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Author: Emily

5 Ways to Simplify Word Sorting

Word sorting is a powerful instructional method but making it happen smoothly in the classroom can be a lot to manage! So we put together some of our best tips for simplifying the management of word sorting. Here are 5 tips to simplify word sorting: 1. MAKE A MASTER COPY

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Reading Fluency Charts

I used to think that reading fluency growth charts were a bad idea. We got requests to make them all the time and always brushed them off because WPM (correct words per minute rate) is NOT the most important part of fluency. Let me say that again, emphatically. SPEED ≠

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5 Things I ALWAYS Do On the First Day of School

The first day of school is a mix of excitement and anxiety, both for students and the teacher! Putting in the effort to carefully plan the first day of school helps me start the first day with confidence and calm. After many first days of school, I have a list

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Easy End of Year Review with Easter Eggs

End-of-year test reviewing can be overwhelming. How can you help the students remember everything you’ve learned in class all year without drilling and killing? Heidi gave me this tip my first year teaching: Make it a fun activity! All you need for this activity is: Empty plastic easter eggs Small

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A Christmas Fluency Gift For You!

Fluency practice doesn’t feel like work when you mix it with Santa, reindeer, gingerbread, and Christmas lights! And we have a free fluency goodie waiting for you in this post, so read on! Fluency in a Flash is a brief, targeted routine for practicing reading fluency daily. Each day of

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3 Ways to Stop the Summer Slide

Do you know about the “Summer Slide”? It’s the phenomenon of students losing some of their newly acquired knowledge and skills over summer break. And elementary students are most at risk for experiencing this! So what can we do to help? 3 Ways to Stop the Summer Slide Luckily, there

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Build Your Fluency With Us!

Want to practice fluency with us? We recorded a screen video of us doing a week of 2nd Grade Fluency in a Flash together with the help of my two oldest kids. Watch the video to practice fluency with us! If you’re going to do this video day-by-day here are

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10 Ways to Make Conferences Parent-Friendly

We all know that Parent-Teacher conferences can be a really nerve-wracking time for teachers. But don’t forget that it can feel just as nerve-wracking for parents! They may have concerns about their students that are making them feel uneasy. They may feel awkward because they don’t know what to expect.

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