a dash of creativity, a pinch of fun, and a whole lot of learning!
Brain bins are what I call morning tubs in my first-grade classroom. They include open-ended materials that my students use to explore, create, build, and- dare I say it, play with during the first 8-10 minutes of our day. Brain bins are our morning work every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. (On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we complete another open-ended morning work…
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New retelling activities, retelling ideas, and retelling lesson plans are always something I am searching for. Retelling is a skill many of my students struggle with. It is such an essential comprehension skill so it’s important that we practice, practice, practice all the time! Teaching students how to retell a story can be fun, engaging, hands-on, and motivating! Today I…
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Teaching little readers the difference between fiction and nonfiction text is important, fun, and interactive! In addition to identifying whether a text is fiction or nonfiction with everything we read throughout the year as a class and during small group lessons (after all, repetition is a brain-based strategy), I also complete three staple “mini-lessons” with my students. In today’s blog…
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Have you ever created a beautiful anchor chart that your students were in awe of for a whole…30 seconds? I’m going to guess that if your students are like my students, they only referred back to that anchor chart with coaching or reminders from you. This scenario with charts is one I know all too well. Although I’ve known what…
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…The teachers have nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of bulletin boards, classroom set-ups, and flexible seating danced in their heads. That sounds about right as we head into the busy back-to-school season! Teachers everywhere are busy setting up their classrooms and turning their four walls into a magical learning environment that inspires and welcomes their students. Part…
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In my imaginary, perfect dream world, I have four students in my classroom. During our reading time, I do a quick whole-group mini-lesson. Then, I spend the remaining time working one-on-one. I see every single student every day. There is no lack of time. (After all, I have only four students.) I roam freely from child to child, individualizing my…
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I have always assigned nightly reading. Why? I don’t assign nightly reading because I want to give students “reading homework.” I don’t assign nightly reading because we’re trying to win a pizza party if we meet a school-wide goal of four billion minutes. I assign nightly reading because I wish to instill a habit and a love of literacy in…
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