When we teach students to synthesize, we let them know that they are combining what they already know with new information they learn from the text. As we do this, our thinking changes and grows! It’s important to teach students not to just repeat back what they’re learning. Instead, we want our students to realize […]

Teaching students to visualize while they read helps them to connect and comprehend the stories they hear and read in the classroom. I wanted to share some activities to help students visualize in first and second grade. Our Feelings: I like using this activity to show students that our visualizations are often very personal. Based […]

I am always on the hunt for fun, new games and activities to practice sight words. This ode to the game, Battleship, is such a great way to keep students engaged while learning or reviewing sight words. The goal of the game is to the be first to find the other player’s buried treasure! Students […]

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, […]

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 […]

Practicing sight words in the primary grades is vitally important when learning how to read. To help students review and learn new sight words, I am always on the lookout for new, fun games! This game, “Sight Word SPLASH!” is one we played a lot last year in my kindergarten and first grade small groups […]

February is a short month with a LOT to fit in and it seems to me that Black History month gets the short end of the stick since this month quickly passes by. Over the past few years, I have really tried to put some serious effort into diversifying my classroom (and home) library. Today, […]

How do you teach character change within a story? By this time of the year, my first graders are easily able to identify the main character. They are also able to give a few character traits (with text evidence) to describe that main character. Now, is when I really want students to focus on how […]