So, school is out and your children are home. You have a two month break to look forward to baseball, swimming, playing outside, and enjoying family time. During that time, remember the importance of reading and practicing academic skills. Children who read, and are read to, will increase their vocabulary knowledge many times over children […]
Lori H Rice
Lori Rice is a fourth-grade teacher at West Elementary in Wamego, Kansas, who has taught K-2 reading as well as kindergarten, first grade and fourth grade since 1996. She has a passion for creativity, learning, questioning and the whole child. Her classroom is a place of acceptance and celebrating differences.
The Final Countdown! Activities for the Last Days of School
May always comes in with a gust and flies by. I scramble to reflect on the year, cram in last-minute curriculum, organize parents and lunches for field trips & play day, wrap my head around the data that must be collected, input data into spreadsheets, finalize grades & collect back work to finalize grades, make thank […]
Part IV: Reading to Learn: Comprehension
The purpose of reading is to learn. A text has the ability to transport us to other times and places, it can expand our knowledge and experience base and it is everywhere in our worlds. Understanding words, texts, passages, poetry, and books is an important part of reading. It is the end goal. To teach […]
“Mom, I Mean Ms…” Classroom Management Ideas I Learned From My Mom
My mother is an amazing woman. She has a calm sense about her in every situation I have ever observed her in. She has four unique and different children she has watched struggle, grow, develop, fail and succeed. She is my center and what I strive to be. In the classroom, we are mothers to […]
A Day In The Life of A Rural Classroom
Teaching in a small town has many perks. I am teaching in the room I learned in as a student. I know many of my families before they step through our classroom door the first day of school. Running errands around town brings smiles, hellos, hugs, and many quick conversations as I run into students […]
“World Peace and Other 4th-Grade Achievements” A Book Review
World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements, by John Hunter Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 2013 As teachers we need inspiration and support. If you are feeling a need to think about your purpose in the classroom and the meaning you have on those in your path, pick up a copy of World Peace and […]
Part 3: What’s The Word? Decoding Skills in Reading
To teach your students to read you must know where they are. It is important to understand their current instructional reading level (accuracy and comprehension combined) as well as their fluency level. If you are unsure how to test your students and gather this data, check out my recent article, “See Jane Read.” Students below […]
After the Assessments
Assessment time is stressful for teachers and students, but it is a necessary evil. We need to understand how our students are performing. Professionals are given evaluations at work, companies ask for feedback or send surveys about their product and customer relations, and managers assess employees. You cannot escape assessment. In education we are required […]