Using a read aloud is a magical way to build community in the classroom, learn about one another and set the tone for an amazing year while celebrating reading. Here's a round up of my 7 tried and true favorites along with some matching follow up reading activities to use at the start of the school year. These activities are geared towards a kindergarten and first grade classroom. All Are Welcome All are Welcome is top pick because it promotes inclusion, is positive + welcoming and celebrates our differences because they are our strengths! Use this story and activity pack to get to know your littles, help them learn about each other and create a welcoming classroom along the way. You can learn more about this resource here. The King of Kindergarten & The Queen of Kindergarten If you teach kinder, these are a must have! I'm equally obsessed with both ... Read More about Back to School Read Aloud Books and Activities
Reading Comprehension Visuals for Littles
Visuals are beneficial for all learners but especially in the primary grades! Littles need clear and relatable visual references to support... well, all the things! My first year of teaching kinder, I didn't know this... and I sure didn't have many great visuals for teaching say, all the Reading Comprehension Skills!! And there are tons. In Texas, our English Language Arts TEKS are a pretty heavy set of skills that are practiced throughout the entire year. Under the umbrella of comprehension, students are expected to learn many new skills in kinder & continue sharpening those into first. Reading skills like visualizing, inferring, predicting, retelling to just name a few. Since Reading Comprehension skills are practiced in great depth throughout the entire school year, I feel it's important to have a consistent visual references to share/display for littles and ones that are ... Read More about Reading Comprehension Visuals for Littles
Sequencing Activities for Littles
Introducing... Sequence IT! Sequencing is understanding the order in which something happens - whether that's recalling details from a read aloud, movie or a real life event. Being able to successfully sequence is an essential comprehension skill for littles. Sequencing in the form of retelling is frequently done after reading a picture book but what about tackling common day to day events with sequencing fun as well?! Years back in kinder, we had a taco party to sharpen our skills while making real tacos. Naturally we did this after reading, Dragons Love Tacos and making a whole group anchor chart! I loved it, the kids loved it and felt confident because the majority of them have built/eaten tacos already - we even had admin come visit and help them build tacos. This is one reason why I find joy in "how-to" (or procedural) units - kiddos connect, get really excited, ... Read More about Sequencing Activities for Littles
February Activities and Crafts in Kindergarten
February is a jammed pack month in Kindergarten with so many amazing holidays. From celebrating Black History to chatting about Dental Hygiene to spreading kindness to rocking into the 100th Day... Groundhog Day... President's Day & of course LOVE. As you can see, there's a lot to do, celebrate and learn about with your littles. Today, I've rounded up a few resources that are perfect for implementing in February and beyond. Picture Books worth Pullin' *shoppable affilate link* A mix of new releases and my go-to's year after year! I stick with themes of love (all types), friendship and kindness and heavy with bio's for BHM research and President's Day. (PebbleGo & Epic! are also helpful here) Black History Month Celebrating Black History is all year but February marks the official calendar celebration. If you've got an Epic! account, here's a K-1 friendly ... Read More about February Activities and Crafts in Kindergarten
Winter Retelling Crafts
Craft & Retell for January is a cozy comprehension pack for starting off a new, cool year! Being from Texas, It's not always that cold for us in January so these picture books + retelling activities can easily serve up a slice of Winter no matter the outdoor weather. Craft & Retell is ideal for a quick mini lesson after reading aloud OR these kits make a fun weekly literacy station! Hello learner independence! The January pack currently includes activities to pair with these amazing read alouds: Sneezy the Snowman, The Snowy Day, Share some Kindness bring some Light, Don't Feed the Coos!, The Smart Cookie, Squirrel's New Year Resolution and The Littlest Yak needs to be completed and added to the bundle. Craft & Retell is here to help little learners practice core retelling skills in a hands-on approach while also sharpening fine motor skills during craft ... Read More about Winter Retelling Crafts
Instant Picture Book Faves of 2022
It's that time again... time for my picture book reflections of 2022. It's always SO hard for me to do this - especially since I suffer from decision fatigue and am picture book obsessed. This year, I read a minimum of 100 picture books that were published in 2022. For next year, I'm actually going to log them verses taking a spine count come January. But back to decision fatigue, it's been totally raging trying to narrow this list down. This year, I decided to focus my tops to instant favorites that I can vividly recall because their impression was just that great. This collection includes stories that are charming with a classic feel, laugh out hilarious, some that are extremely heartfelt & as always offer a smooth + engaging text (plot) flow making for a perfect for read aloud. Grab a Cup of Joe and Let's dig in, shall we! *this post includes amazon aff covers* ... Read More about Instant Picture Book Faves of 2022
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