Words are not just words. They are the nexus—the interface—between communication and thought. When we read, it is through words that we build, refine, and modify our knowledge. What makes vocabulary valuable and important is not the words themselves so much as the understandings they afford. –Marilyn Jager Adams A couple of years ago,…
1st Grade
Vital Vocabulary
Above vocabulary foldable courtesy of Laura Candler Why teach vocabulary? There’s no hyperbole in saying: Vocabulary is the best single indicator of intellectual ability and an accurate predictor of success at school. — W.B. Elley Vocabulary matters. It really, really matters. In a recent study, researchers took a look at how we measure text complexity. …
Favorite Halloween Reads
Some people shop for shoes. Some people love purses. I couldn’t care less about either of those, but when it comes to holiday books, I’m a junkie! Christmas books are my drug of choice, but I’ll take a hit off a St. Patrick’s Day book or back-to-school book (or Groundhog’s Day book) if I can. …
1st Grade Morning Messages (No Prep!)
The 1st Grade Morning Messages are finally DONE! Want to know more about how the morning messages came to be? Read this post about the 2nd grade version. To help with organization we assigned each day a theme: Math Monday, New Term (vocabulary) Tuesday, Word Power Wednesday, Think About it Thursday, and Funny Friday. We wrote…
“Chunk” Spelling
Spelling is one of those things that EVERYONE has an opinion about and very few people agree on. I think that the best way to learn how to spell is to spend extensive time reading and writing. I also believe that a weekly word list has very little carryover into written work. That being said,…