Literacy

Professional Development

How to Know When Kids are Ready to Read

One common misconception about guided reading is that you can’t start until kids know all of their letters, sounds, and sight words and are ready to read. But, how do you know when kids are ready to read? Is it when they know all of their letters? Or are they ready when they can name […]

Rethinking How We Prompt Early Readers

You are sitting at the guided reading table and a child gets to a word and is staring blankly at you. You aren’t quite sure why they don’t know that word. You know the child can monitor for meaning as they are reading. You know the child has seen the word before. But you see […]

Sight Words vs. High-Frequency Words: What’s the Difference?

The difference between sight words and high-frequency words and why it matters. Recently many teachers have found themselves knee-deep in “the reading wars”. As I pause to think about this phrase, I think any experienced teacher with several years under their belt would say, “There is nothing new about this. We see big shifts in […]

7 Ways to Engage Reluctant Readers

At one time or another, we’ve all as teachers had that one student that dreaded coming to the guided reading table. The student who didn’t want to read to you or with you or out loud for anyone. Maybe even this student visibly hangs their head when it comes to reading. Reluctant readers are often […]

4 Things You Don’t Always Have to Do In Guided Reading Groups

Guided reading groups look different in each teacher’s classroom, but they usually have the same components. We all have a book introduction, read the text, and then teach a skill or strategy that our students need in order to grow as readers.  We all also can feel overwhelmed trying to squeeze everything into such a […]

What To Do When Guided Reading Isn’t Working: Tips for Guided Reading

Tips for Guided Reading When It Feels Like It’s Not Working Have you ever felt like your students aren’t making a lot of growth in guided reading? Does it seem like they have been working on the same level for a while? Have you found yourself wondering if you should continue doing guided reading? I […]

6 Tips for Managing Literacy Centers at End of the Year

Literacy centers have such a special place in the classroom. Students love stations that are meaningful, engaging, and purposeful. When a teacher is managing literacy centers well, guided reading can happen without with minimal distractions. Literacy centers can be powerful! Students get to read and write while participating in meaningful literacy experiences. Students get to […]

How to Improve Reading Fluency with Literacy Stations & Activities

When teachers ask me about how to help students move forward in guided reading instruction, I ask about what they are doing to also help improve reading fluency. These two things go hand in hand: fluency is just one of the five pillars of reading instruction. But, what if you don’t have time to do […]

Free Reading Assessments Toolkit for Teachers for Easier Testing

When it comes to completing reading assessments, there is always so much to do! Teachers have to gather their materials, prepare both students and parents, find testing checklists, and keep track of important data. I know you are already doing so much to serve your students, so I wanted to help make reading assessments easier […]

How to Help When Students Don’t Notice Reading Errors

One of the trickiest things for young readers to learn is to self-monitor and notice their own reading errors. It’s hard for readers to master and coordinate all of the pieces of reading like concepts about print, phonics, reading strategies, sight words, and self-monitoring. So what do we do to help coach readers to notice […]

Analyzing Running Records MSV: What To Do When Students Ignore Meaning

When it comes to analyzing running records, circling in the MSV section shows you what’s going on when a student is reading. Once you determine the information a student is using to solve an unknown word, what do you do when you notice that the student is only using syntax or visual cues, but ignoring […]

How to Easily Integrate Science and Literacy to Make the Most of Your Day

Do you struggle to fit science in every day? Or does your school district’s curriculum not have enough content to make planning for science easy? I have been there friends! If you don’t integrate science into other subjects, it can difficult to figure out how to help students master their science standards in a short […]

How To Create a Stress-Free Kindergarten Morning Routine

22 students file into the classroom, put everything away neatly, and quietly begin to work. I have time to go through folders, read important notes, and drink my coffee take attendance. How is this possible? Because I intentionally created a kindergarten morning routine that was low maintenance, stress-free, and flexible.  I loved that my day […]

Learning All About Birds Unit: Engaging Activities and Ideas

Studying the characteristics of birds is made engaging, fun, and interactive with these bird activities for little learners!

If your science lesson plans are struggling a bit, listen up! Teaching your students all about birds in a fun bird unit can bring science to life in. your classroom. I have a few fun ways to also integrate science into literacy so that you can reinforce these skills all day long. I’m excited to […]

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