Where creativity & learning collide.
Writing in a K-2 classroom can be a difficult time for both the teacher and students, but it doesn’t have to be. It is truly a joy to teach with the right mini-lessons and with the right tools. When your little writers feel empowered to write, they will blossom. These blog posts are here to help inspire ideas for your writing block in your classroom.
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 getMore
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 notMore
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. HereMore
I have said before how teaching writing was never something I automatically loved. In all honestly, 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 weMore
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 isMore
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 myMore
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 everythingMore
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 thingsMore
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. Plus, reading it often helps build fluency. I just love poetry for first grade! When it comes to teaching poetry for first grade, we typicallyMore
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 WONDERFULMore
Interactive writing is one of the many elements of a balanced literacy model. There are SO many benefits to doing interactive writing with your kiddos! They learn alongside you! They feel proud of their work and feel like an author! They have confidence because they are successful with your scaffolding! Everyone observes the writing process!More
Happy December! ‘Tis definitely the season for some gingerbread activities! I know when December rolled around I was always so excited because the students were eager to learn through some new engaging units–Gingerbread, Reindeer, and Christmas Around the World were some of our favorites! I always loved teaching thematically…but here’s the deal, I had toMore
Art in the classroom isn’t always a common practice. Sometimes you just flat out don’t have enough instructional time to squeeze in crafts or art. Let me be real honest ,though–I love writing crafts in the classroom! Not only would kids get excited about them, but I would then have something to hang in theMore
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,More
In today’s world of texting, emailing, FaceTiming, and emojis it seems as though teaching handwriting to our little ones is fading. On top of that, it’s just ONE more thing that we have to SQUEEZE into our day. But you guys, it’s so important. We teach proper handwriting early on so that later students areMore
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 ReadingMore
Are you a prankster? I am not. I wish I was, but I just am not good at lying so I always ruin any prank I try to pull! I love to laugh and read about them, though! There is something magical about April Fools’ Day when you are 5 and 6. I can rememberMore
Ahhhh, spring break! The time of the year that most teachers say, “Oh my gosh! Where has the year gone? We have so much to accomplish still!” I totally relate. 100%. This is when I usually begin to freak out a bit. One thing I love to do with my little friends when we returnMore
