Reading fluency is a key component in becoming a good reader. Fluent readers not only sound good while they are reading, but they also understand what they are reading. A fluent reader reads with speed, accuracy, and expression. Fluency is the bridge to comprehension. Once a reader does not have to put their entire focus…
Last week, I changed out my Morning Tubs for the third time this year. The 3 day rotation is still working out really well for my students. I really think it is just the right amount of time for the kids to spend at their tubs. In the first tub, I placed my new Phonics…
I love working with small groups in my classroom. If I could figure out a way to work with small groups all day long, it would be amazing. I feel like this portion of my day is so important. I really get to know my students strengths and weaknesses, and I’m able to really focus…
We all know the importance of getting students up and moving around. Six and seven year olds do not want to sit all day. The more active I can keep them, the better our day goes. Since, I am a little obsessed with reading fluency, my mind is constantly thinking of new ways to make…
Every primary teacher knows how important sight words are to beginning readers. When many of these words show up in our reading material, all phonics instruction and rules get thrown out the window. I mean, seriously, who decided that have should be spelled with an e?  Why is it not spelled hav? So, how do we…
Phonological and phonemic awareness is such an important foundation for reading, writing, and spelling. Phonemic awareness skills are critical to reading success, but they are sometimes overlooked. When I meet with my students in small group during that first couple weeks of school, I like to assess their phonemic awareness skills to see which students are going to need additional…
Even though the first week of school can be such an exciting time, it can also be downright stressful! The first week of first grade is full of excitement, energy, and pure exhaustion. Even though I have taught 1st grade for MANY years, I still get overwhelmed before school starts with planning exactly what I…
I really love working with my small groups during reading. I feel very comfortable working on phonics and phonemic awareness skills, but I always felt like I was scrambling when it came to Guided Reading and working on comprehension and vocabulary skills. I sat down and really thought about what I would like to accomplish…
Do any of your students need extra practice learning short vowel sounds? Most of my students have a really good grasp with short vowel sounds and can blend CVC words together pretty easily. However, I have a few that need some extra practice with this skill. We group our 1st graders into five ability groups…
Learning sight words is such an important skill for beginning readers. Goodness gracious though! Who came up with some of the spellings of our common sight words? Why does it have to be so confusing? We teach these phonics rules, and then throw more than a hundred words at our students that don’t follow those…
Towards the beginning of the year, I started putting together Word Work packets for each phonics skill that we were working on. This started with the short vowel sounds. These became a staple in our classroom each week. They were perfect for a “no prep” work station because the students knew exactly what to do each…
This ultimate word work packet is perfect for practicing many phonics skills.
