Teaching
The Character of Characters – Developing Greater Understanding
From the desk of Leigh Ann… In our kindergarten class our emergent readers are working with simple predictable texts to develop appropriate reading behaviors, extend word recognition, and increase decoding skills. These texts are perfect for our young ones as they develop fluency and the strategies they need to decode new words. The limiting factors…
Read MoreBurkins & Yaris: Reading Wellness Workshop
Join us in July to spend the day with Jan Burkins & Kim Yaris! Their workshop will be focused on Reading Wellness: Lessons that Teach Independence and Proficiency Thursday, July 24, 2014 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM (Registration & continental breakfast at 8:00) at The McKimmon Conference & Training Center, NCSU Campus, Raleigh, NC Click…
Read MoreToo Good for Guided Reading?
From the desk of Alice… I recently had a conversation with a teacher who said her kids don’t really need Guided Reading anymore because they are her top students and they can read well. If you are in a school working on Guided Reading, you may have heard this, too. In a perfect school world,…
Read MoreA Boy and the Library
From the desk of Alice… Let me introduce you to Miller: He is 6. He is a boy. His favorite time of day at school is on the playground because he is “fast”. He likes to be right. All the time. He has a sharp sense of humor and understands sarcasm. He enjoys math because…
Read MoreOne Little Way to Enlarge Your Child's World
From the desk of Leigh Ann… “There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” ~ Jacqueline Kennedy Research has shown that one of the most important things a parent can do to help instill a love of learning in their child is to read to…
Read MoreClassroom Libraries
From the desk of Carol C… Every classroom needs a library. It’s easy to say but hard to do. I remember collecting books for my first classroom library and then trying to keep it current. Here’s what I did. When I first began to teach I didn’t have a strong grasp on how to motivate…
Read MoreRead. Analyze. Emulate.
From the desk of Alice… In case you missed it, Kelly Gallagher was in town this week and did a workshop related to reading and writing. I love it when we are able to bring high quality educators and authors to the area so I can learn from them. Kelly had many useful tips for…
Read MoreTeaching the Reader
From the desk of Karen… Educators talk a lot about shifts these days: changing outdated teaching habits, aligning our work with brain research, learning to make our teaching stronger. Well, this is a major, earthquake-shattering shift for many. “I am not simply teaching the reading; I am teaching the reader.” ~Kelly Gallagher Teaching the reading…
Read MoreHelp! My Child Reads Above Grade Level
From the desk of Alice… I recently had a conversation with a friend who told me her first grader had scored well above average on his reading test and she wanted some suggestions for summer reading. She clarified her child’s test results indicated that he was reading on a 5th grade level at the end…
Read MoreGetting Your Child to Read During Summer Vacation
From the desk of Carol C… Last weekend I asked several parents what they did to encourage their children to read outside of school, especially during the summer. Some told me their children were always engaged with reading. Others gave me some practical ideas that worked for them. Here are the tips that brought the…
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