A key component to running successful small groups is the other student being independent enough to give you the time and space to actually run that small group. What student independent work looks like from class to class can differ dramatically. In some classrooms that student independent work is sadly

So you know a word work routine is an important part of your literacy block. But knowing it’s important doesn’t necessarily give you the ins and outs of how to get started in your classroom. In my first few years of teaching I would open up my curriculum guide and

A great back to school read aloud are a must for any elementary classroom. In fact, I’d argue a great back to school read aloud is a must for any aged classroom. A read aloud naturally builds classroom community by giving all the students a shared experience. Picture books can

The buzz around using a vowel valley sound wall is big lately in education. And with such good reason. But if you haven’t had any formal training or PDs around this concept, looking at a vowel valley sound wall for the first time can be daunting. Not to mention setting

  Do you teach syllable types to your students? I must admit, in my first 5 years of teaching, I didn’t know much beyond asking kids to count the number of syllables in words. I knew a few basic tricks about how to count syllables that are super simple. For

Why Decodable Text Passages Need to be part of your Instruction   Decodable text passages are boring. They lack student interest. They’re not engaging. They’re old school. These are just some of the misconceptions around using decodable text passages in the classroom. And listen, I get it. I was this

How to use Flipgrid to Keep up with Running Records Keeping up with running records is a challenge for any teacher. Finding the time, organizing the data, keeping it all straight… it can quickly become an out of control nightmare. As a departmentalized third grade teacher, it is my responsibility

5 Phonics Activities with peardeck you NEED to try ! Peardeck has changed the way I instruct since doing virtual in the best way possible! And I want to share that goodness with you. I have 5 phonics activities with peardeck that you NEED to try with your students. The

Do you have struggling readers in your classroom? That seems like a silly question. Of course you do. We as teachers can name off hand our students who are continuing to struggle in reading. It is obvious in all that they do. However the tougher question is figuring out why

  Phonemic awareness is becoming increasingly popular among literacy specialists at the elementary level. Understandably so as there is more and more research to suggest that phonemic awareness is a central key in learning to both read and spell. Yet so many of the traditional phonemic awareness activities done in