I love teaching students to make inferences in first grade. They feel like detectives as the search for what the author hasn’t said in the text. I thought I would take some time to share with you some of my favorite activities for teaching students how to infer. Using Photographs: When we begin making inferences, […]

The end of the school year is fast approaching and I wanted to share something I think you will enjoy: a full day of FREE ice cream day activities! Every year, I would spend my last couple weeks at school having themed learning days. We would have one whole theme (camping, sports, friendship, beach, etc.) […]

I was always on the lookout for new and fun money games for my first grade students! We used to play a Race to $1 game from my first grade money unit, but this time I thought I would put a little spin on that game and turn it into a freebie for you. Enter: […]

Teaching students to activate their schema in kindergarten, first, and second grade can seem abstract at first. Once I let students know they actually use their schema all the time, they become more comfortable explaining their thoughts! Both as a first grade teacher and a K-2 literacy teacher, I emphasized schema at the beginning of […]

This small group phonics and number sense game reminds me of the good ole days. I used to play Spoons when I went up to the cabin with friends and family and it was always a hit. We would laugh and race to be sure we weren’t left without a spoon. With it being such a […]

Place value can be tricky in first grade. I feel like they go from learning to count to 20 to fully understanding base 10 in a matter of weeks. It flies and can be a difficult concept for my students to understand. When teaching place value I am ALL ABOUT it being hands on. Students […]

Sometimes reviewing sight words gets boring. Am I right?! Same with other identification skills: numbers, letters, rhyming words, etc., so I am always on the lookout for some new and exciting games to play with my students. Just to spice it up a little! Enter: SNAP! This is a fast-paced card game that you can […]

I love teaching all about 2D and 3D shapes in the classroom. It is a unit of study that my first graders always seemed to just “get.” It was tactile and to the point.  I am always on the hunt for fun and new shape activities, so I thought I would share one of my […]