Learning sight words and high-frequency words is a massive component of the kindergarten and first grade curriculum. Not all teachers work from the same sight word/high frequency word lists. Some use Dolch lists, Fry or Words their Way. Some schools provide lists, others don't. Whichever list is used, there's always the same expectation. Students will know a certain amount of words before the end of the school year. Most teachers ... read more
Skip Counting is an Important Multiplication Strategy
Learning the multiplication facts shouldn't be about learning to recite the times tables. I've seen too many students searching their memories for the answer to 6 x 8, only to have them start at 1 x 8 = 8. There's no knowledge of the multiplication thinking strategies that can help them reach the answer much faster. If kids need to go back to 1 x 8 to find the answer to 6 x 8, there isn't a real understanding of what multiplication is. ... read more
Editable sight word activities for every classroom theme
Do you say sight words or high frequency words? And does it really matter? There is a difference. A sight word is a word that doesn’t follow spelling rules or the rules of the six syllable types. Kids need to learn to read them from sight because it’s impossible to decode them. High frequency words appear frequently in reading. You can decode them. Often they’re introduced before we’ve introduced strategies for decoding words, so ... read more
How to have student accountability in math centers
I love using games in my math centers. I have to admit it wasn't always successful. In the early days of teaching, I didn't consider things like how to set up successful centers, or even the best way to use games during center time. Now, with nearly thirty years of teaching experience behind me, those things are second nature. I've learned that if I want students to get the most from a game, not only should I teach them how to play it but ... read more
Have your Students Master the Doubles Facts
Once first grade students master counting on addition, the next step is learning their doubles facts. The doubles facts are addition facts in which a number is added to itself. 1 + 1 and 2 + 2 are both doubles facts. When students know these facts, it's easy for them to use them to solve their near doubles (doubles + 1 such as 7 + 8 and doubles + 2 such as 6 + 8). Unlike the count on facts which have a thinking strategy, the ... read more
Motivating Math Crafts for April Fun
Math crafts are a great way to make your math centers fun and engaging. You can bet that every child in your class will be eager for this math activity. With fifteen different options for each craft, your kids can practice addition, subtraction or multiplication number facts, plus multi-digit addition and subtraction. All while being creative and having fun. No more boring math sheets! Math crafts use a variety of skills Math ... read more
Editable Spelling Lists make Planning Simple
Editable spelling lists are perfect for differentiated spelling centers. Organizing spelling activities for all your groups can take a long time but it's easy to reduce your planning time with editable templates. This pack of editable spelling lists and forty-nine spelling activities teaches students how to learn their spelling with the look, say, cover, write, check method. By using the included spelling visual, students ... read more
Fun ways to Teach Vowel Teams
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, give math crafts a try. They're 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. Your kids do the work and you get a colorful bulletin board or hallway display with student ... 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
