One of my favorite things about word sorts is that you can do SOOOOO many different things with them!! Let’s explore all of the cool things you can do to help students with reading fluency, comprehension, writing and more! For Fluency Fast “Pencil” Once the sort is complete, use the utensil of your choice (pencil, pen, pointer, finger) to point… Read More

Recently, Teachers Pay Teachers reached out to me to inquire about what I thought about the makerspace movement and specifically the maker mindset. They posed wonderful questions and I thought my responses were worth sharing with you! (I don’t remember the exact wording on the questions they asked, but here’s the gist.) What is the maker mindset? I would describe… Read More

Word study is a key component of learning to read. We want students to be aware of the patterns in words, so that they can become more fluent readers. This is where word sorts come into play. Word sorts help students recognize the spelling patterns in words, all while manipulating the words to incorporate hands-on learning. If you are considering… Read More

We teach the ins and outs of character education all the time. We teach multiple character traits on a daily, weekly or monthly basis all throughout the year. But when do we let our students know that we are watching for them to exhibit those traits? When do we let our students know that they actually have exhibited the trait… Read More

` After almost two decades of writing out name tags serveral times a year for my students in primary grades, I was ready for something different when I moved up into the world of upper grades. I wanted to take a new approach with different, creative ways that my students could create their own name tags and take ownership over their… Read More

I am the first to admit that I am no Betty Crocker. At times, I try to harness my inner Martha Stewart, but…well, let’s just say that doesn’t quite work out either. This fact of life has never really bothered me. We’ve gotta know what our strengths are, right? And after all, that’s what restuarants and bakeries are for. At… Read More