I remember when I first learned about phonemic awareness in kindergarten. It was early in my career and I had read an article in The Reading Teacher about the importance of phonemic awareness skills for early readers. I couldn’t wait to try some of the activities in the arcticle. Many of the tasks were set up like games or playful activities, which got my students hooked! I quickly learned that teaching phonemic awareness skills can be quick, simple and fun […]
Continue Reading4 Ways to Use Readers’ Theater to Build Fluency [+ FREE Script]
Readers’ Theater is fun for students, while also secretly building reading fluency. Try it today with a free readers’ theater script. Readers’ Theater scripts are one of my favorite reading texts in first grade! The kids have so much fun reading and feel so successful. They ask to read the texts again and again – even in their free time. It makes my teacher heart happy! As a bonus, Readers’ Theater is a great way to practice reading fluency. But […]
Continue ReadingFun Reading Activities for Kindergarten: 15 Simple Ideas to Try
If you are looking for fun reading activities for kindergarten, look no farther. Your kids will love the activities in this post! It’s just after lunch. I’m sitting in my chair, pointing to each of the words on the phonics chart. The children drone out the answers as I point. My head bobs and I start to wonder, “Is it nap time yet?” (To be honest, right after lunch is not my energetic time under the best of circumstances!) After […]
Continue Reading10 Fun Morning Greetings for Students: Start Your Day Right
Are you looking for some new, fun morning greetings for students? These 10 greetings are the perfect addition to your morning meeting! “Good morning, Cody.” “Good morning, Aleah. Good morning, Micah.” “Good morning, Aleah. Good morning, Manuel.” These are the welcoming sounds of students engaged in the greeting for a morning meeting. It warms my heart to hear it daily. The morning greeting sets the tone for our school day. In this blog post I will describe the purpose for […]
Continue Reading4 Common Mistakes When Teaching Money to Kids
Teaching money to kids is hard. Read this blog post to find ways to make it easier for kids to learn how to count money. I sat next to Damien, helping him count the handful of coins in front of him. We had been practicing coins for weeks and I was hoping he finally had it… He picked up the quarter and quickly said, “25.” I smiled. Then he pointed to the pile of nickels and said, “Are these dimes […]
Continue ReadingMistakes Teachers Make when Teaching Place Value
Teaching place value in 1st grade can be tricky. It feels so abstract and confusing to kids. How can one number (2) mean a different number (200)? Sometimes our instruction inadvertently adds to the confusion. Read about some mistakes teachers make when teaching place value and how to avoid those mistakes. I was recently teaching place value in 1st grade. The task: Identify the value of the underlined digit. The number 26 was on the board. We’d been working on […]
Continue ReadingSubitizing Math Centers in Kindergarten That Kids will LOVE
Are you looking for some subitizing math centers for kindergarten? This blog post will share 8 fun subitizing activities that are perfect for kindergarten math centers! Why Use Subitizing Math Centers in Kindergarten? Teachers often use math centers in order to individualize instruction. Having students work in centers gives teachers time to either work with students in a small group or within one of the math centers during center time. What Can Kids Do During Math Centers? Subitizing skills are […]
Continue Reading8 Quick & Easy Morning Meeting Games Your Class Will LOVE
The morning meeting is a joy-filled time of day. Kids love it – especially the morning meeting games/activities. But teachers often wonder, what are some good morning meeting games and activities? I shared a few of my favorites in my post that gave an overview of the morning meeting routine, but I will share a few more in this post. In the Responsive Classroom morning meeting, each day includes a short, but fun activity. (Note, they don’t use the word […]
Continue ReadingWhy You Need Readers’ Theater in 1st Grade
Have you tried Readers Theater in a 1st grade classroom? If you haven’t, you should consider it soon. I have used Readers’ Theater with 1st graders for many years and I can’t recommend it enough. One year my students enjoyed it so much that they started creating their own Readers’ Theaters during their spare time. They would actually spend inside recess and their daily choice time performing Readers’ Theater scripts for classmates. In fact, they often used Elephant and Piggie […]
Continue Reading5 Common Subitizing Mistakes that Teachers Make
Subitizing got you stumped? Keep reading for some helpful things to do, and things to avoid when teaching subitizing. Subitizing. It’s a foundation for number sense and mental math. Students who can subitize have stronger math skills. So, what are some tips and tricks for teaching kids to subitize? Keep reading to learn about common mistakes teachers make with subitizing – as well as how to teach it effectively. But first, let’s start with a critical question: What does subitizing […]
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