First of all, it is important to know why teaching syllable types matters. Most teachers are never taught anything about syllable types or syllable division, and only learn the basic, “Clap out a sounds”, in order to determine the number of syllables. Then, well…um… that’s it! Sound familiar? If this has been your experience, then you are not alone. I… Read More
Hot Tips for Teaching Sight Words
You know those pesky words that don’t follow conventional spelling rules…often referred to as sight words? Have you ever found yourself wondering what all the fuss is about? Well, mastering sight words is very helpful for beginning and striving readers. Students mastering sight words with automaticity drastically cut down on brain power needed to accurately read a passage. This means… Read More
8 Back to School Picture Books and Activities (plus 2 books for you)
I can’t believe Back to School is so close! It really seems like we just started summer break. One of my summer goals has been to re-organize my teaching materials and picture books (in a more efficient manner), and well…basically put some “piles” away. In doing this, I have been sidetracked so many times! As you might guess, this classroom… Read More
Amazing Hacks for Easy Literacy Centers
Back to school time is almost here and I wanted to share a couple of fun ideas for interactive literacy centers with you! You don’t need to spend all day trying to create the latest, greatest new word work games. Kids love interactive activities and the two I’m going to show you are easy to prepare and cost next to… Read More
12 Ways to Help Striving Readers
So, you have some kiddos that read effortlessly and a couple that just can’t “take off”. What to do? In this post, I’ve listed 12 steps to help striving (struggling) readers make progress. Read on. First of all, you have to figure out what your student already knows and doesn’t know in order to determine what to teach next. I’m a reading… Read More
Boom Cards Digital Resources are Easy to Master
You may have already jumped on the digital resources bandwagon and used Google Classroom? Maybe you’ve also heard of a digital resource called Boom Cards? Well, Boom Cards are digital task cards in an educational game format. Along with being no prep for teachers and self-checking, they are also FUN for students because they don’t realize they are learning. How… Read More