Teachers have an endless to do list at the end of the school year. One of those tasks is to reorganize your classroom library. By level, By genre, In baskets, On shelves… …In the Book Hospital… If you are like me, I am always perplexed […]

These last couple weeks of school are just flying by with all the hustle and bustle of our End of Year celebrations. I am so very proud of all that my firsties have accomplished this school year. The end of the year brings such a […]

Students read nonfiction to LEARN and to become experts on one topic of study. Most importantly, they celebrate what they have learned by sharing it with others. Students love to read nonfiction text almost as much as they love to learn about ocean life. However, […]

Why not take your Word Work one step further? I have disguised Read to Self as a bit more… Word Work… and my firsties don’t seem to mind. Yours won’t either. It’s a Win-Win!  Read on! Read to Self Word Study Assignments In addition to […]

As part of our Daily 5 routine my students follow a “Must Do” and “Can Do” list.   In addition to my students’ Word Work during our Daily 5, one of their “Must Do” items is to Read to Self. During this time the children […]

Creating a classroom map is a great tool to help manage classroom procedures throughout the day. I’m sure that your students buddy up during workshops, math and have independent reading book nooks.  Use this classroom management strategy in order to avoid any confusion, and debates […]

My students absolutely adore our (beanie baby) Reading Friends and poster set! As I introduce the many reading strategies at the beginning of the year I always have a little help from our “Reading Friends”. Our reading buddies help the students focus on becoming good […]

At the start of the school year, I administer the The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2) to my students. After I calculate the results and determine their independent reading level I have a conference with each student and we discuss their level. If you look closely […]

Do you know these letter sounds? They will help you learn to read. Our word wall has evolved so much throughout the year! It brings me such happiness when I see my young writers looking at the wall to find the words they need in […]

I have a wonderful class this year, but I’m finding that my Listen to Reading Center is in need of a boost.  Raz-kids is not cutting it any longer so I am starting off 2017 with a new routine.  I created 23 SafeShare QR code […]