Literacy Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Whimsy Workshop Teaching

Phonics Strategies and Ideas

October 13, 2015 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching 2 Comments

Phonics: Classroom Practice

Much of our phonics instruction comes from our daily practice. Most of the activities are embedded into PLAY. Apart from some direct full class and small group lessons (including guided reading lessons), most of our phonics practice takes place through game boards, sorting, word building and creative writing.
Here are some specific ways to find phonics practice happening in our classroom.

PHONICS BOARD GAMES

The easiest to prep, and a big class favorite through the whole year is phonics game boards.
I have [Read More…]

Games for Math and Phonics

October 11, 2015 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching 3 Comments

Using games and game boards for phonics instruction is now an integral part of my teaching.
It’s old school, it’s not original, but it’s just so reliable and engaging that I keep going back to it year after year. If you’re not using game boards like these ones, for phonics and math, consider it a no-prep present to yourself!

Board games are one of the very best ways to practice math every day in a fun way. My students quickly become independent [Read More…]

Strategies for Teaching New Concepts To Anxious Students

September 11, 2015 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching 12 Comments

When introducing a new topic of learning, especially in math, I notice the anxiety levels in some students rise significantly. The more anxious students in my class begin to fidget and look uncomfortable when they see something unfamiliar because it falls outside of their comfort zone for known success.

These students are afraid to try and fail; since school is all about introducing new concepts and embracing the learning process, this is quite a problem. Here are some strategies I use in [Read More…]

Pasta Word Work Ideas

August 16, 2015 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching Leave a Comment

I am always collecting and sharing word work ideas for my classroom, and if it’s no prep, then even better! Today I’m sharing a simple, inexpensive way to practice hands-on literacy with little ones.
All you need is dried pasta!

Have you ever tried using pasta in your literacy centers?
This is an old idea that I’ve been using for 20 years, and here’s what I use:

dried spaghetti
curved macaroni
dried ABC pasta

With younger students, we simply build capital letters with spaghetti, [Read More…]

Animated Stories for Social Skills

July 28, 2015 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching 1 Comment

I’ve recently started to incorporate online read-aloud stories to my daily routine, and discovered there are so many great books online out there!

Howard Wigglebottom Stories
My favorite find in the last year is the site dedicated to the Howard Wigglebottom stories. These cute animations focus on character building, social and emotional development, and lots of other essential ingredients for the primary classroom.
And guess what? They are all animated on one website! We use one story each morning as a springboard for [Read More…]

Phonics Videos and Activities for Bossy E

July 22, 2015 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching Leave a Comment

Do you ever show your kiddos the phonics videos on youtube?
My kids just love them. We have collected lots of really good ones, especially for phonics rules like Bossy E.

Harry Kindergarten is their all time favorite – they know every word and sing it LOUDLY!

Harry Kindergarten – One of my favorites!
Just a warning – this one might stick in your head all day!

Magic E Kids

Silent E Song

Silent E Electric Company – An old favorite!

Another Magic E Song

Nessy Reading Strategies [Read More…]

Kindness in the Classroom

July 4, 2015 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching 5 Comments

Let’s talk about kindness.

How do you promote a culture of kindness
and empathy in your classroom?

Of course we want kids to be kind in general, but why does it really matter so much in a classroom?

From my 20+ years of experience, it’s sort of like the chain reaction described in the “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie” story.

If students don’t understand and feel empathy, they may have difficulty with conflict resolution…
And if they are without conflict resolution strategies, you’ll [Read More…]

Reluctant Writers: Tech Solutions

July 2, 2015 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching Leave a Comment

10 Apps for Encouraging Reluctant Writers

Do you have ipads in your classroom this year? Are you looking for ways to encourage your reluctant writers? I am always on the lookout for fun new activities for my young writers.

Each year, I have students in my class who just LOVE to write. When I ask them to write one sentence, they write five. If I give them a few scraps of paper, they’ll staple it and create their own fully illustrated [Read More…]