While there's no right or wrong order to teach vowel teams ai and ay seems to be a good place to start. They are common, have a clear spelling generalization and a predictable pattern of use. Using posters to introduce your vowel team Understanding the position of a vowel team within a word can help students determine which spelling to use. The ay spelling pattern for the /a/ sound most often occurs at the end of a word or first ... read more
Math Crafts make math so much fun
If you're looking for a crafty, hands-on way to make math engaging for your students, try math crafts. It's the perfect way to practice addition, subtraction or multiplication number facts. Because there are fifteen different options for each craft, you can even give your kids the opportunity to practice multi-digit addition and subtraction. They do the work and you get a colorful bulletin board or hallway display with student work samples - ... read more
49 Motivating Spelling Activities to teach spelling
How do you choose the spelling words you want to use in your weekly spelling activities? Search for spelling lists on the internet and you're presented with a few choices. One is lists of random words with no connection. They might be high-frequency words. Another choice is words from a specific theme. Or you might find spelling lists where words have a similar phonetic make up. That is; a word with a similar pattern like word ... read more
Thinking Strategies make learning Multiplication Easy
I was working with a child recently on her multiplication facts and asked her 6 X 6. "Just a minute," she said and she broke into rap. "I only know them when I sing them," she explained. You see, last year her class learned their facts by listening to times table songs. Mixing music and math is fun and can help children memorize the multiplication basic facts. But it doesn't lead to fluency. We teach thinking strategies for addition and ... read more
How to make Two Digit Subtraction with regrouping fun
If your class had the choice between completing a whole page of two digit subtraction with regrouping equations OR playing a math game that required you to write equations, which would they choose? The writing math equations part probably has you thinking, neither. But what if they could work with classmates. Talk about strategies or ask for help if needed. And there was fun involved plus if they're a little competitive, they might win. Now, ... read more
Multiplication games for mastery over the facts
Games for multiplication facts practice are always a winner in the classroom. Give a child the option of: A. practicing their multiplication facts with a worksheet - columns of times tables to answer or; B. using games to practice their multiplication facts. What did they choose? It's a rhetorical question really. We both know the answer. And while they may not know it, multiplication games are also a perfect choice for developing fact ... read more
21 Centers for Motivating Sight Word Practice
You can't expect all children to have the same sight word list. Some children can read a new word after seeing it once or twice. They're the kids who zoom through their words. For others, successful sight word practice can mean needing twenty or more exposure before they recognize a word. The best way to meet the needs of our students is by having our sight word activities differentiated. As time-consuming as that sounds, organizing the ... read more
Use Games to Make Learning About Fractions Fun
Games are fun. Few children grab a worksheet and say, "Great, I love worksheets!" With a game, you know you have their instant attention. It's the perfect teaching and revision tool. When I'm teaching fractions I'll always put more fraction based games in my math stations. Even when I've finished the unit I include fraction games every couple of weeks to keep the concept fresh. Three Key Concepts for Teaching Fractions There are three ... read more
A Sight Word Program That Will Save You Time
Every teacher wants a quick and easy way to gear their sight word activities to the level and interests of their group. One year, I thought I had the answer. I bought a whole heap of sight word centers and printed them off. Trying to organize them for my different reading groups wasn't easy. I discovered, a little too late, that the sight words my students needed to focus on didn't match the premade sight word activities. Kids are not all ... read more
Six things to Consider when choosing a Math Center
Everyone looks for different things in a math center. Some teachers don't mind cutting out bits and pieces. Others love to have activities that match their theme or the season perfectly. Me, I hate cutting out cards and game pieces. Plus I like to use my games any time of the year. After all, I may need that cute Halloween themed game to help revise a tricky concept with some students in December. So when choosing math centers ... read more
