Whether it’s about academics, behavior, or social struggles, talking with families about tough topics isn’t easy. These conversations can be emotional, awkward, or even confrontational—but they’re also necessary. The good news? With the right approach, you can build a stronger relationship with parents while working through challenges together. featured image
After a big year of growing, learning, and reaching new heights, hand your kiddos ownership over the progress they’ve made with student-created portfolios! Student-led portfolios are a great way to engage students in their learning, and they give families a wonderful chance to learn more about what their student has
Parent communication is a big deal for our young learners. Our students rely on parent-teacher partnerships that help them grow their skills and feel excited about learning. As teachers, we encounter all kinds of families with varying degrees of knowledge, motivation, and confidence when it comes to supporting their child’s
Using coding bots in your classroom is a fun way to get students excited about programming. If you’re wondering why learning to program is important for young learners, I address that in my blog post “My Favorite Coding Apps for Kids.” Take a peek to learn more! In a nutshell,
Building reading fluency doesn’t have to mean overhauling your literacy block. In fact, just a few minutes a day with decodable text can make a big difference — especially for early and struggling readers. These short, targeted passages give students the kind of consistent, patterned practice that helps new skills
Reading and writing literacy for our young students is one of the most important and fundamental skills to master. Building an understanding of the difference between letters, words, and sentences is a complex process. It takes lots of exposure, lots of practice, and most of all, lots of opportunities to
We all know that a solid foundation in mathematics is important to a child’s overall educational success. But helping our students go from just knowing numbers and basic concepts, to really understanding how to apply those concepts independently, and in a way that makes sense to them, is a process.
It’s true that sequencing is so common in our day-to-day life, recognizing patterns and putting things in order usually comes naturally for our students over time. Even at home, whether they’re putting toys in order from biggest to smallest, or recognizing daily patterns and predicting routines; sequencing can become almost
Every week brings new dynamics to my classroom, but I always include these five key elements in my lesson plans to create an engaging and effective learning environment. 1. Hands-On Games Hands-on activities help young learners engage in visual and spatial learning. Each week, I make sure to include games
