I don’t know about you, but when I first started hearing about Heart Words, I asked myself… “Ok, what’s all the hype about?” So of course I did a deep dive of research. I spent the better part of the year doing a lot of research, learning, and to be honest, a lot of unlearning. I quickly realized the many… Read More
The Science of Reading is all the rage in today’s classroom and for good reason! It has created a lot of shifts to happen in our schools with its scientifically based research. It’s all about the science behind how we learn to read and it’s pretty fascinating! While many of us may have thought reading just happens along the way… Read More
Can I be really honest with you all? When I first started hearing about sound walls I wasn’t sure if they were just going to be the newest trend. There was so much hype about moving away from our beloved word walls and replacing them with new shiny sound walls. I will admit I was slow to jump on and… Read More
There are so many benefits of using read alouds in your classroom. To state a few- students who listen to their teacher read aloud will develop a strong vocabulary, build connections between spoken and written words, increase their attention span, and it strengthens their cognitive abilities. Not to mention, it’s fun! In this post, we’ll talk about just how crucial… Read More
Building background knowledge is like building a bridge. It’s meeting your students where they are and then continuing to build on what they already know. Eventually you guys will keep building until you reach mastery and that bridge is completely constructed. It is a crucial part of learning and helps students make meaningful connections so they can retain the information… Read More
Did you know that vocabulary is one of the biggest predictors of reading success in students? The words we use on a daily basis with our students, in addition to the vocabulary instruction we provide, are CRUCIAL for them! Since it’s so important, it’s only right to get some really great tools and strategies for helping our kids’ vocabulary soar…. Read More