Parents and educators around the world are still feeling the negative outcomes of the global pandemic and the effect it has had on how kids learn. It's no surprise that the pandemic has taken a toll on our ability to concentrate and remember things successfully. The ability to hold information and focus is called working...Read More
Kids are just beginning to understand the world, but their knowledge is limited. This makes sense because they have had fewer experiences than adults. But, with fewer experiences to draw upon, making connections and learning can be challenging. In this week’s blog we are going to talk about the importance of background knowledge, the information...Read More
Oh, the dreaded Summer Slide! This is something that both parents and teachers worry about and try to prevent. The summer slide phenomenon is where children experience a loss of academic skills and knowledge during the summer break when they are not actively involved in school activities. The good news is that parents can help...Read More
Summer is the perfect time for kids to explore new interests, new books and the joy of reading just for FUN! Summer is also a great time to build kids’ background knowledge with hands-on activities that help them connect to what they are reading. In this blog, I will share a few ways to keep...Read More
I absolutely LOVE being the children’s librarian at my school…especially when my kindergarteners come to check out books. They are SO EXCITED to look at the books and to take one home. Many of our kindergarteners do not know how to read yet, so they “picture read”. This is a wonderful “prequel” to reading. However,...Read More
Writing is such an important literacy skill because it gives us a way to express ourselves. As a teacher, parents often ask me for advice on how to help their child in writing. In this blog, I will share a few ways that parents can support their child’s writing development in fun ways. Make Lists...Read More
Writing is a skill that takes time and perseverance to cultivate. As a classroom teacher, I loved my Writer’s Workshop time. I would model a piece of writing for my students and then give them time to write on their own, in their own private space in the classroom. I would also continue to...Read More
Imagine this playful moment: A child is sitting on his mother’s lap while the two of them sing and clap the following words together: Itsy bitsy spider Went up the water spout. Down came the rain And washed the spider out. Out came the sun And dried up all the rain. And the itsy bitsy...Read More
“Do as I say, not as I do” is a colloquialism that has been around for centuries. The idea behind this phrase is that simply telling our children the behavior we want to see is enough to inspire them to make positive choices. How does this relate to reading and writing? Simple. If we...Read More
