Teachers know that phonics instruction is essential for teaching students how to read. Therefore, they spend hours developing creative lessons and activities to make phonics lessons exciting. The goal is to ensure students are engaged and focused while working towards mastery of the content. Thankfully, there are resources ready to help teachers! Instead of spending…
Looking for a way to spruce up your classroom for Halloween? Need some spooky activity inspiration? Fall/winter is such an exciting time of the year, especially when it comes to the holidays. One of the first ones that comes our way in October is Halloween! And while it is a festive time, teachers know that…
Who else is getting excited for back to school season? The first day of school is right around the corner for many teachers, and I for one could not be more pumped. With all the chaos and excitement that back to school brings, you probably don’t have a lot of extra time on your hands…
As teachers, we constantly think about how our classroom is set up. Â We may move furniture every year or even mid-year to change things around and try something new. Â But, have you ever tried to ask your students how THEY would like to have their classroom set up? Â What would their perfect classroom look like?…
The school year is almost over. This is the time of year when I start to panic. Did I teach them everything I needed to teach? Are they ready for 2nd grade? What if they forget everything over the summer? Add in all of the regular end of the year chaos, and it leads to…
Here is a Summer Activity Chart that I will be sending home with my students on the last day of school. It includes a simple activity to do for each day of summer vacation. Click on the picture to download or download it for free at TpT. 
Can you believe April 8th is almost here!? It feels like we’ve been preparing for the Solar Eclipse for such a long time, and it is finally weeks away! Since this event is monumental, it is crucial that teachers explain what it means to students. However, there is a limited amount to guide instruction since…
Building fluency in students takes a lot of practice, patience, and perseverance. However, all the work involved is worth it, as students need to be fluent readers. Since teachers understand this importance, they find creative ways to improve fluency. For instance, practice does not always need to be in the form of passages. It can…
Phonics instruction is crucial in developing the reading and writing skills of our students. With the right lessons and activities, students do not memorize words. Instead, they gain deep insight into why words have the spellings they do. They learn to sound out unfamiliar words and how vowel teams and blends impact pronunciation. Students even…
Honestly, there are not enough words to describe how hard it is to teach students to read. Since everyone picks up decoding, blending, and segmenting at different speeds, every student is at a different place. While differentiation is critical when learning to read, planning and creating resources can become overwhelming. However, it is essential to…
Did you know September 9th is National Teddy Bear Day in the US and October 27th internationally? This day is always popular among students since they love to cuddle soft teddy bears! So, teachers can celebrate this holiday on the actual day or anytime during the school year! Students will love it no matter when…
Learning to read fluently is really hard! Students have to apply many skills, such as decoding and phonemic awareness, as they read each line. On top of this, they have to work on understanding what the words mean. While some students love the reading journey, others find it stressful and overwhelming. However, there is so…
