Blog - Primary Planet

What Critical Thinking Actually Looks Like in a K-2 Classroom

Critical thinking skills sound like a big deal, the kind of phrase you’d see on a high school syllabus, not something a seven-year-old is capable of. I used to think that too, if I’m honest. Then a second grader argued that a whale isn’t a fish because “it breathes air, and fish don’t need air like that.” Not something I’d taught. Just a kid connecting two things she already knew and landing on something true. Critical thinking skills at this age don’t look like debate club. They look like a kid trying a puzzle piece three different ways before giving

Boy reading a book next to the text the simple fix for the phonics to reading gap decodable sentences

Your Kids Can Sound Out Words. Can They Read a Sentence?

The pendulum has done a full swing since I started teaching a billion years ago. Whole language is not a thing anymore (for good reason), but we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Teachers are spending TONS of time teaching students isolated sounds and words (rightfully so), but not nearly as much time on decodable sentences and reading connected text. This is an easy fix, so read on, Teacher Friend! The Real Issue Here’s the thing. Sounding out “sh” in isolation and reading “The fish had a big splash” are two very different skills. A kiddo can nail

The Dismissal Routine That Sends Your Kiddos Home Calm and Happy

Hey there, teacher friend! We talk a lot about how to start the day. Morning meetings, morning messages, all the warm and fuzzy ways to set the tone. And I love that stuff — if you’ve read my morning meeting routine, you know it was one of my favorite parts of the day. But here’s something I don’t think gets talked about enough: your dismissal routine matters just as much. Think about those last fifteen minutes. Backpacks are getting zipped, somebody can’t find their other shoe, and three kids are asking if it’s a bus day or a car day.

Student Numbering System: The Easiest Classroom Organization Trick

Okay, friends. Let me tell you about one of the simplest classroom organization systems I ever set up. A Student Numbering System. Here’s how a student numbering system works. You take your class list, the one that’s already in alphabetical order, and you number it. First kiddo on the list is #1. Next one is #2. And so on down the line. That’s it. That’s the whole setup. Sounds almost too simple to matter, right? But this little system saved me more time and headaches than just about anything else I did. So why use student numbers instead of just

Image of students arriving at school Text: A Practically Perfect First Day of School

First Day Activities for a Practically Perfect Start to the School Year

Hey there, teacher friend! I know nothing is ever truly perfect, but these first day activities will help you plan a day that’s practically perfect in every way—and set the tone for a wonderful school year. The first day is nerve-racking for everyone: teachers, students, and parents alike. One thing we did at our school was hold an open house a few days before school started, so the kiddos already knew how to find their classroom, where their desk was, and so on. It was so helpful. So whether or not your students have set foot in your room before,

Back to School Essentials for Teachers: Classroom Routines and Procedures to Plan Before the First Day of School

Ah, back to school season. It’s coming. It’s inevitable (right up there with death and taxes). But don’t panic. There’s still time. And hey, if you’re reading this after the first bell already rang? No worries. Read on. It’s never too late to get your routines in shape. Here’s the thing I wish someone had told me before my very first year. I thought I had it handled. I knew what I wanted to teach and when. I knew how I wanted my kiddos to act. I even had a color chart (ugh, I know, I know). What I didn’t

Story Starters for Primary Students: Bye-Bye Blank Page

Hey there Teacher friend! I am sure you can relate to this senario: You tell your class it’s writing time, and instead of picking up their pencils, half your students just… stare. At the ceiling. At you. At their shoes. Like you just asked them to solve a calculus problem. Sometime, there are even tears. Sheesh! Story starters can change that. Seriously. What Is a Story Starter (and Why Does It Matter)? A story starter is exactly what it sounds like — a prompt that gives students the very beginning of a story. Maybe it’s a sentence. Maybe it’s a

Morning Meeting Ideas the Build Classroom Community. A simple 5 step routine.

Morning Meeting Ideas That Build Classroom Community (A Simple 5-Step Routine)

If you’ve been searching for morning meeting ideas that are simple, consistent, and actually work — you’re in the right place. I spent 23 years in primary classrooms, and I can tell you: the morning meeting is the most important twenty minutes of your day. When that routine is warm and predictable, the rest of the day just flows. Here’s the five-step routine I used for years. Once it’s in place, it basically runs itself. Keep reading, there is a fun freebie for you! Before Your Morning Meeting: Morning Business We always started the day with our “Morning Business”. Put

How to Teach How-To Writing in K-2 (Without Losing Your Mind)

How-to writing. Also known as procedural writing. Also known as the thing that sounds so simple until you’re actually standing in front of a group of first graders trying to explain what a “step” is. Procedural writing is one of those units that can go really, really well. Or it can kind of fall apart around day three when someone decides that step one of making a sandwich is “go to the store.” Not wrong, technically. But okie dokie, let’s back up. The good news? There are some simple ways to make how-to writing click for young writers. Let me

Morning Message for K-2: A Classroom Routine and Procedure That Does More Than You Think

Hey there Teacher Friend! Morning Message for K-2 is one classroom routine and procedure I would tell every primary teacher to start tomorrow. Not because it’s flashy. Not because it takes a lot of prep — it doesn’t, I promise. But because after 23 years in primary classrooms, I watched this simple little routine do more work than almost anything else I put on that board. It sets the tone. It gives early arrivals something purposeful to do. And it teaches real skills without feeling like a lesson. Let’s talk about how to make it work. I use my morning

Writing Fractured Fairy Tales: Mini-Lessons, Mentor Texts, and Classroom Fun!

Writing Fractured Fairy Tales: Mini-Lessons, Mentor Texts & Classroom Fun

Okay, friends. If there is one writing unit that gets kids genuinely excited to put pencil to paper, it is writing fractured fairy tales. Not just any fairy tales—fractured fairy tales. The kind where the Big Bad Wolf is suddenly the good guy, Cinderella refuses to go to the ball, or the Three Bears file a complaint with the local police. Kids go absolutely wild for this stuff. And honestly? So do I. After 23 years in a primary classroom, I can tell you that fairy tale writing hits differently than other units. It is one of those magical combinations

Image of Partner Pairing Cards/Memory Game. Text: Teaching Vocabulary with Homophones and Homonyms.

Teaching Vocabulary with Homophones and Homonyms Just Got a Whole Lot More Fun

Hey there! If you were like me, teaching vocabulary is one of those things that never really left my lesson plans. When it comes to homophones and homonyms specifically, the challenge isn’t getting students to understand the concept—it’s getting that understanding to actually show up in their reading and writing. Kids can tell you that homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. Then they go write a story and type “there going to the park” anyway. Getting word knowledge to stick takes more than a lesson. It takes repeated, meaningful practice. The Real Problem

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What Critical Thinking Actually Looks Like in a K-2 Classroom

Your Kids Can Sound Out Words. Can They Read a Sentence?

The Dismissal Routine That Sends Your Kiddos Home Calm and Happy

Student Numbering System: The Easiest Classroom Organization Trick

First Day Activities for a Practically Perfect Start to the School Year

Back to School Essentials for Teachers: Classroom Routines and Procedures to Plan Before the First Day of School

Story Starters for Primary Students: Bye-Bye Blank Page

Morning Meeting Ideas That Build Classroom Community (A Simple 5-Step Routine)

How to Teach How-To Writing in K-2 (Without Losing Your Mind)

Morning Message for K-2: A Classroom Routine and Procedure That Does More Than You Think

Writing Fractured Fairy Tales: Mini-Lessons, Mentor Texts & Classroom Fun

Teaching Vocabulary with Homophones and Homonyms Just Got a Whole Lot More Fun

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