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 ...
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Everything You Need to Know About Morning Tubs
In this post: Looking for ideas of what students can do for morning work in kindergarten? These morning tubs are the perfect no-prep morning work activity that gets your students engaged and excited to learn.
It’s another weekday morning. You’re standing at your door greeting students as they enter. You’ve already put morning work on your students’ desks for them to complete after they eat their breakfast. You’re hoping for a smooth and easy start to the day.
But it isn’t. Again. ...
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Free Flowing Centers with Student Choice Frequently Asked Questions
In this blog post: I am answering your frequently asked questions about running and managing free flowing centers with student choice!
If you’ve known me for any time at all, you’ve probably heard me speak about free flowing centers with student choice. This system for managing centers in the classroom has been so successful and transformative for me, I will talk anyone’s ear off all about it!
And it’s not just me. After seeing free flowing centers with student choice in action in my ...
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PDF Printing Tips and Tricks for Teachers
In this post: Have you found yourself getting frustrated trying to print PDF classroom resources? These pdf printing tips and tricks for teachers might help!
Did you know that my job in college was to help troubleshoot the giant printers and copiers in the school library? I knew almost nothing about computers (I answered unplug it to every question in my interview), but for some reason they still hired me!
Thankfully, i'm a little more tech savvy now and I've learned some helpful pdf ...
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How to Teach Teen Numbers and Make Them Stick
In this Blog Post: Wondering how to teach teen numbers in kindergarten? Learn the easiest trick for teaching teen numbers and making them stick!
If you teach kindergarten, you know that teen numbers can be tricky! I’m not sure why, but those tricky teens are one of the hardest math concepts for my kindergarten students to grasp.
A few years ago, I started brainstorming how to teach teen numbers in a way that would make them stick.
I found an easy trick for teaching teen numbers that ...
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21 Reading Fluency Activities Your Students Will LOVE!
In this blog post: Are you looking to improve your students’ reading fluency? These 21 fun, hands on reading fluency activities make it easy!
Do you have students who can decode with the best of them, but when they read they. sound. like. this?
They can read and probably even understand the text, but it is slooooow and painful to listen to.
The missing piece of their puzzle is reading fluency.
Reading fluency is the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and expression.
Fluent ...
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How To Choose the Best Decodable Readers for Your Class
In This Blog Post: Struggling with how to choose the best decodable readers and books for your class? Here are some tips.
If you’ve been learning about the science of reading, you’ve probably heard that you should be using decodable readers in your small reading groups.
Swapping out leveled texts for decodable books can have a HUGE impact on students’ reading success!
But how do you choose the best decodable readers for your class?
It can be super confusing! Especially when you start ...
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What Is the Science of Reading?
In This Blog Post: Wondering what is the science of reading? Find out what it is, what structured literacy looks like in a classroom, and easy ideas you can implement today.
There has been a lot of buzz around the science of reading lately.
To many teachers, this is something they’ve never heard of before (I was one of them)! Some have only heard the buzz and they’re still wondering, what exactly is the science of reading?
But here’s the thing; once we start looking into it, we realize ...
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Popping Sounds Phonemic Awareness Activity for Manipulating Sounds
In This Post: Read about a hands on way to teach manipulating and changing sounds in words. Then grab a free phonemic awareness activity for manipulating sounds.
We know that daily phonemic awareness practice is a structured literacy must have, but there are some skills that are just plain difficult to teach!
In my opinion, manipulating and changing sounds in words is the most difficult of difficult phonemic awareness skills.
Not only do students have to segment and hold sounds for one ...
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Teachers’ Favorite Picture Books for February
In this blog post: Planning your February read alouds? Find the best picture books for February recommended by teachers!
Read alouds in the classroom are an amazing way to build comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency. Whether you’re using them for an interactive read aloud or just for fun, daily read alouds should absolutely be a part of any elementary classroom.
I am always looking for new February picture books to add to my collection. You can never have enough books, right?
That’s ...
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