Often poor productivity and performance among employees is entirely management's fault. Read these 10 common management mistakes that kill productivity, along with easy solutions to prevent and/or fix them.
Learn how to group your students for small group instruction, get SoR-aligned resources to use with small groups, and download a FREE small group instruction planning template!
What reading strategies do students need to know? Find out here and keep track with a free chart!
WHAT DO WE TEACH IN STRUCTURED LITERACY? We know that phonics instruction is critical to supporting all students including those with dyslexia and other reading disabilities but the problem is R…
Based on the work of 19th century Black literary societies, this fresh approach to curriculum focuses on identity, skills, intellect, and criticality.
Seasons Fact and Opinion Sort This “Fact vs. Opinion” activity would be great for any literacy center, homework, individual or group work. There are seven sentences that are facts and seven sentences that are opinions about our seasons. Have your students cut out, sort and glue the sentences in the correct fact or opinion column. Included: - One blank “fact vs. opinion” sheet. - Seven fact sentences and seven opinion sentences. - Answer Key *** If you plan on sharing this resource, please purchase the appropriate number of licenses. Little Learners of the World [email protected]
When teaching the oi oy diphthongs phonics skill it's often helpful to use keywords and pictures to help students remember the sound & letter combinations.
The personal financial literacy math standards include challenging vocabulary and concepts. Use these 5 tools to make it easier and more fun for kids!
5 key reasons to teach students to analyze differing perspectives
Hello Everyone! I know! It has been a long time since my last post. I have had so much family stuff going on that I have been absolutely crazy tired by the end of the day. I think things are settling in now, so I finally had a second to sit down and present a quick post. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I am so excited about how our poetry unit is coming along. We have one more week and then I'll be ready to share some of my little poets' work! They have been loving it!! Until then, I wanted to share a new unit that we started incorporating into our math curriculum. Personal Finance. Yes! You read that correctly. I don't know if you have that in your objectives, but in Texas we try to cover saving, spending, and sharing. Our adopted curriculum (Pearson) does a good job of supporting the objectives with technology based lessons, but if you know me, you know I have to have some things to accompany the curriculum in my math tubs. I created a Personal Finance unit that I am sharing tonight. Here are a few pics from the 50 page unit. All vocabulary words are included in a set of mini posters to post in classroom The unit includes some whole group vocabulary activities and 6 math tub activities. I can't wait for my kids to learn through these hands on personal finance activities and I hope they will help you help your kids learn as well! If you are interested, you can get the unit for free----CLICK HERE!!! :) Let me know how it goes and if I need to add anything else. Well, that's all the time I have for now. I promise I'll be back very soon!! As always, thanks for visiting. You are the best!! Joyfully! Nancy
Financially savvy kids are future leaders!
Structured Literacy is an approach to reading instruction that is explicit and systematic, with a focus on the structure of the English language.
This quick and easy way to teach positional words is super engaging to students! All you need is a solo cup, a bear manipulative, and a permanent marker! To prep this activity, you will need to draw a “door” on the solo cups. We call the cup “Mr. Bear’s House,” so it has a playful ... Read More about Positional Words
Creating plans for reading small groups can be a daunting task. Read how I plan and prep for the year and week by week for my small group reading lessons.
See Sections below for different types of resources including general resources, 5 ways to... resources, benefits of... resources, self assessment prompts and critical reflection prompts. Aligning NQS with the EYLF v2.0Download PDF Sleep and Rest Risk AssessmentDownload WORD Sleep and Rest Risk AssessmentDownload Aligning NQS with MTOP v2.0Download Infographics environment agencyDownload compliance in formsDownload study
IT'S ONLY MONEY offers books, lesson plans and online tools to make kids more financially savvy.
