One of the most fun and rewarding lessons I teach each year is the “Just Right” Book lesson. I come into K-2 classrooms with two large shopping bags. One bag contains several pairs of shoes varying in size from a …
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Why Phonics Matters
Why Phonics Matters Thirty-five years ago, when I began teaching, phonics reigned supreme as the preeminent way to teach children to read. Isolating letters and sounds was the way I was taught to read, so that’s the way I began …
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Supporting the Reluctant Reader
Follow me through a typical day and you will see me reading: reading microwave cooking directions on the side of a frozen food container, reading articles on travel or exercise or cures for wrinkles, scrolling through educational websites, and at …
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Storytelling Strategy
This month, I would like to explain one strategy our teachers use with our students from early childhood to fifth grade, Telling a Story Across Five Fingers. This strategy comes from the writing workshop approach developed by Lucy Calkins at …
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