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. After years
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 education;
Bringing coding bots into your classroom is a fun and engaging way to get students excited about programming. If you’ve ever wondered why coding matters for young learners, check out my post “My Favorite Coding Apps for Kids” for a deeper dive into the “why” behind early programming. In short:
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 foundational skills to build. One key part of that is learning how to write great sentences. Understanding the difference between letters, words, and sentences is a complex process that takes time. Our students need repeated
If you’ve ever watched a student count all the way from 1 just to figure out what comes after 12, you’ve seen the power (and challenge) of number sense in K-1. Developing flexible thinking with numbers isn’t just about memorizing—it’s about building mental connections, understanding relationships, and feeling confident with
It’s true that sequencing shows up everywhere in our students’ lives. Whether they’re lining up toys from biggest to smallest or predicting what happens after snack time, putting things in order is something children do naturally—with the right support and enough exposure. But sequencing is more than just a helpful
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
