Did you know the English alphabet has 26 letters, 44 sounds, and 150 different spellings? Yes, you read that right, 150 DIFFERENT SPELLINGS! Teaching students all these sound-spellings may seem overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Using sound cards in your reading instruction is essential t…

What is a decodable text? According to Reading Rockets, "decodable text is a type of text used in beginning reading instruction. Decodable texts are carefully sequenced to progressively incorporate words that are consistent with the letter–sound relationships that have been taught to the new…

I have a quick teacher tip for you that is a fun way to keep students engaged in a whole/small group activity - Teacher vs. Students!  Groups ask to play this daily, making any activity much more fun. Spoiler Alert: the teacher never wins, and that’s how the kids like it!   This activity is as lo…

If having too many rainbow storage bins is wrong, I don’t want to be right!  When they go on sale, I buy them whether I need them or not.  I currently have 4 fully stocked rainbow storage bins full of independent activities for students and 3 fully stocked clear storage bins.  I will share my 4 f…

How often have you asked a student to describe a character, and they start making a list of their eye color, hair color, etc.?  Or perhaps they say my all-time favorite answer: nice. Here are some ways that you can start getting students to dig deeper! These resources are available in…

I want to share my favorite vocabulary activity with you!  One of the great things about this Vocabulary Graphic Organizer is that it can be used K-5 and across all subject areas.  There is a free copy of the organizer later in this post.

These days I am all about working smarter, not harder. I will share 5 free Chrome extensions every teacher needs to simplify their digital life! 1 Fullscreen Interactive Google Slides(TM) I LOVE Google Slides! It is a great tool to transform your lessons and make them more engaging. The only draw…

Flashcards are an excellent resource for reading! They are versatile tools that can be used in so many ways.  My top five favorite ways to use them are in small group reading instruction and independent centers. I’ve also included a massive freebie with 318 pages of flashcards (159 color and 159 in…

These days I am using Google Classroom more than I ever imagined!  It is such an amazing resource for both teachers and students.  I have always used it as a hub for student materials and links, but with distance learning, I am assigning digital activities to my reading groups exclusively throu…

In transitioning to distance learning and asynchronous teaching, 4 free resources have made teaching remotely more manageable.  I hope you enjoy these teacher tech tips as much as I have! 1. SlidesMania I love Google Slides and used to spend hours making them look just right before adding the …

This post may contain affiliate links.  Please read my  disclosure  for more info. My life has forever been changed by using self-checking poke cards in my classroom!  They are an engaging, independent, self-checking activity for students. Poke cards can be used in a variety of ways and ca…