You finally get your reading group settled at the teacher table, and then it starts. Someone needs help with their work. Another student has already finished. And someone else is waiting for you to explain the directions again. Sound familiar? In moments like this, when you’re trying to focus on
It’s October, and they still aren’t getting it. You’ve taught the alphabet. You’ve sung the songs. You’ve practiced letters and letter names. You’ve pointed to letters on the calendar, read alphabet books, played games, and probably played the alphabet song approximately 7,000 times by now. And yet, when you hold up a
Have you ever had a child proudly sing the entire alphabet song, only to realize they don’t actually know their letters? Yep, me too! Memorizing the alphabet song and actually recognizing letters are two very different skills. Young children need lots of opportunities to look at letters, identify them, match
If you’re using the Heggerty curriculum this year, you’ve probably found yourself asking the same question so many kindergarten teachers do: “What do my students do after the Heggerty lesson?” Heggerty does an amazing job of building students’ phonemic awareness through quick, daily oral practice. But once those auditory drills
The first month of kindergarten can feel overwhelming. Between teaching classroom routines, helping students adjust to school, and building relationships, it can be difficult to decide which academic skills deserve the most attention. The truth is, you don’t have to teach everything at once. When you focus on the foundational
Have you wondered how to help your students move from sounding out words letter by letter to actually reading them? Today, we’re demystifying blending! This is arguably one of the hardest skills to master in early literacy. But don’t worry, friends, I’ve got a few tricks and some brand new
You know that moment when one of your little learners confidently tells you that “cat” rhymes with “dog”? Yep, me too. . . Rhyming looks simple on the surface, but for young learners, it can be surprisingly tricky to hear and hold onto those ending sounds. The good news is
“I don’t know what to write!” Getting young students excited about writing can sometimes feel harder than teaching the writing itself. One minute, they are full of stories to tell, and the next minute, they are staring at a blank page with no idea where to start. If you’re in
Have you ever hit the last few weeks of kindergarten and thought, “Wait… have we covered everything they actually need for first grade?” You’re juggling field trips, testing, behavior, and kids who suddenly have all the summer energy. It’s a lot. The good news is you don’t need to review
Do you ever feel like there’s just not enough time in the day to fit in the meaningful phonemic awareness practice your kids need? Between morning routines, reading groups, and transitions, it can feel impossible to squeeze in the consistent practice daily. That’s where my favorite phonemic awareness practice transition