One of the most important literacy skills our students need to master is letter recognition. This is the skill upon which all other literacy skills build from. Students can't learn to read and write without knowing the letters, their names, and the letter sounds. Of course, as with any skill, ... Read More about Interactive Games for Letter Recognition
More Fun End-of-the-Year Activities!
The end of the school year is upon us! The excitement for summer vacation is palpable! Excitement for academics ... not so much. If you're looking for some activities to keep your end-of-the-year fun while keeping the learning going, I've got some ideas for you! And click here for more end-of-year ... Read More about More Fun End-of-the-Year Activities!
Tips for Improving Fine Motor Control
We don't even think about using our hands. Opening packaging, cutting with scissors, buttoning a shirt ... these are all very common tasks that require fine motor control. But this skill isn't something that we're born with. We have to develop it through practice and repetition. Our young students ... Read More about Tips for Improving Fine Motor Control
Teach Color Words with a Free Interactive PowerPoint Game!
Recognizing color words is an important skill for young students. Colors are everywhere and the words for the colors are used in texts, stories, and songs over and over again. But it's not just learning the words that's important. While our students are learning to differentiate color ... Read More about Teach Color Words with a Free Interactive PowerPoint Game!
End of Year Activities and Ideas for Fun and Learning
This school year is almost over! If you're starting to think about end of year activities that you might want to do with your students, check out some of these fun ideas! Or see my earlier blog post for more ideas. End of year activities - memories and fun try this resource for end of year ... Read More about End of Year Activities and Ideas for Fun and Learning
Teach Weather with Science, Math, & Literacy Activities
For some reason, this time of year always feels like the right time to teach weather. Maybe it's because the weather can be so changeable this time of year. It makes us wonder why our weather can be so different from one day to the next ... sometimes even one HOUR to the next! Weather is really a ... Read More about Teach Weather with Science, Math, & Literacy Activities
How to Use Math Task Cards in Your First Grade Classroom
Have you tried teaching with math task cards? If you haven't, consider giving them a try. Both students and teachers love them because they're fun and versatile. Read on to find out why and how to use them. For more information on task cards, see my earlier post. Why you should use math task ... Read More about How to Use Math Task Cards in Your First Grade Classroom
Using Reference Posters as Teaching Tools
We all strive to make our classrooms attractive and functional. Decorating the walls with posters is an easy, inexpensive way to make your room look fun and engaging. But did you realize that posters can also be used as teaching tools? Teaching with reference posters can help your students ... Read More about Using Reference Posters as Teaching Tools
Fun March Writing Prompts for First Grade
Phew! We're finally into March! Even though Winter has a lot of fun things associated with it, we're ready for Spring to come. We're really looking forward to more sunshine and growing things. To help your students get into a "springy" mood, why not try some March writing prompts? using March ... Read More about Fun March Writing Prompts for First Grade
Teacher Treat Tuesday_March 2022
I can’t tell you how happy I am that March has arrived – it always signals to me that spring will shortly be with us – absolutely my favorite season of the year! Rebirth – no more words necessary here! So, welcome to Teacher Treat Tuesday_March 2022! March is another busy month! ... Read More about Teacher Treat Tuesday_March 2022
Plant Life Cycle Activities for First Grade
Are you starting to think about spring? I know we haven't even had St. Patrick's Day yet, but maybe we can hurry it along by talking about plant life cycle activities! First graders are so curious about everything! It makes it really fun to teach them about the world around them. One thing ... Read More about Plant Life Cycle Activities for First Grade
Fun Ideas for Teaching Sight Word Fluency
Sight word fluency is one of the most important skills for our young readers to learn. The more words that they can recognize immediately, the better readers they'll be. Did you know that only 300 sight words make up around 65% of all written text? It doesn't seem possible! This really ... Read More about Fun Ideas for Teaching Sight Word Fluency
Reading Comprehension Strategies for First Graders
Have you ever read an entire paragraph and had no idea what you read? It happens to everyone occasionally, but if you're a young reader with comprehension issues, it happens almost every time they read. How frustrating that must be! Luckily, there are some reading comprehension strategies that we ... Read More about Reading Comprehension Strategies for First Graders