are just something that it seems I always revisit with teaching Kindergarten. I wanted to create something that would focus on both and also be flexible to be used by students independently and in small groups or for RTI purposes. Are your kiddos needing this kind of practice? […]
Often times I hear Texas teachers say, “I’d love to teach more thematically, but those things just aren’t in our curriculum.” They are right. We don’t have scarecrows, bats, or spiders. But we do have science standards and reading standards that allow us to work in these FUN and engaging topics! The Reading TEKS are […]
By this time of the year, our feet are pretty wet when it comes to read aloud time. The kids are starting to sit well for longer and I am ready to teach more skills than just “sit and listen while I read”. HA! I wanted to share some fall books that are my favorite […]
Teachers know that alphabetic knowledge and phonemic awareness are some of the foundational skills our readers need for successful decoding skills. But it can also be difficult to squeeze in activities to help readers develop strong letter-sound knowledge. What if I told you that I have a simple solution to solving the problem of finding […]
I am back today to share an idea about Sight Word Table Bins that has been a LIFE SAVER for me over the past few year! Sight words are more of a challenge this year than any other year! We have over 100 words for my little kindergarten friends to learn this year! YIKES! Here […]
Be set for Martin Luther King Jr Day with this Martin Luther King Jr poem for your kindergarten, first grade, or second grade learners. Martin Luther King, Jr. is honored on the third Monday of January every year. For years, a man by the name of John Conyers, a congressman from Michigan, worked to honor […]
Winter break is so good for me. I get to sleep, catch up on housework, complete fun projects, work ahead, and blog! I wanted to share a few products that I have completed, updated, and am working on. I also updated this set of literacy stations made just for 1st grade. I am currently working […]
