I have long been a fan of highlighters. They’re fun and florescent and I always appreciate the chiseled tip for writing with. Weird? Something tells me my teacher friends totally understand what I’m talking about. My students always appreciate a good highlighter, too, and well, any writing tool that isn’t a pencil or crayon. It’s like…
activities
Big Letter Names
Wednesday was the first day of preschool for the littles. I really want to call them ‘the babies’ – as we’ve collectively referred to them for the past three years – but they are obviously not babies anymore. Sad face. Faith is headed off to a year in the 4s with Benny on her heels in…
The Best Apple Books for Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade
Dang, I love kid lit. Like, a lot. We moved recently – as in twice in eight months (WHO DOES THAT?!) – and the amount of books we moved was outrageous. I’m not even exaggerating when I say thousands. #teacherprobs All that moving gave me a good chance to sort and organize my classroom library books, so…
((Throw)) Back to School Activities
If you’re a fan of the nineties or just need some new activities to incorporate into the beginning of the school year, you’re going to LOVE this back to school theme! Cara and I spent many a Google Hang Out planning out all of the fun you’re about to see, and even spent a fabulous…
Banana Friday: Homemade Banana Softserve Ice Cream
As a kid growing up in the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati area, we would frequent a local convenience store called Ameristop for soft serve and Coke Icees, particularly during the hot summer nights. Our favorite night, though, was Friday because they would make a special batch of banana soft serve and we aptly named it Banana Friday. Even to…
How to Parent Over Summer Break
You found this post because you want to know what magic I have up my sleeve for making the most out of summer break with you kids. Likely, you spent 180 days in your classroom with someone else’s children and now here you are at home, less than a month into what’s supposed to be…
Read Aloud Activities
Read-alouds are one of my favorite parts of the school day. I love having the opportunity to introduce students to my favorite authors and illustrators, tell stories that engage and inspire, incorporate thematic content, and provide me with authentic opportunities to incorporate and discuss a variety of ELA skills. Lately, I’ve been working on a…
Reading Lesson Plans: Teaching Key Details and Main Idea
It’s Day Six of Celebrate Reading Month! I’m a little delayed on Freebie Friday, so it’s a Freebie Saturday instead 🙂 If you’ve missed the previous posts, no problem! Fun activities, free stuff, and more are all yours by visiting THIS link. Definitely go check them out! Today, we’re going to talk about teaching key details…
Book Reports, Reader Profiles, and More!
In today’s classrooms, a lot of the reading children are doing isn’t necessarily by choice or based off of student-selection. A love of reading is intrinsic. It doesn’t come from being force-fed close reads or through texts chosen by the district, but from personal, meaningful selection where the child is able to choose a text…
Let’s Celebrate Reading!
I am SO excited for the month of March! Why? Because I have decided to dedicate this entire coming month to CELEBRATING READING! I will be featuring lesson plans, activities, and unique ways to meaningfully share a love of reading and books with the students in your classroom and homes. Additionally, I’ve teamed up with…
