August 13, 2023
Meet the Teacher Student Keychains Tutorial
At the beginning of the year I always love gifting my students with a little something at Meet the Teacher. For a brand new kinder, many of which are coming to a big new school for the first time, can have all the feelings from excitement to nervousness...and all at the same time. As a way to gently welcome them into our classroom I make these personalized keychains that they can use on their backpacks (or anything they choose!). Boys and girls alike adore them and I know the parents appreciate the sentiment.
So, skip the candy and snacks and opt for this easy peasy DIY student keychain (grab the gift tags here)!
Here's how you make them:
Gather your supplies
Amazon affiliate links used within this post
Materials Needed:
- Alphabet Beads
- Pony Beads in assorted colors
- Keychain clips
- Elastic String (recommended: 1mm in size)
- Scissors
Assembling the Keychains
Step 1: String your beads
Use enough elastic string so that you can string all of the letters in each student's name as well as have room for the colorful pony beads.
Note: my string is a little small for the pony beads (oops!) so I have to tweak how I tie them together. You'll see how I do this at Step 2...
You'll select a few colors of pony beads and begin to string it on as shown...
Then, the trick is to thread both sides of the string through the next pony beads. This will secure the bottom bead onto the keychain (see below).
Step 2: Assemble student letter beads
Next, you are going to thread the letter beads to build your student's name followed by more pony beads. This is where you can get creative with your coloring and style. I kind of chose my colored beads based on whether it's a boy or girl...but it's completely up to you!
Now, this is where I had to get creative. My alpha beads and pony beads are two different widths in terms of their opening. So, I use a heart bead at the end of the keychain to secure it all together. Simply knot it off (making a knot about 3-4 times so the beads don't slip off).
Step 3: Attach to keychain clip
Now that you have a finished keychain all you need to do is knot it around the clip. Again, I knot it about 3-4 times to secure it so the beads don't fall off.
Step 4: Attach to gift tag and hand out!
The final step is to attach the keychain to a cute gift tag and lay them out for Meet the Teacher/Open House. I put them at their seats when they arrive, but you can hand them out at the end. Totally up to you!
These gift tags are made for Pre-K thru 6th Grade and are editable right in the PDF. Simply type your name and print. You can use a hole-punch and clip your keychain right on!
Recommendations:
- I recommend having your materials on hand at school so that you can quickly make a keychain for any students added last second to your roster.
- I also hold onto any keychains of students who didn't attend Meet the Teacher/Open House. I'll make sure to lay them out on the first day of school.
I hope you enjoy your new school year and...happy teaching!
July 31, 2023
Favorite Back to School Teacher Goodies
Soon I'll be heading back to the classroom and I personally can't wait. I know there are a ton of teachers out there who love to squeeze every last moment of their summers before even thinking about the school year ahead...I'm just not that teacher. Even 12 years later I am always filled with a buzzing excitement and I hope that never fades...
So, as I eagerly await the email from admin that lets us know we can get into our classrooms, here's a list of my favorite goodies for the back to school season!
Half-Gallon Water Bottle
Last year I got on the "drink more water" trend with my very own half-gallon water bottle. Right now everyone has to have the Stanley mug...and I don't doubt it's great...I just need a little more...
So, I am a person who finds themselves drinking more water when I have a straw. So, this one from Amazon has been a great option. So far I've been happy and the half-gallon has been do-able for me each day. Some teachers I know opt for the gallon bottles...but for me that's just a little too advantageous. Another great option is this bottle...
New Speckled Apple Watch Band & Earrings
A fun gift to myself to start the year last year were these cuuuuute Mo Willems earrings! I also picked up this speckled Apple Watch band. The seller is a teacher as well and I love supporting small businesses like these. Be sure to stop by her little online boutique for some teacher goodies yourself!
New Badge Reel
My first year back I went with a cute necklace badge holder and I found it made a lot of noise when I walked and just got in the way. This last year I upgraded to the badge reel and it's been perfect for me. I opted for the olive green with leopard print and it's lasted me all year. I love the silicon beads and I love being able to place it wherever I want.
Teacher Tees
Who doesn't love a good teacher tee? I love browsing all over for new shirts to wear during the year. This one is one of my favorites and the seller makes them for all grade levels. I love finding quality shirts (think Bella Canvas) from Etsy and for simpler tees (think Fruit of the Loom or Gildan) I use Tees2UrDoor.
