Are you wondering how to successfully teach decoding strategies to your Early readers? Skippy the Frog and Tryin’ Lion are the final strategies you should teach your students. I covered Skippy Frog in a previous post; but If you’re ready to teach the Tryin’ Lion decoding strategy to the students in your classroom, stay with …
At-Home Reading Instruction for Parents and Children Download this guide which will provide you with Discussion Questions you can ask your child as you are reading with them at home.
Are you wondering how to successfully teach decoding strategies to your Early readers? Despite funny names like Flippy Dolphin and Skippy Frog, these decoding strategies are so important! If you’re ready to teach the Skippy Frog decoding strategy to the students in your classroom, keep reading for some helpful tips and information. I’m glad you’re …
What decoding strategies should you be teaching your Early readers? The students in your Early Readers leveled group are already familiar with Lips the Fish, but now they’re ready to meet her more adventurous big sister, Flippy Dolphin! The Flippy Dolphin strategy provides a great way for your students to solve words with long or …
Which reading strategies should you introduce to your Emergent readers? Of course, basic strategies like Eagle Eye and Lips the Fish will help new readers as they begin the process of learning to decode. But what about a strategy like Chunky Monkey? This one may be a little advanced for your Level A & B …
Are you wondering about the best ways to teach reading strategies to your Emergent readers? These students are at the beginning stages of reading; but that’s why it’s so important for them to grasp these important tools for reading and decoding. As Emergent readers start the adventure of learning to decode, the Stretchy Snake strategy …
How to Teach the Stretchy Snake Strategy to Emergent Readers Read More »
Are you wondering how to effectively teach reading strategies to your Emergent readers? Readers at the Emergent level are reading on levels A through C. Graphophonic or visual cues are so important for readers at this level. Once they can recognize and use these cues, they’ll begin to see how letter-sound relationships help them solve …
Teaching the Lips the Fish Strategy to Emergent Readers Read More »
Are you wondering how to tackle the task of teaching reading and decoding strategies to your Emergent readers? Readers at the Emergent level are reading on levels A through C. They rely heavily on the semantic cueing system, using the pictures they see to make meaning. There are some strategies that may be too advanced …
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What words come to mind when you think about doing Guided Reading lesson plans? Stress? Frustration? A late-night race against the clock? Planning lessons for your Guided Reading level groups takes some work. I’ve been there, and I feel your pain! Lesson planning is a huge part of our job as educators, and to be …
We teachers live for long weekends. In warm weather, we head for sunshine and a sandy beach, but in winter we may choose a cozy cabin near the slopes. Either way, we’re prepared to chill. For the beach trip, we pack sunscreen, flipflops, a pair of cool shades and a fun romance novel. For the …
“Why did the chicken cross the road?” That’s one of the first jokes children learn; and I love seeing the twinkle in a child’s eye as they tell it for the first time. And it’s not just the chicken joke; there are a thousand other knock-knock jokes based on the premise that some questions have …
Rigor in the Classroom – 7 Strategies for Success Read More »
Have you ever thought about the one thing veteran educators and first year teachers have in common with Pre-K students and doctoral candidates? I’ll save you the suspense and just cut to the chase: They’re all humans. Yep! Newsflash: WE are all humans. And as a human condition, each of us wants to do what …
Creating Classroom Rules & Procedures: Who’s in Charge Here? Read More »
As teachers in the primary grades, we love fairy tales and funny stories: mostly because the kiddos in our classrooms love reading them! Although those fictional favorites have an important place and are fantastic vehicles for teaching children to read, our kiddos also need to encounter informational non-fiction texts. Let’s take a look at how we …
Emergent readers — ya gotta love ’em, and ya gotta teach ’em to read! It’s more than just a job–it’s our privilege to open the door of literacy. We get to be the ones to introduce these kiddos to the joys of reading! So let’s take a quick look at how to effectively scaffold & …
Literacy Centers – ABCs & 123s for Active Learners & Busy Bees… Literacy centers are a vital part of the success of my Guided Reading program. While I’m teaching students in a Guided Reading group, the other kiddos in the class are actively involved in learning! Want some tips on how to effectively use literacy …
When you’re guiding a discussion during Guided Reading small group, do you ever have that feeling like you’re stuck in a hospital elevator that’s stopping on every floor? It’s quiet (except for that cheesy elevator music), and all eyes are focused straight ahead on those shiny metal doors. Meaningful conversations and deep discussions are rare …
Independent reading–is it an effective use of classroom time? The goal of Guided Reading is to help students learn to read independently and fluently. The skills and strategies we teach during whole class lessons and small group instruction are put into practice during independent reading. For this reason I’m a firm believer in allowing young …
Hi teacher peeps! Let’s talk about the various types of assessment that are available for you to use in the classroom. Fascinating subject, don’t you think? What? You don’t find the topic fascinating?? That’s ok, my teacher friend–neither do I, most of the time. I know that few of us in the teaching profession chose …
Hey teacher peeps! Time to address the elephant in the room of Guided Reading–or more appropriately, the ants. Do your whole class to small group transition times resemble the process of kicking an ant hill and watching them scatter? Do you secretly wish you could just leave students where they are and not “disturb the …
Classroom Transition Strategies for Guided Reading Read More »
Student engagement: it’s a high and lofty goal for every teacher. And it’s essential for meaningful learning and progress. As teachers we can’t force it or manufacture student engagement; but we can incorporate some effective and fun engagement strategies in the classroom to keep our students connected, excited and involved in meaningful learning. What Does Student Engagement Look Like? What …
How to Use Engagement Strategies to Promote Learning in the Classroom Read More »