This page contains links to free resources you can download and use right away. I will periodically update this page. To receive an e-mail of the newest addition, please sign up at the bottom of my HOME page. Leveled Reading Correlation Chart There are a variety of systems or codes being used to identify the reading complexity of a book. This chart correlates Fountas and Pinnell’s Gradient Text Levels with grade level equivalencies and Reading A-Z.com’s…
This week we are launching a unit on communities and being a good citizen. One area of focus is on the importance of people helping other people to meet their needs. As part of learning about goods and services, we spend some time learning about different ways people make our communities a better place. Last week, our Harcourt Trophies story was Good-Bye Curtis by Kevin Henkes. In this story, Curtis has faithfully delivered the mail to…
So what is the difference between phonics and phonemic awareness? Phonemic awareness is the foundation of our written language. Beginning readers learn that each letter has a sound associated with it. By combining individual letter sounds (phonemes) children are able to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in words. For example, the word cat has three separate phonemes: /c/ /a/ /t/. These three sounds can be rearranged to spell tac: /t/ /a/ /c/. Children who can…
Having something for students to do when they arrive in the morning helps establish good routines. My students know that after they arrive and have had time to catch up with their classmates, its time to grab their morning work. This year, each student has a pocket folder to store the monthly packet. A binder would work well also. I print the entire month ahead of time and staple it at the top. After attendance and…
It’s that time of year again! Our local farms are busy with families looking for that “perfect” pumpkin. It is also a great theme for reading, writing, and creating! So here are some ideas for the rest of the month. This is a FREE downloadable resource that children can use to create their own informational book about pumpkins. All you need are some nonfiction texts like Pumpkins by Gail Gibbons, and your young writers will be…
I like to teach the difference between facts and fable. Young students have many preconceived ideas along with misconceptions. It can be amusing at times to hear their explanations. In October, a great theme for fact and fable is bats. So many people fear these mammals without understanding their importance to controlling the insect population; especially mosquitoes. A fun way to have your students learn more about a topic is through the use of a scavenger…
It was time to move my growing readers into another genre; one that few them had spent much time with: mysteries! As I was planning this genre study, it became clear that the skills they would be using complimented the reading skills of making inferences and drawing conclusions. While planning a unit, I not only think about the objectives, but also think about ways to make it interesting for the students. I want to create high-interest,…
