Blog - Primary Planet

So, I will admit…sometimes I buy things that I want BEFORE I know what I am going to do with them. For me teaching is more than just my career, it is also my passion and my hobby.  Most of the things that I buy anymore are things that I plan to use in my classroom. So, when I saw these fun little Zip Printers, I knew I had to have one.  I didn’t know what I was going to use it for, but I HAD to have one! If you haven’t discovered these little wonders yet, you are in

Back again for another Book Talk Tuesday! Thanks for stopping by! This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon (if you would like to get your own copy of this book!).   This week I want to share with you this adorable book by Hallie Durand: Mitchell loves to knock things down, that is just how he rolls.  His dad decides that bowling will be the perfect sport for Mitchell! They go and dad gets a strike and does a “steamin’ hot potato dance”. How cute is that? This is a great story about the love between a father and

Hello again!  Thanks so much for stopping by for another Book Talk Tuesday! This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon (if you would like to get your own copy of this book!).   So, now that the school year is up and running, most of my Reading Workshop procedures are in place, so we start with all of those great mini-lessons to help us improve our reading! One of the very first lessons that I do is Voracious Reading! The best way to become a better reader is to read. I try to instill this into my students as

This post contains an affiliate link.  See below! Click on the picture for a video of the story! (Note: it is not my video!) Hello again!  Thank you so much for dropping by my humble little corner of Cyberspace! Today I want to share with you an adorable book by Peter Brown!  My Teacher is a Monster (No, I’m Not!)  The main character Bobby is one of those “happy little classroom challenges”.  His teacher Ms. Kirby is known to do a little stomping and a little roaring! But one day, they run into each other at the park, and a gust of

Hello everyone! Today I want to share with you my thoughts about Snack in the classroom! To Snack? (Pros) Staves off hunger. Gives the kiddos a break. Keeps blood sugar levels steady. Kiddos less grumpy. No noise from rumbly tummies while the kiddos are trying to read. I get to snack too! Not to Snack? (Cons) Messy. Not everyone brings a snack. Takes time out of your day. Allergy issues. That being said, I am a snack fan! We have a snack in my class everyday after Writer’s Workshop and before we start our Reading Workshop.  This gives the kiddos

Hello again!  Thanks for joining me for another Book Talk Tuesday! This week I would like to share this little gem! This is Building Our House by Jonathan Bean.  It is based on the story of his parents building their house when he was little!  How cool is that? The illustrations in this book are lovely. It is a great book to show perseverance, as this family build the house themselves.  It shows them living in a trailer while it is being built.  It also shows how everyone in the family helped to build it.  We talked about what perseverance

So, I really went back and forth about whether to write this blog post. I mean, this is information the world needs to know right? I don’t know…this is a Teaching and Learning Blog. All of my posts should be about Teaching and Learning. Well, who doesn’t want to learn about this? Hmmmm…. Okay here we go…. It’s a surprise “Grown Up, Teachery” Book Talk Tuesday!   I recently went to Dave Burgess’s workshop about his book Teach Like a Pirate, and this what greeted us as we walked it. and then…… He didn’t even talk about it until half

Hello again!   Thanks for stopping by for this month’s Planet Point! I want to share with you an idea about anchor charts. I LOVE anchor charts!  I think that they are the perfect way to make our thinking visible.  I am a staunch believer in making my anchor charts with the kiddos. That being said, anchor charts take up a lot of wall space. Sometimes you need a smaller “reminder” chart, or just a chart for one specific idea. I have found that making mini-anchor charts works perfectly. I also found that I LOVE to make them on Super