Love them of hate them, they are here!It is time for parent teacher conferences. Conferences can be stressful but I actually enjoy them. Teaching is all about building relationships – with students and their families. I approach conferences as another way to deepen our relationship. We have two conferences a year; one the first week of November and the other…
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Regardless of the skill level, first grade is a critical time for first graders to improve their reading skills and be building upon new ones.
Research has shown that phonological and phonemic awareness are a great predictor of future reading success. Being phonologically aware prepares children for later reading instruction in phonics, word analysis, and spelling (Adams, Foorman, Lundberg, & Beeler, 1998; Chard, Simmons, & Kameenui, 1998). But, recent research from the National Reading Panel has shown that adding letters to phonemic awareness instruction…
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First grade teachers really focus on reading comprehension in the spring. It’s that magical time of the year when our students are reading (finally) and we can really tailor our teaching to understanding what we are reading. If you haven’t read my post on reading comprehension, head here to catch up. Visualizing is an important reading comprehension strategy. Good readers…
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Have you ever read with a student who can segment the sound in a word but when they blend them together they come up with something totally different? I think we have all experienced this. For example, a student may tap out /b/ /u/ /t/ correctly but then read it as tub, or bu, or bet or something entirely different….
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Last but not least informational writing. This blog series has been so fun to do because I get the chance to review each area of writing and it’s a great refresher for my own classroom. I mentioned this in my previous posts…start with the basics. Introduce WHAT informative writing is to your students. I love teaching informational writing because your…
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The first day of school is an exciting time but it’s also nerve-racking! Even after all of my years of teaching I still get nervous on the first day of school. Each year I hope for a year as great as the last one and of course, I want my students to enjoy being in my class. I…
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Classroom management is one of the most essential pieces of a successful school year. As teachers, we are always in a battle with making sure our students are on-task and engaged in learning. The thing with classroom management is, if you don’t teach it, you can’t expect it. This is why it’s so important to have the right set of…
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The beginning of a new year is challenging regardless of how many years you’ve been teaching. We are preparing our classrooms, planning lessons, and welcoming new students into our classrooms. The first few weeks of school include getting to know you activities and introducing classroom procedures and expectations. But, most importantly, laying the foundation for your classroom community. We all…
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Meet the Teacher Night is an exciting time, but it can also be a bit stressful. As a teacher, it’s so easy to stand up in front of a group of students and teach your heart out, but parents are a different ball game. I will be the first to admit that Meet the Teacher Night can give me jitters….
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Clearly, I love first grade! First-graders are beginning to grow in confidence and are truly excited about their learning journey. They are ready to become independent readers, writers, and students. I absolutely love being a first-grade teacher. But, I know it can also be nerve-racking stepping into the classroom as a new teacher. I hope these tips help you feel…
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Can you believe we are already thinking about holiday parties? I feel like it was just Halloween, but here we are. It’s always fun to celebrate the holidays with your students. And, there are so many fun ways to do so. I am sharing 6 ideas (and a freebie) on celebrating the winter season with your students.
Structured literacy is an evidence-based approach to teaching literacy that supports all learners, including those with dyslexia. Structured literacy emphasizes diagnostic, explicit, systematic, and cumulative, teaching of the components of literacy including phonology, sound-symbol, syllable instruction, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Structured literacy is a systematic, explicit, and multisensory approach to teaching reading and writing. It focuses on breaking down language…
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Fall is here, and I am definitely ready for it. I love summer, but I am in definite need of some cooler weather and all things pumpkin. I absolutely love incorporating fall activities into my classroom, and it gets my students really excited about learning. From pumpkins to apples, and Halloween there is sometimes not enough time in October to…
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I’ve been teaching for quite some time…so you can only imagine all of the things I have learned and all the mistakes I have made. But, as teachers, we constantly learn new things and better our teaching methods for our students. Whether you’re a new teacher, a veteran teacher, or just a teacher looking to change things up, I’m sharing…
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Dealing with disruptive behaviors in the classroom can be a challenging task for any teacher. These behaviors can not only interfere with the learning process but can also negatively impact the teacher’s ability to maintain classroom management. Fortunately, there are strategies you can use to manage these behaviors effectively. In this blog post, we will discuss some effective strategies for…
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It’s January so the 100th day of school is upon us! Most schools celebrate the 100 day in January or February, so let’s dig into some fun ways to enjoy the 100th day of school in first grade. I love celebrations but also like to stick to a schedule. Take the needs of your class into consideration and design a…
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And, the new year is a great time to do it! The new year is a great time to talk about goal setting with your students. We touch on this throughout the year, but we can really hone in on this during the new year. We want all want our students to be successful. We want our students to learn…
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The time between Thanksgiving and Winter Break is a tricky time to teach. It can be difficult to keep students’ minds on learning in December! Students will be engaged and excited if you take advantage of the excitement for the season. Here are some activities that will have your students learning right up to Winter Break. All of the activities…
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First grade is a crucial point in a student’s mathematical journey. This is when they are developing those foundational skills that they will carry with them throughout grade levels. Our first-graders must know how to add numbers but also explain how they found their answers. To fully understand the concept of addition, our students need to have built their foundation…
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There are so many picture books for Thanksgiving. How do you know which ones are the best? If you are anything like me, you hate to spend your limited resources on a book that just doesn’t fit your purpose or looked cute but didn’t hit the mark.I am sharing with you my November favorites with a quick synopsis so you…
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Teaching is constantly evolving. What may have been best practice years ago might no longer be recommended. That goes to say that what we were doing wasn’t wrong. We just didn’t know better. And one of those changes is including a sound wall in your classroom. Or, maybe even in replacement of a word wall. But, for those of you…
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I’ve been teaching first grade for quite some time, and my teaching styles and strategies have changed throughout the years. Teaching is not the same as it was 20 years ago! But, one thing that remains the same is not all students are the same type of learners. Ensuring my students are learning, happy, and engaged is one of my…
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I love a themed day in the classroom, but Apple Day is one of my favorites. It signifies the kick-off of the fall season, and I am here for cooler temperatures, flannels, apple everything, and a reason to celebrate with my firsties! I’ll be honest, I love Apple Day so much that it’s hard not to keep planning more and…
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