Phonics Activities and Games for K-2

For the last 3 years, we’ve had to supplement phonics instruction with phonics activities and games because we didn’t have a reading program.  Every week, we were scouring different blogs and TpT looking for meaningful activities that would support student learning.  I’ve got a few phonics activities and games that you can use in your […]

2025 Blog

Load More My name is Kristen and I’ve enjoyed teaching kindergarten, first grade, a 1/2 combo, and second grade.  I’ve taught at both a low and high-performing Title I schools as well as a few fancy schools in California and O’ahu, Hawaii. I’ve earned my Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in reading in addition to […]

Sample Page

This is an example page. It’s different from a blog post because it will stay in one place and will show up in your site navigation (in most themes). Most people start with an About page that introduces them to potential site visitors. It might say something like this: Hi there! I’m a bike messenger […]

How do you deal with Teacher Pressure?

I don’t know about you, but my brain never shuts off when it comes to teaching.  I’m always thinking how I can make things more efficient, coming up with new to do lists, and thinking up with ways I can use things from the Dollar Spot at Target, in my classroom.  I’m thinking of blog […]

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 […]

8 Easy Ways to Relax and Find Balance as a Teacher

Teaching takes up every ounce of brain-power, energy, and heart.  When the dismissal bell rings, my teacher brain doesn’t shut off.  I’ve got lesson ideas, unfriendly parent e mails, testing, IEPs, art projects, literacy centers, meaningful activities, and a bazillion ways to make our class run efficiently on my mind all.the.time.  But I’m here to […]

The easiest and best parent newsletter

We know that parent communication in the classroom is essential, but sometimes, it takes a lot of time that we don’t always have.  I have a free parent newsletter that takes just a few minutes to set up.  You can add links to websites, photos, videos, sign up forms and more.  Do you send a […]

The Perfect Activity for your Geometry Unit

We’ve had so much fun with our geometry unit this year.  My kiddos have loved all of the hands-on activities and this adorable craft!  I thought it would be fun for kiddos to put different shapes together to create their very own shape person. You know I love cute things that are easy to prep […]