Back when I was a student, there is only one vocabulary activity I can ever remember doing in class or for homework. It was looking up the word in the dictionary, writing the definition, and using the word in a sentence. I can recall this assignment itself (probably because of the sheer number of times I had to do it), but ask me how many of those actual words I am able to remember. Couldn’t tell you a single one, to be honest!

Want to teach vocabulary without boring word lists? Here are 5 great ideas to teach ESL vocabulary and keep your students motivated!

I love grammar. But convincing my students to love grammar sometimes feels like trying to convince a bobcat to enjoy a nice, relaxing ice bath.

Teachers, looking for ways to teach adjectives to your students? This blog post has tons of activities and ideas for a fun grammar lesson!

Mastering multiplication facts is such an important skill for 3rd grade students. As a former 4th grade teacher, I fully understand how crippling it can

Let's dive into some new options to teach vocabulary, for those who have the time and energy to pursue them. In this post and podcast, I'm sharing ten ideas for making the study of vocabulary something students might even look forward to.

Tick-tock, it's time for fun learning! Dive into engaging ways to make teaching time a blast for your students!

Vocabulary instruction is so critical in today’s classroom! A vast vocabulary will help students to become better readers and writers. Vocabulary is also essential to their performance on standardized tests. Helping kids to develop their vocabulary is time that is well spent in a busy classroom. I have developed a routine to teach new vocabulary

I'm always on the hunt for a first week activity that lets me know a little bit about my students without putting them on the spot. Becaus...

It can be difficult to find creative ways to teach vocabulary. Check out this list of 17 creative ways to teach vocabulary from 2 Peas and a Dog.

Looking for a fun way to engage adult ESL learners in learners their alphabet, letter sounds and letter formation? I plan to cover all thos...

Checking for Understanding Formative Assessment Exit Slips

As a teacher, one of the things I get asked the MOST about is teaching kids to read. For some children, it comes so quickly and naturally. And for others... it doesn't. So this post is for the mama of one of those "others" (and I say that in a kidding and kind way, of

English is a fascinating subject where you can actively experiment with new words, combine different words each time for the same sentence, and whatnot. A key ingredient for this fascinating experiment is wh-questions: What, when, why, where, who, and how. Wh-questions are fundamental to both oral and written language.

I mean...why WOULDN'T you use cootie catchers in your reading block? It makes perfect sense. Ok - remember last week how I was talking about doing a little spring cleaning with some of my TpT resources? Well, I did a little spring cleaning in my file folders on my computer as well. Yikes. Now THAT'S a bit of a rabbit hole. I got in a little deeper than I wanted to, but I figured I might as well finish the job. I got rid of a lot (a LOT) of cringe worthy products that just didn't make the cut anymore, and I got some major organizing done as well. BUT - you know what I found? THIS >>> It's a reading comprehension cootie catcher that I TOTALLY forgot I made! And since it resurfaced for me - I thought I'd resurface it for you! I'm sure I made it for you guys in the first place, but I can't for the life of me find it anywhere on the blog. There's actually 3 different versions. They have different comprehension questions that can be used with any fictional book. They work great as a quick partner review game. You can download them here! Find any long-lost things in your spring cleaning, lately? Pin and Share this freebie:

I am always looking for new ways to dismiss my class. Whether we are going from the carpet area back to our desks or from our desks to th...

Check out our top 11 ESL whiteboard games and activities to try out with your students today. Have some fun with these chalkboard games.

Are your students disinterested and tired of the traditional ways of learning characterization? Have you been searching for a really fun, student-centered, interactive way to eliminate their boredom? Well, look no further! I present to you a wonderful student-collaboration activity that will get your students involved and excited for a character analysis for any novel, […]

Teaching English with songs is a great way to boost student engagement. Check out these 17 ideas for activities using music and songs!

Master teaching commas with our comprehensive grammar lesson plan. Enhance your students' punctuation skills with our expert guidance.

Looking for esl task cards to use with your english language learners? Try these picture cards that are perfect for quick and effective language practice!

Check out the hot potato game, including variations, advice about timers, instructions for play and a whole lot more. Have some fun today!

Do your students struggle with following directions? This simple following directions activity will get your students paying attention.

What is more fun than popping a balloon? Popping a balloon and then sequencing events, that's what!! You have to spice up your instruction to make a boring

Engaging, fun ways to teach your students summarizing skills. Strengthen their reading skills and provide practice with this challenging concept.

Being a mother would you like to teach your child about trains in the most fun way possible? Then, definitely try these free printable train coloring pages.

Playing games provides a wonderful opportunity for your ESL/ELL students to practice speaking in a fun and exciting way. Here you will find 3 lively speaking games that are sure to get your students talking.

One of the most fun ways to help kids practice following directions and listening is by playing games. We love to move and learn here so I found 6 following directions games that get kids up and moving!

A fun and memorable way to teach synonyms! "Synonym Rolls"A week of activities to teach synonyms. Help your students remember that synonyms are words that have the same or similar meaning. -Digital/printable anchor chart-Graphics to create a class anchor chart-Synonym matching activity (color and B&...

My first grader has a spelling list of 10 words each week that she has to learn. As a teacher, I was always on the giving end of these ...