Gifts for Teammates
Nothing says "welcome back" like a few goodies for your teammates! My own shop, Red Oak Lettering, has a few items that can be personalized. Here are a few popular items teachers love ordering for themselves or their teams:
Personalized Pencil Keychain
Keychains are a fun way to add some flair to your lanyard or backpack. Each one comes personalized with a name as seen here.
In My Teacher Era Glass Can
Another popular choice are these glass cans with a bamboo lid. I love having a set of glassware/mugs in my classroom for those moments where I need an extra boost of caffeine.
Stickers!
I have a few stickers in my shop, but I love finding new teacher-specific stickers from all over Etsy! Created By Christine Co is one of my favorites for finding cute teacher stickers! She's a fellow elementary teacher (who somehow manages to do it all!) and I love supporting fellow teacher-sellers!
That's it for now! I wish you all the most relaxing of final summer days and best of luck as you head into this school year!
July 30, 2023
35 Weeks of Scripted Reading Lessons!
At the end of each year I always set out to explore my district's curriculum and see what I can do to create a pacing guide for myself no matter the subject. I teach the best when I'm able to look ahead and see what it is we'll be covering - especially in that first grading period. My district curriculum developers are ah-mazing! They really have done a wonderful job with how the pacing will look for kindergarten reading instruction, which made my job easier when it comes to planning the day-to-day.
Although the TEKs and learning targets were there, there wasn't much else and if you're anything like me...when the school year starts we're off to the races. When you're in the thick of it, it can be difficult to pick the read-aloud, pick the activity, and make sure it all aligns. Yes, that's a huge part of being a teacher, but let me tell you....it doesn't have to be all consuming of your time and PLC with your team.
That's why I set out to create a FULL YEARS WORTH of scripted lesson plans that are TEK and Science of Reading (SoR) aligned! I have already picked read-alouds that best fit as mentor texts for each lesson's learning objective. I have also provided teachers with guiding questions during the reading as well as extension activities for after reading where students demonstrate their understanding.
Awesome, right? Let's take a peek!!
35 Weeks of Scripted Lesson Plans
The goal of creating this resource was to, most importantly, free up planning time for myself and my team. By having our reading block planned, we can dedicate that time elsewhere as teachers. For us in my district we have 35 weeks of school and this resource takes us from the first to the last day of instruction. The other focus for this resource had those new teachers (or new to kindergarten) in mind. On our own team we were blessed with one of the best "new" teachers and it's been amazing to see her flourish. My hope for resources like this helps gives teachers like her a place to launch from. And we know beginning in planning can be the hardest.
Each lesson is tailored around the learning objective/learning target for that day. I scoured to match the best mentor texts that lend themselves to those learning objectives. Of course, you can always supplement your own read-alouds as you wish...but for me, selecting the read-aloud was always the hardest (I mean, there's so many perfect texts out there how to choose just one!). I love that step is already done for myself as is the lesson.
Each lesson begins with the introduction which just introduces the learning objective statement and intros what students will be focusing on in their reading that day. I wanted to incorporate a stating of the objective in the beginning and at the end because it can easily be a step to miss. (And we all know our admins are looking for this when they come to observe us). By stating the focus students begin to have ownership over their own learning. It's amazing to see and feel the shift in our littlest of learners when we state the focus of their learning (who knew?! Haha).
Each lesson follows the framework of:
- I DO (the modeling and think-alouds by the teacher)
- WE DO (guided reading/writing), and finally,
- YOU DO (the independent activity that aligns with the day's lesson).
Students have the opportunity to see the learning target skill be modeled and thought-aloud by the teacher during each lesson. Also, students have opportunities to pair-share (turn-and-talk...whatever you call it in your classroom) their thinking about their reading. The pair-share is a huge focus in my lessons because it's not only engagement, but communication skills are key. Students will be practicing collaboration and effective communication (active listening/speaking skills) all year long!
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| Using text evidence to support inferences. |
Note that there won't be worksheet activities for all lessons, however. Some lessons lend themselves for students to take work to their seats to demonstrate their understanding, but others are discussion based. This is intentional as it depends on the learning target. After digging through the TEKS for reading in kinder, a lot of them ask students to "discuss" their learning vs completing a worksheet or craft. This is great because it, again, focuses students on their ability to share about their learning which is an important skill in itself.
