There is a joy to a new school year. Fresh school supplies, a renewed sense of adventure and hope, first impressions, a new community of learners. The beginning-of-the-year carries a “high” that help ...
Blog
All About Me – Teaching Google Slides
Late February, early-March, I introduced Google Slides to my kindergartens. Let it be known, I waited this long because I was nervous. This was an adult issue, not a kid one. Still, I approached ...
Reading and Math Tool Kits
Reading and math tool-kits provide basic, versatile tools that have multiple purposes and can be in a variety of contexts. Toolkits might stay at individual desks, be sent home with students in case ...
Alternatives to Plastic Book Bins
Reading volume matters. Whether it’s through read aloud, read-to-self or independent reading, listening to read, or core texts - our classrooms and schools should be filled with books. These books go ...
Simple Classroom Bulletin Board Ideas
The bulletin board. Nothing drives fear and disgust into my heart like these 10x5 beasts can. Big rocks matter, especially in our classrooms. Between planning, preparing, collaborating, connecting ...
Celebrating Students during Distance Learning
Celebrations, joy, goal-setting - they all matter in the classrooms, especially when we aren’t physically sharing the same space. We are waist deep in Distance Learning - learning, autocorrecting, and ...
Phonics Instruction
Word study matters. Explicit and systematic phonics instruction is critical for our emerging readers. Direct instruction has to be a component of our reading blocks, as well as, opportunities for ...
Digital Number Talks
Number Talks (1st Grade, 2nd Grade) offer students to opportunity to share their math thinking, hear others’ thinking, try on new ideas, ask questions, and make connections. The foundation for Number ...
NTI Days & Distance Learning
Since mid-March 2020, our world has moved at lightening pace. It seems that there is a moving target that changes on an hourly basis. "Prepare a few at-home enrichment activities" to "Plan 3 weeks of ...
Making Scantrons Work in Primary
Five falls ago our District rolled-out Common Assessments to all fifteen (14 at the time) of our elementary schools and included accompanying scantrons sheets with each one. Initially, our 1st grade ...
Opinion Writing Mentor Texts
Opinion Writing Mentor Texts offer students a 'real' perspective on a genre and give students professional authors to emulate. Making writing concrete is valuable, and mentor texts help us do ...
Reconsidering Seuss
Change can be hard. It can be necessary and uncomfortable. Sometimes we know we need to change but we’re not sure what that looks like. Our teacher worlds change all.the.time. As we learn more, watch ...
