If you ask a student to get you a red coat from the class closet, they will likely find it easily among a sea of black coats. However, if there are 3 red coats, they will need more guidance to find the one you want. This is where comparing and contrasting comes in. It’s a skill we use daily and… Read More
Poem, Craft, and Jokes for some Pumpkin Fun!
Pumpkins, pumpkins, all around! Besides pumpkin measurement, centers, and experiments, here are a couple of activities for some pumpkin fun in your classroom! PUMPKIN COUNTING POEM We’ve probably all heard a version of this poem, and this one is perfect for October. I laminated the poem with the vine and the pumpkins, then added Velcro so my students could order… Read More
Easy & FREE Halloween Centers!
Fall! It’s my favorite season of the year! One of my favorite things to do in the fall is go pumpkin-picking with my family. We have an amazing local farm and they have the BEST pumpkin pie, apple cider donuts, sweet corn…. so yummy! Another thing I love about the fall is Halloween! Throughout the month, I have Halloween center… Read More
Stretching Words Out: Emergent Writing Strategy
It can be daunting for emergent writers to stretch out words, especially long words. Many kindergarten students are very artistic and can add details to their pictures, but when asked to add words, they sometimes hesitate or say they don’t know how to, even if they do have some letter-sound knowledge. Writing Warm-Ups To get kids to see that they… Read More
Scrabble Magnetic Letters: Easy Ideas for a Word Work Center
It’s been fun and interesting having a kindergartner at home while teaching kindergarten! I especially love when I sing a song or read a book her teacher has read and she thinks I’m a sorcerer because I know it too. One of the best things about teaching the same grade level as your child is getting creative ideas from your… Read More
Reading Strategies: Tips for How to Teach Decoding
Teaching decoding strategies to beginning readers can be tricky. Read this blog post for tips on helping your kids become independent readers, using many different strategies when they get stuck on a word. #tejedastots
Tips for a Smooth Meet the Teacher Night
Meet the Teacher Night. Do those words make your palms sweat and knees wobble? I have to admit that after 17 years, I still always felt sick to my stomach just before parents walked in! Once I got talking, everything would go smoothly, though, and fortunately, I never had any disasters. Well, if you also get nervous, or would like… Read More
What To Do on the First Day of School
The first day of school always brings me joy, excitement, and….. some anxiety! What will I do? How do I set routines up? How do I keep students engaged? What if I don’t have enough planned? After 16 years, I still get the ‘first day jitters’! Once I meet my sweet students and my day gets underway, though, everything goes… Read More
Back-to-School Read-Aloud for Phonemic Awareness
Don’t you love when you find a great book to read aloud? I am always looking for amazing read-alouds and when I found The Hungry Thing by Jan Slepian, I hit the jackpot! It’s such a funny story that’s perfect for rhyming and phonemic awareness. If you don’t have the book, I included links in my Hungry Thing freebie (in my free… Read More
Class Behavior Management: Individual, Group and Whole Class Systems
One of the biggest areas teachers have anxiety about is behavior management. Will our students listen to us? What if they don’t? How can I gain their trust and respect? Of course, it’s important to build relationships, have engaging lessons, lots of patience, understanding, and build a caring community in your classroom. These can all contribute to positive behavior in… Read More