Writing personal narratives is a key unit of study in primary classrooms. Most students manage this unit with ease. They're not usually at a loss for ideas and often over-write. As a matter of fact, you've probably delivered a lot of lessons on how to rethink and revise for irrelevant, superfluous content. It feels like that never ends. Ever. Do you have that lesson on repeat too? But some … [Read more...]
Opinion Writing in First Grade
Opinion writing in first grade is a little tricky. It's not because kids don't have opinions. They have plenty. And if you've been a teacher for even two minutes, you already know this. It's because they're also storytellers and they can't help themselves from sharing all their comings and goings with anyone who will listen. Even though you've taught umpteen opinion writing lessons, there are … [Read more...]
How to Teach Writing in First Grade
I think a lot about how to teach writing in first grade. When I was a beginning teacher, I would read through the writing standards and wonder if they were even reachable for kids who were only six ... kids who pretty much just learned how to use letters to write their own names ... kids who were still drawing pictures to communicate most of their ideas ... kids who would rather hear a story than … [Read more...]
National Poetry Month: Books for Children
April is National Poetry Month, which I think scares the heck out of a lot of teachers. Not me. Or at least not anymore. I think most people have a deep-rooted fear of poetry. I'm guessing you're already remembering some horrible class you had in high school where you were forced to read and understand a bunch of poems you thought were dumb. Been there. Oh, and another confession? I used to … [Read more...]
Famous Inventions Kids Love – Bubble Gum
Thank goodness for inventors and all their famous inventions. There are the basics like cars, light bulbs, and (one of my personal favorites) hot water heaters. Then there are some less obvious ones like thumbtacks and zippers. There are even a few I resisted at first, like backup cameras in cars. I mean who needs those? (Apparently, me.) If you can believe it, I didn't even want an iPhone when … [Read more...]
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