a dash of creativity, a pinch of fun, and a whole lot of learning!
I grew up playing in castles, sailing in boats, swimming under the ocean, and setting up tea parties in the middle of magical forests. The act of pretending and using my imagination was second nature to me. My mom instilled the magic of pretend play from as early as I can remember. She fostered it in simple ways like saving…
Read More
My first graders LOVE Kate DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson books! Today I’m sharing the fictitious birthday celebration that we had in my classroom after finishing Kate’s series, along with her prequel book, A Piglet Named Mercy. Below, you’ll find ideas and information on how and why I read the series aloud and the simple and engaging culminating celebration we had. If…
Read More
Teaching students how to compare and contrast isn’t just “one more skill” to add your lesson plans. It’s an essential skill your students will use throughout their everyday lives. It will be used well beyond your classroom walls. Examples include everything from comparing prices at the grocery store to deciphering the differences between two computer models. Your students may even…
Read More
Anchor chart display space can be a challenge in the classroom, especially if your wall space is limited. So much of the learning that takes place in my classroom is closely and carefully tied to an anchor chart or poster that my students and I have developed and curated together. In fact, you can read all about the importance of…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
