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15 Easy Activities to Increase and Practice Fluency
Did you see the movie Zootopia? Well, there’s a famous scene at the DMV where a sloth takes fooooooreeeeever to help the main character, who is in a huge rush! Even the sloth’s laugh is super slow and the whole scene is really very funny. While it’s hilarious in a cartoon movie, when it happens…
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Teaching Main Idea and Details
Teaching main idea and details in kindergarten and first grade might sound like something to save for later—after students are fluent readers. But here’s the truth: even our youngest learners can start to understand the “big picture” of a text- a skill that will support their comprehension across all subjects. In this post, I’m sharing…
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Quick Phonics Assessments for Small Groups: Decoding & Spelling Check
Let’s be honest—small group reading is only effective if the groups target the students’ current needs. But kids grow fast, and if you haven’t adjusted your groups in a while, chances are you need a quick phonics assessment to regroup your students and meet them where they are right now. Before you plan another small…
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Planning for Small Group Instruction: Reading in Kindergarten and 1st Grade
Planning for small group instruction in your K-1 classroom can feel like a daunting task, but with a little thoughtful preparation and some practical tips, small-group reading can become the highlight of your teaching day! Whether you’re looking to create groups, fine-tune your schedule, or streamline your lesson-planning, I’ve got some tried and true strategies…
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7 Key Components to Elevate Your Small Group Reading Lessons
Are you comfortable teaching small-group reading? Do you always know what you’re going to do and have no problem planning your lessons? Or, do you struggle to plan your lessons and visualize how they will work in your small groups? With the shift happening in guided reading to follow the research behind the science of…
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7 Steps For a Successful First Small Group Reading Session
Your first small group reading session is going to set the tone for the whole school year. So, it’s important to keep a few things in mind as you plan it! If you’re wondering exactly what I do the first time I meet with my small groups for reading, get ready for a peek inside…
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Setting Up Your Small Group Reading Corner: 5 Must Haves!
If you’re wondering how to set up your small group reading corner and what tools you’ll need to get started, I’ve got you covered! This is the first post in our Small-Group Reading series. Read part two here, and part three here. Kindergarten and first-grade teachers know the importance of minimizing waiting time for our…
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All About Decodable Texts: What They Are & How to Use Them!
Are you tired of watching your young readers struggle with reading like they’re trying to decode hieroglyphics? For years, I used mostly leveled texts in my guided reading groups, before I learned about the power of decodable texts. When students are learning to read, they need decodable texts! Providing your students with text they can…
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How to Use Phonics and Fluency Pages for Small-group Reading Lessons
The Science of Reading is like a recipe for success in literacy. And just like a recipe, it requires multiple ingredients to make it work. Phonics is an important ingredient, but it’s not the only one. We also need to make sure we are teaching our students comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and writing to help our…
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6 Ways to Boost Students’ Confidence for Guided Reading
Some kids LOVE when they get called for guided reading. They may cheer, get their book baggie, and skip over to you with a smile. But, some kids dread it and drag their feet across the room to your table. If lack of confidence is the culprit for their lack of motivation, then you’ll want…
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Why and How to Teach Sequencing
I had so many questions after reading one of my student’s stories: “I asked my mom if I could have cake and my sister got mad at me. Mom said it was ok so we had the cake. My dad got the cake for my mom.” After questioning, I learned that Dad had bought a…
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How to Teach Students to Sound out a Word
Stretching the sounds and blending them, aka sounding it out, is a go-to strategy for helping students decode. It’s the oldest reading strategy in the book, but perhaps still the most important. If you’re familiar with my reading strategy resources, you’ll know I use fun characters and interactive PowerPoints to teach decoding strategies and follow up…
Category: Reading Strategies
Decoding and comprehension strategies for beginning readers