Literacy Archives - Page 3 of 7 - Whimsy Workshop Teaching

Books That Teach Friendship and Social Skills

September 17, 2017 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching Leave a Comment

Our class spends a LOT of time learning social skills, problem solving, friendship and conflict resolution. This helps to create a peaceful environment where learning can thrive, and we do not have to spend the majority of our time solving interpersonal conflicts. We use interactive lessons from The Kindness Classroom SEL curriculum, along with many of the books listed below to reinforce concepts.

Click on any cover to see details of the story.

Llama Llama Time To Share by Anna Dewdney

Franklin Plays the [Read More…]

Teaching Empathy and Kindness: A Book List

September 8, 2017 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching Leave a Comment

The Social Skills Idea Bank is a series of related posts, each dedicated to sharing strategies for teaching a particular social skill.
As teachers, our strength lies in sharing our ideas, experiences and strategies!
This is a growing list, and you are invited to contribute in the comments section. We hope you will, because there’s nothing like a good idea shared between teachers to make our jobs easier.
This post is about books you can use to teach empathy in the classroom
Let’s get started!
How do [Read More…]

Writing Workshop : Setting Up For Success!

July 29, 2017 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching Leave a Comment

Do you do writing workshop with your students?
My program has evolved over the last 23 years, and now it runs smoothly – although I can’t help but add new ideas each year!

Long before I expect students to write stories, we spend a lot of time discussing stories.
For example, every time we read a story, we …
*name the author and illustrator
*find words to describe the characters and talk about who they might remind us of
*talk about the plot and if we’ve ever [Read More…]

Making Phonics Fun and Interactive

July 29, 2017 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching 1 Comment

Teaching phonics can become a bit monotonous day after day, but there are lots of ways to keep it engaging!
Here are a few examples of the ways I’ve tried to keep phonics lessons interactive, hands on, and FUN!
Phonics instruction can also be differentiated with a little creativity.

BUILDING WORDS & SENTENCES
This activity allows for differentiation because the tasks get more complex as you work down the page. Some students will only be required to print the letters and build the [Read More…]

Phonics Centers for Back To School

July 8, 2017 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching 2 Comments

When do you start teaching phonics?
There are so many things going on at the start of a new school year!
We are getting to know new personalities, watching them interact with each other, and at the same time, we are taking notes and assessing abilities.
One of the first things I set up are my EASY and independent literacy centers.

These take very little explanation, and students can happily work on literacy skills while I use valuable time to assess their abilities before moving [Read More…]

Father’s Day Directed Drawing Ideas

June 9, 2017 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching 2 Comments

Looking for some new ideas for Father’s Day?
I’ve got two Father’s Day ideas for you – and they’re free!

FATHER’S DAY DIRECTED DRAWING
Do your students love directed drawing?
Parents just love the personal touch of a drawing made by their child.
It’s a simple ideas but such a wonderful keepsake!

Students just follow the steps to draw themselves and their Dad.
Then they color it in, and write about it using several writing prompts.

MAKE YOUR OWN CARDS
Do you have your own ideas for Father’s Day?
Do [Read More…]

Directed Drawing For Math!

April 18, 2017 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching Leave a Comment

Most of my students have a good understanding of our math concepts, but could definitely use some practice with basic math facts and speed of recall. Fast recall of facts will help them in later grades when the concepts become more complex. Daily repetitive practice helps with speed of recall, but that’s not always engaging for students. This is why I began using Math Pictures every day.

Question:
How can we make basic math facts practice more engaging and fun?
Answer:
Integrate your math practice [Read More…]

Secret Sentences for Phonics Fun!

April 16, 2017 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching Leave a Comment

One of the most engaging activities in my classroom over the last 20+ year has been Secret Sentences. Students LOVE to solve a secret mystery, and even better when they are practicing their letter sound knowledge at the same time!
WHERE TO BEGIN: SIMPLE WORDS
We begin with simple words. We use word tiles, scrabble tiles, or homemade tiles with n

As shown, student place tiles to match the FIRST SOUND of each little picture. They can also use dry erase marker on [Read More…]

Simple End Of Year Ideas

April 6, 2017 by Whimsy Workshop Teaching Leave a Comment

How do you celebrate the end of the school year? Are you always collecting new ideas?
I’ve tried many different ideas over the last 20+ years, and today I’m sharing some of my favorite and most successful ideas.

END OF YEAR MEMORY SHIRTS
Students bring an older t-shirt to take part in this activity. (I usually grab a few extras at the dollar store for students who forget.) Slide some cardboard inside the shirts and ask students to write their name using Sharpies or [Read More…]