Fun and Practical Ideas for Primary Classrooms
Phonics is one of the most important building blocks in early reading instruction! And, you don’t need anything fancy or expensive for good phonics lessons. In my classroom, the best phonics routines are simple, consistent, and easy to prep. Here are five of my faves that I use for phonics lessons and activities. 1. Whiteboard Dictation Work Nothing beats fast,… Read More
Friendship is an important part of growing up and of getting along with others at school. Learning how to be a kind and thoughtful friend takes practice. In Kindergarten and 1st grade, teachers are responsible for much more than just teaching the curriculum. Many of our students need to be explicitly taught how to interact appropriately and kindly with other… Read More
…Because routines build the foundation for everything else. The beginning of the school year is such a whirlwind! New faces, big emotions, and a whole lot of excitement. My classroom runs on routines and there are a TON of routines to introduce over the first several weeks of school. You can’t teach them all at once and you definitely can’t… Read More
Do you take first and last day of school pictures of your students? It is a favorite tradition of mine! See how I use these pictures in my classroom and try it this year in your classroom if you don’t already! How Does It Work? First, I print out a few of these adorable signs. As the students are working… Read More
Indoor recess? Gloomy weather? Increasingly complex concepts to learn? Students snapping at each other? The middle of winter is also the beginning of the second half of the school year and students may be stuck in a rut or acting out a bit. Here are some tried and true ideas I use every year to help keep students learning and… Read More
“Do you have any “nice notes” today?!” That is a phrase I hear often in my classroom! My students LOVE getting recognized in front of their peers AND taking their “nice note” home to show their family. What are Nice Notes? “Nice Notes” are cute little cards with a positive message and a cute clipart animal or person. I use… Read More
First grade teachers do a LOT of activities around washing hands and stopping the spread of germs, but there are a TON of important health standards in 1st grade that can help build a foundation for healthy living now and in the future. Enter our “I Can Be Healthy” book that is a favorite of ours in first grade! I… Read More
Do you LOVE fun poems as much as I do? Well, I know young readers LOVE poems when they are learning to read, rhyme, and identify letters and sounds. These alphabet poems are a favorite! These Alphabet Poems are fantastic for ABC Bootcamp or whenever you start learning and reviewing letter names and sounds in Kindergarten. And, each letter includes… Read More
The end of the school year is such a busy and sometimes stressful time for students and teachers! Changes to schedules, celebration events, special activities, strong emotions, and more take up time and can throw off your usual classroom routines. That’s why I LOVE our End of the Year book! It’s such a fun way to review our year together,… Read More
After 20+ years of teaching, I’ve done a lot of different things for reading homework. I stopped doing reading logs several years ago because I didn’t feel it was meaningful. Sometimes, families were just rushing to write down book titles to get “credit” for homework, instead of focusing on the fun and important work of enjoying books together. Another reading… Read More
