Fun and Practical Ideas for Primary Classrooms
October is one of my favorite months in the classroom, but it’s a busy one! We have conferences, a field trip, and our Fall Festival…all in October! I love bringing a little fall and Halloween fun into our learning without completely changing what we’re already working on. Over the years, I’ve created quite a few October activities that I can… Read More
Retelling a story is an important reading comprehension skill for first graders. Students need to learn how to identify the most important parts of a story, put events in order, and identify the central message or lesson. In this post, I’ll share how I teach retelling stories in first grade. 1. Introduce the Retelling Stories Standard I start by introducing… Read More
We all have those students who finish an assignment and immediately ask, “What do I do now?” Having a few go-to fast finisher activities ready can keep students learning without creating extra prep for you. The best fast finisher activities are simple, engaging, and easy for students to do independently. Here are some of my favorite low-prep fast finisher ideas… Read More
If you’re looking for September activities for first grade, I’ve gathered some of my favorite resources for fluency, writing, phonics, reading comprehension, grammar, thematic learning, and even those days when you need a substitute! 📖 September Fluency Activities September is a great time to begin building strong reading fluency routines. Repeated reading with familiar, accessible text gives students opportunities to… Read More
Poetry is one of my FAVORITE tools to use in first grade because there are so many literacy skills that you can hit with a simple poem! A short, engaging poem can become repeated reading practice, a fluency activity, phonics and high frequency word practice, vocabulary work, partner reading, and even an independent literacy station. I especially love that poems… Read More
Our Writing Station is the second station I introduce after Read to Self. (You can read about how I launch independent reading here.) During the first two weeks of school, my goal isn’t to have students writing long stories. Instead, I want them to learn the routines, build confidence, and become comfortable working independently. By keeping writing station simple at… Read More
The first few weeks of school are full of excitement, new routines, and getting to know each other. One important thing I do during this time is assess where each child is academically. These beginning of the year assessments help me see what my students already know and where they may need extra support. I have a binder of the… Read More
Back-to-school season is here! There’s something so exciting about setting up the classroom, meeting a new group of students, and planning all of the fun learning that’s ahead. But, the first few weeks can also feel overwhelming. Between teaching routines, building classroom community, assessing students, and planning engaging lessons, there’s a lot to fit into a short amount of time…. Read More
Independent Reading, or Read to Self as a lot of people call it, is the first literacy station my students learn and it’s one of the most important routines I teach during the first weeks of school. Just like any classroom routine, it takes practice, structure, and time to reflect and improve. I run a modified version of literacy stations… Read More
Back to school can be stressful, but it is also a very exciting time of the year! There is so much energy as students meet new friends, explore the classroom, and begin building the routines that will carry us through the year. While we definitely spend a lot of time teaching and practicing procedures and expectations (read about classroom routines… Read More
