3 Easy Steps to Launch Independent Reading in your Classroom

In the early elementary school years, early literacy is a strong focus. Our goal as educators is to build strong, fluent, confident decoders and readers. We want students to build stamina and engage with books for much of the literacy block. You can do this with first graders starting on the very first day of school! Independent reading is seen by some educators as a waste of time, just page flipping. I even had an administrator tell me that half the students in any given class would likely have their books upside down during this time. With an organized and […]

5 steps to write the perfect summer letter

5 Simple Steps to Write the Perfect Summer Letter to Your Students

I LOVE writing summer introduction letters to my elementary students! At first I was so overwhelmed by all of the possibilities. I wondered… Should my letter be addressed to the student, the parents, both? Should I spend time writing about my background as a teacher? Should I include anything about my family? Now more than ever there are questions like:  Should I send the letter digitally, or in the mail (in my experience kids REALLY REALLY love getting mail). One thing is for certain building those school-home relationships is invaluable and you’ll want and need families as your partners in […]

launching first grade reading groups

How to Plan for Small Group Reading Instruction : An Easy to Follow Formula

At the start of the school year there seem to be so many assessments. It feels like a relief when your students are ready for small group instruction. I remember my very first year teaching wondering what in the world I was supposed to do during that time. My school district used a guided reading approach, but I noticed that many teachers spent an entire session doing picture walks and guessing about what was happening in the story. I also noticed that there was very little phonics instruction during the reading process. I had a feeling I could organize my […]