• Using Mentor Texts to Teach Reading Skills: a Weekly Routine

    I love to use pictures books to teach various reading comprehension skills. I think that students of all ages LOVE to listen to a picture books. They are short and easily digestible, and students are also able to relate to the content or sense of humor that comes with a picture book. But how do […]

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  • 4 Reasons Why Graphic Organizers Boost Reading Comprehension

    If you have followed my blog for long, you know that using graphic organizers is seriously something that I wouldn’t be able to teach reading without. I believe that they help boost students’ ability to understand what they’ve read. Below, are four reasons why I believe that graphic organizers help to boost reading comprehension for […]

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  • How to Break Down the Skills to Teach Theme

    Before I go any further, teaching theme is HARD…like really hard. Why didn’t anyone teach me a sequence or developmental process for learning and teaching theme. When I first started teaching, I would just dive in. I’d find cool activities that practiced theme. Then, a few weeks later, it would come again in our textbook […]

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  • 7 Items You NEED to Make Your Small Groups Fun

    I believe that small group instruction should be two things: targeted and FUN!!! I pull approximately 45 students each day, and they often beg to come. If I have a meeting or miss them, they are upset that they don’t get to “play games” with me.  While playing our games, they are learning and growing. […]

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  • How to Group Students for Special Education Services

    Progress Monitoring Data and Assessments When I begin thinking about my small groups, I like to first make a list of common things that I am working on with my students. For example, in the area of reading, I have students working on letter names and sounds, decoding CVC words, decoding blends and digraphs, decoding […]

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