I’ve said it for years, but ELA centers are the most peaceful time of the day. It’s the time of the day when we’re most productive. Let me help you set up and manage ELA Centers in your primary classroom. During this time, students are working independently in heterogeneous groups while I pull homogeneous guided […]
5 ways to celebrate Read Across America
Read Across America is one of the most exciting events in the K-2 classroom. It’s that time of the year when students fall even more in love with reading thanks to Dr. Seuss. I’ve teamed up with Party City to celebrate the 113th birthday of America’s favorite author, Dr. Seuss and the “Hats Off to Reading […]
Close Reading: Text Dependent Questions
Using text-dependent questions with close reading has been eye-opening for me because previously, we were taught to front-load everything and activate students’ schema to increase their engagement. As teachers, we’re now strongly encouraged to ask questions that force our students to delve into the text and provide evidence for their answer. I’ve created a 5-part […]
Books Teachers Love: April Read Alouds
I know we’re not suppose to choose an April Read Aloud by it’s cover, but I couldn’t help it with this adorable book. What can I say, I’m a sucker for bright colors and cute illustrations. Each month, a few teachers get together and share our favorite read alouds and activities that will help you […]
What is Close Reading?
Close Reading is something we all should be doing with Common Core but don’t always know how to implement because it’s so tedious. It’s being able to figure out what a challenging text means with little front loading. It’s reading closely and with a purpose You may be wondering, how can I get my first and second graders […]
Level your classroom library by lexile
Over the years, I’ve organized my library by genres, then by Accelerated Reading (AR) level, then AR level within genres and then nothing at all! Oh my! I loved it because it was so organized and made this semi-perfectionist heart smile. But with moving schools, classrooms, and states, my little library had to be sold […]
March Read Alouds for Primary Grades
I want to share with you one of my favorite series as part of this March Read Alouds post. Not because it has a lot of depth and requires a lot of thinking, but because it’s fun! The “There was an Old Lady” books remind me of my childhood and my students think they’re hilarious. […]
Books Teachers Love for February: Looking at Lincoln and some ART
I love that every month on the 10th, a few of us teachers bring you some of our favorite read alouds each month with some great activities that you can use right away. I’m all for easy, engaging, and fun! What made me buy Looking at Lincoln, by Maira Kalman a few years ago with […]