Do you use shared reading in your classroom? Shared reading is such a simple routine that you can work into your whole group time. It is one of my favorite ways to engage my students in reading.
"Shared reading enables all children, regardless of their reading levels, to have enjoyable literacy opportunities every day." – Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell
This quote from Fountas and Pinnell sums up why I love this routine. Shared reading allows every student to be successful with ...
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The Mitten Activities for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade
The Mitten by Jan Brett is a winter read aloud classic! We love having a The Mitten week every year in kindergarten, and these The Mitten activities are perfect for extending the fun into every subject area!
The Mitten Book Response Activities
Of course we read The Mitten all week! It’s a story that students never get tired of and we can use it to work on so many comprehension skills.
We start with making predictions:
What will happen when the mouse wiggles into the ...
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How to Make Virtual Learning More Engaging
It's Winter, and Virtual Learning has been a part of our lives for 10 months now. Unfortunately, that hasn't made things any easier for us. The fatigue of logging into the computer each day may be getting to you a bit. If you're feeling it, you can be sure that your students feel it, too!
If your online lessons have begun to feel a little stale, I have five ways to make your virtual lessons a little more engaging!
White Boards
If you have the opportunity to send supplies home with ...
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What Is a Hero? Black History Month Activities for Kindergarten
This is one of my favorite Black History Month activities for kindergarten, although we actually begin in January for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In lower elementary, it can be difficult to find resources that don't "cutesify" Black history. I have found that this Black History Month project is just right for our littlest learners.
Full disclosure, this was NOT my original idea! When I first began teaching, my co-teachers did this Black History Month activity. Over the years, I have tweaked ...
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New Years Activities for Elementary | Reflecting and Goal Setting
You know how much I love goal setting with my class every month. I love New Years activities because it is such a natural time for reflecting and goal setting - whether on academic or classroom management goals.
When I created this New Years craft, I knew it would be a little too difficult for kindergarten. However, I think it would be perfect for lower elementary with support or upper elementary students!
In 1st grade, we did this New Year activity all together and it was ...
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Building Gingerbread Bridges | December STEM Challenge
Every December, we do a HUGE gingerbread unit! We pack two weeks full of gingerbread math, literacy, science, and social studies activities. This gingerbread stem activity is one of our favorite activities every single year! Your class will LOVE building gingerbread bridges - whether you are in person or virtual.
If you are distance learning this December, I am going to show you how we usually complete this gingerbread STEM challenge, but then I will show you how it can be completed ...
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