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Image of organized classroom library. Text: Unleashing the Power of Books: Getting the Most from your Classroom Library

Unleashing the Power of Books: Getting the Most from Your Classroom Library

Hey there Teacher Friends! Are you ready to embark on a journey through the world of classroom libraries? Buckle up, because we’re about to dive into some exciting tips and tricks to make the most of this treasure trove of knowledge in your classroom. Getting the Most from Your Classroom Library: Keep it Organized! When I first started teaching, I had my students help me organize my classroom library. We decided on organizing by categories. I had a fiction section and a non-fiction section with different colored book bins. I got all of my book bins from Really Good Stuff,

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Image of a student dressed like a super hero with Speech Bubble saying :"YES!" Text: Teaching with Decodable Passages Just Got more fun with Phonics Comics!

Read and Write Phonics Comics: Teaching with Decodable Passages Just Got More Fun!

What in the world are Phonics Comics? Phonics comics are comics that are written for students to be decodable so that they can practice their reading skills! Once upon a time, when I was in college (a LONG time ago) whole language was the thing. Phonics was a dirty word. The main argument at that time was that decodable readers were contrived and boring. Think back to Dick and Jane. With the Science of Reading at the forefront of reading instruction today, decodables are back, but they can be so much more fun! So, get ready to rock your reading

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Image of Water Slides with title: Tips for Preventing "Summer Slide". Preventing summer learning loss.

How to Prevent Summer Learning Loss: 5+ Tips for Beating Summer Slide

Summer is the best. Except for the dreaded “Summer Slide” or Summer Learning Loss. Read on for some tips to prevent summer learning loss! (This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you! Thanks so much!) Rather watch this post? Check out the YouTube Video: Prevent Summer Learning Loss Tip 1: Read! Encourage your child (or students) to read over the summer! Many libraries host summer reading programs, and children can earn prizes for their efforts. Our local library also has an amazing app that lets

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Cover image: Helpful Everyday Word Work Ideas and Spelling Activities for Primary Students

Helpful Everyday Word Work Ideas for Primary Students

Hey there! I have to tell you, I am a certified word nerd! I love words and working with words. Word work is an important part of our students’ learning to read and write! Here are some helpful everyday word work ideas and spelling activities to help your students! Word Work Idea: Word Sorts I love doing word sorts with my students! A word sort is a group of words that your students sort into groups using some sort of criteria. There are so many ways that you can do word sorts. My favorite is to start with an open

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Cover image of a child reading a book with the text: Improve Reading Comprehension Skills with Reading Responses.

How To Improve Reading Comprehension Skills with Quality Reading Responses

Hey there! Thanks so much for stopping by! So, how do you feel when you hear the words Reading Response or Respond to Reading? I’ll give you a minute… What is a Reading Response? A reading response is something you do after you read a text. It can be as simple as drawing a picture of a favorite part to a rhetorical analysis of the text. We all have some “response to reading”. I know as an adult, I LOVE to talk about the books I’ve read. I keep a list of the books I have read and what I

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How Can Reading Logs for Reading Comprehension be More Fun? Cover with image of adorable smiling little girl reading.

How Can Reading Logs for Better Reading Comprehension be More Fun?

As a former teacher, I see value in Reading Logs for Reading Comprehension. But, I must confess. When my boys were in school I really disliked their reading logs. It’s funny though, my boys LOVED their reading logs. They even kept them after they got them back. Why you may ask? Both of my boys are huge readers, and they loved having a record of the books that they had read. They loved to show me their lists and talk about the books that they have read and are reading. Win-win! I am also a huge reader, and I love

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How to Successfully Teach Sequencing with Fun Writing Mini-Lessons

How to Successfully Teach Sequencing with Fun Writing Mini-Lessons

Sequencing is the identification of the pieces of a story or event— the beginning, middle, and end. It also refers to the ability to retell the events in a text in the order in which they occurred. Sequencing and retelling are great ways to improve both your students writing and their reading comprehension! Read on for some fun ways to teach sequencing in your classroom! I liked to use the gradual release of responsibility model of instruction in my classroom. Basically, it boils down to “I do… We do… You do…” so in this post, I will be giving you some

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5 Delightful Reasons to Hold One-to-One Student Reading Conferences

5 Delightful Reasons to Hold One-to-One Student Reading Conferences

Reading with students is such an important part of teaching. We have such limited time during the day so we have to do what is super important. So, today I am giving you some reasons to try to fit one-to-one student reading conferences into your day! Building Relationships with Students Getting to Know Your Students as Readers Reading Goal Setting Plan Instruction Individual Student Reading Instruction Reason #1: Building Relationships with Students Most teachers that I know got into teaching because they love kids. We love the “lightbulb moment” when something clicks for our students. We love getting to know

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october activities cover with surprised little girllittle girl

7 Fun October Activities You NEED in Your Primary Classroom

October Activities are my favorite activities! Ahhhhhhh! Fall is a lovely season here in Indiana. This is a great time of year for being a teacher as well. The kiddos are finally into the routine (hopefully), your teacher stamina is built up, and things are humming along. Not to mention you can get out all of your cute jeans and sweaters! I have a few October Activities to help your October be even better! And yes, there are freebies as well! So, without further ado… 7 Fun October Activities You NEED in Your Primary Classroom October Activities #1: Pumpkin Math!

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6 Easy Reading Activities for Fast Finishers Cover Image

6 Easy Reading Activities for Fast Finishers

Looking for some fun, meaningful activities for fast finishers? This blog post is full of ideas for early finishers that are reading-related! There is also a freebie for you! Thanks for reading! Reading Activities for Fast Finshers: 1 Reading itself is a favorite activity for early finishers in my room. I have a ton of children’s books, and they are just too tempting. My room is surrounded by great books! My students store 2-3 books in their book boxes that they are welcome to read or look at when they are done with their work, eating snacks (if they are

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reading conferencing with students

Reading Conferencing with Students

What are Reading Conferences? I LOVE doing reading conferences. Reading conferencing with students is a quick, one on one conversation that you have with your students about what they are reading and how they can become better readers. It’s that simple. Why do Reading Conferencing with Students? Reading conferences help you as the teacher get to better know your students! This precious one-on-one time with your students can help you in differentiating your reading instruction, getting to know your individual students better, and helping them along with their reading! These conferences are short, sweet, and to the point, but so

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5 Easy Responding to Reading Ideas!

As a primary teacher one of my favorite classroom activities is Responding to Reading! It is so important to let students express their thoughts and ideas about what you are reading and what they are reading! Read on for 5 Responding to Reading Ideas! Responding to Reading Idea #1 Let them talk! The easiest and my favorite responding to reading idea is to let your students talk! The procedure in my classroom is if the book is facing me, we are listening intently. If the book is facing you (the students), you can make a quick comment to your partner

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