Education resources for parents and teachers
Are you trying to figure out how to homeschool your first grader when you're stuck at home due to school cancellations? I'm here to help! Our family is slowly adjusting to our new "normal" ... Homeschooling. Even though I'm a former teacher and now have a houseful of kids age 4-12, I never planned on homeschooling. But here we are. As we seek to stop the spread, many of us find ourselves home with ... Read More
Are you trying to figure out what to do with your kindergartner when you're stuck at home due to school cancellations? I'm here to help! Isn't it strange to feel a kinship with the rest of the world as we navigate school closings, social distancing, and (in some cases) self-quarantining? As we seek to stop the spread, many of us find ourselves home with our kids without anywhere to go. I'm one of ... Read More
Are you trying to figure out what to do with your preschooler when you're stuck at home due to school cancellations? I'm here to help! These are crazy, unprecedented times. Fear has gripped the world. Travel is discouraged, school is cancelled, and many of us find ourselves home with our kids without anywhere to go. As you figure out how to fill the days with your child who is home from PreK, I hope this ... Read More
Finding the main idea isn't always the most fun skill to practice - but your students will love the engaging main idea passages on this set of free task cards! Main idea has got to be one of the most difficult reading skills to teach. But it's oh, so important. We want our readers to be able to understand the "big idea" from a text. What do they need to remember? What is essential and what is ... Read More
Since you and your students will read the same text multiple times in a week, shared reading is an excellent time for building fluency. Here are some tips that will show you how to teach fluency during shared reading. We've reached the final post in my 5-part series about shared reading! Today we're talking fluency. We often call fluency the bridge to comprehension. If students don’t have to concentrate on ... Read More
Looking for books to read aloud to your learners on Valentine's Day? I've put together a list of our favorites just for you! Here Comes Valentine Cat, by Deborah Underwood Please promise me you'll find this book at your library and read it - even if it's just to yourself! It's my absolutely favorite on this list. In this book the narrator speaks directly to Cat, who feels that Valentine's Day is much too mushy ... Read More
Shared reading is an essential piece of balanced literacy. We can use it to teach our students the skills they'll need as they advance to higher levels in reading. In today's post I'm sharing tips for teaching reading comprehension during your shared reading lessons. Have you been following along in my series about shared reading? In Week One, I explained what shared reading is. In Week Two, I gave you an editable ... Read More
Did you know that I wrote my first post on The Measured Mom in January of 2013? That's right! The Measured Mom is 7 years old. To celebrate I'm giving seven people a full year's subscription to The Measured Mom Plus! What will you get as a member? Access to short, actionable video trainings about teaching in PreK-Grade 3 Get new trainings each month (with printable certificates of ... Read More
Shared reading is a wonderful vehicle for teaching all kinds of reading skills and strategies ... including phonics. In today's post I'm sharing a simple process for teaching phonics skills and decoding strategies during shared reading. Have you been following along in my series about shared reading? In Week One, I explained what shared reading is. Last week, I gave you an editable shared reading lesson ... Read More
As you plan your shared reading lesson plans, it's helpful to have a template. In today's post you can download an editable one ... for free! Did you read last week's blog post all about shared reading? If you did, you're ready to start writing your shared reading lessons. One question remains. What do shared reading lesson plans look like from day to day? I recommend creating lessons that use the same text for 3-5 ... Read More
