When you hear the phrases RTI, intervention activities, and reading intervention support, how do you feel? What comes to mind? I know when I was in my early years in the classroom, it hurt my brain. Managing RTI and intervention activities were just going to send me over the edge some years, but I really […]
When it comes to using manipulatives in the classroom, we often think of math manipulatives. What about using literacy manipulatives in the classroom? Yes, friends! Literacy manipulatives are a great way to help readers develop stronger phonics, fluency, and comprehension skills. Chances are that you are already using some literacy manipulatives in your own classroom. […]
When it comes to fall in the classroom, what do you think of? Besides a pumpkin spice latte to start the day, I immediately think of pumpkin activities and investigations. When you use pumpkins in the classroom, you can easily integrate reading, writing, math, and science. Who knew one vegetable could provide so many learning […]
For most of us this school year, distance learning is a real possibility. With that comes several obstacles that teachers may face. One of them is how to manage parent communication while distance learning. I wanted to help you brainstorm a few ways to effectively communicate with parents so they can stay involved in their […]
You sit down at the guided reading table. Five sweet smiling faces are staring back at you. You have a perfectly organized guided reading binder. Then what? Do you know what guided reading skills you need to cover with this group? Do you feel prepared and relaxed or slightly anxious about knowing what to do […]
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 a […]
92 words. 100 words. It doesn’t matter which list you use – Dolch, Fry’s, or your own. Mastering sight words is a key factor in reading success with little learners. That makes progress monitoring for sight words important. But the task of tracking it all can seem so daunting. How do you keep students motivated? […]
If there was one sure way to engage my little learners, it was to do science experiments! Their eyes just lit up when I told them we are going to implement a science experiment. It’s definitely a moment that made my teacher heart so happy–and forget all the craziness of our day! There were 4 […]
Loving to read is not something that comes naturally to all children. Sometimes they love to get lost in a book, make connections, predict what will happen next and other times children just want to look at the pictures and be done. I can even see that in both of my own children. My son […]
The end of the school year is so close, yet there are days that it just seems so far away! I know I always was looking for the last day of school on the horizon, but I wanted to keep my students engaged in learning all the way until the end. To help make planning […]
Sight words are an important part of teaching little learners to read. As more research has become easily available to teachers, we now know that sight words and high-frequency words are different. You can read more about that here. No matter what, though, when it comes to making high-frequency words turn to sight words and […]
Throughout this school year, I have been creating flip up books for teachers and students to use. I wanted to show you how we you can use them in your classroom and why they are a great learning tool for students! 1. Multiple content areas are addressed! Teachers are telling me that they are loving them […]
Last summer as I was busy preparing for a great trip to Vegas to learn more about TeachersPayTeachers, meet up with some great friends, and just have some good girl time I ran across A+ Images. They were offering a FREE teacher shirt! I just knew I had to have one! I was late to the party, […]
Teaching doubles addition was always something that I enjoyed. Math always seems like the perfect opportunity to try to reach students through all different learning styles. We would do a lot of chanting, singing, game playing, and of course, the timed math fact tests. These three activities helped my students develop a strong understanding of […]
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 it into our balanced literacy and science. Let’s take a peek! Here are […]
For Texas teachers, today was the first day back. This year I am at home again as we wait on our little girl from the Congo to be able to come home. I cry every year–not because I am ungrateful to be home or for my precious little guy that is here already, but because […]
I know what you are thinking, “What is this teal and white classroom? I thought you were staying home with your son and waiting on your adopted baby girl to come home!” You’re right. I am still at home, BUT my new sister in law and brother both are starting their first year in a […]
Being organized in the classroom doesn’t come easy for everyone, but I would like to think that I am a fairly organized person. It never failed, though. At the end of the day I looked around and I had a pile of papers that needed to be organized, but I wasn’t sure where to put […]
