As teachers, we know that one of the most important things that we can do for our young children is to read to them each and every day. Bedtime is the most important time in our household. We plan on getting our toddler to bed 30 minutes early so we can read to them. Not only can reading help your kiddos learn sounds, words and language, it also helps to develop early literacy skills. Reading can also help children to learn the value of books and stories. We know that reading helps to spark our student’s imagination and stimulate curiosity- the same goes for even the youngest of our children. Not to brag, but our toddler has a killer vocabulary. Reading to our toddler helps to develop their brain, their social skills and helps to improve their communication skills.

One of the standards that we find that our students need the most growth is Speaking and Listening. Year after year, that strand is marked the lowest in our CAASPP scores. There are several things that we do to improve our students’ listening comprehension as well as speaking skills. Read on to learn more…

To make your teaching life a little easier, we have created lessons that focus on directly teaching your students informational text reading strategies.

What is the difference between a good teacher and a great teacher? Well, this question comes up during teacher interviews sometimes, and it is a tough question to answer just off the top of your head. I’ve been giving it some thought, and here is what I have come up with:

Schools can be an ideal place to support the social and emotional well being of students, and we can offer many opportunities to build resilience within our students. When students feel supported and understood, there are usually less discipline problems in classrooms, students can focus on their school work more readily, and students can begin to develop their communication skills. 

Using many of the strategies created by Dr. Daniel Siegel, author of The Whole Brain Child, and Mindsight, as well as, The Yes Brain, and Dr. Joan Rosenberg, author of 90 Seconds to a Life You Love, we have compiled our tried and true strategies and resources when supporting our students’ emotional needs. 

Writing a personal memoir is clearly the more challenging piece of writing, and one in which brings value and clarity to a person’s life. We have taken our memoir writing unit and created activities and a presentation. You can find it in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.