These Thanksgiving activities have become a tradition in my classroom. Year after year, I include them in my lesson plans because they help my students understand why we must give thanks for all that we have. My favorite, by far is the Thanksgiving Story Mix. […]

In an effort to raise phonemic awareness, teachers are presented with the challenge of providing their students with a print rich environment that will provide their students with a variety of opportunities to see, read and most importantly interact with written words. How do we […]

What teacher has time to file? Have I got a simple solution for you! You know that “To File”pile on your teacher’s desk filled with loose papers and thematic unit files that you still need to put away? …. and you probably won’t get to […]

By the end of the school year, both you and your students are winding down after having worked hard to meet grade level standards. But now what? If you are looking for end of the year activities that will keep your students happily engaged … […]

The Dilemma: Do you get as frustrated as I do when you send off your Reading Partners with an “Off you go!” and instead of diving right into a good book together, you overhear this: “But you chose the book last time!” “It’s my turn […]

If you are looking for a way to celebrate friendships either at the beginning of the year or during your end of the year activities, this class project is just what you are looking for! The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown is an ideal […]

Are you looking for a method to Improve sight Word Fluency while using differentiated sight word lists? I know what is holding you back…it’s work.  I won’t lie and say that it was easy coming up with this system.  It took me a few years.  […]

As Adults: Not many of us enjoy a challenge. Not many of us embrace unfamiliar territory. Many of us are creatures of habit and find security staying in our comfort zone.  Yet, as adults when we do encounter challenges, we work through them because we […]

Gumball Phonics™ is a unique color-coded phonics strategy to help young readers and writers DECODE unfamiliar words, rather than GUESS.   This FUN color–coded phonics approach will help your students discriminate between the various phonics and spelling patterns found in words they encounter while reading. […]

The NEW year gifts you a second chance at hitting the RESTART button with your students. After holiday break, your students (and you!) come back refreshed and happy to see one another again. The New Year brings the hopes of a new beginning and purpose […]