Teachers spend hours creating lessons students will love. They know that students understand the material deeper when they show engagement in the lesson. However, there are some topics that students may grow bored of learning. Or, the topic is so challenging that the stress negatively impacts learning. Thankfully, teachers know they can add in special elements, such as technology, to help overcome any obstacles! For instance, the Beginning Sounds Digital Centers bring exciting ways to practice ... continue reading...
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Letter Identification and Concepts of Print Digital Centers
Letters are hard to learn! First, there are 26 different ones to know. On top of that, there are 2 versions of each letter in the form of uppercase and lowercase! Second, those letters all have an individual sound. This means that students have to be able to look at a letter and understand the sound it makes. Third, students must learn how all those sounds blend to create words. Of course, there are always exceptions and rules for students to learn as they progress through school. ... continue reading...
Math Centers for Numbers to 100
Learning how to work with numbers can be stressful to students. Often, this is due to how many numbers there are and all of the different skills to learn. However, math is everywhere in life, so it is vital for students to have a strong understanding. To build this understanding in a stress-free environment, the Number to 100 Math Centers will be incredibly beneficial! These centers will help ensure that when working on numbers to 100, students are supported through enjoyable yet rigorous ... continue reading...
How to teach phonological awareness
Phonological awareness activities that teach rhyming. Your kindergarten and first-grade students will love these fun lessons ideas to reinforce rhymes. These phonological awareness activities are great to use for reading intervention during your small group RTI time. Teaching Phonological Awareness Activities As teachers, we all understand the importance of creating strong phonological awareness in students. It is the foundation in which we build upon to create independent readers and ... continue reading...
Walruses and Writers Workshop
Common Core Standards Posters and Essential Questions So.... many of you have asked, " How do you get your kids to write like that?" So, here's your answer. First of all, I am totally in love with the Philosophy behind the Workshop Model. I teach my kids to write by doing a quick mini lesson where I model the writing process. I think out loud as I write in front of them, Then, they have the opportunity to practice what I've just modeled. They turn ... continue reading...
Engaging Reading Fluency Activities for 1st and 2nd Grade
Reading fluency activities to help you focus on fluency in your classroom. Weekly fluency activities that can be completed in class or at home! Reading Fluency Activities The National Institute of Child Health and Development identifies fluency as one critical component to becoming a proficient reader. Along with phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension; reading fluency should be a focus in your classroom. So, set a clear focus on fluency with these fun and ... continue reading...
How to Heal a Broken Wing! I LOVE BOOKS!!
I'm getting ready for Vegas but I wanted to do a quick post to tell you all about an AMAZING book I just recently read. Seriously, I love books so much! I'd rather spend my money on books than food or shoes or clothes or chocolate (Okay, that's going a little too far) but you get my drift. Here's my favorite book, How to Heal a Broken Wing. I purchased How to Heal a Broken Wing last year and my class loved the beautiful story about a little bird who is ... continue reading...
Kindergarten Lesson Plans | Instant, Yet Powerful Lesson Plans… Just Print and Teach!
Kindergarten lesson plans made easy just print and teach! Free file too! Common Core reading lesson plans and writing plans, plus math lessons too! Here are a few things I know about teachers. They want the absolute BEST for their students. They want to employ "Best Practices" in their classrooms. They. Are. Overwhelmed! Occasionally, they want to go home before 5 pm after school AND they would like to spend their weekends with their families instead of planning. Does ... continue reading...
Pumpkin Read Alouds: Book Talk Tuesday
From Seed to Pumpkin Pumpkins can be baked in a pie, carved into jack-o'-lanterns, and roasted for a healthy snack. But how does a tiny seed turn into a big pumpkin? With clear text and detailed, colorful illustrations, this book explains what a pumpkin seed needs to help it grow! This book also includes delicious pumpkin recipes and easy experiments to do with pumpkin seeds. How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? Here is an adorable picture book for curious kids, which ... continue reading...
Guided Reading Lesson Plans | Be an Expert! (FREE Download too!)
Guided Reading Lesson Plan template and free download. Reading levels in kindergarten and first grade to create guided reading lesson plans with free books! Are you wanting to master guided reading, but feel a wee bit overwhelmed? I get it! Guided Reading is just one more thing you have on your plate.. or do you? Are you currently conducting guided reading lessons in your classroom? I am sometimes surprised to hear that some emergent classrooms do not. Don't ... continue reading...
Guided Math Workshop: 10 Questions Answered
Do you have questions about how we plan and structure our guided math workshop? We often get asked about this so I wanted to take a few minutes to see if I can answer the top 10 questions we get about the guided math workshop. 1. How do you organize the curriculum? We like to use binders...ALL the BINDERS! Each unit fits nicely in a small 1" binder. 2. What does a typical lesson look like? Each day: Fluency practice (5 mins) *more on ... continue reading...
Inference Detectives Lesson: The Missing Snowman’s Hat!
Many times, students love to go on adventures with their classmates. For instance, an exciting scavenger hunt for different items around the classroom or school is always fun. However, this excitement can easily be incorporated with a challenging skill: making inferences! Students may not realize it, but working on inferences is like going on a scavenger hunt within a story. Instead of looking for items, they are usually looking for crucial details. Thankfully, Inference Detectives: The Case of ... continue reading...
Helpful Hints and Classroom Storage
Today's Theme on Blog Hoppin' is Helpful Hints! Most classrooms are small and lack proper storage space and let's face it. Teachers have A LOT of stuff! Classroom storage are very helpful in times like this. I use fabric runners to hide all of my stuff under tables and counter tops. Simply use strong velcro to hold the fabric in place. I also love these little ottoman's from Walmart. They are perfect for the Littles to sit on during Guided Reading and they hold all of the ... continue reading...
RAWR! Dinosaur Dig Day! Dinosaur Unit
My Dinosaur unit has been posted to TPT... Click on the T-Rex picture above to view my dino unit on Teachers pay teachers. We made Paleontologists using our pictures. The book inside tells about what we did during our Dinosaur Dig Day. Sorry... It's hard to see how adorable these are since I had to blur out the faces. Our shirts that we made for our Dinosaur Dig Day. On our Dinosaur Dig day the kids got to see ... continue reading...
Working with Words
I use the Stretchy the Word Snake mat during my Guided Reading Groups. We build words in the boxes and use the little cars (look closely under the letter m and you will see one) to drive slowly as we say each sound. They we drive our cars faster as we blend the word together. The kids love this activity. Note: if you are building a word like ship...the digraph /sh/ goes in one box because it makes one sound. Once we've done this lesson several times I place the materials in our ... continue reading...