In this blog post: Are you working writing simple sentences in Kindergarten? Grab the free Kindergarten sentence building and writing center activity that your students are sure to love!I'm sure you already know this but... writing sentences in Kindergarten is hard!We need all of the practice we can get making and writing simple sentences.I started search for sentence building and writing centers and activities for my students, but I couldn't find any that were "just right" for my ...
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Why You Need to Rethink Your First Math Unit in Kindergarten
In this post: Learn about why teaching numbers to 5 is the first math unit you should teach in Kindergarten this year. This post also includes an overview of my Numbers to 5 Kindergarten math unit and how to implement it within your Kindergarten Guided Math instruction.I have something I’ve been wanting to get off of my chest for a while now. Ready? Here goes:Kindergarteners shouldn’t learn about sorting or 2D shapes as their first math unit.There, I said it. And honestly, I feel a little ...
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A Close Look at the Preschool and Pre-K Phonics Curriculum
In this blog post: Take a closer look at the components of the preschool and pre-k phonics curriculum and how it aligns with the science of reading.The idea of teaching phonics in preschool or pre-k can feel kind of daunting.How do we build a strong literacy foundation while staying developmentally appropriate and, just as important, having fun?Is it possible to have a preschool and pre-k phonics curriculum that aligns with best practices from the Science of Reading?The answer is yes, yes, ...
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4 Free Back to School Centers for Kindergarten
In this blog post: Grab four free back to school centers for kindergarten that are perfect for the first week of school.One question I get asked quite often is: What do you put in your centers at the beginning of the year?And I get it!You don’t want centers that you’re going to need to teach and explain, but.. what? What types of activities should you put in your back to school centers?I've got you! I have four free back to school center activities that were specifically designed with the first ...
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6 Benefits of Morning Tubs You Need to Know
In this post: Now that your most asked questions about morning tubs have been answered, let’s discuss the benefits of using them in your classroom.Thanks to the first post in this series, you understand what a morning tub is, how to get morning tubs started and implemented, and how to store the materials when they’re not in use, but what are the benefits of using morning tubs? Why can’t you just find worksheets for your students to do as morning work? Here’s the thing: they can just ...
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How to Teach Heart Words
In this post: Are you new to the Science of Reading and wondering how to teach heart words? This blog post will walk you through the steps!For years, I struggled with teaching sight words in Kindergarten. It seemed like no matter what I did, there were the kids who got them and the kids who didn't.I remember teaching a small guided reading group using a leveled book. The book repeated the same patterned sight word sentence of every single page.And on every. single. page. there was one word that ...
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