As a reading interventionist at my school, this is a really magical time of year.  My kindergarten students have been learning letter sounds all year so far and now, they are starting to put those sounds together to read actual WORDS!  This is called blending.  Blending is the fundamental skill that helps us read, especially...Read More

Our school recently hosted a Spelling Bee for our 4th through 8th grade students.  I sat in amazement watching these brave students stand in front of their peers and parents and spell words ranging in difficulty.  Some of the words the students had to spell I hadn’t even heard of…and I consider myself a proficient...Read More

Sharing a meal with our families is not only a time to fuel our bodies and connect with our loved ones…it can also be a time for learning!  In this blog, I will share a few games you and your children can play together at dinner. Don’t worry, no pencil or paper is required!  The...Read More

There was a reading unit when I was teaching third grade where the vocabulary word, perseverance, was introduced.  I loved teaching my students about this word!  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, perseverance is “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.”  The act of persevering is so important to instill in...Read More

The purpose of reading is comprehension.  Without comprehension, children gain no meaning from what they read; they are just word-calling. It is no exaggeration to say that comprehending what you read has a profound impact on everyday activities.  The earlier that kids develop this fundamental skill, the better off they will be in school, and...Read More

Winter break is a well-deserved reprieve from homework and daily school commitments…for teachers, students and parents alike.  Kids are counting down the days until the commencement of the glorious holiday break, but we all know it will be over before you know it!  Kids will likely spend more time in bed and on their devices. ...Read More

Vocabulary is vital for reading comprehension.  If kids do not know what the words mean, they will not be able to make sense of the text they are reading.  Beginning readers have to use the words that they hear orally to understand the words they see in print.  This larger vocabulary will really pay off...Read More

You may have heard teachers say that children in grades K-2 are “learning to read”, while children in grade 3 and above are “reading to learn”.  Although there is some debate as to whether this statement is accurate, when kids enter third grade, there is a definite shift in HOW they read and WHY they...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