At the beginning of the year, I found a simple and truly wonderful idea for my Open House/Meet the Teacher day. I set about putting it into place: a parent wish jar. All it really is are slips of paper that parents can fill out with their wish for their child. I figured these parental […]
literacy
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Build Reading Skills with Poetry
On Friday mornings, the lights would go off, quietly chatting, the class moved to the rug. Each child held a book of poems. They sat in a circle, poems on the floor in front of them. I would ask a student to start. As he began to read, the child next to him picked […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Opinion
The Importance of Reading Aloud To Your Students
One of my favorite times of my day is reading aloud to my students. Whether it’s a simple theme-based book at our morning carpet time, or our afternoon chapter book, I get lost in the magic of being able to transport my kids from one magical place to another. Even my reluctant readers enjoy our […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Teaching Writing to English Language Learners
An English as a second language student will need extra guidance and encouragement to write. Depending on the various stages of English acquisition in your classroom and the grade you teach depends on how you ask for a writing piece and what you can expect the student work to look like. These are some general […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Fluency Fix-Up: Teaching Sight Word Phrases
As literacy teachers, we know the importance of teaching our students how to achieve appropriate fluency. Long before the Common Core, we were modeling, teaching fluency strategies, allowing students time to practice, and having fun with poems, Reader’s Theater, and choral readings. As students progress through the grades, the importance of fluency does not diminish, […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
5 Ways to Incorporate Literacy in the Non-ELA Classroom
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] According to the Australian Curriculum Website, the definition of literacy in the Australian Curriculum is informed by a social view of language that considers how language works to construct meaning in different […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
How to Write a Reader's Theater Play
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] The most valuable class I have ever attended was at first a mistake. My enrollment in “Reading 101: Strategies for Middle School Students,” offered at our local intermediate unit, was a […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
What’s an ESL Teacher Anyway?
Every year when I get my test data and begin to form groups and create a schedule, I come across at least one classroom teacher that has an issue with me. I feel that the issues come up because of ignorance. Ignorance of what an ESL teacher does all day, why we help more than […]