"Teacher, how do you spell (insert any word here)?" If you teach kindergarten or first grade, it's a question you likely hear all. the. time! I know we wish we could clone ourselves during writing time so we could sit with each student and help them with their spelling, BUT of course we can't. If we really could clone ourselves, though, I'd probably opt for other tasks: cleaning, cooking, laundry... but I digress. Since we can't sit with everyone at once, we need to teach them to become independent with spelling strategies. The earlier you teach your students spelling strategies, the more. . . independent they will be when writing! Below are some strategies that are helpful for early writers. I can't say enough how important it is to model each one several times, as well as refer to an anchor chart to find the strategy that would help. Read the end of the post for tips on creating an anchor chart to help your students become ... read more
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Activities to Teach Self-Monitoring Reading Comprehension
In my previous post, I discussed using pictures as a comprehension strategy using Eagle Eye. As I mentioned, the more advanced kids become at reading, the fewer pictures their books will have. So, it's important to teach other self-monitoring reading comprehension strategies. I'll share some easy lesson activities you can do to model and teach kids how to make sure they are reading accurately while understanding the text! READ & DRAW In this exercise, you will ask students to read a sentence or paragraph, depending on their ability, then draw a picture to show comprehension. Ideally, you want a text that is very descriptive to give them enough to draw without giving it all away, in order to avoid them drawing from knowledge. For example, this one is a bit easy and they don't have to read the entire text to make a pretty accurate drawing: I was at the beach. I saw sand and the ocean. They likely know what a beach ... read more
Using Eagle Eye as a Comprehension Strategy
Can you believe he was picking his nose?? Not what you thought? Pictures are a huge help to beginning readers when monitoring comprehension! Even when decoding accurately, factors such as figures of speech and background experience can affect a student's comprehension. Some kids can decode an encyclopedia (do they even have those anymore??), but if they aren't monitoring their reading, they could be completely missing the point! So, it's important to teach students how to self-monitor their reading. One important strategy to teach beginning readers is to check their reading with the picture. EAGLE EYE COMPREHENSION Strategy- Look at the Picture I used to use Eagle Eye as a decoding strategy and would ask kids to look at the picture to make a word prediction. After reading the science behind how kids learn to read and realizing the importance of keeping phonics first and ... read more
Step-by-Step Decoding: When Kids Get Stuck on a Word
I had a student my first year teaching who had a habit of waiting for help before making any attempts on his own. He would start a sentence, get to a tricky word. . . and just stop. As I sat by him one day while he read, he got stuck on a word and looked up at me. I ignored his subtle request for help and kept looking at the book. When he saw I wasn't going to help him, he tried and. . . got it right! So, he looked at me for confirmation. Then, I made a mistake. I nodded. I didn't realize at the time, but I took away a great opportunity with that nod. It was a chance for him to check his own reading. It's a common mistake that parents and teachers make, albeit with the best intentions! Of course, it wasn't the end of the world and sometimes we do need to give the word. But, if we want our students to independently problem-solve when they get stuck on a word, we have to give ... read more
Personal Narrative Writing Mentor Text
Getting kids to write a personal narrative can be tricky. Most kids loooooove to share stories orally, but getting them to write is a different story. You'll often get complaints that they have nothing to write about, or a bare-bones story with very little detail. I'll be honest and say that Writing Workshop was not my favorite part of the day. But, when I learned to use mentor texts to guide my students to become better writers, it really helped so much! Mentor texts provide concrete examples of great writing and are motivating; kids love to emulate authors they admire. In this post, I'll share my 3 favorite mentor texts for teaching the personal narrative genre, then I'll also share mini-lesson ideas for one of them! This post includes affiliate links, which means I get a small percentage if you purchase through the links, at no cost to you. My favorite personal narrative mentor texts Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall is ... read more
Strategies for Supporting Struggling Writers
Getting kids to love writing can be difficult sometimes, especially if they are struggling writers. It's normal to dislike something you're not good at (or think you're not good at). I dislike bowling because I have terrible aim and usually end up in the gutter. But, I'm sure if I had the patience took the time to learn some tips, I'd enjoy it more! Similarly, your students can learn to like writing, with a few little motivating tweaks. Try some of these tips for supporting struggling writers and get your students excited about your writing block! 1. Oral Practice Sometimes telling a story helps the transition from thought to paper. Have kids share their writing plans with a friend before starting. Have students work with the same writing partner throughout a unit, so they become familiar with their peer's story and can offer suggestions for adding details. 2. Choice: Too much or not enough! This is a big one. Choice ... read more
How to Get Students Writing Independently During Writing Workshop
Writing is hard for many kids! If you run a writing workshop, you know how important it is to have kids writing independently. Yet, there are many challenges kids can have during this time that can lead to frustration and less-than-ideal work! Teachers face a huge challenge when kids aren't able to work independently during writing workshop, too. If you are constantly getting interrupted by kids who need help or have to stop to get kids back on task, it's almost impossible to conduct writing conferences effectively. How to help kids write independently When kids learn strategies for specific writing challenges, they're much more likely to overcome them independently. This leaves you free to conference with students and monitor the class (so no one is crawling under tables or eating crayons)! One awesome way to teach kids independence during writing workshop is to make a "Writing Challenges" anchor chart. Together, make a ... read more
Tricks for Teaching Syllable Types and Division
Do your students give up when they approach a long word? Even if it's a word they can most likely decode, like rabbit or project, some kids get overwhelmed by word length and don't even try. If they're not taught how to decode these words, they may even start guessing rather than trying. When kids learn how to break apart words into smaller chunks or syllables, this helps a great deal! There are 6 syllable types and it is extremely helpful for first graders to at least be exposed to a few. Even kindergartners can learn to divide multi-syllabic words made up of closed syllables! I'll go over each syllable type and give some tips on how to teach them. Then, grab your FREE posters at the bottom of this post! what is a syllable and how do you explain it to kids? A syllable is a part of a word that includes a vowel. If you hold your finger to your chin, every time you say a syllable, you can feel a slight movement. ... read more
Must-Have Teaching Supplies for back to school
Who doesn't love brand new, shiny, just-out-of-the-package back-to-school supplies? Ever since I was a kid, shopping for school supplies was one of my favorite end of summer activities! And as a teacher, I always felt like Christmas when unboxing my supply orders or shopping school sales. Amazon is a great resource for must-have teaching supplies and I've listed some of my FAVORITE, must-have teaching supplies from Amazon here. This post includes affiliate links, so I earn a small commission if you purchase through them, BUT I have only included items I've used myself, so you can rest assured these are great supplies! And I'll also mention if I've seen these items cheaper elsewhere. I've organized these supplies into categories to make it easy to find what you're looking for. Also, look for the *TIP note to read little tips for each school supply. Must-have supplies for Centers Plastic sleeves-huge paper saver! I used ... read more
How to Teach New Sight Words (and make them stick)
We know sight words are important, but there are some big mistakes we have to avoid when teaching new words and there are 3 key elements to include in your sight word instruction! You've likely had students who sound out every word in a sentence and it takes them forever. By the time they've reached the end of the sentence, they've forgotten the beginning! When kids don't recognize sight words with automaticity, their fluency is hindered, as well as their comprehension. So we know they are important. But, how do we teach sight words so that they stick? TWO BIG MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN TEACHING SIGHT WORDS Do you remember "drill and kill" with sight word flashcards? While isolated sight word flashcards have their place in review, when first introducing a word, there are two mistakes to avoid. I used to make them, too. They are common mistakes, so if they sound familiar, you're not alone! MISTAKE #1: ISOLATED SIGHT ... read more