Inside: Discover ways to support young children in drawing and labeling pictures during the emergent stages of writing in kindergarten. Why I Teach Drawing and Labeling Pictures With all that you have to teach in kindergarten, you might wonder how (or even why) someone would take the time to teach children how to draw. You […]
Archives for August 2021
Shared Reading: A Weekly Big Book Routine for Kindergarten
Inside: Discover a weekly routine for shared reading that supports you in teaching multiple literacy skills, while providing a consistent structure for capturing young readers’ attention and interest. The Magic of Shared Reading I was once observed during a shared reading lesson. In the post-op, the administrator told me that it’s always her practice to […]
The Kindergarten Name Game: A Literacy Routine for the Beginning of the Year
Inside: Play the name game with your kindergarten class to learn each other’s names, while introducing important print and phonological awareness skills. Teaching With Children’s Names When I get my class list, I count the number of kids, look at birthdays (hoping none fall on the for the first day of school!), and then look […]
7 Playful Ways to Do Letter-Sound Card Drills in Kindergarten
Inside: Discover ways to add some fun and playfulness to your daily letter sound card drills to hold children’s attention and keep their eyes on the cards. Those Dreaded Letter-Sound Card Drills You pick up your letter-sound cards for the 100th time and hope that you won’t hear any audible groans (mostly from yourself). You […]
Kindergarten Inquiry, Projects and STEAM Ideas Across the Seasons
Inside: Each season brings new opportunities for kindergarten inquiry, projects, and STEAM work. In this post, I share links to many of the projects I’ve done with different groups of kindergartners across many school years. Leaning Into Kindergarten Inquiry and Project Work When I decided to try teaching in a more student-centered way, there was […]
Apple Seed Inquiry: Exploring the Scientific Method in Kindergarten
Inside: Try this apple seed inquiry to introduce your kindergarten class to inquiry-based learning, the scientific method, and how to ask questions. Our Inquiry Path This inquiry began quite accidentally while reading a book, and grew into a wonderful math and science experience for my kiddos. I now repeat this inquiry every year, because it […]
3 Types of Makerspace Challenges to Use Across the Kindergarten Year
Inside: Learn how to create an intentional plan for your classroom makerspace, by using 3 types of makerspace challenges across the kindergarten year. Before You Fill That Makerspace Cart When it comes to classroom makerspaces, it’s easy to put the “cart,” before the horse. We’ve all seen those cute makerspace carts on Pinterest, that are […]
Using a Workshop Model to Teach Future-Ready Skills in Kindergarten
Inside: Discover how to use a workshop model and play-based centers to teach future-ready skills in a kindergarten classroom. Why Teach Future-Ready Skills? What would you say is the most important letter in the alphabet? If you believe that preparing students for the future is super important, then you might agree that it is letter […]
