Fun and Practical Ideas for Primary Classrooms
Primary teachers know we have students who come to us writing up a storm and others who are very reluctant to write anything! How do I get my first graders writing from day one? The short answer is…we write ALL THE TIME! (Me included!) We don’t just write at “writing time”. We write on whiteboards, sticky notes, anchor charts, and… Read More
If you’re a primary teacher, you know that we not only have to help little ones learn HOW to read, we also have to tackle some pretty challenging comprehension standards on top of that! It’s a BIG job! Here are some resources I use to help my first graders and I hope you will find them helpful, too! Anchor Charts… Read More
Learning to read is tough, so making it fun and inviting for our young students is a must! What activities can you do with Kindergartners or 1st graders who are working on letter names and letter sounds? Here are some of my favorite alphabet activities and resources for letter recognition and letter sounds that I’ve used with my emerging readers… Read More
Do you do Reader’s Theater in your classroom? It’s one of my favorite things I do with my students! I teach 1st grade and I use reader’s theater plays with my students every year. Let me tell you why!! 1. It’s FUN! 😊 But, the BEST PART IS…they don’t even realize they are practicing and improving their reading skills because… Read More
Poem of the Week is a beloved daily activity during my literacy block. Having engaging and fun poems for kids promotes reading, discussing, writing, and drawing about the poems each week. Our poetry journal and poetry station are full of familiar poetry they can read independently or with a partner, which is perfect for Kindergarten and First Grade students! I… Read More
Distance learning…a new term we’ve all added to our vocabulary. Along with social distancing! As we are navigating the new/current normal with our students, I just wanted to share some resources. I know some teachers are all in with digital resources and online lessons, but that just doesn’t work for all of us. We have some school-wide apps that my… Read More
Drop Everything And Listen Time is our daily read aloud time!! I read aloud to my first grade students every day. Of course, I read mentor texts and literature for reading, writing, and math lessons all the time. But, aside from that, we have a special time set aside EVERY. DAY. for students to listen and enjoy a story and… Read More
One of the most important things parents can do at home is read with their students each day, but working with young readers can sometimes be a challenge. Helping young readers, while also making it fun, is the key to keep it light, useful, and struggle-free! Here are some tips and resources to help parents get those young readers reading… Read More
Are you looking for homework activities that are able to be completed by all students? In first grade, there is no one-size-fits-all due to the varied reading readiness levels that my students arrive with! So, I came up with these differentiated reading passages with comprehension activities at three different levels, while covering the same subject matter or topic. They worked… Read More
