a dash of creativity, a pinch of fun, and a whole lot of learning!
Visual discrimination and word recognition can often go hand-in-hand when it comes to sight words and words with similar spellings. Before we explore this connection, we need to first understand what visual discrimination is. Visual discrimination is our ability to recognize the details within images. Specifically, it is our ability to recognize similarities and differences between objects, forms, symbols, and…
Read More
What is word play, and why is it important to your vocabulary instruction? As a teacher, you already know vocabulary is connected to your students’ reading and writing skills. Sadly, many students LACK a strong vocabulary. Without explicit vocabulary instruction, vocabulary gaps widen as these students get older. To truly own a new vocabulary word, it’s not enough to see,…
Read More
Finding fun and safe things for students to do during indoor recess has always been a challenge. Then, 2020 took it to a whole new level. What happens when you mix indoor recess, restless kids, AND social distancing rules? Well, it’s called a potential classroom nightmare. Toys and materials can’t be shared, and our students are spending more time than…
Read More
Distance learning, remote learning, and virtual teaching. These phrases, which were once rarely used, are now part our everyday vocabulary. When I was thrown into distance learning last spring, I had no idea what I was doing. (Fortunately, the vast majority of us didn’t either!) I was scrambling to figure out what I needed and what I could use to…
Read More
In this blog post, I’m sharing details of the Pajama Party Story Sessions that I started with my first grade classroom several weeks ago. This weekly event has been a memorable and FUN literacy experience for my students and their families during this time of stress and uncertainty. So what IS a Pajama Party Story Session? One evening a week,…
Read More
Hosting a Book Bakery in our classroom was the perfect way to introduce my students to reading genres! In first grade, each student is still discovering what their reading identity is. Some students are well on their way to understanding who they are as readers. However, at this age, most students are still learning what they like and don’t like…
Read More
During the holiday season I tend to get a steady stream of direct messages on Instagram asking for gift ideas for toddlers. Often the question is something similar to, “What is Sawyer getting for Christmas? I have no idea what to get my toddler!” Sawyer is currently three and a half, so I put together a short list of some…
Read More