As an ESL teacher, I often hear from classroom teachers that they don't always know where to start when it comes to working with beginning English language learners (ELLs), or newcomers, in small group instruction. In this post I'll share a typical "guided reading" lesson that I would give to my beginning ELLs, as well as a glance of at what a typical week would look like. Let me start by saying, the very first thing I do before I start instructing my newcomers is, I assess what they already know. First, I see if they have literacy skills in their native language...can they read and write? Then, I see if they know alphabet letter names and sounds. Next, I assess their reading level. Since they don't have English literacy skills yet, their reading level typically starts at level "A" (emergent). I can say that most students do have some literacy skills in their home language, and often times, many know some letter names and sounds. So now I've got my starting point! When I first begin working with my newcomers, the main components of reading that I typically focus on are building vocabulary, phonological awareness/phonics and sight words. So a typical week would encompass all three of these skills. Down the road I add comprehension skills, but they are not ready for that yet. Step 1 - Choose an appropriate book. I carefully select books that have relevant vocabulary. For the most part, my main focus is to build their vocabulary. The literacy skills in their native language will transfer to their new language, however, they have an extremely limited vocabulary, so... vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary! I chose this book because I wanted to teach my students the word "big." It's also about animals, and I know that most kids are interested in reading about animals! I used gestures to SHOW them what "big" means. It's important to be mindful of your students' age when picking out books. You don't want to give 4th-6th graders books about bunnies or teddy bears. Try picking age appropriate books; which I know can be a challenge if the selection is limited, but you don't want your students feeling embarrassed. Step 2 - Preview the book. Point to and say each animal's name and have the students repeat the names back to you, keeping in mind to speak clearly and to enunciate the sounds in each word. It's important for them to hear how to pronounce the names. A side thought...Think about "A" level books... they are not created with English language learners in mind. "A" level books have repeated sentences, which are GREAT, but they also have very specific vocabulary that students are expected to decode using picture cues. In the book my students read last week, the repeated sentence was, "We go to the _____." The pictures show the family in different locations like the pool, park, library, soccer game, etc. In one picture the family is standing in front of a large fish tank. If I asked English only students where the family is, some might say a fish store or they might even guess aquarium, depending on their background knowledge. Then they'd cross check their thinking with the word and see that it begins with the letter "a" and hopefully they'd say, "It's an aquarium!" But our newcomers don't know what a big fish tank place is called in English, so it's important for us to support our students by saying the names of each vocabulary word. Step 3 - Choral reading! Newcomers feel more comfortable in a choral reading setting. They need help pronouncing the words. They need to hear YOU pronounce the words. Choral reading helps to keep anxiety levels low. (In a few weeks, the choral reading decreases and I will start focusing on decoding.) Step 4 - After reading, review the animal names. Point to an animal and see if they can remember the name. Perhaps make a matching activity with animal pictures and names. Support as needed. Encourage a LOT! Step 5 - I always provide a guided writing activity based off of the book we just read. I use sentence frames to support their thinking and writing. Sometimes I create my own, like the picture below, and other times I'll use a graphic organizer as a follow up activity. On this day I wanted them to understand the meaning of "big," so their writing supported this goal. As they finish their writing activity, I'll ask each student to read some of their writing to me. Then they'll draw a quick picture, which I always ask them to label. I know that my newcomers don't understand every word in the book, and that's OK! They are being exposed to new words and ideas in a repeating format. I want them to get used to the structure of our lessons so that they know what's expected. So, here is what a typical week of small group work entails for my newcomers. Knowing what the focus is each day helps me to zone in on their learning goals. The variety keeps it fun and interesting, yet it's consistent so they know what's expected. As you can see, on Tuesdays I include direct vocabulary instruction, either using the vocabulary from the book, like the animals, monthly themed vocabulary, or content area vocabulary. October Themed Vocabulary (along with sight words and phonics review) One