Oh, my goodness! Did you know that syllable types were first standardized by Noah Webster in 1806? Let’s thank Noah because syllable types make life easier for teachers and students, alike! For children who are learning to read, studying syllable patterns helps with mastering vowel sounds, one of the most challenging parts about decoding. For us teachers, introducing syllable types is a great way to reinforce phonics instruction, no matter which approach we are using. Showing students one syllable type at a time keeps decoding instruction simple. As you know, a syllable is a word or part of a word...
Noun Town paper and digital resources provide a memorable way for children to learn about parts of speech. With these concrete, hands-on (or fingers-on) activities, youngsters cut and paste (or drag and drop) images onto a map. Then they match the images with words. Kids have so much fun creating their towns that they don’t even know they are learning grammar! The rich context of the activity enables beginning readers to identify words that they might not be able to do in a different context. And, in addition to developing decoding skills, the activity is a great way to review...
Keeping the students focused on school work during the weeks before winter vacation can be challenging for a teacher, under normal circumstances, but with the pandemic this year, holding their attention may require even more effort. Whether you are in the building, teaching remotely, or both, here are a few ideas to help you keep your primary grade students on task as their winter break approaches. (more…)
It’s that time again, but, as we all know, Halloween is going to be different this year–because of COVID! (more…)
Many politicians, administrators, and educators are focusing on how much children have been losing academically since the pandemic caused schools to close last spring. I’m usually in that academic camp–worrying about the progress my students are making in reading. My training has taught me to always keep it professional as a tutor and to use time efficiently. But, a couple of months back, the parent of a child I tutor opened my eyes to what her young daughter was missing the most with online tutoring. (more…)
Did you think you would be tutoring online? I didn’t! But meeting in person with our young students is no longer possible, now that we are “socially distancing.” Yes, transitioning to online tutoring is a new adventure! I want to briefly share with you my path and encourage you to take the leap, if you haven’t already. (more…)
Although my regular topic is beginning reading, today I want to share some tips for overcoming the fear of creating digital products. Although this post is written primarily for Teachers Pay Teachers authors/sellers, it could help anyone. If you have been hesitant about making digital learning materials for children, delay no longer. Transforming your paper-based products to Google AppsTM can be overwhelming at first, but it’s really not difficult once you get the hang of it. Students are especially motivated and engaged when working on computers, Chromebooks, or tablets, so it’s worth the effort to learn how to do it....
