Veterans Day in the Classroom: Engaging Literacy Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten

Veterans Day is a wonderful opportunity to introduce preschool and kindergarten students to the importance of honoring those who have served. With age-appropriate activities, you can help your students understand the concept of bravery and service while building literacy skills.  This brand new Veterans Day literacy resource is simple to prepare and packed full with […]

Mastering Phonemic Awareness: The Key to Reading Success

Are you looking for the key to unlock reading success for your child? Look no further than mastering phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate individual sounds (or phonemes) in spoken words. It is a crucial skill for early readers as it forms the foundation for decoding and spelling words.

Teaching the Alphabet- 5 Things You Need to Know!

When I began teaching many years ago, I realized I was feeling unprepared to teach reading. I decided to pursue my master’s degree in reading for this very reason. I had some pretty amazing professors who were ahead of their time. They were already teaching the science of reading, in my opinion. Especially when we […]

5 Tips For A Successful Back to School Night With Elementary Parents

This year was my 34th Back to School Night as a teacher! I tried many things over the years to make Back To School Night or Meet The Teacher Night successful. I want to share with you my five favorite Back To School Night activities and ideas that worked well in all different elementary school grades

Mentor Texts For “How-To Writing” for Kindergarten and First Grade

It is important to teach children with explicit instruction and practice, especially when working with new writers. When I plan a mini-lesson with a mentor text, I read it beforehand and add sticky notes with notes on what to point out to the students. My students think it is hilarious when I think out loud to model the how-to writing.

Teaching Important Skills Through Play-Based Learning and Dramatic Play

When I left the elementary classroom to become the director of a daycare and preschool, I was in a different world! One of my first responsibilities was to adopt a new curriculum for the entire daycare. As we adopted the Creative Curriculum, I was introduced to play-based learning and dramatic play.