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
If you’ve ever taught digraphs, you’ve probably seen this happen. One day, your students confidently tell you that sh says /sh/ or ch says /ch/. But the very next day, they’re reading ship as “sip” or forgetting that two letters can work together to make one sound. The truth is,
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
Ever feel like math time is a whirlwind? Students are all over the place, papers are scattered, and you’re not sure if anyone is really learning anything. You’re not alone. Teaching math in kindergarten and first grade can feel overwhelming when you’re trying to cover concepts, check for understanding, and
Have you ever noticed how some students can read a word like block with ease, while others stumble over ship or chop? That’s the tricky world of blends and digraphs. Knowing which to teach first and how to practice them can make all the difference in your students’ phonics success.
When students master CVC words, it feels like a victory, but it also brings one of the trickiest decisions you might face in early reading instruction. Maybe this has been you: your students are reading CVC words like cat, dog, and map. They easily blend and segment multiple sounds. You’re
You’ve been working hard on phonological awareness skills like rhyming, blending, segmenting, and more. Your kids are getting it. Yes! But then comes the big question: when, and how, do we move into phonics? If you’ve ever paused mid-lesson and wondered this, you’re not alone. This transition can feel big
Ahhh… January in the primary classroom. Between the cabin fever, the post-holiday wiggles, and the wandering attention spans, it’s rough out there! But what if we stopped fighting these hurdles and actually worked with them instead? Wait, what?! Yes, teacher-friend! Let’s talk about how my Winter Color by Code and