The way we begin each day in our classroom sets the tone for learning and speaks volumes about what and whom we value, about our expectations for the way we will treat each other, and about the way we believe learning occurs. –Roxann Kriete How do you start your school day? It’s a question every…
2nd grade
Establishing Classroom Procedures : A Plan for Back-to-School Success
Before you can really plan out the first days and weeks of your school year, you need a plan in place for how you intend to handle the routines and procedures in your classroom. Effective procedures are a hallmark of every well run class. They’re an indispensable part of a successful school year. If your room…
20 Awesome Books for the First Week of School
When I’m creating my first week of school plans, I always make time for several read aloud books every day. Reading aloud picture books is a great way to: take a break from procedures and routines introduce ideas of friendship, community, rules, and more model fluent reading bond as a class over the shared experience…
Why I Don’t Use Words Their Way for Spelling
Why don’t I use Words Their Way for my sole phonics and spelling curriculum? And why don’t I use Words Their Way for my weekly spelling lists and spelling test? I get this question often. You know that I love Words Their Way. (We now use our own comprehensive phonics and spelling curriculum Word Play…
5 Teacher Books I Read Every Year
There are a few professional development books that I pull out to reference (and sometimes reread) every single year. The First Six Weeks of School by Paula Denton, Roxann Kriete, Responsive Classroom – Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones The First Days of School by Harry Wong The Joyful Classroom by Responsive Classroom The Daily…