A few years ago (pre-pandemic) I created these simple playdough name mats as a back to school gift. Let me preface this post by saying that, Back to School gifts are not a requirement or necessary. I’m a firm believer in doing what YOU want as a teacher. If you want to give a little […]
Free Insta Self-Portrait For Back To School
Looking for the perfect back to school bulletin board idea? I’ve got you covered with this Insta Self-Portrait! For this product students will draw a picture of themselves “Instagram Style”. I created these simple, Instagram style self-portrait papers to share my love of Instagram with my students. It was also the perfect opportunity for me […]
Shifting the Balance – Shift 6 – Science of Reading – Reconsidering Texts for Beginning Readers
Welcome back to the last and final post of our Science of Reading Summer Book Study, Shifting the Balance with Mr.Greg (from Kindergarten Smorgasboard) and me, Abbie! This week is Shift 6 and is Reconsidering Texts from Beginning Readers. And just in case you have missed out on the previous shifts, here they are. Shift 1: Rethinking How Reading Comprehension […]
Science of Reading- Shift 5 -Reinventing the Ways We Use MSV and Cueing System
Reinventing the Ways We Use MSV and Cueing System Hello! It’s week 5 of our Science of Reading Summer Book Study, Shifting the Balance with Mr.Greg (from Kindergarten Smorgasboard) and me, Abbie! This week is about Reinventing the Ways We Use MSV or the Cueing System. The Beanie Baby Cueing System Psssttt…let me tell you a secret. A few […]
Rainbow Alphabet Cards
What can you do with Alphabet Cards? A few months ago, I couldn’t go anywhere without seeing a kid with a fidget popper and the rainbow ones from Target seemed extremely popular! I knew that the little learners that I was working with would love to use these as well, so I ordered these ones […]
SOR – Shift 4 – Revisiting High Frequency Word Instruction
Hello! It’s week 4 of our Science of Reading Summer Book Study, Shifting the Balance with Mr.Greg (from Kindergarten Smorgasboard) and me, Abbie! This week is about Revising High-Frequency Word Instruction and is quickly becoming another hot topic in early literacy circles. Sight Words vs. High Frequency Words Over the years I have spent in Kindergarten and early childhood […]
Science of Reading- Shifting the Balance Week 3
Welcome back to our Science of Reading Summer Book Study, Shifting the Balance with Mr.Greg (from Kindergarten Smorgasboard) and me! This is week 3 and we are talking about reimagining the way we teach phonics. Phonics: A Hot Topic in Education A few years ago, the school that I was teaching Kindergarten at had a meeting to […]
Shifting the Balance – Shift 2 – Phonemic Awareness
Is there a difference between phonics, phonological awareness and phonemic awareness? Plain and simply…yes. Phonological Awareness is the big umbrella of helping students to notice and/or manipulate sounds in speech. Phonemic Awareness is specific work in articulating and manipulating individual sounds in words and focuses more with auditory skills. And finally, Phonics is helping students […]
Ideas For The Most Efficient End Of The Year Classroom Wrap Up
We’ve been anticipating the end of the school year for a while now. It’s exciting. A couple months break to spend time in the sun, reading books for pleasure, going on vacation or sitting on the couch watching mindless TV. Or maybe you want to be productive and prepare for next school year, then check […]
Summer Book Study – Shifting the Balance Week 1
Hello and welcome to week 1 of our Annual Summer Book Study! If you are new here, welcome! 🙂 But if you have been a follower for a few years, then you probably know that Mr. Greg from Kindergarten Smorgasboard and I have done a joint book study each summer. We both like to grow […]