Then, finally, you restate that learning objective. ;)
Time for Reading Centers
At the beginning of the year you are just beginning to lay the foundation to what your reading block will look and feel like. Students are not diving right into the heavy content to begin, but rather are actively exploring what behaviors are expected during this learning block. Each lesson for the first six weeks or so has students practice and build their stamina for reading workshop. They spend a lot of time learning to be effective listeners and speakers, then build upon that as content is introduced.
However, the mini-lesson isn't your whole block! Naturally, you are going to begin to slowly introduce reading rotations or centers. Whether you are using Daily 5 as your framework or have another system that works, students should be spending time building their independent work stamina.
What are FLEX DAYS?
Flex Days/Weeks are built into the curriculum and they are exactly what they sound like: flexible days for teachers to use at their discretion within the grading period. Some of the ways I use these flex days include:
- assessments, assessments, assessments: whether they are district or state required or your own assessments as a grade level, it's important to track your students and keep a record of their understanding of the learning objectives in reading for that grading period.
- tracking data/RTI: keeping up with your students who may need some TLC require a touch more data points. So these flex days are great for extra time in your block to collect these data points.
- revisiting content: some lessons need more than one day or maybe you had a fire drill that completely ate your reading block. Either way, we need the flexibility to revisit content as our students need it.
- preparing for a break from school: breaks and holidays cut into instructional time and flex days provide teachers with the ability to fill in thematic lessons or activities, prep for upcoming school events, etc.
Flex Days are great for all of these reasons. With this resource you are able to still have control over how your block will look and feel while hitting those required learning targets. Use these Flex Days consecutively or break them up and sprinkle them in here and there.
Happy Teaching!
I hope you find this resource as helpful as I do - I wish you the very best as you begin to plan for your reading block this school year!
June 20, 2023
Boho Minimalist Schedule Cards
It's summer which naturally it means I'm also doing the very thing I shouldn't....and that's thinking ahead to next year.
It's hard for me to sit still and not use this time to think about how I'd like to setup my classroom, add or change things up, or create some new resources. My time is so valuable - don't get me wrong, our family has PLENTY planned for July - but it's even more valuable during the school year when I don't have much of it to dedicate to these things. So, I personally enjoy using this slower-paced time in my life to reflect and gear up for the year ahead.
So, as I'm looking around teacher Instagrams I'm noticing this boho naturals trend and I have to say that I'm not mad at it. I love that classrooms are beginning to get away from a lot of those distracting and overwhelming classroom decor and somewhat getting student-centered again. However, I do find a lot that is more style than substance...at least for me and what I would like to do for my kinders. Thus, I set out to create my own resources and here I am sharing what all I've been up to.
Student-Centered
This is by-far the most important thing I keep in mind when setting up my classroom. My son, who has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), has taught me a lot over the years about overstimulation and how that may affect different kids. Overstimulation can trigger all sorts of behaviors in students and therefore I try to keep the sensory levels pretty minimal when it comes to how I decorate and organize my classroom. Calm students = focused, engaged, and happy learners!
Daily Schedule Cards
As you can see my schedule cards this year are going to be black and white with little pops of color. The clipart I've intentionally kept black and white as to pop a little bit but not be overwhelming to the eye. The other important thing I keep an eye out is the use of fonts in products. So many times do I see something I'd love to download from TpT, but the font is completely wrong for my students here in kindergarten. Often they're a funky script or even the all caps fonts can be challenging to read...so cute for us adults scrolling social media, but not very student-friendly. Especially students who are just learning to read and write.
In my own products I always keep to simple fonts that reinforce the types of letter formation that I am teaching my students and what I expect for them to reproduce for me in their own writing. It also makes it easy-to-read and the B&W clipart is simple and doesn't overwhelm the eyes. Who knew so much thought goes into something as simple as this!
June 8, 2023
Simplifying Science of Reading in Kindergarten
When I first started teaching in 2011 the district I worked for used Jan Richardson's text Next Steps in Guided Reading. It was like our Bible for small group reading instruction and for years I used that as a means to organize my groups and lessons. However, over the years and working in multiple counties, and even states, I've learned a number of things along the way that helped me simplify the daunting task of guided reading.
