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 ReadingHow to Teach Subitizing: 5 Mistakes to Avoid
Subitizing got you stumped? Keep reading to learn how to teach subitizing, and things to avoid when teaching subitizing. It was spring of my third year teaching kindergarten. We’d been playing games with dice for months – rolling, moving pieces, laughing. I sat down next to one little boy, George, and watched him roll a 4. Then I watched him count every single dot. He still didn’t quickly recognize four dots on the die! How did he not know that […]
Continue ReadingTeaching Place Value to 1st Graders: Simple Tricks & Tips
Teaching place value. It’s critical because it’s a foundation to understanding our number system, but it also presents a challenge for some children. They have to shift from the one by one counting they have practiced for years to an understanding that “one” can actually represent ten, one hundred, or more. But, as a teacher, there are things you can do to make this task easier for your students. Intentional teaching helps them be successful with this new math task. […]
Continue Reading13 Fun Alphabet Activities for Kindergarten Teachers: Ideas Kids Will Love
These fun alphabet activities for kindergarten will help your students learn letter names and sounds in no time! We’ve all seen it before… the children who enter kindergarten without knowing letter names are the children who struggle with reading in first and second grade. It is a predictable trend that has been dubbed “The Matthew Effect” by Keith Stanovich (1986). As in, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. As a K-1 reading interventionist, my mission is to […]
Continue ReadingParent Teacher Conferences – Ideas and Tips for Teachers
Get great parent teacher conference ideas and tips in this blog. You will learn what parents want to know and what work samples will help parents better understand their child’s progress. When I think of parent teacher conferences, lot of things come to mind: long days, lots of preparation, and the opportunity to learn more about the children I spend my days with. I truly LOVE parent teacher conferences, despite the amount of work involved. I find it rewarding to […]
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