Are you ready to do focused vocabulary instruction but aren't quite sure where to start? Download these free journal pages and learn exactly how to use vocabulary journals! Today I'm giving away printable vocabulary journals that you can use in grades 1-5. Believe it or not, the journal is the same for each grade level. The only difference is that it's at a smaller, more compact size for children in the older ... Read More
Write the room with digraphs
Looking for another simple printable to build early reading and writing skills? Download this free activity - write the room with digraphs! I've been doing "write the room" activities with my kindergartner for a few months. But now that his reading skills have suddenly (and vastly) improved, he no longer finds these challenging. In fact, when we did my write the room for short u activity, he complained that ... Read More
Beginning letter/vocabulary cards
Today I'm sharing a set of free cards to help young learners build letter knowledge and vocabulary. This post contains affiliate links. We have a very busy 2-year-old who is interested in many things. The biggies include playing with our marble run, listening to his favorite board books, doing simple crafts (and by that I mean dripping glue all over the page), and playing in the sandbox. One thing that ... Read More
Vocabulary in grades 3-5
Looking for a great method for introducing new vocabulary to kids in the intermediate grades? I've got you covered! This post contains affiliate links. Vocabulary. I don't know about you, but that word makes me feel guilty. Guilty about all the years I spent as a classroom teacher ... and didn't make time for focused vocabulary instruction. It just felt like an extra. After all, I was hyper-focused on phonics, ... Read More
Activating prior knowledge with picture books
Today I'll demonstrate how to use a picture book to teach the comprehension skill of activating prior knowledge. This post contains affiliate links. This Reading Mama and I are sharing a collaborative blog series all about teaching reading strategies with picture books. Whether you're doing a whole class read aloud, a small group guided reading lesson, or a reading conference one-on-one, you can use picture books ... Read More
Write the room activity for short u words
Many of you have been asking for my final short vowel "write the room" printable. Here (at long last!) is the set for short u words. Just in case you're new to "write the room," here's how it works. Print small cards with the featured words and post them around your classroom or home. Give your learner(s) a recording sheet to record each word as it is found. Pretty simple! But there are so many possibilities. I ... Read More
How to teach vocabulary in the primary grades
Are you looking to amp up your vocabulary instruction for your K-2 learners? You're in the right spot! This post contains affiliate links. I don't know about you, but I sure get a headache when someone tells me that there's one more thing to jam into an already-packed school day. So I apologize in advance, because ... guess what? Today I want to talk to you about something that you need to jam into an already-packed ... Read More
Free spring roll & color games
Looking for a simple math activity for spring? Try these spring roll & color games! Today I'm sharing a free set of Roll & Color games that will help young learners match numbers on a die, add one, and subtract one. The first game is the easiest. My Four simply rolled the die and found its match on the board. Then she dotted it with a Do-a-Dot marker. While you can certainly use crayons or markers to color ... Read More
How to build vocabulary through read alouds
We all know that a large vocabulary is important for our learners. Here's how to build vocabulary through read alouds! This post contains affiliate links. One of the easiest ways to build our learners' vocabulary is through whole class read alouds. Today I'm sharing tips for making the most of this instructional time.* *If you're a parent, these tips work for one-on-one read alouds, too! When you teach vocabulary ... Read More
How to teach reading comprehension strategies
T ... Read More