vocabulary activity I have my students do is called the K.I.M. Strategy. In their notebook they write the key word (K), important information (I), sketch a memory clue (M) and write a sentence (S). For my newcomers, I leave out the (I) portion. They are not ready for adding "information." Right now the goal is for them to learn the names of things and simple sentence structure. My higher ELLS definitely include all components of the K.I.M. Strategy in their notebooks. This is what the K.I.M. Strategy looks like. And this is how it looks modified for my newcomers... On Thursdays, I focus on building sight words. When teaching sight words, it's important to teach them in context. Your beginning ELs need context in order to make meaning of the words. I pull a sight word from our books and I include an extension activity with that word. (A link to this resource is provided at the bottom of this post.) I do teach sight words throughout the week, but on Thursdays we always have an extension activity for one of them. As an "exit ticket" I have them orally use the sight word. Today, I asked each student, "What can you do?" And they responded with "I can _____." Then they get a high five, a sticker (big kids like stickers too!), or some encouraging praise. I also include Word Study activities in my small group work. I like using the sorts from Words Their Way. Each Monday they receive a new spelling pattern. Remember, I assessed my students to see what they already knew. Most already knew initial sounds, so I started them with word families. If they did not know initial sounds, I would've started there. I do have one student in this group who does not know many initials sounds, so I spend a little extra focus with him on initial sounds. This resource is from "Words Their Way." My newcomers use this activity to learn spelling patterns AND vocabulary. They are introduced to their new word list on Mondays, then they have independent activities to do with their word list throughout the week in their gen ed classrooms. (It's so important to set newcomers up with meaningful activities that they can work on independently during Reader's Workshop.) Below is their Word Study Activities list. It gets glued into their Reading Notebook. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays they work on their independent activities. Friday is Word Study Quiz day! FREEBIE - Click Here And that's what small group instruction looks like with my newcomers. To recap, assess what students can do to evaluate your starting point. Focus on building vocabulary, sight words in context, word spelling patterns and choral reading to start. My guided reading lessons usually looks like... preview the book, front load main vocabulary, choral read, and end with a guided writing activity with sentence frames. Here's a TIP: Many times I make my own guided writing activity based on what I want the students to learn from the book. I'll write the activity in my notebook, make copies, cut them to size, then have students glue it into their notebook. Keep this notebook! You may get a newcomer next year, and when you do, many of your guided writing activities will already be made. You'll just need to find the book that goes with the activity. My notebook where I write out the guided writing activities. I know that many school districts lack ESL resources and often times the classroom teacher is the only one providing instruction. Knowing where to start with beginning English learners is probably the biggest challenge. I hope that this post gives you some ideas about where to start and what to focus on with your new students. To read more about the K.I.M. Strategy, click here. Affiliate links below for Sight Words and Word Study.
Learn about 21st Century skills, why they're important, and how to teach them. Skills include: Critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, information literacy, media literacy, technology literacy, flexibility, leadership, initiative, productivity, and social skills.
Today I wanted to stop by and share some strategies for teaching vowel teams and diphthongs in our classroom! It’s always challenging to teach spelling patterns that aren’t easily decodable! […]
What is the purpose of literature circles? How do you structure a literature circle? How long should Literature Circles last? What is the teacher's role in
Never planned to homeschool, now wouldn't trade it for the world
Spelling words with ch or tch. This generalization states that when you hear the /ch/ sound at the end of a syllable and it is immediately preceded by
Introduce hyperbole by using puzzles, task cards, no-prep printables and more! A variety of activities to use as learning stations for independent practice or for small groups for remediation. There are 14 hyperboles included: weighs a ton so hungry, I could eat a horse afraid of your own shadow ton of homework knocked me over with a feather walked 100 miles waited forever skinny as a toothpick move mountains never stops talking a million things to do jumped so high, I touched the sky whole world staring cried a river
Learning about landforms with a hands-on landform building and narrative writing project.