Guided Reading is a small group instructional practice where students are grouped based on need in their reading. It allows teachers to target specific learning goals and work with students towards mastery of those goals with a scaffolded instructional format. As a new teacher it seemed simple enough, but I remember feeling so overwhelmed since a lot of the planning had to be done by me...someone who didn't know much at the time about what guided reading should look like.
Now, ten years later, and most of which in kindergarten, I'm happy to be in a place where I feel like I can help other teachers out by simplifying what this small group time should look like in kindergarten.
Small Group Organization
Much like anything, the first step of guided reading is getting yourself organized. This means creating a space in your classroom where students meet with you and stocking that space with the items you'd need for your lessons. Keeping them within reach is vital to utilizing your small group time effectively.
In my own small group space I have:
- Stick-on Whiteboard Table Stickers (perfect for ready-to-use whiteboards that stick right to the table).
- A caddy filled with: whiteboard markers/erasers, pencils, scissors, glue sticks (having these tools on the ready allow students to not worry about bringing their own pencil boxes/supplies).
- Fun items: finger googly-eyes, festive fingers, etc. for making tracking fun
- Flashcards with ABCs, magnetic letters, sand boxes, etc.
Binders are also a great way to organize the lessons you'll teach - whether you purchase teacher-made resources for guided reading or are writing your own lesson plans with books provided by your school. Either way, binders are a great way to keep you organized all year long.
Assess Your Students
Before you meet with any groups you'll need to assess students and record their skill-sets. From these assessments you'll be able to find areas of need and group students by similar need. Formal assessments like the DRA or IRIs will give you a more informed understanding of your students' actual reading levels.
In kindergarten I always begin with students who are pre-readers and need help with letter identification and matching letters to their sound. That will be their first learning target in guided reading!
Planning Guided Reading Lessons
There are two things you can do when it comes to planning the lessons you'll teach:
- purchase pre-made lessons via teacher-authors on TpT and other marketplaces
- or write the plans yourself using a template and guided reading books provided by your school.
Both are great options!
Pre-Reader Lesson Plans
In kindergarten, many of my students are pre-readers at the beginning of the year. This means their learning targets in guided reading will be letter identification and matching letter sounds. For this, I've created a comprehensive level AA (pre-readers) resource with pre-made lesson plans! Yes! I walk you through each letter and sound step-by-step, which saves you a ton of time!
Each letter has its own scripted lesson plan and I've made sure to make it such a breeze to follow. It covers a variety of skills and keeps the lesson within a 10-15 minute timeframe - making it perfect for small group instruction. Each letter has a plan, printable letter cards with proper mouth formation, and a sound sort for students to complete. I also provide ABC charts and a guided writing template.
Emergent Readers (A-D) Lesson Plans
As students continue to grow in their letter ID/sounds they're ready for decodable readers! As your students move into this next stage of their reading I have a brand new resource for you!
As emergent readers your students are beginning to acquire reading skills such as tracking, decoding, and metacognitive skills like thinking about their reading (i.e. becoming aware of their mistakes and learning to self-correct or check the picture for understanding). This is such an exciting time in kindergarten and my next resources helps make planning for these levels so simple! Let's take a peek!
Lesson Plan Templates:
Each level from A-D I have simplified the lesson plan template to make it easy to follow along and target level-appropriate goals. I have outlined a quick warm-up, sight word review, and teaching points (which vary depending on level).
Simply select a decodable reader or guided reading leveled book and follow the step-by-step sections! That's truly it!
An easy warm-up for your emergent readers are segmenting and blending! This gives your students a chance to practice a key skill that they'll be using in their reading as they begin to decode.
Segmenting & Blending
I've included work mats for vowels: a, e, i, o , and u where students track each letter sound and using a dry erase marker write the letter. Then, they'll blend it altogether to say the word.
Reading Skill Posters
Lastly, I've included these easy-to-use posters where you can display in your reading area for daily practice. These skills will be the main skills students will be practicing all year long in their small groups and eventually on their own!
Happy Reading!
I hope you've found this to be a little helpful as you begin to plan your reading groups this upcoming school year in kindergarten (or even first grade!). I wish you the best of luck!!
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