Can Guided Reading and Guided Writing Go Together?
In my early teaching years, I thought guided writing was just helping a student write. Whether that be helping them stretch out a word, generate an idea for their story, or help with the organization of their story, I thought I was doing guided writing. In reality, I wasn’t. I typically coached them through what […]
How to Use Loom Recording for Online Teaching
Step-by-step tutorial to use Loom for online teaching. Many teachers near and far are using Zoom to meet with their students face-to-face. Even my own daughter had a meeting this week and seeing a class full of 6 and 7-year-olds get together was the cutest thing! Their excitement to see each other was so genuine! […]
How to Use Zoom for Online Teaching
Step-by-step tutorial to use Zoom for online teaching. Have you found yourself in a sea of technology overwhelm as you are trying to figure out how to deliver online teaching? Are you being asked to implement distance learning with your young students? With all that is changing so quickly, we all feel overwhelmed by how […]
8 Helpful Tips for a Better Writer’s Workshop
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. […]
Start Effectively Using Mentor Texts for Writer’s Workshop
If you see a teacher lurking around the school library piling up books, scouring the latest Scholastic magazine, and raiding the literacy library, you know she’s probably just hunting for more mentor texts for writer’s workshop. For primary teachers, mentor texts play such an important role in our teaching of the youngest authors. A mentor […]
5 of the Best Tips for Kindergarten Writer’s Workshop
Are you looking for the best kindergarten writer’s workshop tips? That’s exactly what you are going to find! It’s the first day of kindergarten writer’s workshop and your little writers are staring at a blank page. “I can’t write.” “I don’t know how to draw a frog.” “I’m hungry.” Fast-forward to May. “I’m not done, […]
Writing About Science in the Primary Classroom
Writing about science can seem difficult, especially in primary grades. However, we know it is so important! With our kindergarten, first grade, and second grade learners, it’s critical that we help set the foundation of learning for them to be successful in writing about science. One way to do that is to make sure students […]
Encouraging Writers to Use Wow Words
As you dig into writer’s workshop, I hope you’re seeing your writers blossom and make great strides in their writing! One impactful mini-lesson you’ll want to do with writers in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade is writing wow words. “Wow words” are words outside of their regular vocabulary that make the reader or listener […]
Conferring During Writer’s Workshop
Writer’s workshop is such an important part of the balanced literacy approach to teaching. I hope you have a good routine in place and your little writers are loving being authors! One of the most important pieces of writer’s workshop is the conferring time. This is the meat and potatoes of it because you get […]
Kindergarten Writer’s Workshop
I don’t know about you, but kindergarten writer’s workshop was one of my favorite ways to see my students blossom throughout the year. It’s amazing to see them start with scribbles and letters to ending the year with full stories and books! But what if you don’t know where to start? Some districts may not […]
3 Favorite Lesson Hooks
Hooking students at the beginning of a lesson can be a make or break moment. It’s the time that you truly create buy in for the topic you are teaching. I would do my best every day to make the hook of my lesson engaging and to truly capture the attention of every child. Here […]
4 Reasons to Use Writing Portfolios in Primary Classrooms
I have said before how teaching writing was never something I automatically loved. In all honesty, I was asked to be in charge of writing plans during my second year of teaching and again during my third year. It grew me. It stretched me. I became a teacher who loved to teach writing. One thing […]
Encouraging Young Writers
Writing is a time of our day that often gets squished to the end of the day, especially in kindergarten. So often we think, “Well, they aren’t reading yet so they aren’t ready to write much. They can just draw pictures.” You’re right, they can draw pictures, but have you ever thought about how that is […]
9 End of Year Ideas to Save Your Sanity
The end of the school year is so close, yet there are days that it just seems so far away! I wanted to share with you 9 end of year ideas that helped save my sanity and make the last few weeks a walk in the park! Chalk Paint At the end of every year […]
Integrating Science into Reading and Writing
Science was, hands down, a favorite time in my class for all of my students year after year! We were not only able to explore fun topics, but we were able to get our hands dirty and carry the topic throughout the day as we learned reading and writing skills. And let’s be honest–with everything […]
ABC Countdown FREEBIES
The end of the school year can be such a whirl! It always seems like from spring break on, I am running the 400m sprint and it’s definitely not a relay. Ha! One thing we loved to do was make the last 24-26 days fun and exciting! We created an ABC Countdown that helped things […]
Poetry Made Simple for Little Learners {& a FREEBIE}
Okay maybe writing poetry isn’t my future career, but I love using poetry for kids in the classroom! Poetry is something that I expose my little friends to all the time. Every chance I get, I use it! Science, math, shared reading–all the time. They always love it. Why Poetry for Kids is Important One […]
9 Must Make Anchor Charts for Writing
My first few years of teaching I was “given” writing for my team planning assignment. After digging my heels in with writing for a few years and in different grade levels, it ignited a love for teaching writing. I wanted to share with you some of my favorite writing anchor charts that will be WONDERFUL […]