Goal setting is an important skill, and if we teach goal setting for kids and make it fun, it can become a good habit for life. Many schools now run through a goal setting exercise at the beginning of every school year and school term, with regular reviews along the way. You can do the same, or of course you can set some goals with the kids yourself at home. Whether you choose to use our Goal Setting resources at New Year, Back to School time or perhaps even the beginning of every month, we hope you will find some fun and inspiring printables below! Why should children set goals? Feeling in control is an important part of feeling happy and confident. Regular and careful goal setting can help children feel that they are taking control of their own behaviour and working towards something; having a positive impact, no matter how small. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Lao-Tzu Be careful to keep the goals realistic and measured. Start small! Some supervision might be necessary here, as the last thing you want is for children to set goals that are just too high and impossible to reach. It doesn't necessarily help a child to boldly declare "I will play football for Chelsea". Instead try "I will work 15 minutes every day to improve my football skills by practising ball control". Think about the time scale for your children's goals. Many people like to set an end-date to make their goals "measurable", and if you are working on goals in a school-setting this may well be appropriate. I have found, however, that a time-scale can put children - especially younger children - off. Young children find it hard to understand the concept of time. It can be more effective to set a simple goal which can be "ticked off" every night before bed, which has the added benefit of teaching children how to instill a good habit. "I made my room tidy before I left for school" or "I got everything ready for tomorrow before bedtime" can be useful skills - and goals, too! It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. Confucius Think about what might get in the way before you start. If your child has decided that they want to read a book a week, but you know they spend most of their reading time watching television instead, the time to point it out is when the goal is being set. They might even include it in the goal itself. "I will turn off the TV 20 minutes before supper so that I can spend that time reading instead." Show children how to break down their goals into smaller steps. A child that wants to be prime minister one day might start by trying out for class representative, or signing up for public speaking practice after school. Look out for goal-setting opportunities. When a child starts a sentence with "I wish I could..." or "I wish I had..." - there's a possible goal to work towards at the end of it, even it just means some careful saving up of pocket money for the lastest video game! Try to encourage co-operative goals rather than competitive goals. Some children might want to "come first" in all their tests. Perhaps a better goal would be "to score over 80% in all my tests". That way, the outcome is something that they contribute to and, at least to some extent, achieve by their own hard work. Make sure kids choose their own goals - not just try to please others! If you are working with your children to set goals, it can be tempting to "help" with your own ideas - especially if you have a reluctant child! Try hard to elicit a goal from the child rather than impose your own. Remind children that they don't have to achieve all their goals! Goals are something to work towards and aim for. Falling short isn't necessarily a bad thing, if we keep moving in the right direction. Remind kids to learn from their slip-ups and road-blocks. Keeping a record of goals set and tracking how children work towards them can help with this. Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star. W. Clement Stone Explore Our Goal Setting Printables...
Teaching regular past tense form is one of the very first morphemes (fancy word for a unit of meaning) that we teach our young readers and writers.
Phonological and phonemic awareness are a vital set of skills that allows us to learn how to read. Phonological and phonemic awareness skills provide children with a means to access the written form; phonics. Phonological and phonemic awareness skills are the basis for phonics. You might know phonics as sound and letter combinations used to represent …
Trying to get kids to remember when to use K or C? This poster reminds students of when to use K or C when heard in the beginning of a word. It also reminds students of when to use when the sound is heard at the end of a word.
Go beyond think-pair-share with ten discussion strategies that will engage your students in meaningful paired and small group discussions.
This free verb game is great for introducing action verbs to kids in first grade and second grade. They simply move around the board and name the action. A creative recording sheet adds interest to the game. #verbs #firstgrade #secondgra
Poster for teaching the C and K sound!
Learn Creative ESL Teaching Notes and Ideas.
The preschool teachers guide to a getting to know yourself worksheet printable is designed to help young children explore their personal identity and develop self-awareness.
Move it, show it, mark it, and voice it!
Here are 35 phrases that will amplify your resume to make you more appealing and stand out from the rest!
Resources, tips, and materials to help you, help children with autism
With my small group pull-out sessions limited to half-hour increments, I'm always looking for quick, engaging reading and writing activities to reinforce literacy skills. I used to think dice games were only for teaching math and probability, but I'm starting to discover that there are ENDLESS possibilities for using dice with literacy. Are you looking for a few ideas? Well... let's shake and roll! 3 Roll-a-Dice Activities for Reading & Writing My roll-a-dice resource collection continues to grow, but here are a few resources that I've added to my literacy toolbox that may be perfect for your students. 1. Roll-a-Story