Teach your family about dishonesty in a way that will STICK with them for a long time! Get all the lesson info about the effect of lies on the blog today.

Teaching grammar and language art skills can be a challenge for anyone. How do you hit all of the skills...effectively? How do you know your students are

I'm going to share with you some fun and engaging ways to teach sight words. I mentioned in this post, that I LOVE teaching sight words!! There are numerous reasons, but one of them is the essential fact that learning sight words is just a hop, skip and a jump away from reading fluently! Edward William Dolch, in 1948, created a list of words that he believed to be essential for all students to learn first! Many teachers have found this to be true. Unfortunately, not all words can be sounded out.. so confusing! But, when you teach your kiddos sight words, and the simplicity of recognizing them by sight, they stand a better chance at becoming fluent readers! Here are 25 Ways to Teach Sight Words: 1. Word of the Day Consider a word of the day or week. Students can write a sentence with the word and add it to the class chart before, during a lesson or even as an exit ticket. 2. Sight Word Search These Kindergarten Sight Word Searches are a great review of the sight words. You can find these sight word searches here. 3. Sight Word Songs Click the picture to watch! My students LOVED these!!! 4. Sight Word Practice Pages I blogged about these here. 5. Sight Word Make a Match on Starfall This can be played individually on the computer, on an ipad, or whole group with an interactive board. 6. Use a doodle sketch or whatever you call these... These would be perfect to review sight words during small group time. Anything that keeps your students engaged and is hands on is perfect for reviewing sight words. 7. Spelling Practice on ABCya.com This is a fun game to practice whole group, small group or individually with a smart board, computer or ipad. 8. Another fun interactive way to ask your students how to spell a word. This game is also on ABCya.com 9. Playdoh Sight Words This photo came from Mrs. Bremer's Class blog. She found a freebie to use for making sight words out of play doh. Fun!! 10. Sight Word Necklace This idea came from Kinder by Kim. She says to wear a sight word necklace and as your kiddos enter the room they have to tell you the sight word. Great idea! 11. Literacy Centers There are so many fun ways to incorporate sight words into literacy centers. This activity is in my Fall/Halloween Math & Literacy Centers. 12. Interactive Sight Word Sentences If you have an interactive board-- this is one of the easiest centers to make! I would simply insert a picture per page, and separately type up the words in the sentence. Then, I made sure to mix them up and save the entire flipchart. 13. Sight Word Sentence Building Pages This particular page is from my Apple Unit. 14. Simple Sight Word Books I LOVED making these books! The student had to put the sentence in the correct order, match the picture, then read it to a few friends, to me or silently. 15. iPad Sight Word Games and Resources There are so many iPad sight word games. Just try googling it and see what happens!!! 15. Morning Messages Before each reading lesson, we always had a morning message. I would pick a few students to come to the board and circle/underline some of the sight words that were found in the sentence. 16. Using Sight Words with Crafts PS- I cannot for the life of me remember where this idea came from.. if it was you, feel free to comment below! 17. Tree Maps Tree Maps help teach your students/child how to write a paragraph. It all starts with the sight words. "Bats can fly. Bats have wings. Bats are creepy!" 18. Flashcards Let's not forget flash cards! Repetition is key.. so there is nothing wrong with bringing these bad boys out here and there! 19. Sight Word Songs to Review a lot of Words Click the picture to watch! 20. Homework Checklist of all Sight Words to Parents This comes from my Read like a Rockstar Pack. 21. Sensory Bin This would be so much fun for building sight words. Stick a little recording sheet at the center and call it common core (haha). Picture is from Mess for Less. 22. Sight Word Sticker Books This was another idea that came from Mrs. Bremer's Kindergarten blog. Give them a sticker for each word they can read. Over time they will be able to fill the entire book! 23. Water Color Sight Words This comes from Sharing Kindergarten. Kids love to paint, so this center is a no brainer for student engagement. What a fun center!!! 24. Magnetic Letters We can't forget those magnetic letters! This is a perfect hands on activity for those kinesthetic learners. 25. Websites: Pinterest & the SightWords.com Lastly, I almost always have to mention Pinterest.. I am such a visual person and it helps me to get ideas, inspiration, tips, tricks, etc.. with the millions of pictures. I just started a board for Sight Words. Be sure to follow it! Make sure to check out www.sightwords.com. They have so many games and resources for FREE-- yup that's right FREE!!! I hope you found some great ideas to implement into your own classroom. Be sure to check out my newest sight word unit below! Thanks for stopping by!

Here's a step-by-step guide for teaching students to identify text evidence and support answers to questions with evidence from passages.

Teach your child the alphabet and Spanish vocabulary at home with these free printable Spanish alphabet tracing worksheets.

Here are some fun end of lesson activities and ideas that can be used for the remaining three to five minutes of you class time.

Okay so my planning day was not too bad. I did manage to get a few things done, but of course there is always more. I can't complain too muc...

Engaging, fun ways to teach your students summarizing skills. Strengthen their reading skills and provide practice with this challenging concept.

Read about activities, lessons, and centers you can implement to help teach numbers. Download 6 free activities for your students.