Teaching with Intention by Debbie Miller is one of my all-time favorite professional development books. When I read this book in 2008, it really helped me define my teaching philosophy and think about WHAT I do as a teacher and WHY I do it. When you do activities with your students, it's important to be able to define their purpose and to be able to explain why you think it's important. I LOVE this book, and I've blogged about it MANY times over the last five years. One of my favorite things ... continue reading...
Search Results for: label/informational texts
Guiding Readers Units: Planning Made EASY!
We are so excited about the feedback that we are getting about these units. We designed them around the same type of format as our Math Units and Writing Units and many teachers have told us that we've cut their planning time WAY down, that their kids are really mastering the standards and developing a love for reading and writing and we are beyond thrilled! That's what it's all about. We developed our Guiding Readers Units, Math Units and Writing Units with these goals in mind: We want to ... continue reading...
Turkey Trouble Read Aloud Lesson Ideas for Kindergarten & First Grade
Turkey Trouble reading comprehension lesson plans. Responding to literature activities, vocabulary studies, center ideas, and fun crafts! Turkey Trouble Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano is a great read-aloud for November. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and turkey needs to hide. So, he comes up with an idea! You and your class will have fun reading and responding to this story! This Engaging Readers unit includes all of the print and teach lesson plans and resources ... continue reading...
Writers Workshop Helper (Free File)
This writers workshop helper-free file is just for you and it is perfect for kindergarten and first-grade! Let's take a closer look inside! Writers Workshop Helper On the cover, we have a few reminders! We have tips on how to spell words. There is an editing checklist. You will also find a student-sized anchor chart that helps students when they think they are done. Inside there is a sound chart for digraphs and blends. There is a place for a student ... continue reading...
National Holidays for August and September
Students always love to celebrate holidays with their friends. Typically, this includes holidays like Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas. However, the fun doesn’t have to stop there! There are countless quirky, and even strange, holidays that most of us don’t even know exist. I love to use these national holidays to create extra excitement and engagement in the classroom. In this post, I’m going to share national holidays for August and September that are perfect for celebrating in the ... continue reading...
Digital Learning Reading Lessons for K-2 | Giraffe Problems
Digital learning reading lesson plans that work great for distance learning. This unit features the story, Giraffe Problems by Jory John. Reading response and nonfiction activities, too! Digital Learning Reading Lesson Plans Giraffe Problems by Jory John is a story about a giraffe who doesn't like his long neck. He meets a turtle who is having neck problems, too! The two become friends and learn to appreciate what they have. Students will love this story and will have fun responding to ... continue reading...
Writing Lesson Plans for Kindergarten & First Grade
Writing lesson plans for the entire year! Complete writing units to help you teach writing in kindergarten and 1st grade. Writing Lesson Plans Teaching writing can feel quite overwhelming! Writing instruction should occur daily in the classroom. However, you may find yourself asking, "Well, what exactly do I teach for writing?" That is a question I often hear from kindergarten and first-grade teachers. Deedee Wills and I created the perfect solution for you! We spent countless hours ... continue reading...
Owls and Veteran’s Day
We made soldiers in honor of Veteran's Day and created a Bubble Map. These are some of the books we read. There aren't very many books out there for children about this important holiday. If you have found one that you like please let me know! Blogger isn't cooperating with me tonight y'all! If you turn your head to the right you can view the pictures that are sideways. :) We had a great time learning about owls this week! I LOVE seeing how ... continue reading...
Interactive Notebooks and Journal (FREEBIES)
Have you tried interactive notebooks with your kinders yet? These Interactive Notebooks give students the opportunity to interact and think about the stories and informational text that they are reading. These are great to use for read alouds, small groups and independent reading activities. What are Interactive Notebooks? How do you use Interactive Notebooks? What types of Interactive Notebooks do you use? Would you like to try a sample from my ... continue reading...
Spring Books You Won’t Want to Miss!
Spring books for kindergarten and first grade. See some of my favorite read-aloud lesson and activities for spring! Ideas and directed drawing too. Spring Books: Piggie Pie Ya'll know I love Piggie Pie! There is so much you can do with this book. Let me share a few of the activities we have in our Engaging Readers Unit. These photos are from Stephanie Stewart who teaches first grade. Here students worked on sequencing the story. Then students add the retelling to their ... continue reading...
Fun and Easy Crafts and Poems to Celebrate National Holidays
These easy crafts are so much fun and perfect for celebrating some quirky national holidays. Cherry Popsicle day, Pickle day, Taco day, and more! Fun & Easy Crafts! These are easy to assemble and so much fun! You and your students will enjoy celebrating 14 quirky national holidays. I recommend printing the patterns on colored cardstock. Then, have students cut out the pieces and assemble these adorable crafts! There are informational pages for each holiday and fun ... continue reading...
Arctic Animals: Polar Bears and Walruses
Arctic Animals Polar Bears and Walruses Lesson Plan Ideas for Kindergarten and First Grade! We have always loved learning about polar bears and animals that live in the Arctic. This graphic organizer is an oldie but a goodie! And their learning transfers into their informational writing beautifully! Here are a few throwback pics Comparing and Contrasting Polar Bears & Walruses using a venn diagram. EXCUSE the ... continue reading...
Sight Word Fluency Phrase Cards for Fluency Practice and Assessment
Sight word fluency practice for your primary classroom. Dolch word phrases broken into colorful lists for fun practice and assessment. Sight Word Fluency Do you practice sight words in your primary classroom? Of course, you do! Sight word recognition and fluency is the foundation for reading in your kindergarten and first grade classrooms. Dolch words comprise approximately 60-75% of what is printed in almost any piece of children's literature. Whether students read words from ... continue reading...
Printable & Digital Guided Reading Books for Kindergarten & First Grade
Guided Reading Books available in printable and digital format for K/1. Leveled readers with lesson plans, running records, word work activities, and more! Guided Reading Books Small-group guided reading is our time to truly work closely with students in the hopes of creating fluent readers. Students work on high-frequency words, establish reading strategies, and write sentences, all while becoming confident readers. However, sometimes our resources are limited. The biggest problem we seem ... continue reading...
Engaging Readers, Curriculum Maps and FREE five-day lesson plan
Curriculum Maps for Kindergarten and First Grade help to guide your classroom instruction through your whole year! Reading, Math, Writing and MORE! Plus a free file for you! We have a whole series of Engaging Readers units out. The units cover phonemic awareness, phonics, and Comprehension skills. Here are a few pictures that Stephanie Stewart shared with me from the April unit. Sequencing the picture cards for the story, Piggie Pie. Checking her notebook with the class chart to see ... continue reading...