Create Color Overlays

Some students often lose their places when they read.  This simple classroom DIY can help.  




Whenever a student reads, he or she can use an overlay.  Keep a basket of them at your guided reading table.  Sometimes, I hand them to a student to keep at a desk.

Some students often lose their places when they read.  This simple classroom DIY can help.  




Whenever a student reads, he or she can use an overlay.  Keep a basket of them at your guided reading table.  Sometimes, I hand them to a student to keep at a desk.

Some students often lose their places when they read.  This simple classroom DIY can help.  




Whenever a student reads, he or she can use an overlay.  Keep a basket of them at your guided reading table.  Sometimes, I hand them to a student to keep at a desk.

Interactive Journals for Younger Students

I must say interactive journals are definitely a fun way to teach the Common Core Standards and comprehension skills.  For several years, I have taught a lesson here and there using interactive journals.  This past year, I decided to see what it would be like to adapt these lessons to Common Core and teach them across all nine (yes, I said nine) grade levels that I work with.  From the little bitty kindergarten students to the eighth grade big kids, I can say we truly did have a blast.

This image is from a main idea lesson that I did with second grade students.  I started out teaching Common Core Standards RL.2 and RI.2 (Main Idea) with main idea manipulatives.  (I got so tired of seeing math manipulatives that I started creating comprehension manipulatives a few years ago).  Click Here for Hands-On Main Idea.  Then, students used their interactive journals to take notes and summarize what they learned.

My students reeealllly got the concept.  Best of all, they had their own reference books to review when they did not remember main idea.Click Here for More Interactive Journals for Younger Kids

I must say interactive journals are definitely a fun way to teach the Common Core Standards and comprehension skills.  For several years, I have taught a lesson here and there using interactive journals.  This past year, I decided to see what it would be like to adapt these lessons to Common Core and teach them across all nine (yes, I said nine) grade levels that I work with.  From the little bitty kindergarten students to the eighth grade big kids, I can say we truly did have a blast.

This image is from a main idea lesson that I did with second grade students.  I started out teaching Common Core Standards RL.2 and RI.2 (Main Idea) with main idea manipulatives.  (I got so tired of seeing math manipulatives that I started creating comprehension manipulatives a few years ago).  Click Here for Hands-On Main Idea.  Then, students used their interactive journals to take notes and summarize what they learned.

My students reeealllly got the concept.  Best of all, they had their own reference books to review when they did not remember main idea.Click Here for More Interactive Journals for Younger Kids

I must say interactive journals are definitely a fun way to teach the Common Core Standards and comprehension skills.  For several years, I have taught a lesson here and there using interactive journals.  This past year, I decided to see what it would be like to adapt these lessons to Common Core and teach them across all nine (yes, I said nine) grade levels that I work with.  From the little bitty kindergarten students to the eighth grade big kids, I can say we truly did have a blast.

This image is from a main idea lesson that I did with second grade students.  I started out teaching Common Core Standards RL.2 and RI.2 (Main Idea) with main idea manipulatives.  (I got so tired of seeing math manipulatives that I started creating comprehension manipulatives a few years ago).  Click Here for Hands-On Main Idea.  Then, students used their interactive journals to take notes and summarize what they learned.

My students reeealllly got the concept.  Best of all, they had their own reference books to review when they did not remember main idea.Click Here for More Interactive Journals for Younger Kids

Alphabet, Sight Words, and Writing Bundle

This bundle makes reading instruction so much easier.  It contains 160+ pages of phonics, sight word and writing practice.  

Click Here To Access It

As students review each letter sound, they learn how to blend sounds together to make words.  There are five worksheets for each letter sound.  This is a great way to practice phonics, phonemic awareness, sight words, and writing.

This bundle makes reading instruction so much easier.  It contains 160+ pages of phonics, sight word and writing practice.  

Click Here To Access It

As students review each letter sound, they learn how to blend sounds together to make words.  There are five worksheets for each letter sound.  This is a great way to practice phonics, phonemic awareness, sight words, and writing.

This bundle makes reading instruction so much easier.  It contains 160+ pages of phonics, sight word and writing practice.  

Click Here To Access It

As students review each letter sound, they learn how to blend sounds together to make words.  There are five worksheets for each letter sound.  This is a great way to practice phonics, phonemic awareness, sight words, and writing.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is almost here and I have something for you to use with your kiddos this week.

Right now I am pushing hard for my firsties to become fluent with their math facts to 10, as I'm sure many of you are as well.  However, many of my students did not come to me fluent to 5, which is where we always hope they will be when they leave Kindergarten.  So, along with working with them in small groups to learn all the number combinations of a number, I have also set up centers for that same task.

Since Valentine's Day is almost upon us,  I wanted a fact fluency center with a Valentine's Day theme, so I created Breaking Hearts Fact Fluency. 

Click on Breaking Hearts FREEBIE to get your copy of the recording sheet just for visiting my blog.  Once there follow the link. 

1st Grade Grapevine

Valentine's Day is almost here and I have something for you to use with your kiddos this week.

Right now I am pushing hard for my firsties to become fluent with their math facts to 10, as I'm sure many of you are as well.  However, many of my students did not come to me fluent to 5, which is where we always hope they will be when they leave Kindergarten.  So, along with working with them in small groups to learn all the number combinations of a number, I have also set up centers for that same task.

Since Valentine's Day is almost upon us,  I wanted a fact fluency center with a Valentine's Day theme, so I created Breaking Hearts Fact Fluency. 

Click on Breaking Hearts FREEBIE to get your copy of the recording sheet just for visiting my blog.  Once there follow the link. 

1st Grade Grapevine

Valentine's Day is almost here and I have something for you to use with your kiddos this week.

Right now I am pushing hard for my firsties to become fluent with their math facts to 10, as I'm sure many of you are as well.  However, many of my students did not come to me fluent to 5, which is where we always hope they will be when they leave Kindergarten.  So, along with working with them in small groups to learn all the number combinations of a number, I have also set up centers for that same task.

Since Valentine's Day is almost upon us,  I wanted a fact fluency center with a Valentine's Day theme, so I created Breaking Hearts Fact Fluency. 

Click on Breaking Hearts FREEBIE to get your copy of the recording sheet just for visiting my blog.  Once there follow the link. 

1st Grade Grapevine